The ergonomic products you must have at work to ease body aches and pain

$1,199, from www.ergoworks.com.sg.

WHAT IT IS
Designed by osteopath Simon Freedman, the Freedman Chair aims to help your spine and pelvis maintain a neutral position while seated – as though you were standing. Sitting this way is supposed to create less strain on your body.

HOW IT WORKS
Regular chairs rotate your pelvis backwards as you lean into them, causing you to slump and hunch. The Freedman Chair, on the other hand, has seat pads that tilt forward at a 27-degree angle from hip to knee. This makes your pelvis rotate forward, forcing you to sit upright and with proper posture.

The seat pads are contoured to fit your sitting bones; they also tilt from side to side to accommodate uneven leg lengths (many of us have one leg that’s shorter than the other), which can result in a curve on one side of your body when you sit.

COMFORT LEVEL
1 The Seat Pads
They look hard but the seat pads are more comfortable than they appear. They hugged my sitting bones snugly, and provided great support, even though they’re not wide or cushy.

2 The Backrest
Protruding from the backrest are six “back balls” that act almost like massage balls – when I rested against them, they pressed into the muscles along my spine, and helped to ease the tightness there.

3 The Chair’s Height
I simply had to swivel the chair to my desired height and I was all set. The chair is at the right height when your feet rest flat on the ground.

WHAT WE WISH IT HAD
A Full Backrest and Armrests
While the chair supported my mid-back effectively, it would have been nice to have more support for my entire back as well, and somewhere to rest my arms too.

A Nicer-looking Design
Call it an avant-garde piece, but it’s not the most conventionally handsome chair to have at home. Its spine looks skeletal and its legs are clunky, while the textured rubber reminded us of dinosaur hide.

VERDICT “After using the chair for a week, my back didn’t ache as much as it normally does when I sit at my desk all day, thanks to the gentle, constant “massage” from the back balls. I also felt like I was sitting straighter and taller.”
– Cheryl Leong

$129, from Ergoworks and www.ergoworks.com.sg

WHAT IT IS
The wireless mouse is taller and bulkier than a regular mouse, to keep your arm in a neutral position and your shoulder relaxed so you don’t tire with prolonged use. Instead of resting your fingers on it, hold it like a slim cup, with your fingers controlling buttons on the right, while your index finger moves the scroll wheel. It has a button to adjust its sensitivity, so the cursor can move more with smaller mouse movements.

USING IT
• I got used to the unusual way of holding and moving the mouse after an hour, and the bulkiness and irregular shape no longer bothered me. It’s a tad heavier than a regular mouse, but it didn’t feel harder to move.
• I liked that I could rest the side of my wrist on the table, and found it more comfortable to use a mouse this way.
• I didn’t need a mousepad – the mouse glided smoothly over my tabletop.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER
• The scroll wheel doesn’t move the cursor left and right across the screen, which would have been useful when browsing websites.
• A better grip would help – my hand slipped occasionally despite the rubber coating. In a bid to grip it more tightly, I unintentionally pressed the right-click button, which brought up a menu of additional options.

VERDICT “The most comfortable mouse I’ve ever used – no wrist cushion or mousepad needed.”
– Smita Wee

$1,499, from Ergozones

WHAT’S ADJUSTABLE Seat height and depth, armrest height and position, lumbar support and tilt tension. Upholstery fabric is customisable.

SEAT The padding is thick and firm, which most testers found comfortable. We liked that the seat depth could be adjusted easily while we were sitting on the chair. We could also move the rubberised armrests forwards or backwards, and they were the most comfortable in the lineup.

BACK REST Like the seat, the backrest isn’t plush but gave solid support. All testers found that the backrest fitted well, although one tester found it too hard – it left her with an aching upper back at the end of the day. The chair rocked a little while the tilt of the backrest let us lean back comfortably, whether we were typing or resting. 

VERDICT A firm but comfortable chair that gives extremely good back and butt support. It was also the easiest to adjust.

$394.83, from Comfort Design

WHAT’S ADJUSTABLE Seat height, armrest height, lumbar support, headrest tilt and height.

SEAT The padding is thinner than that of the more expensive makes, but it is moderately cushy. The fabric is a tad rough and scratchy, but unless you are wearing a short dress or skirt, you’re unlikely to be bothered by it.

BACK REST The “springy” backrest is the highlight – all testers liked how it tilted back to a comfortable angle when we leaned backwards, letting us sit in a slightly inclined position when typing, and even to rock a little when we were feeling stiff. The height-adjustable curve of the chair moulded to the back well – everyone found it comfortable. Extra points for its high back and headrest.

VERDICT A unanimous favourite with a pocket-friendly price tag.

$999, from Ergoworks

WHAT’S ADJUSTABLE Seat height and depth, armrest height, backrest cushion position and tilt tension, and headrest tilt and height.

SEAT It has the widest and softest seat, which most testers liked. Only one tester preferred a more compact fit.

BACK REST A pair of rectangular cushions with rounded corners enveloped our backs comfortably, but some testers would have liked more fitted support for the lower back. The position and the height of the cushions are adjustable, but it took some effort to press and lift the contraption. Its advantage, however, is its springy tilt and headrest which. when combined, makes it great for leaning back and taking a breather.

VERDICT A cushy chair with a unique backrest that cocoons the entire back snugly.

$750, from Ergozones

WHAT’S ADJUSTABLE Seat height and depth, armrest height, lumbar support and tilt tension. Upholstery fabric is customisable.

SEAT The padding is thin but firm while the width of the compact seat fitted all testers nicely. Seat depth is adjustable, catering to testers of different heights.

BACK REST The height-adjustable curve of the back rest moulded to the lower back well and gave the necessary support. But the tilt of the chair was less well-received – although the tension was adjustable, some testers could not find a perfect angle. Apart from that, it gave a fairly good sitting experience and no one felt uncomfortable by the end of the day. Both the Hag chairs tested had legs that extend outwards more than the others – some found this obstructive, but others liked that they could rest their feet on them.

VERDICT A fairly comfortable chair that ticked most of the right boxes.