Any product that has the word wobble in it may make it seem unsteady or unsteady – but in the case of the Ergonomic Wobble Chair by Anthrodesk, you’ll discover that these are actually good things.
The chair, also called an “Active siting stool,” is an incredibly clever way to keep our bodies moving and stop them from stiffening up as we find ourselves spending more time in front of computer especially since the covid lockdown and wide acceptance of on-line platforms such as Zoom. It’s great for use at a desk, standing desk but also around a kitchen island.
Reminiscent of Hasbro’s Weebles
It has an interesting design somewhat reminiscent of the Weebles toys we played with as children. Remember the TV commercial, “Weebles wobble but they won’t fall down?”
It ships in four pieces: a heavy bottom-rounded rubberized base, gas spring, a collar to cover the spring and a padded chair seat (just under 25 lb. total. It’s easy to assemble – the instructions are fairly straight forward. I needed to apply a little extra pressure to get the collar attached to the seat. I also found out that you had to be sitting on the chair to be able to adjust the height ( from 22 to 33 inches.) You make the adjustment by simply pushing one of the three buttons on the underside of the seat – which I also had to do a couple of times before it would consistently engage.
Technique Matters
This was my first foray into wobble seat territory. I once experimented with a ball chair but found it too awkward to use on a regular basis. With this one, it’s still a work-in-progress. At first, I felt a little unbalanced but slowly I’m getting used to it. You can sit right on it, but I’m finding it working best for me if I sit feet on the floor not quite on it leaning back as it leans forward. As an aside, while the chair by itself, won’t tip over, if you do sit right on it and lean back too far past vertical, you will tip over. Also best to keep with feet on the ground.
What I also find interesting is the seat. Rather than a rounded seat this one is almost like a super-sized symmetrical bicycle seat ( about 12-inches at its widest point and about six inches at it’s narrowest.) I suspect this is design so you can evenly position your body so you’re always centred with your legs and weight evenly distributed left to right. This is great for balance, although for those who have trouble sitting on a bicycle seat (like I do), I guess I have to blame my parents genetics for that you might find it uncomfortable over long periods of time.
Overall, the wobble chair is a great little invention – especially in these times. While I can’t really comment on the claims about using the chair increasing one’s metabolic rate, I can certainly feel using it engaging one’s core muscles. In fact, I’m contemplating looking at moving to a standing desk.
The Anthrodesk Ergonomic Wobble Chair retails in Canada for $159.99. Prices may vary slightly by colour. It comes in three colours, black, red and blue. You can get one directly from Anthrodesk or find it on Amazon.
If you’re curious about the definition of Ergonomic Seating, you can check out this post from ChairsFX.
The syndicated edition of the article appears at Troy Media and 32 affiliated syndicated sites.
Greg Gazin, also known as the Gadget Guy and Gadget Greg, is a syndicated veteran tech columnist, communication, leadership and technology speaker, facilitator at Crestcom International, blogger, podcaster and author. Reach him @gadgetgreg or at GadgetGuy.ca.
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