We Tested 22 Office Chairs in Our Des Moines Lab—Here Are 9 of the Best

The right office chair will keep your body comfortable and alert so you can focus on the work at hand. We researched and tested dozens of office chairs in The Lab, evaluating them on comfort, support, adjustability, design, and durability.

Our best overall pick is the Duramont Ergonomic Adjustable Office Chair in Black, which stands out for its soft cushioning, lower lumbar support, sophisticated design, and overall durability.

Here are the best office chairs for a comfortable workspace.

Best Overall

Duramont Ergonomic Office Chair

A good office chair should facilitate productivity and comfort whether you’re working from home or in the office—and that’s exactly why the Duramont Ergonomic Adjustable Office Chair is our best overall choice. Designed with a shapely back, headrest, and a metal base with four wheels, this sleek black chair is perfect for a work-from-home setup or adding to your office space. It has adjustable lumbar support and a breathable mesh back that work together to create a blissfully comfortable sitting experience—earning it a perfect score from our testers.

In addition to feeling good while sitting in this chair, you can rest easy knowing it will hold up over time. The Duramont brand is known for longevity, and to ensure a long lifespan, this chair comes with a 5-year warranty. Our testers observed that the setup is simple, with clearly marked parts and instructions for easy assembly. Each plastic part is quite sturdy, and users have praised the wheel mobility, even on surfaces like carpet.

Though slightly expensive and with a narrow back that doesn’t accommodate all shoulder widths, this office chair is still our top pick for your workspace. It’s easily adjustable for different sitting preferences and is highly durable, not to mention how great it looks and feels.

Best Budget

Amazon Basics Low-Back Office Desk Chair

Sometimes you just need a no-frills budget-friendly option, and that’s when the Amazon Basics Low-Back Office Desk Chair becomes a great choice. This small black chair has a simple design, without armrests or extra features, but it’s made from a sturdy plastic that will hold up against wear over time.

Our testers had no trouble with setup—this model has instructions with illustrations, and assembly involves just a few steps. Spare parts are also included, just in case anything goes missing while you’re unboxing. This chair does provide some lumbar support and a comfortable seat, though there isn’t a head or neck rest option. In terms of adjustability, this chair can be moved up or down and locks into place once you’ve found your ideal seat height. Though basic in stature, this chair has enough features to make it a solid option for its low price range.

Best Splurge

Herman Miller Classic Aeron Chair

If you’re willing to spend a little, you’ll get a lot with the Herman Miller Classic Aeron Chair. The Aeron Chair is not only comfortable with a scoop-like seat designed to contour to your body, but it’s also extremely sturdy and will hold up to extensive use over time. The design offers moderate lumbar support to cushion your lower back while sitting and armrests to support your elbows while you work. The chair reclines slightly, but our testers noted the chair back could be slightly higher to accommodate taller folks.

To add convenience, this chair comes fully assembled with durable materials like vinyl seating, plastic armrests and base, and a mesh back that’s not only breathable but also easy to clean. You can adjust this chair to accommodate different heights and resting positions, but our testers noticed the various knobs and levers can be confusing since they aren’t marked. Overall, this office chair would be ideal for a home office because it’s comfortable and sturdy, and the cost is an investment in enhancing your home workspace.

Best Ergonomic

Office Star ProGrid High Back Managers Chair

If you’re looking for an office chair that’s comfortable and efficient in function and design, an ergonomic chair like the Office Star Pro-Line II ProGrid High Back Managers Chair is your best bet. This classic black office chair features a tall back, deeply cushioned seat, and adjustments for different chair preferences, all for a low price.

What makes this chair a great ergonomic option is the wide variety of adjustments, including seat height and depth, as well as back angle and tilt. Though our testers found the assembly process to be challenging because of all the adjustments, the structure itself proved quite sturdy. With a thick polyester cushion, the seat offers moderate comfort as well as some lumbar support for your lower back. This isn’t a fancy chair—it’s a rather simple design—but it’s functional, comfortable, and affordable, making it a great ergonomic option.

Best Mesh

Alera Elusion Mesh Mid-Back Swivel/Tilt Chair

Mesh office chairs provide comfort and breathability because the material has a lot of give, allowing you to lean back further into the chair and stretch out. The Alera Elusion Mesh Mid-Back is a solid mesh option due to its comfort and functionality. The seat cushioning on this chair provides immense comfort, with a thickness that held up when our testers pressed their knees into it to test the depth. Its waterfall shape also contours around your body for additional support to your lower back and thighs.

Though the setup proved challenging for our testers, they appreciated the variety of adjustments you can make with the armrests and seat on this chair. This particular model also has a tilt function that lets you lean forward and backward as you please. Given all of these qualities and its low price point, the Alera Elusion office chair is the best mesh option.

