Thought Bytes...
October 2002

Choosing Chairs

Choosing a Chair – Part 2

I put out a challenge to many local suppliers... what would they choose (using my "ergonomic" criteria) for clients of different body types. From our previous work together, most of the suppliers already knew some of my preference, but I wanted to see what they would do with some of the more extreme body types. It is relatively easy to choose a chair for "standard" bodies - and that is what we see in most offices. The challenge is finding seating for the small, the tall and the large. So, here is the outcome.

A couple of notes about this chart:

• The prices of chairs vary depending on discounts offered to various organizations. In my request for information, I asked the suppliers to quote on the assumption of a person buying one chair for home use. Most suppliers have some flexibility in the pricing of their products.
• The chairs listed are obviously a small selection of those available from each supplier. Please contact your local suppliers for additional information. Be sure to visit the showroom to see other models. Always try to get a chair on a demonstration basis prior to making your purchase.
• Suppliers are listed in order of the speed with which they provided the information.
• I have not offered any commentary on the selections made by these suppliers. The information provided in this chart is exactly what was provided to me.

Petite Woman (5'2" tall, 110lb.)

Supplier	<$400	$400 - $700	>$700
Solutions - The Furniture People Contact: Gary Wideman 11250-119 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2X3 780-452-9991 gwideman@thefurniturepeople.net	Neptune DSI 601-15-B6-E arms	Cassiopia DSI 701-15-B6-E arms	n/a
RGO Contact: Dave Birkenhagen 11624-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2Y2 780-413-6600 ext. 224 Toll Free: 1-877-527-5300 ext. 224 fax: 780-413-6620 dbirkenhagen@rgo.ab.ca	Surprise TS30502 from Steelcase: Height adjustable, arms, seat angle, adjustable back height, pneumatic seat height adjustment	Hornet 4400MDGL/HTA/SLP from Canadian Atlas: task chair with height/width adjustable arms, back height adjustment, sliding seat pan, pneumatic seat height adjustment	Leap 462LEAP1L from Steelcase: height/width/pivot arms, adjustable lumbar support, sliding seat depth, adjustable lumbar tension, adjustable back stop
CDI Furnishings Contact: Tom Biggs 9504-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T6B 2M9 780-440-2800 ext. 143 (please call for an appointment)	Ergocentric Saffron II: mid-back task chair, adjustable arm rests, Canadian manufacturer	Allsteel Trooper TR-MWN: adjustable arm rests, mid-back task chair	Keilhauer Tom: low-back task chair #9731, adjustable arm rests, Canadian manufacturer

Average Male or Female(5'8" tall, 156-180 lb.)

Supplier	<$400	$400 - $700	>$700
Solutions - The Furniture People Contact: Gary Wideman 11250-119 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2X3 780-452-9991 gwideman@thefurniturepeople.net	Neptune DSI 600-15-B6-E arms	Cassiopia DSI 700-15-B6-E arms	Haworth Improve HE M241-1G42
RGO Contact: Dave Birkenhagen 11624-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2Y2 780-413-6600 ext. 224 Toll Free: 1-877-527-5300 ext. 224 fax: 780-413-6620 dbirkenhagen@rgo.ab.ca	Magneto 3510GL/ATA from Canadian Atlas: pneumatic height adjustment, back height adjustment, height adjustable arms	Springboard TS38003 from Steelcase: height/width adjustable arms, lumbar height adjustment, seat depth adjustment, seat angle adjustment	Leap 462LEAP1L from Steelcase: height/width/pivot arms, adjustable lumbar support, sliding seat depth, adjustable lumbar tension, adjustable back stop
CDI Furnishings Contact: Tom Biggs 9504-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T6B 2M9 780-440-2800 ext. 143 (please call for an appointment)	HON 7828: mid-back task chair, adjustable arm rests	Ergocentric Saffron II: multi-tilt high back multi-task chair, adjustable arm rests, Canadian manufacturer	Allsteel #19: high-back multi-task chair, adjustable arm rests

Tall Male (6'2" tall, 220 lb.)

Supplier	<$400	$400 - $700	>$700
Solutions - The Furniture People Contact: Gary Wideman 11250-119 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2X3 780-452-9991 gwideman@thefurniturepeople.net	Neptune DSI 600-15-B6-E arms	Cassiopia DSI 700-15-B6-E arms	Haworth Improve HE M241-1G42
RGO Contact: Dave Birkenhagen 11624-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2Y2 780-413-6600 ext. 224 Toll Free: 1-877-527-5300 ext. 224 fax: 780-413-6620 dbirkenhagen@rgo.ab.ca	Magneto 3500GL/ATA from Canadian Atlas: pneumatic height adjustment, back height adjustment, height adjustable arms	Drive 4611411 from Steelcase: height/width adjustable arms, lumbar height adjustment, seat depth adjustment, seat angle adjustment	Leap 462LEAP1L from Steelcase: height/width/pivot arms, adjustable lumbar support, sliding seat depth, adjustable lumbar tension, adjustable back stop
CDI Furnishings Contact: Tom Biggs 9504-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T6B 2M9 780-440-2800 ext. 143 (please call for an appointment)	Ergocentric Saffron II: multi-tilt high back multi-task chair, adjustable arm rests, Canadian manufacturer	Allsteel Trooper TR-HWN: high-back task chair, adjustable arm rests	Ergocentric e-HB-knee tilt: multi-tilt high-back multi-task chair, adjustable arm rsts, Canadian manufacturer

Plus-Sized Male or Female (5'5" tall, 250-300 lb.)

Supplier	<$400	$400 - $700	>$700
Solutions - The Furniture People Contact: Gary Wideman 11250-119 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2X3 780-452-9991 gwideman@thefurniturepeople.net	nothing available in this price range in a plus-sized chair	Hercules DSI	Haworth Improve XL
RGO Contact: Dave Birkenhagen 11624-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T5G 2Y2 780-413-6600 ext. 224 Toll Free: 1-877-527-5300 ext. 224 fax: 780-413-6620 dbirkenhagen@rgo.ab.ca	no chairs recommended at this price range due to no warranty from manufacturers and ANSI/BIFMA standards	Stamina 2440 from Global: height adjustable arms, sliding seat depth, back height adjustment; pneumatic height adjustment	Criterion Plus from Steelcase: 20% wider seatpan, height/width adjustable arms, seat depth, heavy duty frome
CDI Furnishings Contact: Tom Biggs 9504-120 Street Edmonton, AB, T6B 2M9 780-440-2800 ext. 143 (please call for an appointment)	nothing available in this price range in a plus-sized chair	Ergocentric e-HB-Plus: mid-back multi-task chair, adjustable arm rests, Canadian manufacturer	Ergocentric e-HB: high-back multi-task chair, adjustable arm rests, Cnadian manufacturer

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