A good gaming chair can be a real treat to get, but often times they’re a bit more focused on form over function. Office chairs, on the other hand, prioritize functionality over looking good.
That might sound a little ludicrous since, as gamers, we all love to make things look good; it’s why RGB exists on everything. Appearance is important, but being able to sit for hours without pain is even more crucial.
Chairs aren’t supposed to be a luxury item; they can be, but when you sit in one for up to eight hours a day, they need to help, not look pretty. The ErgoPlus Mesh Office Chair from HUANUO is absolutely designed with that in mind.
Function Over Form
The ErgoPlus Mesh chair wasn’t something I expected to be all that interesting. It didn’t look very interesting and seemed made for an office cubicle rather than a game station. That was my perception as I waited for it to arrive.
I could not have been more wrong. The chair didn’t just look sleek, but once I took the time to understand how it worked, it helped with some issues I’d assumed were just a byproduct of sitting in a chair all day.
Designed for people between 5’1″ and 6’3″, it fit me almost perfectly at 6’1″. The real beauty here is the adjustable lumbar support that has five different settings you can use to help keep the back pain away during those long days.
It sticks out a good bit and presses into your back, forcing you to sit correctly rather than simply hunching over. That focus on support is a necessity for people who may need to sit all day (or play some slower strategy games), so when you stand up, it feels less like you’re cracking your spine in two.
Sleek and Sharp Look
It isn’t a gaming chair, and that’s a really good thing. The biggest problem with this HUANUO chair is that it’s clearly designed to fit into the sort of drab office life that forces people into cubicles for hours on end.
It’s grey with some light patterning on it that you could easily miss at a distance. The mesh makes it breathable and gives it some stretch, which is nice when the room gets a little too hot. It isn’t flashy or incredibly interesting, but it isn’t trying to be.
The dark grey, coupled with the slim design, means it can really fit into any office or gaming station with ease. It doesn’t stick out immensely, meaning it’ll fit well into almost any situation.
Variability for Some
One pretty big problem is that there isn’t all that much variability in how you can set up your chair outside of the lumbar support and headrest. And what you can change is a little annoying to do so.
It isn’t a problem that’s big enough to really hurt anything, but it can be a bit frustrating at times. Unlike the easy-to-change headrest and lumbar support, the armrests don’t have much variability, and what they do have is a bit of a pain to change.
The real beauty here is the adjustable lumbar support that has five different settings you can use to help keep the back pain away during those long days.
The armrests are firm, which is nice, especially if you’re like me and tend to rest on your elbows while you think. The only problem is that to move them in or out horizontally means you’ll need to unscrew them and move them manually.
That’s not an easy task once the chair is fully assembled. It is doable, but you also run the risk of not getting it right the first time and then having to deal with that all over again. I, like most people, I assume, don’t particularly want to reassemble something just to get the fit perfect.
Assembling the Office Chair
This is really super easy to set up. It only took me about half an hour in total, and that’s including opening everything up. It wasn’t something complex or complicated, and everything fit together perfectly.
Something that did catch my eye was that all of the screws came separated from each other in a single container. Each one had labels that made it easy to identify what you would need throughout the whole process.
One pretty big problem is that there isn’t all that much variability in how you can set up your chair outside of the lumbar support and headrest. And what you can change is a little annoying to do so.
With everything sliding together so nicely and all of the screws not jumbled together, it took no time at all to get everything unwrapped and figure out what was what. There was just one problem I had during the setup.
When sliding the gas lift cylinder into the base, it sank just a bit lower than it probably should. It isn’t the end of the world, but it did make the chair sit a bit lower, which couldn’t be overridden by the raise function.
An Almost Debilitating Amount of Choice
Aside from the armrests, almost everything is changeable. This can be both a good and a bad thing, especially if you’ve never had one before. With so many options, it can feel like you’re missing out or going to screw something up without the necessary information.
You can change the height of the headrest, armrests, lumbar support, and chair itself. You can also change the amount of tension in the leaning feature, which was a bit odd but basically means if you’re heavier, you might want it a bit tighter.
It isn’t necessarily a bad problem to have, but it does make it difficult to know what exactly are the perfect settings are without attempting to test out the differences. For most of them, the choices really amount to nothing.
A Price That Wallets Love
While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of most other high-end gaming or office chairs, what it does have comes at a fairly reasonable price, although not the best price: free. Typically costing about 280 USD, this office chair is about in line with similar models.
The best part of the price is that it comes with a five-year warranty. Typically, warranties don’t extend that far and usually will at least cost you something. Since it’s included, there’s no additional cost, and it’s returnable in 30 days if you’re not a fan.
There’s really a lot to love here with the price. It’s a bit pricey, but you aren’t just getting the chair, you’re getting security. Most office chairs like this will usually go up a bit higher, past the 300 USD range in some cases.
Getting something long-lasting with comfort and some variability at a reasonable price is pretty rare these days. Having something that looks good with the necessary support is worth the money when it lasts more than a year.
Closing Comments:
8/10 – “Overall, the HUANUO ErgoPlus Mesh Office Chair is a really great chair to buy for the price point it’s at. It may have some features that probably won’t get used and some variability that’s a bit difficult to use, but that doesn’t hold it back much. The provided lumbar support and ease of use really stand out, even though the design is somewhat basic. That basic design means it’ll fit with just about anything other than the most colorful setups. While not the most flashy, it fits well into any station and offers plenty of options for support for those within the height range.”
