Note: This product actually merits at least a "three-and-a-half-star" rating , if not (quite) "four stars".

While my above title might better befit my recent reviews on early retirement, in a sense it likewise has pertinence here. If you sit at your computer--compulsively or perforce--for long hours daily, eventually you may suffer back pain, not to mention sundry afflictions of the nether regions (e.g., tailbone soreness and/or internal/external hemorrhoids). If any of that applies to you, don't despair. Quite possibly, you can find blessed deliverance from your purgatorial plaints via some prudent kneeling (if not desperate prayer).

Where to order:

About a year ago I placed an online order with BizChair.com for this model WL-1428-GG "kneeling" chair. As I recall, shipping required, at most, about one week. Cost was--and, as of this writing, still is--$119.99, which includes free shipping (generally via UPS or FedEx) in the contiguous United States. As of this writing, the web page for this item is at the following address: http://www.bizchair.com/wl-1428-gg.html

Vendor's list of features:

Thick Padded Seat, Back and Knee Rest Provide Firm Support

Adjustable Back Angle

Adjustable Back Height

Adjustable Seat Height

Black Fabric

Black Powder Coated Steel Frame

Dual Wheel Casters

This Chair meets and/or exceeds ANSI/BIFMA standards

Back Size: 18''W x 21''H
Seat Size: 18''W x 17''D x 2''T
Knee Size: 19''W x 11''D x 2''T
Overall Max: 19''W x 32''D x 43'' - 50''H

ALSO NOTE: This chair is made in Taiwan.

Assembly:

As with most such products, assembly is required. If you can use a screwdriver and follow simple, illustrated instructions, you should find assembly fairly quick and easy. The instructions are on a single sheet of paper; unhurried assembly will likely take most consumers about 20 to 30 minutes.

How this model's design differs from that of most other "kneeling" chairs:

Unlike most "kneeling" chairs I've seen, this one features two separate kneeling pads, one for each shin. I find the padding to be plenty thick enough to keep my shins comfortable.

The twin kneeling pads of this model likely will last longer than the one-piece, wide kneeling pad of many other "kneeling" chairs, including my former, "backless" kneeling chair, which I'd bought years ago at a Target store. That former chair's single, wide kneeling pad broke off at its centrally located points of attachment (i.e. some screws broke totally loose from the low-grade wood beneath the padding). By contrast, this BizChair model's separate kneeling pads' points of attachment strike me as being somewhat better positioned for bearing weight without breaking anything. So far, my chair is holding up well in this regard. [Mind you, I only use this "kneeling" chair at occasional junctures throughout any given day. Generally, I continue to use my familiar, "conventional" office chair.]

Another innovation is the presence of a seatback (i.e., a backrest). Most "kneeling" chairs dispense utterly with any seatback; but this model's inclusion of a conventional seatback makes it something of a "hybrid", that is, a compromise between a "kneeling" and a "conventional" chair. Whenever you get tired of kneeling in this chair, you can assume a (more or less) conventional sitting position; however, to do so, your legs must either be placed in front of the kneeling pads or straddling the kneeling pads (or, typically, a little of both). Quite honestly, this "kneeling" chair isn't the most comfortable "sit" when used for conventional sitting (i.e., with feet on the floor). Nonetheless, it's nice, at least, to have the option of partially and/or occasionally leaning back into the (pleasantly "rearwardly flexing") seatback before resuming the kneeling position that is, after all, this product's raison d'etre.

[Note: regarding the seatback's noticeably "loose" or "wobbly" feel, also see my below section titled "One 'noteworthy quibble'".]

Another "plus" is that this "kneeling" chair's frame features metal (instead of wooden) construction. To me, this is significant. The only other "kneeling" chair I've owned was the unit I'd bought years ago from my neighborhood Target store, and the latter chair had a wooden frame that was nowhere near as sturdy as this BizChair model's touted "Black Powder Coated Steel Frame".

The fabric:

The rather durable black fabric covering the seat, seatback, and kneeling pads has a nice, tight weave. It's stretched satisfyingly tightly over all parts, such that it doesn't seem likely to start "wrinkling" any time soon.

