For the last few years, I haven't really thought about what I'm sitting on. For work, I had a regular wooden chair. Not an office chair, not a gaming model, just a chair that did its job.
While you work at the computer for an hour or two, you don't feel much difference. But when programming, writing articles, administering websites, and just living at the computer gradually turns into 8–10 hours a day, you start to pay attention to the details. Sometimes you want to change your position more often, and sometimes your back reminds you of itself sooner than you'd like.
That's why I decided it was time to buy a proper chair.
How I chose
Honestly, I thought it would be simple.
I opened a few stores, looked at models - and ordered what I liked.
In reality, it turned out to be much more complicated.
Most chairs, even quite expensive ones, offer lumbar support in the form of a separate cushion. I didn't want that option. The cushion constantly shifts position, it's hard to adjust it exactly to yourself, and it doesn't look very good.
I was looking for a chair where the lumbar support was built into the backrest and could be adjusted not only in terms of pressure but also in height.
And here the choice narrowed sharply.
In fact, there are not many models with such a system. If you exclude premium office chairs like Herman Miller or Steelcase, there were literally a few options left.
In the end, I settled on Anda Seat Kaiser 4 V2 XL.
The main reason was the lumbar support system. It allows you to separately change its height and depth, rather than just placing a cushion behind your back.
This was the most important criterion for me. Why? Because the chair needs to be adjusted to fit you. And this parameter was what I was most interested in.
Why fabric, not eco-leather
I hesitated for a long time between two versions.
Speaking of appearance, I like eco-leather (marketed as premium synthetic leather) more. Especially the orange version - it looks very striking.
But there's one nuance. This is PU polyurethane leather or PVC vinyl leather.
It's summer now. Outside it's over 30 degrees, and there's no air conditioning at home. I can roughly imagine how eco-leather behaves in such weather, so I almost immediately decided to look towards fabric upholstery.
In the end, I chose the gray option with EverSoft™ Linen Fabric.
After a month of use, I can say that the decision was right. I can't say that the room is cool - when it's +33°C outside, it's hot everywhere. But there's no feeling that the chair adds discomfort or makes you stick to the seat constantly.
If I had to choose again, I would buy the fabric version again.
Purchase
At the time of purchase, the chair cost 23,999 hryvnias. Now I checked and was upset by 2000 UAH. Because the price is now 21,999 😭
Paying such an amount at once was psychologically a bit unusual, so I used “Purchase in installments” from Monobank for six months.
In my opinion, this is exactly the case where an installment plan really makes sense. Not because it's impossible to buy a chair without it, but because it's much more comfortable to spread the costs over several months.
Delivery
The store sent the chair for free.
But I became curious about how much such delivery actually costs, so I looked up the information in the Nova Poshta invoice.
It turned out to be quite interesting:
actual weight - 35 kg;
box dimensions - 78 × 47 × 36 cm;
volumetric weight - 33 kg;
delivery cost - 817 hryvnias.
I'm adding a screenshot of the invoice - perhaps this information will be useful to someone. Delivery from Kyiv to Ivano-Frankivsk region (address to address)
опис посилки
вартість
There's one more point that I read about in reviews before the purchase, but I didn't give it much importance.
The box has no handles.
And this is indeed inconvenient.
Carrying 35 kilograms without a proper place to grab is quite difficult. If you will be picking up the chair from the Nova Poshta branch yourself, I would recommend bringing wide tape with you. In just a few minutes, you can make improvised handles by wrapping a few layers of tape. It sounds strange, but it significantly eases transportation.
Assembly
The assembly process took about 40 minutes.
I assembled it using the paper instructions, but simultaneously opened the official Anda Seat video. It was for the junior model, but the construction is almost identical, so there were no problems.
Overall, everything assembles quite simply. Only one bolt turned out to be very tight, which made it a bit tricky.
The article will have many photos of the assembly process — perhaps they will help those who are also planning to buy this chair and want to understand in advance what to expect.
I initially thought I should make a tutorial on assembly. But in reality, the instructions included are quite detailed, with pictures and in Ukrainian. Additionally, there are official videos (added above). So I'll add photos of the process in a separate thread to this post.
A month of use. The first impressions have already passed
At the time of writing this article, I have been using the Anda Seat Kaiser 4 V2 XL for about a month. This is probably the best time for a review. The initial emotions from the purchase have already faded, but you still remember well what was unusual after switching from a regular chair.
And I will probably start with what might surprise you.
No “wow effect”
If you read reviews about expensive chairs, sometimes it seems that after the purchase, life is divided into "before" and "after". As if sitting is so comfortable that you want to spend the whole day in it, and some even write that you can live in such a chair.
I didn't have that feeling.
