The temptation to stick with cheap office chairs is obvious. Nobody wants to have to break the bank on a piece of office equipment, and any money saved on something like a chair can go into something more exciting. However, there are a few problems with this line of reasoning, which we will attempt to explain in this article.
The Cost Of Cheap Office Chairs
In general, people are spending more and more time in chairs. This is due in part to the nature of our work, and also because of our changing lifestyles. While the act of sitting may seem innocuous enough, it can actually be one of the major sources of health problems in our lives, especially as we spend more and more time sitting.
Think of what it’s like to sit in an ordinary chair for more than 15 minutes at a time. Do you ever start to get uncomfortable and feel the need to shift positions? This is a sign that you are placing too much strain on some part of your body. The problem with cheap office chairs is that they don’t properly accommodate many different positions, nor do they provide much back, arm, or leg support in any position.
This is the basic reason why sitting in a non-ergonomic chair is unhealthy. The more strain you place on your body, the more likely you are to develop chronic problems. Problems connected to improper seating include things like back and neck pain, to circulation and breathing problems.
This can then lead to medical expenses and loss of productivity, which may even jeopardize your career. In this way, choosing cheap office chairs actually ends up being more expensive in the long run.
What To Look For In Cheap Office Chairs
The solution to the problem of unergonomic seating is to go with a true, high quality ergonomic office chair. Chairs such as the Steelcase Leap and the Herman Miller Aeron have been designed in accordance with exhaustive medical research. The results of this research have been used to ensure that the chairs are able to provide proper support to users after the chair has been properly adjusted. As hard as it may be to believe if you haven’t used one before, an ergonomic office chair will allow you to sit and work through a normal day without developing discomfort. You’ll have more energy and generally feel better, and thus you’ll be able to work more effectively, and you’ll be less likely to incur medical expenses that would otherwise result from seating-related pain.
If you’re on a tight budget, there are a couple of cheap office chairs that provide some of the basic benefits of high quality ergonomic chairs without forcing you to spend too much money.
One of these is the 86000 Series by Lorell. The 86000 has more dimensions of adjustability than most cheap office chairs, and its mesh back provides good breathability. The adjustable armrests are a nice touch not usually available on chairs in this price range.
Another good value option is the Office Star Latte. The Latte also has a mesh back and adjustable armrests, as well as a built-in lumbar support. These cheap office chairs don’t really compare to high end ergonomic chairs, but they provide enough support and comfort to be easily appropriate for a few hours at a time if necessary.
