The Flexispot BS9 office chair is well designed, made from quality materials, and offers good levels of comfort, softness and support. It's not the most adjustable chair around, but it does mould naturally to your shape in a way that we've found works well in practice. It's a good choice for home workers on a budget.
For
Moulds to your shape
Good spinal support
Height adjustable
Easy to assemble
Reasonable price
Against
No headrest
Can't adjust arm rests
Only comes in orange
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The Flexispot BS9 office chair might appeal to those who are working from home but still relying on a basic chair that doesn't provide proper support. In the long term, using an inadequate chair is a route to spinal alignment, pain and misery that you may never fully recover from. So investing in the best office chairs for back pain is a sensible move indeed.
That said, not all of us have unlimited budgets. So while you may dream of buying a high-end, luxurious chair for a couple of grand, that may not be practical right now. In which case, there's the Flexispot BS9: a reasonably priced chair that still promises a good level of comfort and support. Does it deliver? We've spent the last three months trying one out so read on to discover what our experience has been like.
Flexispot BS9 office chair review: Assembly
The first thing to note is that the Flexispot BS9 chair does require some assembly. If that word induces nightmarish flashbacks to IKEA builds gone wrong, don't worry: putting together this chair is pretty straightforward. There are only four steps, and there's very little scope for things to go wrong.
There aren't a lot of parts, you only need one (provided) tool, and the printed instructions are pretty easy to follow. I'm not the most practical person in general, and it took me about an hour. I'd guess that people who regularly do DIY will probably manage it in half the time.
Flexispot BS9 office chair review: Design and features
The Flexispot BS9 office chair is built around soft, high-density sponge cushion, which is 7cm deep and 66cm wide, and covered with durable breathable mesh fabric, made from a nylon base with PU rolls. The chair sits on four casters for easy movement around the room and can take a maximum weight of 120kg. It is height-adjustable via a gas lift and can be raised and lowered between 44.5cm and 53.5cm.
(Image credit: Tom May)
The back, however, is where the real magic happens. Made with the same breathable mesh, it moulds to your back as you rest on it, helping to maintain your spine's 'S' shape. You can push back to recline, between 90 and 120 degrees, and there's a lock if you want to keep it in the same position.
Flexispot BS9 office chair review: Comfort
I've been using the Flexispot BS9 office chair for three months now, and it's been a consistently pleasurable experience. Without any need to make complex adjustments, the chair seems to fit my spine like a glove, and has noticeably cut down the number of times I've experienced back pain while working at a desk.
(Image credit: Tom May)
The cushion is soft and comfortable. The chair reclines well: not too far at just 120 degrees but that's probably a good thing for posture in the long run. It's also been easy to adjust the height whenever I've needed to, and the wheels make it easy and fun to move around the room while still sitting in the chair.
On the downside, not being able to adjust the armrests has been a little frustrating at times. However, as armrests go they are nicely sized and comfortable to rest the arms on. And in general, this is a very comfortable chair that just does its job well.
Flexispot BS9 office chair review: Verdict
Should you buy the Flexispot BS9 office chair? Well, it really depends on what you're looking for. If you have serious back issues and want a chair with adjustable lumbar support, you'll need to look elsewhere. If you can afford it, we'd recommend the Herman Miller Mirra 2; otherwise, the Secretlab Titan Software Chair offers adjustable lumbar support at a similar price to the BS9.
The Flexispot BS9 office chair also probably isn't the best buy if you dislike orange, as that's the only colour it comes in, or if you're looking for adjustable armrests. However, if those things don't matter to you, and you're looking for an affordable, comfortable and ergonomically efficient chair that "just works" without requiring messing around with a load of adjustments, the Flexispot BS9 office chair certainly fits the bill.
(Image credit: Tom May)
This is not a luxury chair: it looks and feels, to be frank, pretty basic. However, I've found it naturally moulds to my shape, and is consistently comfortable. Its permeable mesh makes it nice and cool. And the fabric is lovely and soft. As a regular home worker, these things are what's ultimately important to me. So if you're looking for a chair around this mid-price range, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
The Flexispot BS9 office chair is well designed, made from quality materials, and offers good levels of comfort, softness and support. It's not the most adjustable chair around, but it does mould naturally to your shape in a way that we've found works well in practice. It's a good choice for home workers on a budget.
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.
