Autonomous ErgoChair 2 REVIEW My Personal Favorite Office Chair | Mac Sources

7 min readJun 14, 2019

ErgoChair 2

9.3

The perfect compliment for a SmartDesk workspace.

I spend a lot of time in front of my computer. My workspace is my sanctuary. It’s been a long journey but thanks to the incredible SmartDesk options from Autonomous, I’ve finally made my desk a place I want to be. It’s comfortable, functional and best of all, it looks great. The icing on the workspace cake has actually been the ErgoChair 2, also from Autonomous. It’s a stylish, affordable computer chair that makes sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a breeze.

DETAILS

The ErgoChair 2 is an upgrade to the original Autonomous ergonomic chair as the name suggests. Autonomous revamped the office seat so that every major component is ‘the ultimate combination of comfort and functionality’ for any office or a personal workspace. In addition to having superb functionality as an ergonomic seat, the ErgoChair 2 was also meant to be stylish and comes in 6 different color combinations — cool gray, evergreen, all black, red apple, black & white, and baby blue.

The chair is fully adjustable in nearly every angle. It is designed that way so that pressure points are relieved to improve the user’s health and focus. The ErgoChair 2 allows users to adjust the lumbar tension, lift and slide the arm pads, and tilt the headrest. In addition to being used as a productivity throne, ErgoChair 2 is also great for gaming. The tilt mechanism features an Italian design and offers multiple levers that ‘allows you to tailor the support and resistance of the chair’ to conform to the user’s body.

The seat is a soft, but supportive foam that keeps its form over time. The foam is wrapped with a breathable fabric so that it doesn’t retain too much heat and stays fresh. The back is also designed with temperate comfort in mind. It’s made with Korean mesh, which is not only breathable and light but also allows for a subtle stretch that cradles your body when you lean backward. Finally, since neck pain is such a chronic issue for so many people who work at a computer for long periods of time, the ErgoChair 2 includes a headrest with height and tilt adjustability.

SPECS

Dimensions: 29"L x 29"W x 46–50"H
Seat dimensions: 20"L x 20"W
Seat height: 18" — 20"
Back dimensions (w/o headrest): 21"W x 22"H
Back dimensions (with headrest): 21"W x 28–31"H
Tilt range: 20°
Colors Cool Gray, Evergreen, All Black, Red Apple, Black & White, Baby Blue
Weight capacity: 350 lbs
Item weight: 48.5 lbs
Shipping dimensions: 29"L x 27"W x 19"H

SET-UP

Like so many office chairs, there is some assembly required. The ErgoChair 2 arrives in one large box. Upon opening it, you will discover that all the pieces are nested nicely inside. I have put together my fair share of these types of chairs and felt that the set-up was pretty standard for an office chair. There weren’t any major surprises. The first step was to pull all the parts out and make sure they were included in the box like they were supposed to be. The instructions that were included were easy to follow and all the hardware and tools needed for assembly were included. On that note, I want to pause to mention a really cool tool that Autonomous included. It’s a hex tool, but it has an easy grip handle mounted at one end. It’s perfect for this type of furniture assembly and I hope that more manufacturers include it in the future.

During the set-up process, I got a really good look at the pieces and parts that were used to make this chair. For the most part, I was really impressed with the quality of the parts. I did notice that the wheels are made from plastic and not metal. Some of the gaming chairs I’ve run across lately are reinforced to handle the weight of larger people as well as the length of time they use the chairs. Those chairs have heavier duty wheels than the ErgoChair 2 does — they are larger, too. I also noticed that the wheelbase was made from heavy plastic and not metal. While it seems to be very thick, I do have concerns about how well it will hold up for long term use.

IMPRESSIONS

The very first thing I noticed was how good the chair looks. I thought it was the perfect compliment to the SmartDesk 2 that I have in my office. The color combination I chose was the Baby Blue, which is a cool, bright blue that really pops next to the white table top of the desk. When I sat down for the first time, it felt a little awkward. I was moving from a gaming chair to this ultra plush seat with a mesh back. It was an adjustment. Once I got acclimated to the new chair, I fell in love.

I love that it has a mesh back because it helps to keep my back cool. Since I sit at my desk for 8+ hours a day, comfort is a must and the mesh backing has really helped with regulating my body temperature as well as alleviating some back strain I had been experiencing with the gaming chair. The foam in the seat DOES keep its shape. The seat from the gaming chair was supportive, but I didn’t feel as supported as I do with the ErgoChair 2. The foam wraps around you and is just like sitting on a cloud.

The padding on the armrests is good, too. There are some armrests that are h a rd plastic, but these are firm and soft. The adjustable headrest is also awesome. It will not only allow users to lay their head back, but it will also prop it forward, too.

For all the things I love about this chair there are a couple of things that I don’t like. First, the armrest doesn’t exactly lock into place. It is fully articulating so you can move it to just the right spot for comfort, but because it does that, you can easily get your fingers caught beneath it. One day, I was sitting at my desk and had gripped the armrest with my finger resting beneath the pad. As I got up from the chair and pushed away, the armrest moved backward and nearly cut my fingertip. I would recommend being aware of your movements while in the chair and will hope that Autonomous might adjust this in the future.

Next, the adjustment levers are wonderful for customizing the feel of your chair, but they can be confusing since there are so many of them. Additionally, if my daughter (or anyone else) sits in my chair and adjusts something, there is no option for ‘return to setting’ like there is on the SmartDesk 2. Finally, I wasn’t happy to find that the chair doesn’t recline 100%. This really isn’t a fault in design though since it’s a chair and not a couch. I have had gaming chairs that recline completely and I found that was a nice way to relax while seated at my desk.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While there might be a few features that could benefit from additional upgrades, I think the ErgoChair 2 is an amazing addition to my office. It’s amazing to find a chair at this price point ($300) that accommodates up to 350 pounds. Most chairs that are ‘plus-sized’ are much higher priced and are nowhere near as comfortable and versatile. I can recommend the ErgoChair 2 wholeheartedly to anyone who works at a computer for any length of time.

For more information, visit autonomous.ai, Facebook, and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on June 14, 2019.