EDX Armless Criss Cross Chair with Wheels Review

What sets this chair apart from the crowd is its unusually wide seat cushion, complete lack of armrests, and unconventional design compared to most modern office chairs. The seat pan and lack of armrests work together to give the sitter a wide space. Despite what this chair offers in terms of comfy room to roam, it lacks overall adjustability and ergonomic support, making it hard to recommend for long-hour office workers needing ergonomic support. Still, for criss-cross sitters and leg-crossing positions, it's a chill option that lets you easily shift and adjust work angles.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

Comfort is the most important metric we considered in our assessment of the EDX. We deployed our panel of expert testers to painstakingly review every inch of this chair, considering everything from the cushion to how easily the wheels moved over the course of a workday. We didn't spare any details and had each of our judges respond to more than a dozen questions about how each tester experienced comfort over many hours of typical office work.

The name gives it away, but this chair is all about enabling unconventional sitting. Our testers rated an average of 8.8/10 in response to the question, “Could you sit like you wanted to?” And despite the fact that traditional ergonomics were tossed out the window when this chair was designed, several of our judges asked to take it home after testing because of how comfortable it was.

Our testers all agreed that this chair's seat was a cushy winner. The seat pan is 26.5 inches wide, which was wide enough for Lesley, our 5'3" tall tester, to sit with her dog next to her all day. It's not only the seat width that makes this chair comfortable but also the cushy foam. Our lead tester Rachael commented that the “plush” cushion was especially comfortable for sitting with your feet tucked under your legs, criss-cross, or otherwise because it relieved some of the unusual pressure points unconventional sitting can create.

Of course, the Armless Criss Cross Chair is missing armrests, which was a dismissible flaw for some of our testers and a critical error for others.

Although the seat pan won us over, the backrest is another polarizing element. Our traditional sitters wanted lumbar support, while our unconventional sitters weren't bothered by the complete lack of lumbar support and still found the chair quite comfortable.

Austin, for example, said the lack of lumbar support caused him to feel a “twinge of pain” after sitting in the chair for a few hours. He argued that this chair was best as a task chair and only good for 3 hours of sitting at a time, whereas Rachael thought the exact opposite, claiming she had spent 9 enjoyable hours in the EDX. Basically, if you need substantial lumbar support and armrests, this chair isn't going to be a good choice for you. However, if you're an unconventional sitter looking for maximum comfort, you might hit the jackpot with the EDX.

Adjustability

Because people come in so many sizes and shapes, adjustability is one of the most important metrics for evaluating office chairs. Having adjustable office chairs allows you to dial in the perfect seating position for your body and preferences, which can improve comfort and help you preserve focus during extended sitting sessions.

In short, the EDX Criss Cross chair isn't very adjustable. There aren't any armrests to adjust, and there isn't a lumbar cushion. The backrest itself isn't adjustable either. You can tilt back in the crisscross chair, but there aren't levels of tilt that you might expect. This chair is either locked completely upright or in a full-tilt mode, which only goes back 42 degrees. On our measurement list, this is the least reclining seat of the bunch.

Additionally, you can't adjust the seat pan in or out; however, you can likely find this chair with a slightly smaller seat depth that could help out these concerns. Either way, if you choose this office chair, the key benefit will be your ability to adjust your body position to the seat rather than adjusting the seat to your body.

During testing, we were able to raise and lower the height easily, but we didn't have such an easy time with the tension knob. It's positioned directly under the center of the chair, and with such a wide seat pan, we found it hard to reach while seated. Unsurprisingly, our testers who preferred unconventional sitting weren't bothered by the lack of adjustability . . . while our ergo-maniacs wanted more adjustment options.

Ease of Assembly

To test the ease of assembly, we evaluate the instruction manual, the quality of hardware and included tools and the time it takes to go from the box to fully assembled. We also chose testers for assembly who don't have substantial building or DIY familiarity to capture what the assembly process might be like for an average consumer.

The EDX Criss Cross comes completely disassembled, all the way down to screwing the legs together and adding the wheels. Although this wasn't a big deal, this chair required more assembly steps than most chairs we've tested.

The instruction manual took a no-frills approach that simplified the process for us. The screws weren't labeled as well as they could have been, but the instructions helped identify which was which. There was also an included Allen wrench, also known as a hex-key, and a few extra screws, which we appreciated. We set this aside for safekeeping because the instructions said to tighten the screws every 6 months, which is far from ideal considering how many screws there are to tighten. We were able to get it fully assembled in 22 minutes.

Should You Buy the EDX Armless Criss Cross with Wheels?

The EDX Criss Cross chair can be awesome for non-traditional sitters and just mediocre for those who prefer traditional office chair ergonomics. While none of our testers hated the chair, some were willing to spend far less time sitting in it than others because of the lack of armrests, lumbar support, and minimal adjustability. If you're looking for an office chair that has a fun and simple vibe, this chair might be perfect for your space. In short, if you like to ignore the proper posture police and sit crisscross, this is the chair for you.

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