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I’ve reviewed a lot of chairs in my day, but as I’ve gotten older and more decrepit, demands on my fragile bones have only grown.
There was a time I could rock a gaming chair and gun for maximum style and recline, but as I spend more and more time at my desk hunched over and typing rather than reclined back and gaming, my needs have evolved.
Recently, a friend with similar back issues to me recommended this chair from FlexiSpot, dubbed the Heavy Duty C3 Ergonomic Chair to be precise. It’s currently on sale for £199, down £50 from the typical asking price. I’ve reviewed chairs running all the way up to $700, so my expectations for this “cheaper” chair were pretty low.
How wrong I was. Well and truly, this is by far the best chair I’ve ever used at home, and a chair so nice I’m going to buy it twice for when I’m visiting family out of the country. It’s that good.
Sometimes, basic is better
Forgive my photographs, it’s hard to get a good angle in my tiny office/bedroom, but as you can see it’s a pretty simple and unassuming set up here.
This is a seat designed for heavy and tall individuals but also just generally heavy use. It has an incredibly thick cushioned seat with an ergonomic W shape, which has become a popular seating configuration in recent years. I’ve often seen ads for seat cushions with this shape, the C3 built it right into the product.
It has a mesh back rest which offers maximum breathability for those heatwave months we had this year, and a wide base with very tall arm rests to align your elbows against your desk. The seat tilt also aligns with the back rest, which FlexiSpot research says promotes better posture health than separate tilt mechanisms.
Despite being on the “cheaper” side, every aspect of this seat feels premium to me. The materials and metals are incredibly thick with high quality welding. The whole frame is made from iron and certified for 227kg, meaning that the vast majority of users won’t even come close to delivering wear and tear here.
The arm rests have 4D movement and positioning, and have a smooth-feel leatherette finish, complete with buttons and levers where you’d expect to find them for locking in your adjustments, both on the seat tilt and the gas-powered lift itself. There’s also a lumbar rest at the base of the backrest, adjustable for different heights.
The FlexiSpot C3 is by a mile the best chair I’ve ever used for desk-based work and play.
If you were looking for a chair with a headrest and upper back rest for maximum coziness and rest, this chair might not be for you. But, if you are like me who spends a lot of time at a desk, I would argue that ditching the upper back rest promotes better posture. It forces you to position your head and neck more naturally, which I will attest has directly alleviated a long run of general lower back pain.
I ditched a gaming chair for a similar mesh office chair at my partner’s place for when I’m staying there recently, and found it to be a huge improvement on my general back health. This FlexiSpot chair is cheaper and better than the other one I purchased by a mile, and I think it’s really the seat cushion that is the x-factor. This is just a fantastic, pleasant product.
Should you buy it?
You should definitely consider buying this chair if you have a gaming chair presently and find yourself in or approaching middle age-adjacent back problems. I spend more time at my PC than most, so having a high quality and ergonomic seating arrangement is absolutely crucial.
I long thought that it was just general bad health and lifestyle giving me back pain (and that is no doubt a factor here), but having a good chair that matches the height of my desk and eyeline of my monitor has given me a huge boost. Having reduced back issues has made me more active in general too, and it’s hard to put a price on that.
Unless you want something with headrest and recline features you can get truly cozy in, the FlexiSpot C3 is by a mile the best chair I’ve ever used for desk-based work and play.
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