REASONS TO BUY
Cost effective
Compact
Plush seat cushion
REASONS TO AVOID
No armrests
Small seat pan
Feels cheaply made
No lumbar support
Backrest isn't strong
Too small to accommodate a wide variety of body types
Amazon Basics Low Review
This chair prioritizes basic functionality and affordability instead of premium adjustability and all-day ergonomics
The Amazon Basics Low is a compelling value if you only need to use your office chair for quick tasks.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
RELATED: Best Office Chairs of 2024
Our Verdict
The Amazon Basics Low office chair screams minimalism. While you can adjust the height of the chair, that's it. No other points of adjustment are available for this chair, making us annoyed every time we went to look for a handle or knob to adjust to our specific size. We never felt a cradling embrace by this product, often leaving us wanting more. The chair is tiny, with a small seat and back to match. As long as you don't expect any fancy bells and whistles or plan to spend more than 3-4 hours at a time sitting in it, the Amazon Basics Low Office Chair could be used in situations where you may prefer simplicity. However, we believe there are better options available at similar price points.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Amazon Basics Low | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Buy for Back Support | Best on a Tight Budget | |||
| Price | $75 List $57.09 at Amazon | $180 List $169.99 at Amazon | $180 List $149.65 at Amazon | $97 List $66.59 at Amazon | $40 List $43.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This office chair provides a place to sit at a comparatively low price — and not much else | This chair offers high-end features where they count most — for your back and bottom — without the high-end price tag | It's not fancy, but this is our favorite budget-friendly chair for the money | With this model, you get what you pay for, which isn't much | This chair provides acceptable performance, especially for its price, but if you're after all-day comfort, we would recommend purchasing a premium model |
| Rating Categories | Amazon Basics Low | SIHOO M18 Ergonomic... | Modway Articulate E... | Amazon Basics Class... | Furmax Office Mesh |
| Comfort (50%) | |||||
| Adjustability (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Assembly (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Amazon Basics Low | SIHOO M18 Ergonomic... | Modway Articulate E... | Amazon Basics Class... | Furmax Office Mesh |
| Comfortable Hours | 2.00 hrs | 7.00 hrs | 8.00 hrs | 3.00 hrs | 3.00 hrs |
| Manufacturer Weight Limit | 275 lbs | 330 lbs | 331 lbs | 275 lbs | 250 lbs |
| Measured Points of Adjustment | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Measured Tilt Limiter Stopping Points | None | None | None | None | None |
| GearLab Assembly Time | 8 min | 16 min | 10 min | 30 min | 18 min |
| Adjustable Lumbar Support | No | Yes | Yes; the backrest moves up and down | No | No |
| Tension Knob | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tilt Lock | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lumbar Support | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Seat Pan Adjustment | No | No | No | No | No |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Amazon Basics Low is about as simple as it gets. No extra features or adjustability to admire. This left us scratching our heads when, in comparison, we tested chairs that had up to 8 points of adjustability. Continue reading to find out how this chair performed in our test metrics.
Performance Comparison
During our testing process, we measure and confirm key specifications like minimum-to-maximum seat height and seat width, both of which are critical to comfort for many body sizes and types.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Comfort
Simply put, comfort is key in terms of evaluating a chair, especially when it's an office chair that you might sit in for hours at a time. We thoroughly tested the Amazon Basics Low, considering not just the cushion and back support but also little details like how smoothly the wheels roll as you move around your desk area.
We had a panel of tester office pros sit in the chair for multiple workdays and asked them to pay attention to how their unique body shape and size fit into the chair, as well as to respond to a set of 16 comfort-based survey questions. We took the quantitative responses each of our testers gave to these questions and averaged them to find the overall score.
This basic office chair has one of the narrowest seat pans we've ever tested.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
You get what you pay for with this chair, and we weren't terribly impressed with what it had to offer. None of us rated this chair more than 4/10 for overall comfort. The seat pan was too narrow for some of our testers, and the complete lack of lumbar support was a stark contrast to other chairs we tested.
