The saying goes, don’t skimp on anything that catches your body. This refers to things like couches, mattresses and beds, and of course chairs. It’s funny how I decided to spend on an office chair and not on good couch, but here we are.
THE PRODUCT
The Sihoo M57 is an ergonomic office chair which goes for ₱8,000. When an office chair is said to be ergonomic, it is mainly about adjustment. This considers how tall a person is, how long his/her legs are, etc. It also considers what is being done. Typing on a computer that is on a desk, a person should be able to adjust the chair to get a good angle to the keyboard (the surface where they keyboard should be adjusted as well). Taking a rest, the chair should ideally have head support and allow a recline.
Here are the adjustments that can be done:
- Arm rests: These can be raised and lowered. Angle (on a horizontal plane) of each arm pad can faced inward or outward. Arm pads can also be brought forward or backward (horizontally)
- Seat: This can be raised or lowered. It swivels like most roller chairs.
- Lower Back cushion: This can be brought forward to fit your spine curvature.
- Back Support: When unlocked, it can be reclined.
- Head Support: This can be raised, and its angle can be adjusted.
The chair (both back support and seat) is covered in a strong mesh that let’s air through. The arm pads are a good soft but strong rubber. These are the levers to lock seat raising, and back support angle adjustment. It sits on 5 legs for the rollers.
BUYING GUIDE
Consider the following:
Material: Any support has to strong, in particular supports that attach to more than one point on the seat are good (allows weight to be distributed), but for chairs like this (that have to swivel), make sure that the support is thick and strong. Materials in contact with the body have to be soft and breathable, but provide good support. There are chairs where the mesh is only on the back support.
Ergonomics: No chair will automatically be ergonomic, as people have different lengths, heights, etc. Hence more adjustments are better. Refer to the adjustments that this chair has for a comprehensive list.
ANG OKAY
I currently have an ergonomic setup, and this chair is vital to it. Height adjustment let’s my hands rest on the keyboard (which is on a tray), such that my forearms and my upper arms are at a slightly more than 90 degree angle. Because the tray would otherwise hit my keyboard tray, I simply push it back and out of the way. Of course the rollers let me move around easily (like when I want to reach something).
And the big deciding factor me is the mesh seat. Remember that it’s this part that takes the most weight and will likely have the most heat. Sitting on the chair is cool on the body.
Material-wise, everything is sturdy. The mesh seat has not stretched out in the few months I have used it. The arm pads, which on another would have cracked, are still whole.
ANG HINDI OKAY
I can’t think of anything particularly bad about the chair, except maybe its price, which is on the high side for ergonomic chairs.
VERDICT:
■■■■ This is a good chair.
This is one of those chairs that’s just worth the price. So many adjustments can be made. It uses good solid materials, very solid for supports, and a breathable mesh for anything in contact with your body.