Haworth Zody Chair (photo gallery)

There are many reasons to update your desk chair at home or work, for me the main reason was medical. I’ve been suffering from a lower spine injury for the past few months and I wanted to make sure I was doing all I could. Through all the treatment I’ve gone through, there was one remaining area which needed attention: My desk chair.

Like many of us, I spend upwards of seven to eight hours each day sitting at my desk. I don’t believe this is uncommon; however the human body was simply not designed to sit for such long stretches. Many physical therapists consider sitting at a desk humankind’s worst invention.

So my search began, I started trying out every desk chair I could find. I even traveled to my friend’s offices and tried theirs. Most of them were very similar, but a few stood out from the pack.

When it came to desk seating, in most cases you get what you pay for, but only up to a point. I tried many models of the Herman Miller chairs, Steelcase, Ikea, and many others. It seemed the best chairs were in the $500+ range, however anything over $1000 didn’t’ t seem to give the same increase in comfort. So for me, $500-$1000 was my sweet spot.

My final decision came down to three candidates, the Herman Miller Aeron, Steelcase Leap, and Haworth Zody chair. After spending considerable time researching, the Haworth Zody chair won me over by a landslide.

Every body is different, but for me the Zody chair allowed me to sit comfortably with my spinal injury and adjust very specifically to my needs. It was through a combination of features that won me over:

• Wide range of motion along many axis. The Zody has greater range along many common adjustments than the competitors.
• Very specific lumbar adjustments. You can even adjust left and right lumbar height/depth individually. I didn’t think this would be terribly useful at first, but I’ve really appreciated it after many hours in the saddle.