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Archive for the ‘office chairs’ Category

Style, look, feel, comfort, features, price, durability, and functions. These are all common factors a person would seek out and research when deciding on a new office chair purchase. While all the aforementioned factors are of great importance in the decision making process, perhaps the feature that should be most sought after most is the amount of support a chair is going to give you, especially when it comes to lumbar support. The lumbar region of the back, or more simply stated the lower back, is one of the most essential parts of your body that needs to be properly supported while seating in order to avoid long term health effects that can make working and sitting a real pain (literally). With that being said, it is important to be educated in the types of lumbar support offered in order to find the best kind of support for you and your body.

Active Lumbar Support

When analyzing the importance of lumbar support, it is important to first explain the importance of adopting the correct sitting position, an often overlooked but common contributing factor to back problems. Sitting right is simple, although it may seem like a chore at first always trying to remember to sit correctly. The lower back below the belt line must be as far back as possible, thus ensuring the lumbar gets the support and the back is maintained in a straight position. Lumbar support and correct sitting posture together, not individually, will give you good ergonomic comfort.

To illustrate, a good point of reference is statistics provided by the British Society for Rheumatology in a study conducted to understand the mechanics of the lumbar disc. When compared to the pressure on the lumbar disc in the standing position, unsupported sitting, which can be caused by the improper position or lack of lumbar support or both, increases the load by 40% on the disc. (On top of that, reclining, comparatively, reduces the strain by 70%).

Passive Lumbar Support

There are two different kinds of lumbar supports which can be found on any ergonomically correct chair; active and passive. The difference between the two, simply put, is that passive is usually not adjustable, but built into the frame of the chair, while active is a standalone lumbar support that can be adjusted in a multitude of ways. While most would be quick to judge and assume active lumbar support is the way to go, this is not necessarily true. Passive lumbar can achieve the same amount of support as fully active if the chair has other ergonomic elements built in to adjust the chair such as a ratchet back or seat slider, for example. However, if these elements are not present, then an active lumbar support is the winner.

Adjust-ability is important when talking about lumbar, speaking in terms of an active support. While adjust-ability up and down is crucial because you can fit it to where your lumbar is, adjust-ability in and out is just as important, in that it regulates the pressure applied to your lumbar; the support strength, if you will. Four-way adjust-ability allows for the user to customize their office chair’s lumbar support for their personal needs. Usually, four-way lumbar is a premium feature, but not one that should be overlooked.

Adjust-ability in passive lumbar support is rare, being as it is built into the frame of a chair, but certain office chairs incorporating passive support also include a seat slider and ratchet back, to allow for adjust-ability. Depending on your back problems, and on the amount of time you sit in your chair during the day, the support needed is a personal issue. Most chairs have built in passive lumbar, but if you feel stress on your back with that format, then try an active support for a while, or vice versa.

When you are sitting in your office chair throughout the day the last thing that probably comes to your mind is the seat you are sitting on, let alone what type of seat it is and if it has a seat slider adjustment. None of this really ever comes to mind, unless you are on a search for a new chair, especially if you are looking into getting a more ergonomically correct chair. The seat is one of the most important parts of the chair, after all it is what most of us sit on for eight hours or more everyday. You are going to want a seat that is going to be able to keep you comfortable throughout the day and have the proper adjustments available to meet your body’s needs. That being said, not all office chair seats are created equal.

When you are looking at the seat of a chair, look for the side contour of the seats, as well as the waterfall front, shown in the Humanscale Freedom Chair to the right. These two features allow for optimal blood flow through your legs. Optimal blood flow reduces yawning and tiredness (because you yawn and get tired from a lack of oxygen, which can come from bad circulation, drinking water helps this too). The contoured seat pan is definitely an ergonomic benefit which is a standard feature in most true ergonomic chairs.

Tractor Seat Example

Some chair companies offer the option of a saddle seat, or a tractor seat. These, shown on the right, are highly specialized solutions for people that need to remain in the same position, and are generally geared towards those with hip problems because the contours give you more support than being parallel and alleviate pressure points. We do not recommend them, unless there are specific seating needs required that necessitate a tractor seat, as for a standard person looking for basic ergonomic support would feel uncomfortable. The tractor seat does not come standard on chairs, it is a special seat offered by specific manufacturers.

