Best Ergonomic Office Chair Under 500 – Trying to find the office chair that provides the best value for you can often be an exhaustive search. When searching for chairs that cost less than $500, you have thousands of different options to choose from. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that you have a ton of different manufacturers and styles to choose from. The bad thing is that this creates a situation where a lot of the options are going to be really poor options.
People are often looking for the sweet spot with chairs. They want to know how much they need to spend to get into the area of good quality chairs, without having to pay the premium price for name brand chairs. The $500 range will get you into this territory. There are plenty of options that offer solid builds, good warranties and whatever adjustments you may need.
ROUND UP
As long as you know what you are looking for before you begin narrowing down your search, you should be in a good spot. Make sure to understand how each chair can recline and move. Identify which movement style and adjustments are important to you. Make sure you are familiar with the manufacturer and their warranty. Keeping these things in mind will help to ensure that you find the best chair you can for less than $500.
1.NOUHAUS Ergo3D
Features
- Conforms to your Life: With it’s 4D Adjustable Armrest and Lumbar System, ElastoMesh, 135 Degree Back Tilt, Smooth HydraLift, Dual Castors (and a set of hardwood floor Blade Castors) – it’s easy to think the Ergo3D is from the future, but instead it’s evolved Ergo Seating at its finest and it’s here now.
- Soft HD Office Chair: Our breathable ElastoMesh provides optimal airflow to avoid sweating and sticking. But it’s also smooth, and nothing like sitting on wire like many of the chairs you’ll see today. And while it’s good to take regular breaks, the Ergo3D is so comfy you’ll forget you’re even working
- Heavy Duty: Our 5-Point Base with dual castors gives greater stability and strength over common 4-Point, single castor chairs. And our strong iron base makes this heavy-duty office chair ideal for adults up to 275 lb. We also give a set of blade wheels – smooth as silk on hardwood.
- SUPER-LOUNGE TILT: Settle back, because you have up to 135° of tilt to keep you in the perfect position for your next task, or to simply lounge back and admire how smart you are for finding such a remarkable ergonomic chair. Try the Ergo3D and feel the difference it makes to your life.
Not the prettiest thing to look at, but an amazingly capable and versatile chair offered by a small, but excellent brand. NOUHAUS Ergo3D Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair is recommended for smaller or averaged sized power users, interested in a chair that can stand up to the rigors of heavy daily use.
While aesthetics is a matter of taste, aesthetic flexibility is a measure of how easily a given design would fit into a wide range of home décor schemes.
2.Ticova Ergonomic
Features
- 【Adjustable Mesh Chair】You can adjust lumbar support height and depth; headrest height and angle; armrest height, angle, forward & backward; seat cushion height; tilting angle up to 130°and rocking resilience to your personal most comfortable position
- 【Ergonomic Backrest & Seat】Our adjustable backrest can perfectly fit your spine and significantly ease the fatigue and pain of your back. Also, our seat is made of 3 inches high density foam with W-shaped and waterfall-edge design, providing larger support area and disperse pressure on hip and thighs
- 【Unique Metal Armrest】Compared with all other ergonomic desk chairs' plastic 1D armrest, our stainless electroplating metal 3D armrests with bigger, thicker & softer PU paddings are much more durable and best fit to your favorite position
- 【Unique Headrest & Quality Mesh】Unlike other high back office chairs' small mesh headrest, our big curved foam headrest provides more comfortable neck and head support. Plus, our breathable mesh with strong tensile strength provides cool and comfortable back support, enabling long hours sitting relaxed without sweat
- 【Warranty】We provide 30 days money-back guarantee, one year warranty and professional after sales service for our ergonomic office chair. If there is any quality problem, please contact us and we will provide 100% satisfied solution. Our ergonomic computer chair has comprehensive packaging and clear instruction, enable everyone to assemble easily without damage worry
Ticova is a young company that specializes in home and office furniture. The company was founded in 2018, and Ticova trademark owner is located in CUI Kanghua, China.
They don’t seem to have offices in the US or any direct customer service support.
They only sell online through various vendors, so when you buy their products, you must communicate with the official vendor on any issues that arise.
3.Serta AIR
Features
- PROFESSIONAL AND COMFORTABLE: Ergonomic desk chair with layered body pillows and padded armrests
- AIR LUMBAR TECHNOLOGY: Lumbar cushions pivot when you move to provide back support and help improve posture
- EXECUTIVE STYLE: Bonded leather with contrast stitching.Material of Frame:Wood
- ALL DAY COMFORT: Seat-side cable-actuated levers offer convenient height and tilt adjustments
- SMOOTH ROLLING: Multi-surface, dual-wheel designer casters make it easy to move around
Enjoy camping or accommodate overnight guests easily with the Serta Raised Air Mattress with a never-flat AC Pump. Offering versatility, portability, and soft, cozy comfort, this inflatable mattress lets you transform any room in your home into a spare sleeping area. Ideal for kid’s sleepovers, holiday guests, and more, this air mattress with a pump features an innovative sensor that monitors air pressure on a continuous basis.
Whenever a loss of volume happens, a silent, secondary pumping mechanism engages instantly, plumping the mattress to maintain consistent firmness and prevent discomfort. This queen-size inflatable air mattress features a raised height that allows sleepers to get in and out easily. With a flocked top, it can be dressed up with sheets, blankets, and pillows to ensure guests stay comfortable. With its onboard never-flat AC pump, the Serta Raised Air Mattress is suitable for use while camping in a recreational vehicle or at a tent site equipped with electrical outlets.