General impressions regarding comfort:

I really like the overall "feel" of this chair. I can kneel comfortably for a fairly considerable amount of time (before I feel the need to resume a conventional sitting posture). When kneeling I often find myself with my feet extending all the way back and the upper surfaces of my feet resting happily upon the downward-angled portion of the metal frame (with my toes pointing toward the rear of the base, under which the rear casters are attached).

As with the kneeling pads, the padding (beneath the black fabric) of both the seat and the seatback is more than thick enough for comfort.

Height adjustment of the seatback is very easy. Analogously, from underneath the seat you can adjust the angle of the seat and seatback; this is only slightly more difficult to do, and most likely you'll only be making these adjustments once or twice to find your "permanent" preferences.

Of course, "comfort" can be a highly subjective issue. For whatever it's worth, I'm a six-foot-one male of roughly average weight (for my height). But the bottom line is that this chair is pretty adjustable, and obviously it's a mass-market product designed to suit the majority of the population. Just review the above "Vendor's list of features" to estimate whether this chair's dimensions will suffice for your needs.

One "noteworthy quibble":

About the only "hitch" I encountered with this product cropped up during the final step of assembly. The 21-inch-tall seatback attaches by downwardly inserting its (hollow) metal post into a "receptacle" at the rear of the seat.

[Note: This "metal post into receptacle" design and construction of the seatback's attachment is such that the entire seatback can somewhat move from side to side and seem "cheaply constructed". (It's especially noticeable if you grab the seatback while standing beside the chair). Like a lot of mass-produced "office chairs" at (or below) this price level, the seatback seems more "wobbly" than I'd prefer. However, thus far this hasn't proved a major issue for me during actual use. If I'd paid, say, $200 or more, I'd have been significantly disappointed with such "looseness" of the seatback--especially if we were speaking of a conventional office chair where the seatback would be more continually used.]

The seatback's hollow metal post, near its bottom end, contains exactly one threaded hole. Before tightening the seatback into position, I peered into its hollow metal post to inspect the threaded channel (into which a large retaining pin would be screwed and tightened), and I noticed a fissure (gap) in the threaded channel, about halfway inward. Though it didn't appear likely that this minor imperfection would significantly (or, at least, quickly) affect the integrity of that connection, I still wasn't exactly thrilled, especially given that there was also a bit of red rust along that fissure.

Consequently, I phoned the BizChair customer-service number, and a polite lady took my information and soon informed me they'd be shipping me a replacement seatback. I thanked her and proceeded to "temporarily" attach the current, "imperfect" seatback, which tightened up satisfactorily.

The replacement seatback duly arrived in a slightly less than a week. But, upon inspecting it, I saw that it, too, had a "fissure" at the same point. However, this time the gap was not quite as large, and there was no corrosion whatsoever. I concluded that, very likely, the vast majority of the seatback posts were manufactured with such a (arguably trivial) gap midway through that threaded channel. I decided it wasn't worth contacting the nice BizChair lady again; moreover, I concluded that I could very contentedly live with this chair as things stood.

After all, given that the user generally kneels on this chair (instead of leaning backward), relatively little force ever gets exerted on the seatback anyway. In reality, the typical user likely won't be leaning too forcefully against the seatback of this "hybrid" chair a high percentage of the time. I've still got the "worse" (original) seatback attached, and it's not seriously loose yet.

Conclusion:

I'd recommend this (or virtually any) "kneeling" chair as a healthy and comfortable alternative to your conventional office chair. A key selling point of this "hybrid" model is that, unlike most "pure" kneeling chairs, it includes a (now and again very welcome) seatback--not to mention separate kneeling pads (as opposed to a single, wide kneeling pad whose centralized points of attachment could soon prove unreliable).

For the well-heeled buyer whose motto is "price is no object", I'd recommend looking for a much costlier and more durable product that could last a lifetime (which this product likely won't!). But the rest of us have to compromise, and, while I somewhat dislike the "looseness" of the (otherwise very attractive and solid) backrest, I basically like everything else about this chair. Bottom line, it does significantly relieve the sort of back and/or posterior discomfort that can result from sitting continuously in a conventional office chair.

While I wouldn't want to sit, er, kneel in this type of chair all day long, it provides a welcome change of position at occasional junctures throughout the day. Its four casters make this "kneeling" chair very easy to scoot out of the way whenever you're ready to resume sitting in your "regular" chair.

Recommended: Yes