For Seller

By: Andrew McNaught

How much thought have you put into your office chair? Before purchasing an office chair, you need to learn more about what to look for. Here are some features that you need to consider before purchasing your chair.

1. Backrest adjustment

Pain from sitting for a long time can be alleviated by having a backrest adjustment on your office chair. Features that you want to look for in a backrest adjustment are:

- Backrest height - Having this feature will allow you to find the lumbar support that you need for your lower back.

- Backrest tilt - This feature will give you the ability to sit in different postures while still giving proper lumbar support to the lower back. This feature can be adjusted as you desire to help keep you as comfortable as possible.

- Horizontal backrest movement - This is not the same as the tilt feature. This feature will allow you to move from side to side, which will help to make the chair feel deeper if you need it.

2. Adjusting Chair height

This is one feature that every office chair should have. Most commonly, office chairs have a pneumatic lever that allows you to adjust the height of your chair when you are sitting in it. In the past, office chairs could only be adjusted by placing your foot on the base of chair and then spinning the chair to raise or lower it.

3. Characteristics of the seat

You should look for the following characteristics in your office chair’s seat pan:

- An edge that is rounded - This will be found at the front of the seat pan and helps relieve and prevent any pressure pain in the back of the legs or behind the knees.

- Depth of seat pan - There should be enough space for a clenched fist between the back of your knee and the front of the chair. This will maintain proper circulation in your legs.

- Seat pan tilt - This gives you room for changes in posture and will help to prevent and relieve pressure on the back of the thighs.

- Seat Fabric - Look for fabric that is easy to take care of and also look for permeable fabric that will help to remove moisture and heat.

4. Choice of Armrests

You need to find an armrest that will not interfere with the work that you are doing and that will give you plenty of room to move around. If you are using a keyboard, then you do not necessarily need an armrest, but if you do work at a desk, read, or edit at your desk then you may want to have an armrest. If you definitely need them, then you need to find armrests with adjustable height, width, and enough padding to be comfortable.

5. Stability

If you want a quality office chair then you need to find one that has a five-pronged base with casters that are appropriate for your particular floor. Four pronged based chairs are not as stable and are prone to tipping.

Andrew McNaught is a successful webmaster and publisher of Office Chair World where you can find out much more about office chairs.