I can’t tell if I’m getting old, but the allure of fancy gaming chairs has been lost on me in recent years. There’s something to be said about how my personality has shifted from radical aesthetics to increased practicality. Basically, I want a chair that is comfortable and doesn’t give me a backache after sitting on it for several hours. I want to be able to buckle down and get to work, and get up for the occasional stretch knowing I won’t immediately collapse into a heap. To mark their anniversary this year, I was able to take one of Flexispot's latest desk chair offerings for a spin.
Flexispot describes the BS11 Pro as a ‘completely unusual seating experience’ across the marketing copy on its website, which to me sounds more like how I’d describe a long haul flight sat next to an increasingly vocal 9/11 truther than a pleasant office chair. This £429.99 ergonomic office chair is more akin to a piece of furniture you’d see in a Canary Wharf office than a streamer’s gamer hole, and this identity is clear the second it’s pulled from the box.
It’s heavy, stylish, and surprisingly easy to build, although I’d employ the help of an additional body given how many parts must be held in position to avoid them falling over. I am far from the Queen of DIY, which became immediately obvious when I struggled to put the BS11 Pro together on my lonesome without leaving behind a loose screw or six I needed to tighten.
Once it’s together though, this is a killer office chair. I don’t believe it’s a necessary purchase for those on a budget who don’t fancy splurging hundreds of pounds on a new seat, although I can’t deny how comfortable and flexible it is on a day-to-day use basis. The backrest never struggles to breathe or adapt to your shape thanks to an ergonomic design that emphasises a focus on lumbar support that few gaming chairs tend to bother with. As a result I can lean back on this thing or put my feet up without worry.
The seat itself is wide and adjustable, allowing you to move it backwards or forward to accommodate your shape and where exact parts of the body might end up once sitting down. I made a habit of pushing it forward to make better use of the backrest, otherwise the standard position leaves things a little tight for taller folks.
The seat and upper headrest can be moved into whatever position tickles your fancy, but I will note that the removable headrest is a little rough in its materials and doesn’t always feel the best to lean back against, at least not without adjusting other bits.
Its wheels don’t scuff up my wooden floor and the attractive silver metal works nicely when set against the cream-coloured mesh fabric. My two cats weren’t big fans though, suggesting that the mesh fabric doesn’t make for an especially good bed/scratching post.
That doesn’t take away from its positives however, and the practical features I was seeking from it more than delivered and will likely show their worth more in the coming months. The asking price is steep, but it doesn’t feel egregious compared to similar upmarket options you’d find in retailers like IKEA, and the extra buck is worth it for the guaranteed comfort.