It looks as if the future will involve a lot more working from home. Even when the pandemic has passed, employers and employees have seen the benefit of hybrid working so a lot of office-based jobs will switch to a mixture of homeworking with the occasional commute to the office.
Anyone employing homeworkers is going to need to provide employees with the tools to do their job from home in a safe and comfortable manner. That means an ergonomic workspace is vital if companies are to avoid legal claims from workers who are forced to use inadequate seating and desks when spending hours in front of a screen.
Professional seating specialists, AndaSeat, who previously manufactured race car seats for BMW & Mercedes Benz, has partnered with prestigious brands in the sports and Esports field to create the new Kaiser 2 ergonomic gaming chair that’s also ideal for home workers. The chair has a range of adjustments that enable it to be put into the perfect working position to lessen the chance of injury.
The Kaiser 2 is padded with cold-cured and super high-density foam that provides support for the spine during long gaming sessions or typing up long reports and spreadsheets. The chair is firm enough to promote a good posture, even when sitting for long periods. The frame is made from virtually indestructible high-tensile carbon steel and a soft flexible coating that mimics the feel of real leather.
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Included with the chair are an ergonomic headrest and lumbar support cushion that can be adjusted to support both the lumbar and cervical vertebrae at the same time. This arrangement means the user can settle back into the chair while the cushions conform to the curves of the body with the lumbar cushion giving wider support for the lower back. The cushion can be adjusted to find the best spot whilst the form-fitting memory foam headrest cradles the neck and head.
With a lockable synchronic-tilt mechanism and special Z-Shape design, the Kaiser 2 can accommodate a weight up to 180kg, quite a bit more than normal mechanisms on office chairs and the back can be reclined to an angle of 160 degrees which can be locked when not in rocking mode.
There are two customizable armrests that can be adjusted by width and height as well as sliding forward to provide better support for the wrists and arms. The armrests are finished in a smooth bonded, scratch and stain-resistant coating over a high-density one-piece foam that can contour to the shape of the user.
The chair is upholstered with high-quality PVC with the soft feel of high-quality grain leather. The material is the same as used in the racing car chairs that AndaSeat used to build and offer smooth bonded, scratch and stain-resistant technology. The material is easy to clean and very strong, which means less chance of it cracking or splitting over time.
The precision 22mm diameter steel frame of the chair is covered by a lifetime warranty. High-tensile 2mm thick seamless steel is used to give the frame a longer service life. Since home workers are likely to be covered by the same health and safety legislation as any workplace, the chair is equipped with a certified SGS Class 4 hydraulic piston and explosion-proof gas spring.
This piston is durable and more stable than most offering consistency, stability and safety. If you’ve ever had an office chair that sinks after five minutes of use, you’ll know how important a robust gas cylinder is for setting and maintaining the correct working height. The chair runs on 65mm castors that are covered in PVC and run smoothly on carpet, vinyl or wooden flooring.
Verdict: I’ve tried out an Anda Seat Kaiser 2 for a few days. It’s about half the price as the Herman Miller Aeron chair and replacement parts are available. In terms of comfort, I’d say the AndaSeat Kaiser 2 is every bit as good as Herman Miller’s classic design and maybe even a little more comfortable thanks to the use of cold-cure foam and a sturdy metal frame. The seat can rake back and there’s an option to have the chair in rocker mode for leaning back and relaxing when taking phone calls. The Kaiser 2 is intended as a gaming chair, but in my opinion, it makes for a very good office chair that looks great and maybe would blend in better with the décor of most people’s home office. It’s not as cheap as a regular typist’s chair but, in terms of comfort, it’s a world apart. If you are an employer with employees working from home, it’s worth investing in a decent chair for them as the promotion of a good posture can mean higher productivity and could also be a good defense if an employee claims they weren’t given a chair that was ergonomically designed for work.
Price & Availability: The AndaSeat Kaiser 2 ergonomic gaming chair is available in black and maroon colorways and costs $479.99 / £349.99.
More info: www.andaseat.com