Since I started testing office chairs, my mom has been high on the list of recipients for the chairs for which I no longer have any use. I figured it would make a nice christmas gift to finally send one her way, and I coincidentally need to part ways with one of my favorite chairs I’ve tested all year: Autonomous’s ErgoChair Ultra 2.
I’ve known about my mom’s specific ergonomic needs for a long time: she needs extra shoulder support and loves sinking into her seat. I chose this chair for her because its backrest is supportive and breathable all the way up to the shoulders, and its unique 3D-printed seat cushion is simply heavenly. It’s also quite sturdy and demonstrably durable, which I think will serve her well when she takes this chair to her classroom.
This isn’t the only thing I’m gifting my mom for the holidays, but it was definitely the gift to which I dedicated the most research. For more details about where this chair shines and how those qualities influenced my decision, read on.
Exceptional shoulder support
My mom has had stiff shoulders for years, so I wanted to give her a chair with ample backrest surface area so she had the freedom to really lean into it without fear of hitting a rough spot. The backrest on the ErgoChair Ultra 2 is made with a wonderfully breathable mesh, which will feel good on hot days in her old school, and its lumbar support is present without feeling intrusive.
The other neat thing about this backrest is that it lacks something that I find uncomfortable on most other mesh chairs: a hard, plastic frame lining the outer edges. Autonomous got a little more creative with the tensioning system for the mesh in this chair by using small supporting struts and a malleable backing plate to keep the edges of the chair soft. That’s why the spine on this thing is so huge — it’s bearing the load of those connector arms while also leaving enough room for the mesh to slacken a little under your weight.
A novel seat cushion design
The Ultra 2’s seat has a top layer of fabric and foam, much like many other chairs on the market, but the matrix of 3D-printed springs under those layers is what really makes this chair stand out. They add a lot of life to the foam above them, and they’re spread out evenly enough that they don’t create any unsavory pressure points when you shift your weight.
Below those springs, there’s an air gap that allows the seat cushion to sink even further down once you’ve sat. This functions a lot like a mesh seat in that it’s suspending you over air, and that springiness can keep you centered and upright in your seat. One common complaint with full-foam seats is that they don’t feel like they have much structure, which can lead to poor posture even when you have ample ergonomic support.
I knew my mom would appreciate this seat because it combines the best qualities of foam and mesh. It lets her sink into her seat a little bit thanks to the foam layer on top, but the suspension-like spring system keeps the chair feeling lively and supportive like mesh.
A durable build
Mesh chairs, compared to foam chairs, are pretty fragile. One substantial tear and the weave can lose all of its structural support, which means you could rip it further just by continuing to sit on it. I didn’t want my mom to be burdened with something so easy to wound mortally, especially because she works in a classroom.
It’s only a matter of time before one of her students takes this chair for a joyride around the room and crashes it into a table. When that happens, I don’t want the poor thing to be rendered useless. Luckily, the ErgoChair Ultra 2 has a sturdy metal base and one of the most overbuilt chair spines I’ve ever seen. Better yet, there’s more than mesh in the backrest: behind it lies a layer of malleable rubber-like material that gives the chair a little bit of extra body. And it can definitely take a few stab wounds from a stir-crazy kid’s pencil.
There’s nothing remarkable about the seat cushion in terms of durability, but it is nice to see that there’s a layer of foam protecting the springs. On the underside, there’s a hard plastic shell that protects the innards even more.
Only the best for mom
When it’s time to say goodbye to a product I loved testing, I often drag my feet. It has led to a good amount of clutter in my home and office in the past, but I’ve developed a much better system of getting samples out to friends and family instead of subjecting them to the tumult of Facebook. For my favorite chair, it was only right to find a home with one of my favorite people.
Are there better chairs out there? Perhaps, but I don’t have them on hand, and I know the ErgoChair Ultra 2 will be the greatest upgrade possible for my mom’s office. I don’t know what kind of school-issued brick of cheap foam she’s been forced to endure, but it was clearly rough enough for her to reach out and ask what I’ve been testing. I’m happy to oblige, and I’m especially happy to know that I can sit in this chair again when I come to visit her at work.
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