If you spend your days working at a computer for hours on end, then investing in a comfortable office chair could be the upgrade you need to help boost your productivity and overall well being. While you could purchase a standing desk to try and be more active throughout your workday, you’ll still need to sit down at some point and an office chair that focuses on ergonomics can help you correct your posture and avoid slouching.
After working at a commercial real estate startup furnishing dozens of offices, Greg Hayes realized that purchasing office furniture can be a difficult task for businesses. For this reason, he started his own direct-to-enterprise office furniture company called Bureau in 2018 that would later change its name to Branch. Last year, Branch shifted to becoming a direct-to-consumer business and today the company sells a number of standing desks and office chairs.
While Branch currently offers four different office chairs, in this review we’ll be looking at the design, build quality, setup process and comfortability of the company’s Ergonomic Chair to help you decide if it’s the right upgrade for your office or work from home setup.
Pricing and availability
The Branch Ergonomic Chair is available directly on Branch’s website for $329 at the time of writing. However, it’s worth noting that you can save a bit by choosing the black seat and black frame option which is available for $299. Regardless of which configuration you choose, Branch offers free shipping and a seven-year warranty for its Ergonomic Chair.
Design and build quality
The Branch Ergonomic Chair is available in several configurations depending on whether or not you want a two-tone or monochromatic design. You can choose between a black, grey or light blue seat cushion and backrest as well as a white or black frame. Keep in mind though that the black frame is only available with the black seat cushion and backrest option.
The chair’s backrest, which is 20in wide and 21in in height, is made of double layered mesh for breathability with accent lines running across it while the outer frame of the backrest as well as the armrest handles and underside of the seat are made of white polymer. The armrests and the removable lumbar rest at the back of the Branch Ergonomic Chair meanwhile are grey.
The high-density foam seat cushion supports up to 300lbs (136kg) and Branch designed it in such a way that it can be used for more than eight hours of work comfortably. The cushion features a three-inch depth range and can be cleaned using upholstery cleaning products suitable for nylon fabrics.
On the underside, you’ll find a lever on the right side that can be used to raise or lower this office chair from 17in to 21in while the lever on the left side is used to control its tilt. The Branch Ergonomic Chair features 21 degrees of tilt with four lockable positions. Finally at the bottom of the chair, there is a silver aluminum base and five 2.5-inch scratch-proof casters which are suitable for wood, carpet and a variety of other floor types.
Setup and assembly
The Branch Ergonomic Chair sent to TechRadar Pro for review arrived in a single large box with two strands of yellow plastic strapping wrapped around it to protect the chair during shipping.
Once unpacked, we were left with the backrest, two armrests, the seat, the adjustment mechanism, the star base, the cylinder that sits between the base and the seat, five casters and all of the parts needed to put the chair together.
To begin assembling the chair, you first need to push the casters into the holes at the bottom of the base. Once this is done, you flip the base over and insert the larger end of the cylinder into the hole at the center of the base.
Next you need to attach the backrest to the adjustment mechanism using three spring washers, three black bolts and three flat washers. These bolts are then tightened using the provided Allen key. The backrest and the adjustment mechanism then need to be lowered onto the cylinder and pushed down firmly to secure them.
The two armrests are attached to the underside of the seat cushion using two bolts and two flat washers. After these bolts have been tightened, you then need to slide the seat cushion onto the chair frame and push it all the way to the back of the base until you hear a small click.
Overall assembling the Branch Ergonomic Chair was quite simple and can easily be done by one person. If you like to have the instruction manual in hand while building things, unfortunately you’re out of luck here as Branch has you scan a QR code on your smartphone or tablet to access it though you could also print it out yourself.
In use and comfortability
After we finished putting together the Branch Ergonomic Chair, we then had to adjust its height, armrest depth, seat depth and the lumbar system’s height to our liking.
As we mentioned before this chair’s height can be adjusted using a lever on the right side of the seat cushion while its tilt can be adjusted using a lever on the left side. To adjust the seat depth, you need to pull out and hold a small white lever towards the front right side of the seat cushion. Once you find your preferred seat depth, you just need to release the lever to lock it in place. The removable lumbar rest meanwhile features two handles on either side that you need to grasp and lift up or push down to adjust.
The armrests adjust in a similar way and to get them to your preferred width, you need to pull out the levers on either side of them and slide the base of each arm out or in. After finding the right width, you then need to push the levers in to lock the armrests in place. To adjust the armrest height, there is a button under each of them that you push and hold while raising or lowering the arms. Adjusting their depth needs to be done while seated and you simply grasp the top of the armrest and slide it forward or backward.
As we recently reviewed the Branch Standing Desk, we tested out the company’s Ergonomic Chair using its standing desk. Although we were a bit disappointed at first by the fact that Branch doesn’t offer a single office chair with a headrest, the lumbar rest had us sitting up so straight that we didn’t feel like we needed one after all. The Branch Ergonomic Chair also rolled smoothly on our hardwood floors though we tested it on carpet as well and had similar results.
The competition
If you’re looking for even more options at around the same price point, it’s worth checking out Vari’s selection of office chairs as well. The company’s Task Chair is available for $330 just like the Branch Ergonomic Chair though it’s only available in either black or grey with the grey model being slightly more expensive at $360. For those that consider a headrest a must, Vari also sells the Task Chair with Headrest starting at $385.
The Razor Task Chair from Clear Design is another option worth looking at if ergonomics is something you’re interested in. However, this chair isn’t available directly from the manufacturer and instead you’ll need to turn to an online retailer like Juniper Office which sells it for $442 at the time of writing. You can even kit out this office chair with 15 different custom fabrics but to do so you’ll have to contact Juniper Office directly.
Final verdict
The Branch Ergonomic Chair could be the perfect office chair upgrade for you especially if you’ve been feeling fatigue or pain while sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time. The chair’s adjustability is a big plus as you can customize its fit to the shape and size of your body and the lengthy seven-year warranty ensures you’ll be able to use it for years to come. We also agree with Branch’s claim that it can be used for eight hour or longer workdays and the lumbar rest helped improve our posture during our time with the chair.
To top it all off, the available color options and overall design allow you to have an office chair that really pops or one that looks very professional in the workplace. If you’re in need of a new office chair and want to get a great experience without breaking the bank, the Branch Ergonomic Chair certainly delivers.
Looking to upgrade your home office? Check out our roundup of the best standing desks, best office chairs and best laptop stands
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