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Furmax Office Mesh Review

You'll want to consider if the affordable price of this model is worth its lower-tier performance
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Furmax Office Mesh Review (The Furmax provides decent performance, especially for its price.)
The Furmax provides decent performance, especially for its price.
Credit: Laura Casner
Price:  $40 List
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Manufacturer:   Furmax
By Buck Yedor ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  May 10, 2022
31
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#14 of 14
  • Comfort - 50% 3.0
  • Adjustability - 35% 3.0
  • Durability - 10% 3.0
  • Ease of Assembly - 5% 5.0

Our Verdict

While we are always looking for a good deal, the Furmax Office Mesh is not a chair we recommend if you're after all-day comfort. Far and away the most inexpensive option in our fleet, this lower-tier model can be purchased at an insanely low price point. It is wobbly and its comfort level cannot compare to the premium models, but this is to be expected. This basic model lacks padding on the armrests, the backrest lacks lumbar support, and other than a knob that adjusts the back tension, no other component is adjustable. While the setup is a bit more involved and time-consuming to put together, there are no comparable models in this price bracket.
REASONS TO BUY
Decent performance for the price
Mesh backrest
REASONS TO AVOID
Wobbly
Back tensioner is difficult to release

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
furmax office mesh
This Product
Furmax Office Mesh
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Office Chair
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Best Buy Award
Best on a Tight Budget
 
Price $40 List
$39.99 at Amazon		$1,299 List
$1,039 at Amazon		$819 List
$617.60 at Amazon		$180 List
$132.00 at Amazon		$97 List
$76.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
31
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79
57
43
Star Rating
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Bottom Line This chair provides acceptable performance, especially for its price, but if you're after all-day comfort, we would recommend purchasing a premium modelOur favorite year after year, this is one of the highest performing chairs on the marketThis chair boasts both comfort and high-quality features, though there is room for improvement in terms of providing additional adjustment optionsIt's not fancy, but this is our favorite budget-friendly chair for the moneyWith this model, you get what you pay for, which isn't much
Rating Categories Furmax Office Mesh Steelcase Leap Steelcase Series 2 Modway Articulate E... Amazon Basics Class...
Comfort (50%)
3.0
8.7
7.7
6.0
4.0
Adjustability (35%)
3.0
9.1
7.6
5.5
4.9
Durability (10%)
3.0
9.0
8.9
4.5
2.9
Ease of Assembly (5%)
5.0
10.0
9.7
5.7
6.3
Specs Furmax Office Mesh Steelcase Leap Steelcase Series 2 Modway Articulate E... Amazon Basics Class...
Adjustable Seat Pan Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Adjustable Lumbar Support Yes Yes Yes Yes; the backrest moves up and down Yes
Adjustable Armrest Width Option available Option available Option available No Yes
Recline Lever No No No Yes No
Tilt Limiter Semi; Upright back lock, Full recline with weight activated tention + boost, Full recline with weight activated tention Yes; 5 stop points Yes; only locks in the upright position Yes; locks you into a position Yes; 3 stop points
Swivel Armrests Option available Option available Option available No No
Armrest Depth Adjustment Option available Option available Option available No No
Tension Knob Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Lumbar Support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Furmax Office Mesh is not the best office chair in our fleet, but it certainly is one of the most affordable. While it lacks premium construction, lumbar support, and adjustability options, it does present acceptable performance at a price that is hard to beat.

Performance Comparison


furmax office mesh - the furmax is affordable but provides a lower tier of comfort.
The Furmax is affordable but provides a lower tier of comfort.
Credit: Laura Casner

Comfort


The lumbar support on this chair is more or less non-existent. There are two strips of plastic that run down the back but they aren't connected and do not cover the space where your spine rests. The armrests are made of hard plastic and have no padding. One redeeming quality is the mesh material; it keeps your back from overheating and, as one tester put it, feels like it's “hugging your back.”

furmax office mesh - the furmax provides minimal lumbar support.
The Furmax provides minimal lumbar support.
Credit: Laura Casner

Adjustability


The Furmax has a knob to adjust the tension of the backrest, but that's where the adjustability ends. The knob is directly under the center of the seat, meaning that all but the lankiest armed people will need to get off the chair to make adjustments. All aspects of this chair are fixed in place. The backrest can be locked into an upright position but not at any other level of tilt. The seat pan cannot be moved, and the armrests are directly attached to the backrest; when you lean back, the armrests come with you.

furmax office mesh - this chair only allows you to lock the back tilt in the fully...
This chair only allows you to lock the back tilt in the fully upright position.
Credit: Laura Casner

Durability


Sometimes, you get what you pay for, and, no surprise, we found consumer reports of this chair experiencing issues. Due to the nature of this chair's design, if an arm breaks, the backrest is fully destabilized, rendering the entire chair useless. This chair also wobbled and creaked from the get-go, which raises long-term longevity concerns.

furmax office mesh - when sitting in this chair, the mesh backing provides a "hugging"...
When sitting in this chair, the mesh backing provides a “hugging” sensation.
Credit: Laura Casner

Ease of Assembly


In the scheme of things, this chair isn't difficult to assemble, but it is one of the more time-consuming of the products we tested. Each screw requires a washer that is tricky to get on and keep in place while screwing the pieces together. It is helpful and recommended in the instructions to partially tighten most of the screws in the armrests before going back to crank them all down. The instructions are clear and easy to read, but some of the screws were only a few millimeters different in size and unlabeled, which made distinguishing between them a bit of a challenge.

furmax office mesh - the knob that controls the back tension is difficult to reach while...
The knob that controls the back tension is difficult to reach while seated.
Credit: Laura Casner

Value


The Furmax is sold for an exceptionally low price; with that low price comes a lower tier of performance. That said, if you are absolutely on a low-cost budget and need an office chair, this might be just the ticket.

Conclusion


The Furmax Office Mesh scores low when it comes to comfort; it lacks back support and adjustability and is one of the more time-consuming chairs to assemble. This chair is a decent budget option, but if you can afford to do so and expect to spend all day in your office chair, we recommend looking elsewhere.

— Buck Yedor
 
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