Modway Articulate Ergonomic Mesh Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product Modway Articulate Ergonomic Mesh | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards | Best on a Tight Budget | Best Buy for Back Support | Best for Unconventional Sitting | ||
Price | $180 List $144.79 at Amazon | $180 List $169.99 at Amazon | $110 List $99.89 at Amazon | $97 List $76.99 at Amazon | $43 List $39.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | It's not fancy, but this is our favorite budget-friendly chair for the money | This chair offers high-end features where they count most — for your back and bottom — without the high-end price tag | Great for anyone with unconventional sitting preferences and who is also shopping on a budget | 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 | Modway Articulate E... | SIHOO M18 Ergonomic... | EDX Armless Criss C... | Amazon Basics Class... | Furmax Office Mesh |
Comfort (50%) | |||||
Adjustability (40%) | |||||
Ease of Assembly (10%) | |||||
Specs | Modway Articulate E... | SIHOO M18 Ergonomic... | EDX Armless Criss C... | Amazon Basics Class... | Furmax Office Mesh |
Comfortable Hours | 8.00 hrs | 7.00 hrs | 6.00 hrs | 3.00 hrs | 3.00 hrs |
Manufacturer Weight Limit | 331 lbs | 330 lbs | 300 lbs | 275 lbs | 250 lbs |
Measured Points of Adjustment | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Measured Tilt Limiter Stopping Points | None | None | None | None | None |
GearLab Assembly Time | 10 min | 16 min | 22 min | 30 min | 18 min |
Adjustable Lumbar Support | Yes; the backrest moves up and down | Yes | No | No | No |
Tension Knob | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tilt Lock | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Lumbar Support | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Seat Pan Adjustment | No | No | No | No | No |
Our Analysis and Test Results
To pick out which office chairs are worth your purchase, we bought a fleet of promising products from a wide field, then tested them against each other in a series of side-by-side tests. We split this testing procedure into four weighted metrics. Read on to learn how the Modway Articulate fared in each one.
Performance Comparison
Comfort
Comfort is what comes to mind first and foremost when you think of a chair. We had a panel of judges spend at least a full day evaluating each product in our lineup and then aggregated their results. We took a close look at the comfort of the backrest, seat, and armrests, as well as how long each person could comfortably sit, to determine the final score.
Starting off with the armrests, the Modway was received favorably by our panel of judges — all but one, that is. Our tallest tester, at 6'2", found they were uncomfortable.
While none of our testers thought the backrest was uncomfortable, it didn't have anyone ranting or raving. We found an almost identical story with the seat — none despised it, but no one particularly loved it either. Most of our testers were happy sitting in the Modway for an eight-hour workday but weren't exactly thrilled with the prospect of sitting in this chair daily for a full workweek and beyond. The seat has some curvature that does not work with all bodies, which caused some testers to squirm around quite a bit after a few hours.
Adjustability
Next up in our testing procedure, we looked at adjustability. We specifically compared and ranked how much customization each chair offers in regards to back support, armrests, seat position, and reclining options, as well as if you can easily adjust the chair to get into a proper ergonomic seating position at a desk.
Our testers were surprised by the level of adjustment that the backrest of the Modway offers. Again, compared to pricier options, it's not exceptional, but for such a budget-friendly chair, we were impressed. This chair has decent lumbar support that can be adjusted up and down. It also has a reclining lever that you can use to lock the position in at a certain angle. However, there isn't a headrest, and the back doesn't come up very high for most testers.
The armrest adjustability was less well received, as they only move up or down, and the range is not particularly wide. The armrest spacing is also quite wide, which renders this chair less versatile regarding overall fit.
Seat adjustments are also minimal for this chair. The height is the only adjustment you can make, and it just barely went low enough for our shortest tester, whose toes barely touched the ground.
The saving grace of the Modway is that the reclining tension knob is very easy to reach and adjust. The tension is very responsive, allowing the user to make adjustments with only a moderate amount of effort.
Ease of Assembly
The last metric we addressed is ease of assembly. We paid attention to the quality and straightforwardness of the instructions as well as the time it took for us to unbox and build the chair. Like many budget-friendly items, the Modway left a bit to be desired.
This chair doesn't come fully assembled, so plan to build it when it arrives. That said, this process isn't too much work and took us about half an hour while following the directions. The directions are somewhat sparse, but the assembly procedure is fairly intuitive.
Value
While the Modway is far from the greatest office chair out there, it's a perfectly decent option for the price, making it a solid value for those shopping on a tight budget.
Conclusion
The Modway Articulate Ergonomic is reasonably comfortable and offers a decent amount of adjustability. It's one of the least expensive chairs we would consider sitting in for a full workday, though we recommend upgrading if you can afford to do so.