I reluctantly tried a $700 office chair. One feature made me a believer

I’m a standing desk evangelist. I believe in standing desks so much that if you and I were to meet and get talking and I were to find out you work at a desk, I’d try to convince you to stand at it instead.

I stand almost all day, swaying and rocking on my two feet like a silly person to keep my posture upright and to keep my deep veins from thrombosing. You’d never find me in an office chair, let alone one of those premium office chairs that cost upwards of a grand.

So, when Sihoo asked me to check out their Doro C300 Pro office chair with a $700 MSRP, I told the lovely PR rep not to bother. I wouldn’t use it, I told them. But they insisted, so I acquiesced… and now here I am.

I’m sitting in Sihoo’s Doro C300 Pro as I write this. A chair I said I’d never use, one that I never even would’ve considered paying up for. And yet, now that I’ve actually tried it, I think I probably would. And it’s all because of one standout feature that I didn’t realize was missing from every other cheap office chair I’ve tried.

A history of useless office chairs

Like I said, I’ve mostly eschewed office chairs. Not sofas, mind you, and I love a good chaise lounge when I’m off the clock. But for office work? They always seemed more trouble than they’re worth.

I’m a short man — measuring up at a diminutive 5’4″ — and so most chairs are a tricky fit for me, let alone office chairs. They’re typically too tall, both in terms of distance from the floor and in the length of the upper back portion. So even when I sit in an office chair with lumbar support, it’s usefully fixed and woefully out of reach of my actual spine. Meanwhile, my feet are left dangling and scrabbling for a footrest.

I’ve tried a few of those “gaming” chairs over the years with their silly lumbar pillows, but they’ve never provided enough actual support and those constantly shifting pillows worsened my ADHD-driven fidgeting.

Worst of all, office chairs have always led to me sitting with poor posture, which led to back pain, which made my hours in front of my computer unbearable with aches, pains, and general fatigue.

I’ve tried firmer chairs, too, with more rigid components and utilitarian designs that force me to sit properly. But those chairs often left me with pressure aches and other pains. Without getting too much into the weeds here, I’m sure you know the soreness that can come from sitting too long on a surface that’s far too hard.

All of which just drives me back into the open arms of my standing desk. If nothing else, it at least encourages me to keep my upper back straight and my arms away from slouch-inspiring armrests. It’s one of the main accessories that have helped alleviate my back pain.

After years of success with standing desks, I had resigned myself to staying vertical while I work. These days, I even use a balance board (among other essential work-from-home accessories) while I work to get some extra core exercise in. I stand while I work, I stand while I game, and sometimes I even stand to eat. It’s just easier and better for me.

I always thought office chairs weren’t worth their trouble or price tags. How much better could a $700 chair actually be over a $200 chair, anyway? Turns out, that extra money is worth it.

A begrudging office chair review

The Sihoo Doro C300 Pro arrived in a truly gigantic box and with some of the most robust cardboard packaging I’ve ever seen. It was heavy. My kids made forts out of it for days afterwards, and it withstood their consistent battering better than most toys and games I’ve gotten them.

That sturdy packaging protects this surprisingly heavy chair. The base of the Doro C300 Pro is made of mesh, but the internal construction makes up the majority of its overall weight, so putting it together by myself proved to be quite the challenge. (Be sure to have some help if you aren’t willing to grunt and sweat your way through it solo.)

Sihoo

The hefty weight ultimately leads to an impressively sturdy chair. Sure, the plastic arms and headrest are less premium and they have a bit of flex to them, but they’re comfortable and have just enough give.

That positional flexibility doesn’t extend to the seat itself, though, which is extremely robust and load-bearing but edged with hard plastic all around. This immediately put me out because I couldn’t tuck my leg under myself as I’m want to do in office chairs.

But it did force me to sit up straight and properly. Huh… Maybe an office chair can encourage better posture without being stiffly uncomfortable?

Jon Martindale / IDG

But what about my back? That’s where all my issues have always lain. I’ve had office chairs with fixed lumbar support before, and they’re always out of reach. Surely this would be the same?

Actually, no. This one has a built-in lumbar support that can shift up and down a couple of inches as you lean into it, and you can manually adjust the back of the seat, too. Doing so moves the lumbar support with it, giving it greater flexibility. I also found the ability to adjust the depth of the seat helps a lot in lining up everything just as I need it.

Jon Martindale / IDG

And my goodness! What a difference that makes. Is this what I’ve been missing all these years? The ability to sit in a chair without it hurting my back? Who’d have known.

The backup I didn’t know I wanted

Until I tested this chair, I figured I’d be standing for the rest of my days during PC-based activities, at least until my knees gave out when I reached geriatric status. But now, I’m not so sure.

Standing at my desk is still better for my posture and energy levels than sitting. But with the Sihoo Doro C300 Pro, I have another option for when I get tired or when my feet start to hurt. This chair gives me the support my ailing back needs while helping me maintain good posture.

It isn’t perfect, of course. I removed the headrest because I felt it encouraged me to lean my head forward more than was comfortable. And the armrests can’t fold away entirely, which gets frustrating at times. For its solid design, the hard plastic everywhere doesn’t have the premium feel that its price tag would suggest.

There’s also the specter of Herman Miller and Steelcase chairs that my cash-rich colleagues sit on like thrones. Those promise even-more premium chair experiences — at even-more premium prices — that perhaps now I’m more tempted by than I was before.

All that aside, the Doro C300 Pro is proving an excellent companion. I now have something I’d gladly fall back on when I don’t want to stand anymore but won’t also destroy my back and counter all that hard work I do flamingo-legging throughout the day.

I wouldn’t have bought it. But now? I’d likely pay to replace it if someone stole it away. So, please don’t. It’s still very expensive.

Author: Jon Martindale, Contributor, PCWorld