Chairs that offer multiple adjustments for their users, sometimes offer an adjustment know as a seat slider. The seat slider is the device that adjusts the seat pan forwards or backwards. It is essentially a ratchet back feature for the seat. The slider helps the chair adjust to the user, not vice versa. Its importance to a chair’s overall ergonomic nature can be determined by the type of seat cushion in the chair. This feature can help adjust the user so that they are getting full use of the waterfall feature on the front of the seat, as well as provide the user the ability to fit into the contours of the seat comfortably. For taller people, the seat slider is a great feature, as it adjusts the seat to the right depth.

If used properly, the seat slider can add more comfort and customize the office chair to the user. Most ergonomic chairs will have this as an additional option. The seat slider in terms of ergonomic benefit is definitely a needed upgrade because it gives the user an additional adjustment, to make their office chair fit their needs.

Contoured seats and seat sliders, while they may appear to be more of a luxury than a necessity, in reality are one of the most important elements to every chair. Just as you want the back of your chair to provide you with ergonomic support, you also want your seat to give you ergonomic support as well. With a well designed ergonomic chair that is tailored to fit the user’s body, aches and pains will no longer be an everyday occurrence and getting through long work days feeling tired and groggy will be eliminated as well. For more information on office chairs and their features visit our Chairs 101 section.

Office Chair with Carpet Casters

When you purchase an office chair, a large majority of the time your chair will come equipped with casters, which are basically the wheels you have on your chair that allow you to move around. If your chair does have wheels, you are probably using them in your office more than you realize. For most of us, how much we use the wheels on our office chair generally is not a recurring thought that goes through our mind regularly. From rolling over to the printer to rolling to the fax machine, office chair wheels get a pretty good amount of mileage on them without us even thinking about it. Until the day you realize your casters are not working properly or one breaks, then you begin to notice how much you actually depended on them. Or there is always the slight chance you and your employees embarked on an office chair racing challenge and one of you took a turn too sharply and broke one of the chair’s casters in the process. That sometimes can happens too.

If any of these scenarios do take place, there is no need to worry, replacing the casters on your office chair is actually pretty simple. If you know the model number and manufacturer for your office chair, you can easily locate the casters that will fit properly. Sometimes if you flip your office chair over and look underneath the seat, that information is readily available on a paper attached. Alternately, when you get your chair in the mail save any papers you get in that box because they will generally have information on the manufacturer and chair you purchased. Once this information is located you can call the manufacturer, or even the retailer you purchased the chair from. If they do not carry the casters, they should at least be able to point you in the right direction to purchase a new set for your chair.

Example Chair with Glides

Casters appear to be the same on every chair, but in reality there are many different varieties of casters available. The difference in casters is the material from which they are made from and whether you want them to move or not. It is just a matter of finding out which caster is going to work for the surface your office chair will be rolling on and how you want your chair to function. If you are rolling around on a carpet, plastic casters are the way to go and generally come standard on chairs. A harder caster is needed for a harder surface, such as tile or hard wood floors. If you do not want your chair to move, then you should opt for glides rather than casters which allow your chair to stay in one place. Pressure braking casters can also be used if you want your chair to stay in one place, but you also want the ability to move around at the same time. Simply applying pressure to the casters while sitting down will brake your casters, allowing you to stay in one place.

If you are looking to spice up your office chair, you will find that there are casters for your office chair available in many different colors. No longer is the standard of black or silver casters for your office chair enforced, now you can easily match the casters to go with your decor, the color of the chair, or even if you want to add a little spice to a black or neutral colored chair. This is a great way to add a touch of style to your chair that is inexpensive and requires little effort.

Office chair casters, as simple as they are, are something you do not realize is a necessity until they are not working properly. If yours are not working or if you just want a different kind of caster, it is simple to replace and relatively inexpensive. While casters are a small part of the overall chair, they are still needed to make the chair function properly overall. If you need help getting replacement casters for a chair that you purchased on Sitbetter.com we will be happy to assist you! Call our toll free number at 1-866-311-9421.

You don’t have to be Irish this March to get lucky!

At Sitbetter, as some may have noticed, we love to center our promotions around holidays and occasions people enjoy celebrating. With a month largely focused on Saint Patrick’s day, luck of the Irish, and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow; what better way to start March off than with an opportunity to get green by giving green! Beginning March 1, 2010 12:00 a.m. PST through March 17, 2010 11:59 p.m. PST, Sitbetter.com will be running an exclusive promotion for our customers who purchase a product/products on our website.

Customers who purchase $50 or more(before taxes) will receive a surprise amount of cash back on their purchase. The cash back will be between the amount of $1-$50 and the amount given back will be chosen at random. The amount of cash back received will not be negotiable and is final once applied. Can not be used on your purchase that day and can not be applied as a credit for future purchases. Will be applied as a refund to the card the purchase is made with.

