What Makes a Great Office Chair?

The Gear Patrol Podcast Episode Seventeen – Listen Now

By Gear Patrol

Published June 1, 2021

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Updated February 8, 2023

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The Gear Patrol Podcast is our weekly roundtable discussion focused on products, their stories, and the culture surrounding them.

In this episode, our Home Editor Will Price talks through everything you need to know when buying an office chair. Whether you’re in the market to furnish a home office, or returning to an office soon, what you sit on bears a huge amount of consideration. Sitting still for sustained periods is categorically unhealthy, and your office chair needs to at the very least mitigate those ill effects.

But what features should an office chair have to optimize our seating position and provide proper physical support? Where should you get an office chair? And why–WHY–do they cost so much, often as much as a thousand dollars? After testing out dozens and dozens of office chairs for Gear Patrol, Will has plenty of answers.

Will runs through all the dos, don’ts, maybes, and absolutely-nots of buying and sitting in office chairs: all the info you need to arm yourself for a purchase, or at least to understand how your current chair is affecting your body.

Show Notes:

Episode Navigation:

02:00 – Gaming Chairs Are Not Office Chairs
03:20 – Adjustability: What Makes an Office Chair Great
05:15 – Office Chairs Mitigate Pain
10:15 – Is There a Perfect Office Chair?
12:45 – Why are office chairs so expensive? Plus, our Top Three Picks.
22:25 – Ergonomics
25:00 – Should I Buy a Used Office Chair?
28:55 – Are Super Cheap Office Chairs Okay to Buy?
30:50 – Specific Office Chair Features and Extras (Pro Tip: Roller Blade Wheels)
35:15 – What Chair Does Will Use?
38:00 – Will’s Epic Rant Against Gaming Chairs
44:05 – What About Office Chair “Alternatives” Like Yoga Balls and Kneeling Chairs?
46:40 – Will’s Most Important Office Chair Buying Advice