Most of our testers found both the seat and backrest were just too soft. One of our testers, Austin, thought “the seat is far too squishy,” and noted that he could feel the hardware below the cushioning digging into his glutes after a few hours.
Another one of our testers, Rachael, noted that she could “feel the rigid plastic frame on the backrest” because it was too small and the mesh was too soft. Joshua really cut to the chase while testing this chair, asking, “Why do you hate me? This chair is built for an interrogation!”
We were surprised at how squishy the seat cushion felt, noting that it seemed to perform better for our lighter testers than our heavier testers.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Still, not every tester had such strong opinions. Lesley, our 5'3" tester, explained, “This chair was surprising. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me — just a little. The seat feels firm, but the cushion is very soft and squishy.”
Although the wheels got caught or misdirected from time to time while moving laterally, they were pretty good considering the price. If this was the only chair we could get, it would get the job done, but comfort is not at the forefront of the design or function of the Amazon Basics Low office chair.
To really understand all-day comfort, we had five testers sit in this Amazon Basics chair for hours at a time while working at their desks in our lab.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Adjustability
Adjustability is a foundational aspect of a high quality office chair because numerous points of adjustment mean the person sitting in the chair can find the best position for their body and their needs. We asked our suite of testers to try adjusting this chair as much as possible and the results were less than exciting.
The only adjustment that can be made is the height of the seat, which we don't even count towards our Points of Adjustment chart because it's a standard for any office chair. Austin, our 5'11" tester, said the seat was barely high enough for his preferred desk height. Interestingly, with a 21.5" maximum seat height, this chair has a measured max height that is technically very competitive with other office chairs. We believe that because the seat is so cushy and compresses down so easily, your actual seat height will feel at least an inch lower than the measured seat height compared to office chairs with cushions that compress less.
We had to double-check our measurements because most of our taller testers felt similar to Austin.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
This chair does not have adjustable lumbar support — and essentially no lumbar support at all. The lack of adjustability makes what is already a pretty average chair even less so in terms of comfortability. Without an adjustable seat pan, a person cannot have proper support for their undersides, creating pressure points that can restrict blood flow, which can lead to chronic pains. With no support to the back, slouching occurs and can develop into poor posture. It's not a great chair to help you out.
The height adjustment lever is easy to reach and works well. That's about it, though, when it comes to this chair and its versatility.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Ease of Assembly
Hopefully, you only need to assemble your office chair once, but that doesn't mean that a poor assembly process doesn't dampen the overall experience with your new chair. We paid particular attention to how long it took to assemble and how clear the instructions were to make sure that people with little to no experience could do it.
Fortunately, this chair performed fairly well in this category despite the fact that it comes completely disassembled. It took our tester 8 minutes and 20 seconds to go from box to sitting; the process is aided by the fact that there aren't any adjustment mechanisms to link to the base, cushion, or lumbar. All the washers and screws were clearly labeled in the instructions, but there wasn't any accompanying writing, just large photos. Still, we found the directions easy to follow.
Due to such a simple overall design, this Amazon Basics chair was quick and easy to assemble.
Credit: Rachael Lamore
Should You Buy the Amazon Basics Low Office Chair?
Buying a new office chair isn't an easy decision, and it's heavily dependent on what your personal preferences and budget are. If you're on a tight budget but need a chair for intermittent sitting, it's worth considering other low-cost products. Because of the limited adjustability and features, we don't suggest this chair for most situations.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
What Other Office Chairs Should You Consider?
If you're willing to spend about $100 more than the Amazon Basics Low, you can get your hands on the Modway Articulate Ergonomic Mesh Chair, which strikes a great balance between affordability and sophisticated adjustability and comfort options. Alternatively, if you don't need wheels to roll around your office, you may want to consider an accent chair that provides increased comfort in exchange for reduced maneuverability.
—
Rachael Lamore and Chris Maxcer
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