Make sure you don’t miss out on this limited time opportunity.

Test your luck this month and see how much you can get back on your order!

If anyone happened to read the Men’s Journal | February 2010 | Volume 19 | Number 1 issue with Mel Gibson on the cover, you might have noticed that there was an article titled “Ergonomic desk chairs: The best buys”. The article explains that 2,000 hours were spent testing ergonomic chairs to help others find the ideal chair suitable for an eight-hour day. The article features 9 ergonomic chairs that Men’s Journal believes to be the best of the best. Of the 9 chairs that were featured in the article, I was happy to see that Sitbetter sells 3 of the 9 mentioned!

The first chair mentioned was the Evolution Exercise Ball Chair by Posture Perfect, which is one of our top sellers on Sitbetter. The Evolution Chair promotes a balanced posture – a vital role in your overall health! Another benefit of the ball chair is that it strengthens your core while you are working; just think working while getting a work out at the same time!

Good posture and core strength are the best insurance against back injury – the Evolution Exercise Ball Chair embodies those principles. While use of the Evolution Ball Chair began with dentists, the benefits are obvious for anyone looking for core improvement. Either by simply sitting correctly, or by taking time to do simple exercises throughout the day, the Evolution Ball Chair has helped lower pain sufferers in all offices.

The reviewers in this particular article gave the Evolution Ball Chair a 7/10 based on the fact that while some definitely loved the ball chair others were not a big fan of it which can be said for almost any chair. Available for $139 at Sitbetter.com

The second chair that was reviewed for the article that is readily available on Sitbetter is the Humanscale Freedom, more expensive in price but you will also get a lot more out of this chair.

With Freedom, the knobs, levers and locks of current-generation task chairs have been replaced by intelligent mechanisms that automatically support the body as it moves from task to task. By minimizing the need for manual controls, Freedom maximizes natural, spontaneous movement, which is essential for a healthy body and a comfortable day’s work. Freedom’s many features can be enjoyed with virtually no effort.

Humanscale’s Liberty and Freedom chairs contain 54%-85% recycled content ,roughly 50% more recycled content than most competing chairs, and are made predominately of 100% recycled and recyclable aluminum. Specifically designed to weigh less and use fewer parts and manufacturing processes than similar designs in the same class, all Humanscale products can help projects earn valuable points toward LEED-CI Certification.

Winner of 10 international design awards for its many revolutionary features and unparalleled ease of use, Freedom’s ground-breaking design is the gold standard by which other task chairs are judged.

The reviewers in this article gave the Freedom a rating of 8/10, the second best rating of all chairs mentioned in the article. “Functional, comfortable, technical, sure, but few office chairs are this stylish,” writes the author Martin Mulkeen. The Freedom definitely is stylish but it also provides proper lumbar and shoulder support as well. Available at Sitbetter.com for $1129.

The third product that was reviewed that is available at Sitbetter is the Kore Ergonomic Rocking stool, a fan favorite for its rocking capabilities (no pun intended).

Taking stool technology to another level, the Kore™ Stool embodies an ergonomic feature long touted by ergonomists as a bedrock of proper ergonomics: Continual motion of your body while at work.

The Kore™ Stool allows the user to flex side to side and front to back – with its patented anti-tip system and gently rounded ergonomic base, the stool allows you to move and flex without falling or leaving your seat.

The Kore™ Stool great for exercising your legs, back, and abdominal muscles, while also relieving and preventing soreness and stiffness!

The reviewers of this article gave the Kore stool a rating of 4/10, which is pretty low from other testimonials and reviews I have read on this chair. “Some testers initially relished the Kore’s challenge of sitting properly without a seat back or stable platform (since the stool is designed to wobble).” writes the author. The Kore stool definitely takes some getting used to but it is fun to sit in and will force you to sit up and use your core. The Kore stool is available for $99 at Sitbetter.com

If you are looking for a great ergonomic chair, I have to agree with the reviewers and say that these are three of the best out there. While some like these chairs more than others, they all have one possess one common factor: they are ergonomically correct and will help you avoid experiencing pain in the back, neck, and shoulders. There are many other great ergonomic chairs available at Sitbetter that were not mentioned as well if these options don’t suit you. If you need help picking out your next ergonomic chair visit Sitbetter.com and feel free to call our toll free number 1-866-311-9421 if you have any questions!