The Sleep Company Onyx Orthopedic Office Chair | Patented SmartGRID Technology | Adjustable Lumbar Support for Ergonomic Sitting Posture | High…

When you are sitting and working for long hours, if you are not careful you are bound to have medical issues. Until I had one, I continued with one of those traditional fancy chairs. After having cervical and lumbar issue, the diagnosis of which caused a lot, I started with my search for a good ergonomic chair to support my back/spine. I ordered even one for around 5k, but as soon as I opened the box, I raised a return because of poor quality. Post that I was clear that you get what you pay for…

🎁 INSIDE BOX

1x backrest
1x seat
1x locking mechanism
2x handle
1x castor and cover
1x headrest
1x gas lift
2x allen key
6x screws for handle, 3x for backrest, 4x for mechanism, 1x for headrest
2x metal bush for handle
2x plastic bushes for mechanism
1x manual (printed colored booklet, not A4 papers some have received)

Dimensions:
Seat: Width 480 mm , Depth 480 mm
Back (height from top of seat): 510 mm
Arm rest: length 240mm x with 70 mm
Lumbar adjustment: 35mm
Headrest/neckrest adjustment: 80 mm

➕ PROS

1. A chair with quality components and smooth mechanism
2. Be it wheels, rotation of chair, up/down movement its quite smooth
3. Gas lift mechanism is smooth, and provides ample adjustment of height (top of seat cushion from ground, with gas lift at bottom position ~450 mm, and with gas lift at top position ~570 mm)
4. Removable head rest is a plus, since if you are not comfortable with it, you can remove.
5. Backrest is made up of ~8-10 mm cushion (this is a non-mesh version where its just a mesh cloth). Even with this, you its quite breathable and comfortable for long sitting.
6. Overall chair provides good support to your spine, and helps manage cervical and lumbar pain. I am using a 1″ cushion as well to increase height of neck to align it perfectly with the head rest for proper neck support. I cant say much about smartgrid, as I have not disassembled any of back rest or seat.
7. Adjustable armrest is a plus to give proper rest to arms and align position as per height of the table.
8. Versatile tilting/reclining back, with adjustable tilt tension. Tension can be loosened to make it tilt with natural tilting movement of our back.

➖ CONS

1. Since I paid quite a lot for this chair, I expected quality across elements, but the castor cover was with unfinished edges, which I had to clear using a blade
2. Better handrests could have been provided. These are a bit flimsy, and loose in the adjustable housing. Moreover, note that its hard plastic and no cushioning on the top.
3. Lumbar support is not rigid and has a lot of flexibility to it (in description its being called as firm, but its far from it). Because of that, you dont get stable lumbar support.

⚙️ USAGE SCENARIOS

My height is around 5′ 4″ and the headrest even at its lowest position, barely aligns with my neck. So anyone with lesser height will find trouble with it, as if your head actually rests on the center of headrest and not on the top, you will soon start having neck pain. Best position will be with its center of curvature aligned to neck, with head resting on top of it to keep spine straight.

In such a case, you only have the option to use the chair without neck rest.

🔨 PERFORMANCE

Assembly may take anywhere between 15 mins to 60 mins depending on how proficient you are with tools
I used power screwdriver for faster assembly, as machine screws are provided which have fine threads, so lots of turns to screw/unscrew

🏆 VERDICT

I initially ordered a 5k chair, and the quality was pathetic. This is lives up to mark to provide good quality for the cost and provides sufficient support for long working hours. A few issues are there, but you get a good deal for the price you pay.

Overall it’s a very good chair at this price point. Both the rotation and the movement of the wheels is very smooth.
I bought this chair about a month ago, and haven’t faced any major issues so far.
I would give it a 4.7, but obviously Amazon only allows in numerals.
Why 4.7? Well it still has a few places it can improve. Note that I am comparing it to Steelcase Leap which retails for 94k inr without headrest and 100k inr with headrest. That’s what we have at office.
Okay so the pros first: very comfortable seat and back with very good reclining. The build quality in all parts is very sturdy. The wheels glide like butter, sometimes a bit too smoothly. The steelcase one is just the right amount in wheel movement. Changing the backrest stiffness is a bit challenging, but I have seen all the chairs below 20k have the same mechanism. The steelcase one has it to the side.
Now cons/improvements: the arm rest is a bit short in comparison to steelcase and the rubber pads on top are also a bit rougher. The arm rest wobles a bit because of the vertical adjustment it provides. Maybe sleep company can try to improve on that? But comparative to the cellbell Taurus which retails for around 6k, this is a big upgrade in all aspects, the pros and cons are both way better in this one.
Maybe if you are looking at a cheaper chair like cellbell, try to increase your budget if possible. My friend got the cellbell before I bought this one, so I got to know it’s deficiencies before hand. Now he rarely uses his chair.