Best Gaming

RESPAWN 110 Racing Style Gaming Chair

A gaming chair needs to be extremely comfortable for long hours of sitting and adjustable enough for you to shift throughout your game session. The Respawn 110 Racing Style Gaming Chair does both, with a futuristic design that will suit gamers of all stripes.

With a faux leather back and seat, cushioned armrests, and head and lower back cushions for added support, this chair is a hub of comfort. It has a wide seat base and can be adjusted to accommodate preferences for seat height, armrests, head, and footrests—fully reclining to an almost horizontal position. The faux leather material squeaks a little when you move around, but it’s easy to clean and seems highly durable. Overall, this is a well-constructed and comfortable gaming chair for a fair price. Plus, it’s easy to set up and comes with all of the tools that you’ll need.

Best Upholstered

Three Posts Mayson Drafting Chair

An upholstered chair like the Three Posts Mayson Drafting Chair brings a level of sophistication to any office space. This stunning chair is built with a sturdy wood frame, an upholstered cushion with a plushy foam insert, and good lumbar support. The chair’s design catches your eye across the room with tasteful button inlays, a faux wood base, and small wheels that almost disappear into the rest of the design. It reads traditional while offering contemporary comfort.

Assembling this chair took our testers about 30 minutes, with one noting you need a Phillips head screwdriver (not included). The instructions also proved to be a little confusing, so you should set aside some time to set this chair up. This chair only adjusts as far as seat height, but while it doesn’t recline, it does facilitate good posture while seated. Our testers determined the price is reasonable given the quality you’re getting.

Best Faux Leather

Soho Soft Pad Management Chair

Though not as large as some of the more ergonomic options, the Soho Management Chair is quite strong and easy on the eyes. Constructed with materials like an aluminum base, this chair can hold up to 450 pounds and will last for many years without issue. The faux leather is sleek, cool to sit on, and easy to clean.

Our testers noted that this chair was easy to set up because it only has a few parts, and the instructions are exceptionally clear. To adjust the chair, you can recline it slightly, with the option to modify the seat height and tilt. It’s on the firmer side, but our testers found it got more comfortable the longer they sat on it. Considering all of these features, it’s a good value even though the price is a little high.

Best Lightweight

The Container Store Grey Flat Bungee Office Chair With Arms

A unique chair on our list, this bungee chair from The Container Store offers a contemporary design using actual bungees as the seat and back material. While the seat itself is comfortable, the chair isn’t particularly adaptive to different body types. Our testers observed that the back sits low and hits right where your shoulders are, and the seat can be adjusted, but the armrests and lumbar support cannot be. That being said, the lumbar support is firm which will support your lower back while sitting prone.

It’s also a sturdy chair with a weight capacity of 450 pounds. The steel and polyurethane materials are conducive to long-term use and should hold up to general wear and tear. Though the materials are functional and the instructions were clear enough, our testers found that the setup required a ton of elbow grease. The main selling point of this particular chair is definitely its portability and how lightweight it is. This model would be a great option for a dorm room where you need to conserve space but still want a comfortable chair that’s functional for short periods of time.

How We Tested the Office Chairs

Our testers tried out 22 office chairs at The Lab in Des Moines, IA, to determine the best of the best when it comes to office chairs. Evaluating these chairs on criteria of setup, comfort, lumbar support, adjustability, design, durability, and overall value, our testers found that nine office chairs stood out from the pack for their individual strengths and attributes. Each chair was rated on a scale of five among these characteristics to determine the best overall as well as the remaining categories.

Whether these chairs passed the comfort test of placing a tester’s knee on the chair cushion to see if it flattened or had adequate lumbar support when our testers sat upright in the chair, aligning their back with the chair back. These chairs were definitely put to the test (or, in this case, tests*). While some were rated highly in categories like design and durability, others outdid the competition in adjustability, comfort, and price. These subtle differences helped our editors classify which office chairs would be best for different needs.

What to Look for in an Office Chair

Adjustability

While the most basic office chairs aren’t likely to offer much more than height adjustment, more comfort-minded models will give you a variety of adjustment options. For instance, some will let you change the height and width of armrests, as well as the tilt position and tension (to control the rock and incline of the chair).

Lumbar support

Reduce strain on your lower back by picking a chair with lumbar support. Some chairs are ergonomically designed to provide this support for most body types, while others even offer adjustable seat back positioning and width to better accommodate the curve of your spine. If you spend an extensive amount of time in your office chair or struggle with lower back pain, it may be wise to invest in one with adjustable lumbar support to get the best possible fit and feel.

Upholstery material

Office chairs are often upholstered in leather (or bonded leather), mesh, fabric, or some combination of the three. Leather offers the most luxurious feel but isn’t as breathable as chairs with mesh upholstery. The open weave of mesh-backed chairs allows for greater ventilation, though it often lacks padding. Chairs with fabric upholstery offer the most in terms of color and pattern options but are the most susceptible to stains.

Any questions please feel free to ask me through Andrew@sinotxj.com