TLDR;

I am now at the time of writing this paragraph 3 days in from replacing my 4-year-old office chair to a new Autonomous Smart Office ErgoChair 2 and so far I am impressed with the features and working my way through using them properly. What do I mean by that? Well, the chair is super customizable in terms of the usual, height, arm rest positions, but it also has customizable features for lumbar support and headrest to name a few. If like me you spend a large part of your day sitting in front of computer monitors, hammering away at a keyboard and want to see/hear about this experience? keep reading…

Oh… by the way, besides FEDEX just chucking the box 😡 in the middle of my driveway for delivery More to come on that below, this was a really pleasant unboxing & setup experience.

Proper posture and mobility

Out of the 24 hours we are given in a day, if we spend 8 hours at work, that’s already 1/3rd of the hours in the day. With that acknowledgement if we take the time to manage our physical wellbeing, surely that will lead to a healthier life. While a large segment of the population got thrown into a Work from home, or hybrid, or remote workforce, for some of us, me included, have been doing this for years, even a decade perhaps. In a corporate workplace setting, it’s not uncommon for the facilities management to supply the workforce with ergonomic workplace furniture and accessories, in fact my 1st ergonomic device was a keyboard and mouse. Nowadays however circa 2020 and beyond Home Offices are now adorned with a Smart Office appeal, be it a portable desk that raises and lowers allowing you to sit or stand, a chair that provides back and neck support, and even memory foam mats used when standing for prolonged periods are now normal everyday fixtures. Some of the negative effects of bad posture as cited in a article reviewed by Williams Morrison M.D. includes:

• Sciatic
• Herniated disc
• Muscle strain
• Degenerative disc disease and
• Spinal stenosis

the circulatory system may also be impacted as well. In an article from Texas A&M’s Ruth Bush, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. vice dean and professor of surgery, spoke to preventing circulation problems on the job citing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), spider veins, and varicose veins as some of the negative effects of posture, shoes, and being ‘chained to the desk’ so to speak. Having a proper posture, I have found, allows you to feel less tired at the days end, less pain, less stiffness… then again.. I’m getting old… but the chair does help 😄

Why is this important to you

Equipping yourself with an ergonomic desk, chair, and practicing proper posture and ‘work exercises’ that can be done at your desk, is a great way to mitigate the aforementioned negative impacts of lack of mobility and bad posture at the workplace, no matter if it’s on site at an office or more so, at home where you actually spend the rest of your time when not in the home-office. Now that you are not traipsing to the conference room anymore, you are holding meetings at your desk but perhaps on a larger mounted monitor… the 20 degrees recline is a splendid feature to allow for a somewhat relaxed alertness. 😊

In this post we will look at the ErgoChair 2 from Autonomous which is the 2nd item I acquired from them. I am also a happy owner of their 70.5” x 30” XL Classic SmartDesk Pro for almost a year now. The chair is a great compliment to the desk, I have not found a bad position for the chair no matter what elevation I have the desk, the two really feels as one.

Ordering Experience

The one thing that struck me with the ordering experience is the ease, very few steps, easy configuration for options and the cherry on top if your company has a relationship with them, you can use your work email address to get as you will see below (emoji for pointing down) special pricing.

The rest is standards stuff, you get an email confirming your order with a link to your order, later you also get a link to the tracking… which on both occasions of me ordering something from Autonomous I have had an unpleasant experience with their shipper… FedEx. See the -Behind the Scenes- section below for more details on that fiasco 😡

Delivery Experience *

My shipments origin was from New York, and I am also on the East Coast of the United States, my estimated delivery was within a week… I was incredibly pleased, but that smile was about to turn to gloom as in the previous time they shipped with FedEx on the day of delivery, the package still showed as in New Jersey. Upon calling FedEx, sure as rain on a cloudy day, they cited that the package is delayed due to staffing issues, I should be grateful, because the last time, they said the package was lost in transit. Nevertheless, the package came 2 days later than the stated delivery date, but I got it. You would think the story ends there wouldn’t you? Alas no.

Unboxing & Setup

The packaging by Autonomous is excellent.

Not only are the contents packed in a sturdy box capable of withstanding *FedEx chucking it and leaving it in the middle of my driveway in the elements, but everything is laid out with meticulous mindfulness. The contents are either:

1. bubble wrapped
2. encased in cardboard and protected by packing materials taped
3. encased in a protected packing material and bubble wrapped and taped
4. a combination of all the above

The simplicity of design should also be called out, the entire contents in the box are 6 pieces including the box with the tools and screws. Once fully unpacked, there are eight (8) pieces

1. Backrest
2. Headrest
3. Seat
4. Castors (wheels)
5. Control Mechanism
6. Gas lift
7. Armrest (x2)
8. Base

and the bolts to assemble the unit “even though my manual says it’s a combination of M6’s and M8’s” all mines were M6’s which made assembly a breeze since I’m essentially using 1 screwdriver/bolt.

There are some helper videos on YouTube as well, in fact, rather than relying on the manual that comes with, I found that the YouTube vids are more up to date and reflective of what is shipped v/s what the manual purports.

1 Week in…

After a few days of drafting I am now 1 week in and I’m pleased! No complaints on the chair, even if I am being lazy and not abiding by the proper posture techniques, the lumbar support actually if very forgiving there and still provides support, at times I have to remember about the headrest, I did not have one of those before and it can be a bit hard to remember to sit back and type with my head on the rest and arms relaxed on the arm rest as I type away… but once I make a conscious effort as I am doing now while typing this paragraph, I feel like I can go on forever. This is not a sales pitch, I am not getting one penny from this review, but if you crowdsourced folks you know with office chairs to make up your mind if you are in the market, hopefully this post will provide you with some input in that decision making process.

5 Question Feedback Survey

I would be extremely interested in your feedback on this topic, would you be do kind to complete a brief 5 question survey that will take you less than 1 minute to do? Please click the link here & thank you! –> https://www.thatsgreatfeedback.com/ergochair2survey.html

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Behind the scenes FedEx, FedEx, FedEx… you could have left it by the door, or closer to the garage… why, why.. in the middle of the driveway where there is no cover?

Surely this is not representative of your standards for delivery?

Cheers! Fabs