REVIEW – It’s said that there are some things in life that you don’t go cheap on. Shoes, mattresses, and things you use all the time can affect your enjoyment of life. I would put office chairs in that category—especially if you work from home (as I do). If you’re going to sit in a chair for 8+ hours per day, you don’t want to be rewarded with a sore back, stiff neck, or aches and pains. One thing that can help you feel less stiff and achy is a good, ergonomic chair. Except there’s a problem. The really good ones cost . . . a lot. Shopping for a chair can be an eye—and wallet—opening experience. But does it have to be? Let’s look at the Flexispot C7 Premium Ergonomic Office Chair.
What is it?
The C7 Premium Ergonomic Office Chair is a new chair from Flexispot, a maker of standing desks. The C7 chair has a mesh back and lumbar (lower back) support. The seat is a thick foam cushion. An extra-cost mesh seat option is available.
The C7 arrives partially assembled but comes with instructions for full assembly.
There are many adjustments available. The chair height, seat forward/backward, backrest tilt with tension adjustment and locking, seat tilt adjustment, and armrest position and rotation. The base of the C7 has 5 “spokes” with castors.
Two colors—black or gray—are offered, but black is the only colorway available when this review was written. Also, the mesh seat bottom was not available at the time of the review.
Specs
- Mesh backrest
- Cushion (or mesh) seat
- Adjustable backrest
- Adjustable headrest
- Adjustable armrests
- Adjustable seat height
- Adjustable seat depth
- Adjustable recline
- Supports 300 lbs.
- Sliding castors
Design and features
As I said, the Flexispot C7 chair arrives partially assembled. All the screws and an Allen wrench are supplied with an installation (what Flexispot calls it) guide. Most of the guide is easy enough to follow, although a few of the screws and holes didn’t line up perfectly and required some force. Nothing too difficult, though.
Once the Flexispot C7 chair is fully assembled, learning the functions takes some time. For me, the least enjoyable part of owning an ergonomic chair is the first few days when you’re trying to find that “sweet spot” of settings. Once reached though, I tend to leave the settings alone.
Seat height is the primary setting—of course. The chair can be set at almost any height allowing it to fit any desk height comfortably.
The Flexispot C7 has a backrest tilt lock adjustment that can be set at 3 preset angles or it can be “unset”, so it just freely moves as you lean back. I prefer the straight-up setting locked in place. I slouch enough without the chair encouraging that posture.
The backrest also has a tension adjustment with 4 different settings. The tightest setting allows you to lean back, but the chair gives only a bit. Leaning back in the lightest setting made me feel like I was going to fall out of the chair.
The backrest isn’t the only thing that tilts. The seat itself can tilt upward or downward. This setting is minor, but even a slight tilt can feel big.
The Lumbar support is my favorite part of the Flexispot C7 chair. When I first sat down, the lumbar dug into my back at an awkward (for me) angle. I didn’t like it at all. I soon found a hidden lever that unlocks the lumbar, so it self-adjusts depending on back pressure. This made it quite comfortable.
Flexispot didn’t forget the headrest—an extra cost option on many chairs, but included on the C7! It can both be adjusted up and down for persons of different heights and also tilted forward or back. I have mine tilted so it fits perfectly into the curve at the back of my neck.
As each adjustment can make your seating experience the best it can be, the one adjustment I don’t care for is the armrests. They move forward, backward, and sideways and they rotate. The issue I have aren’t the number of adjustments, but the ease with which they move. Just when I get the armrests where I want them, they shift at the slightest touch. I wish there was a way to lock them in place, but no such luck. I may need to rig the armrests in place with glue or tape, but I shouldn’t have to.
Once I achieved the adjustments I liked, I could easily sit for about 6-8 hours. What issues I have are that I work 10-12 hours per day, so anything over 8 could become an issue. I know, I know, I need to take more breaks. I do sometimes stand at my desk, but sometimes I get so lost in my work, that I lose track of time and don’t move like I should.
What I like
- Comfortable 6-8 hours
- Many adjustments
What I’d change
- Armrests too easily moved
- Optional mesh seat not yet available
Final Thoughts
Is the Flexispot C7 Premium Ergonomic Office Chair the most comfortable chair I’ve used? No. That trophy goes to my everyday chair for the last 3 years—the X-Chair X2. However, that chair costs more than twice what the Flexispot C7 costs. I know I said earlier that an office chair is something you should never go cheap on, but the Flexispot C7’s $370 price tag isn’t cheap. There’s also the law of diminishing returns. The quality difference between a $100 chair and a $300 chair is going to be greater than the difference between a $300 and $700 chair. So, if you can afford it, go for broke and get the most expensive chair you can afford. However, for those on a budget, you should be quite satisfied with the Flexispot C7 Premium Ergonomic Office Chair.
Price: $369.99
Where to buy: Flexispot
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Flexispot.
