Why Buying a Cheap Office Chair Is A Big Mistake
The range of prices that you can pay for an office chair can be anywhere between $30 and $3000. Not surprisingly discount office chairs are a very popular choice for many, particularly those on a tight budget.
However, I believe it is a big mistake to buy an office chair purely on price, far better to set a minimum standard, select a couple of potential models and then look for the best deal you can get on them.
If you spend any length of time at all in an office chair you need to look further than the cheapest discount office chairs that seem to spring up everywhere these days.
Sure, you shouldn't pay more than you need to but for your body's health and comfort you really should look a bit further than getting the cheapest chair on offer. This doesn't mean you have to invest megabucks in some state of the art model either.
However, I believe it is a big mistake to buy an office chair purely on price, far better to set a minimum standard, select a couple of potential models and then look for the best deal you can get on them.
If you spend any length of time at all in an office chair you need to look further than the cheapest discount office chairs that seem to spring up everywhere these days.
Sure, you shouldn't pay more than you need to but for your body's health and comfort you really should look a bit further than getting the cheapest chair on offer. This doesn't mean you have to invest megabucks in some state of the art model either.
Cheapest Isn't Always Best
Quality counts too
The first thing you should bear in mind when contemplating buying a discount office chair is that if it's really cheap then it's almost inevitable that corners have been cut in the chair's quality to get the price down.
After all, discount chair sellers aren't in business for the good of their health, they will be likely making a profit on the products they sell.
Obviously there are exceptions where perhaps a manufacturer decides to discontinue a chair range and clears them at or even below cost. On these occasions you could get a bargain, but typically you get what you pay for.
So, generally speaking when you see a new chair for sale at $30 or less the components and construction are going to be inferior to one costing $100 or more.
What sort of things should you be aware of about discount office chairs?
The upholstery is likely of a very poor quality, it may look great in the ads and claims for its hardwearing qualities should be treated with caution.
Good quality office chair seat pads are usually constructed around a quality laminated plywood base which is then padded and upholstered. Cheap discount chairs will either use thinner or very poor quality plywood or even plastic that just won't stand up to any real wear and tear.
After all, discount chair sellers aren't in business for the good of their health, they will be likely making a profit on the products they sell.
Obviously there are exceptions where perhaps a manufacturer decides to discontinue a chair range and clears them at or even below cost. On these occasions you could get a bargain, but typically you get what you pay for.
So, generally speaking when you see a new chair for sale at $30 or less the components and construction are going to be inferior to one costing $100 or more.
What sort of things should you be aware of about discount office chairs?
The upholstery is likely of a very poor quality, it may look great in the ads and claims for its hardwearing qualities should be treated with caution.
Good quality office chair seat pads are usually constructed around a quality laminated plywood base which is then padded and upholstered. Cheap discount chairs will either use thinner or very poor quality plywood or even plastic that just won't stand up to any real wear and tear.
Cheap Components Can Cause Injury
Is It Worth The Risk?
One of the components that can present a risk of injury on a poor quality discount office seat is the 5 star swivel base.
Frequently, to keep costs the bases are very poorly constructed and are all plastic. The underside of a good quality plastic chair base will include extensive bracing ribs as part of the injection molded construction.
With really cheap chairs the bracing is minimal and sometimes they have none at all. This means that the base can twist and distort especially if you sit down on you chair heavily.
Typical problems that this can cause include split chair base legs or often one of the casters will snap off or the housing will shear.
This presents a real risk of the user falling out of the chair and sustaining an injury.
So always bear in mind that with a really cheap discount office chair there is always a risk of these sorts of problems.
There is a useful article about key points to consider when buying an office chair here.
Frequently, to keep costs the bases are very poorly constructed and are all plastic. The underside of a good quality plastic chair base will include extensive bracing ribs as part of the injection molded construction.
With really cheap chairs the bracing is minimal and sometimes they have none at all. This means that the base can twist and distort especially if you sit down on you chair heavily.
Typical problems that this can cause include split chair base legs or often one of the casters will snap off or the housing will shear.
This presents a real risk of the user falling out of the chair and sustaining an injury.
So always bear in mind that with a really cheap discount office chair there is always a risk of these sorts of problems.
There is a useful article about key points to consider when buying an office chair here.
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