I didn't sit down and think: “Wow, everything has changed now.”
However, about a week later, I noticed something else.
I just started to think less about the fact that I was sitting.
There was no desire to shift positions every half hour, to find another pose, or to lean in a different way. By the end of the workday, my back felt a bit better than before.
Perhaps this is the main indicator of a good chair. It doesn't make you admire it — it simply doesn't interfere with your work.
Lumbar support - the main reason for the purchase
In short, I chose this model specifically for it.
In most chairs, lumbar support is implemented with a regular cushion or a fixed curve of the backrest.
Here, everything is different.
You can separately adjust the height of the support and separately — how hard it will press on your lower back.
This is the kind of adjustment I was missing during my search.
Does it solve all back problems?
Of course not.
If you sit without breaks for ten hours a day, no chair will compensate for that.
But when it comes to comfort while working, the difference is noticeable.
For me, this was not marketing, but a truly useful feature.
Armrests
The armrests here can be adjusted in almost all directions.
They can be raised, lowered, moved forward and backward, and rotated inward or outward.
There's even an option to completely remove them if they're not needed at all.
But this is where I had my first complaint.
I would like them to be able to lower even further.
Even in the lowest position, when the chair is also lowered as much as possible, the armrests still hit the edge of my desk.
Because of this, I can't get as close as I'd like.
Now I've found a simple solution for myself - I just turn the armrests to the sides when I need to sit closer.
It works fine.
But this situation made me think that my next purchase will likely be a height-adjustable desk.
I think that such a combination allows you to fully adjust the workspace to your needs.
Lean back and take a little break
A few times, I specifically checked how comfortably the tilt mechanism works.
To be honest, it's quite possible to doze off in the chair.
The backrest moves smoothly, nothing gets stuck, and there is a feeling of reliability.
The only thing I noticed is that sometimes there's a slight creak in the backrest mechanism.
I can't say that it's very annoying, but it's present.
Perhaps it will go away over time after lubrication, or maybe it's a feature of the design.
Fabric in summer
One of the questions that interested me the most before the purchase: is the fabric really that much better than eco-leather?
After a month of use, I can say - yes.
I don't regret choosing fabric.
At the time of writing this article, it's about +33°C outside, and there's no air conditioning at home.
Is it hot?
Yes.
But it's due to the air temperature, not the chair.
I've never once thought that the fabric was a mistake or that sitting was uncomfortable.
How eco-leather would behave in such conditions, I can only guess.
That's why, if you also don't have air conditioning, I would seriously recommend considering the fabric version.
The chair is heavy. And that's not a downside
The Anda Seat Kaiser 4 V2 XL is quite heavy.
You can feel it immediately on the carpet.
Rolling back and forth is significantly harder than on light office chairs.
But after a few days, I realized that I actually like it.
The chair doesn't roll back every time you push off a little with your feet.
It stays exactly where you left it.
The wheels, by the way, are not an issue.
Design - not the reason I bought it
This is probably the least emotional part of the review.
I have never been a fan of the aggressive design of gaming chairs.
If there were a model with the same ergonomics but in a classic office style, I would most likely choose that one.
There's one more little thing I noticed only after assembly.
Behind the chair, you can see the cable of the lumbar adjustment mechanism.
Functionally, I have no complaints about it.
But aesthetically, I would like it to be hidden somehow.
For a chair costing almost 24 thousand hryvnias, such a detail stands out.
The biggest threat - cats
So far, everything is fine with the chair.
But the cats clearly have a different opinion.
The fabric is very interesting to them.
I don't plan to test whether it can withstand cat claws.
So access to the workspace for the fluffy ones is strictly limited now.
Let them conduct experiments on the old chair.
Is it worth the money?
Probably, this is the question that interests most.
And the answer is not so simple.
If you expect that after buying an expensive chair, all back problems will instantly disappear - no, that won't happen.
If you're expecting some incredible “wow effect” - probably not either.
But if you work a lot at the computer and want to make your workspace more comfortable, then the difference is noticeable.
I started working longer without the desire to constantly change positions.
My lower back has become more comfortable.
By the end of the day, my back gets tired less.
And this is exactly what I expected from the purchase.
No chair will replace movement
I think it's worth saying this separately.
It's very easy to believe advertising now, which creates the impression that it's enough to buy an expensive ergonomic chair - and the problem is solved.
In reality, no.
A good chair just makes sitting less harmful.
But it won't replace physical activity.
I personally try to combine working at the computer with short breaks, light stretching, back exercises, and stretching (or at least I want to 😆😅)
In my opinion, this works best.
A chair is a tool.
A pretty good tool.
But it doesn't eliminate the need to occasionally just get up from the computer.
