Office chairs tested show value across budgets

A hands on test ranks the best office chairs for different budgets based on comfort and practicality

Office chairs tested show value across budgets

The Guardian tested six office chairs over several weeks to see which ones really work for long days at a desk. Each chair was used for at least five hours daily for a fortnight, with assembly checked and adjustments tested. The review notes how easy or hard it is to put together and how stable and comfortable each chair feels after long use.

The best overall is the Slouch Task One, praised for its comfort and wide range of adjustments, followed by the Herman Miller Aeron for all day comfort and the Habitat Beck for budget friendly value. The Ikea Hattefjäll stands out for style and solid features at a lower price, while the Archie and T Three chairs are shown as lower cost options with clear limits. The piece also highlights how important posture and movement are when choosing a chair, and it explains how different designs can support or hinder long sessions in front of a screen.

The piece frames chair choice as a mix of comfort, adjustability and price, a combination that keeps evolving as more people spend long hours at home. It shows that high end models still set a benchmark for fit and durability, but affordable options can deliver real value if you only need a few hours of use each day. The test also shows that assembly and build quality matter just as much as padding and fabric, because a chair that is hard to assemble or feels flimsy will wear out quickly. In a market crowded with options, readers are left weighing up the trade offs between long term comfort and upfront cost.

Highlights

The search for the right chair continues as work habits and spaces evolve