Their FAQ has someone asking why they hurt more with the chair, and the answer begins, 'this is normal!'
I can see why. Quick review:
1. Got the chair in. Took longer to unbox than it did to assemble. Whoever designed the assembly procedure for this chair did a great job: slap the wheels on, flip & drop the lift pole in the base, screw on the bottom plate to the chair (4 screws, ergonomic tool included, very easy), then clip on the back...DONE!
2. If you've ever used a chair with lumbar support, particular active lumbar support that "inflates" or deflates in a car seat, this is sort of what it feels like - minus the rest of the chair. The cupping part is smaller than normal & you're supposed to scoot all the way back into it. It feels like wearing some sort of high-water Steve Erkel-style stiff underwear. It's not...pleasant. It does force you to sit a certain way, although you can certainly slump forward still, so if you want true ergonomics, you need to sit up & then roll your shoulders back. I'll have to see what the comfort level is like long-term, based on what they say about developing the muscles for it. Feels like it cuts off my breathing a little bit lol.
3. It's sort of designed like a drafting chair. You get a lot of swivel & movement. Movement includes:
1 - Left & right spinning
2 - Tilting back at an angle (if you unlock the height adjustment lever)
3 - Height adjustment (via lever under right side of chair
4 - Forward & back gliding, which has a greater effect when you lean back
5 - Can flip up arm rests for an open-style chair
4. The back is not designed to be sat on normally. It's more to be used when you're leaning back. No headrest included for that reason. You have to actively lean back after releasing the tilt lever underneath the chair, and then hold it in the back position. I don't know how much I'll be using this, as it takes work to push back. There are kind of 3 modes:
1 - Sitting up straight. You can sit up straight (roll your shoulders back), sort of slump your shoulders forward, or lean forward on your desk, but your lower back is still supported any way you sit.
2 - Leaned back somewhat, especially with your feet supported on a cushion like I have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FW42KNK
3 - Fully leaned back. This feels like "comtemplating life" mode, lol.
How effective it is remains to be seen. I can tell you that my body already likes it more than the cheapo office chair I was using. I slouch quite a bit & sit in funny poor-posture ways (RIP my spine) & this chair kind of has no chill for that haha. It definitely makes me feel more...
engaged in using the computer because I'm kind of sitting in the "ready position". It really is quite a bit change from the way I normally sit; I'm going to have to see if I can get used to it. So far, my back does not hurt on it. What they said in the FAQ about hurting initially is true because I'm sitting in a way I don't normally sit & using muscles I'm not normally using. They recommend giving your body a 10-day break-in period & then they have a 60-day return policy, which seems pretty generous. Note that this chair is not for everyone:
1. Max 275 pounds
2. Max 6'1" tall
3. Minimum 4.96' tall
I'm still trying to figure out their marketing story (or rather, lack of large-scale marketing). Their kickstarter asked for $100k & they made well over $500k. They had a huge amount of celebrity endorsers, although they looked to be recorded on something like a 720p webcam. Based on the videos, this seems like the legit answer to the human sitting issue. Sitting is supposedly pretty bad for you:
Sitting is the new smoking according to many researchers. It is one of the biggest potential threats to your health and can have the same impact as smoking.
www.startstanding.org
Because I'm sitting more now due to my career shift & COVID scheduling, I've been feeling the need for a better chair lately, especially as some days call for upwards of 14 hours in front of the computer. So hopefully it's not a gimmick & actually does the trick, especially for the price! If this thing is anywhere near advertised, then it should
absolutely be the standard for businesses that involves employees who sit at desks & meetings and for anyone who has to sit for extended periods of time at home. I'm not really sure why this isn't being marketed more. Their Instagram & Youtube pages are pretty dead, although the Facebook page is semi-regularly updated from Morocco.
Granted, sometimes smaller companies that have really good ideas, especially well-designed ideas that really solve the problem in a home-run kind of way, simply don't have the budget or expertise for large-scale marketing, sort of like IIFYM or the GG Oven. I
love life-changing stuff that eradicates the problem, and I'm hoping this chair is the ticket! Wish I had jumped in at $250, but so far, a couple days in, my back isn't rice krispies & I don't feel sore-exhausted from sitting; the only discomfort I currently feel is getting used to the lumbar-style chair on my lower back & from unused sitting muscles getting used for probably the first time ever lol.