4.SPACE Seating
Features
- Eco Leather seat with mesh siding for breathability and comfort
- One touch Pneumatic Seat Height Adjustment
- 2-to-1 Synchro Tilt Control with Adjustable Tilt Tension,Dimensions:25.2 D x 26.5 W x 42 H inches
- Height Adjustable Angled Arms with Soft PU Pads
- Heavy Duty Angled Nylon Base with Oversized Dual Wheel Carpet Casters
Is your current office chair ready for retirement? Are you on a budget, and looking for something simple and reasonably comfortable that has the basics covered? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then the AirGrid Petite, offered by Space Seating might be the chair you’re looking for.
It’s far from perfect, and it’s offered by a brand that doesn’t have a lot of market heft, but it’s a sturdy and capable little performer, and as long as you don’t need something optimized for heavy daily use, it’s a good option.
5.Bowery
Features
- Highly adjustable modern office chair designed for all day comfort
- Poly-cotton foam seat features a 5-position sliding seat adjustment for multiple seat depths
- Reclining lock feature provides 4 locking angles when you decide to sit back and kick your feet up
- 6-position adjustable height armrests
- 2-year warranty
Pressure relief is a measurement of a bed’s ability to provide targeted relief to common pressure points. Often, this means relieving pressure on areas like the lower back, shoulders, and hips.
The Bowery Hybrid scores well for pressure relief for most sleepers. The top comfort layers of foam provide good contouring, helping to relieve pressure. Underlying support from the pocketed coil layer ensures that the spine stays properly aligned by preventing sleepers from sinking too far into the bed.
Best Ergonomic Office Chair Under 500 – BUYER’S GUIDE
1. Manage Expectations
It is important to understand that $500 is a mid-range price for an office chair. This may seem like a lot of money to some and it may not seem too bad for others. Regardless, you need to know that because you are buying a mid-range chair, there will be some areas of the chair that need to be sacrificed to keep the chair at a mid-range price point.
The sacrifice may be on the quality of the parts. Things like the casters, padding or upholstery may be lower quality. Maybe the chair lacks adjustments. It may come with a short warranty. Whatever it is, you need to be aware that some things will not be top of the line and you need to know which areas you are fine with sacrificing.
2. Warranty
The difference in chair quality in this price range can be pretty drastic. This also applies to the warranty on the chairs. As an example, the warranty coverage periods for the chairs on this list range from 2 years all the way up to a lifetime.
You need to make sure that you know what the warranty is for the different chairs you are considering. A warranty can add a lot of value to a chair. One chair may cost $50 more than a similar model but if you get an extra 5 years on the warranty it may sway your decision on which model to choose.
3. Understand how office chairs move
There are a handful of different ways that an office chair can recline, or tilt and some chairs do not recline or tilt at all. In this price range you will see every kind of tilting and reclining mechanism. If reclining is important to you, then it is important to understand the different types and which ones will work for you.
The most basic tilt is called swivel tilt or center tilt. This means that the seat tilts from a point right underneath the seat. This is the most basic tilt function. It is the most difficult to recline and it will raise your knees as you rock back in the chair.
A knee tilt mechanism will allow you to rock back with the recline point being right behind your knees. This allows your butt to sink down when you rock the chair, which keeps your knees in place. This provides a more ergonomic position and knee tilt mechanisms are much easier to recline and rock in than center or swivel tilt.
The final type of tilt to cover is synchro-tilt. This is the most common type of mechanism used on ergonomic office chairs. A synchro-tilt mechanism will tilt the seat as the back is reclined but it will be at a smaller ratio than a knee tilt or swivel tilt mechanism. Instead of keeping the back and seat at the same angle through the recline, the back will move back at a 2:1 ratio as compared to the seat. This allows the back angle to open up, which allows you to stay in an ergonomic position through the entire recline.
4. Know your adjustments
Before you decide which chair you are leaning toward, you need to know which adjustments are important to you. Chairs in this price range can vary greatly in terms of adjustability. Some chairs may only have a couple adjustments. On the other hand, you can find chairs in this price range with all of the adjustments you could ever ask for. As long as you know what adjustments you absolutely need, it will be much easier to narrow down your search.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Best Office Chair Under $500?
All 6 chairs featured in our list are excellent choices in the $500 range, giving you excellent ergonomics and quality not found on lower end budget chairs. However, choosing the right chair for you from these excellent candidates come down to your specific requirements and style preferences.
For people looking for an mid back ergonomic chair that doesn’t stick out, the Hon Ignition and Sidiz T50 are the obvious choices there.
The Browery is my go-to choice for those of you that can’t find comfort in a mesh or leather backrest- the elastomer material may just be the ticket for long term back comfort for you.
For people with upper back and cervical spine problems, the Sunnow chair is the smartest choice with the separated 3 tier backrest.
For the executive office or those we crave the supple feeling that only genuine leather can provide, the Forbes Executive Chair is unrivaled in those respects.
WRAP UP
One thing that we are consistently asked at BTOD is which office chairs provide the best value. While people recognize that brands like Steelcase and Herman Miller make some of the best chairs, many find them too expensive. We are often asked which chairs we recommend in the $300-$500 range. This is a popular range because you are investing enough to get some good quality options, but you don’t have to break the bank with a name brand chair.
We have put together this list to give you our picks for the best chairs under $500, the best chairs under $400 and the best chairs under $300. Hopefully this list can provide you with an option that meets your needs, at your price point.