- Assembly - 8/108/10
- Build quality - 7/107/10
- Features - 7/107/10
- Ergonomics - 6/106/10
- Value for money - 8/108/10
Quick verdict
A good value, easy-to-assemble chair at the budget end of the market, the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is comfortable, sturdy and offers a good level of adjustability. It also looks the part, with a professional, high-tech appearance that will smarten up any home office.
The chair does, however, suffer from a couple of issues. These problems may be minor or more significant depending on your own situation. The height of the back and the maximum height of the headrest are low. For many people they will only reach the neck, or even shoulders. The arms are adjustable vertically, but only within a very limited range, and they have a horizontal wobble.
In a market where you can spend thousands of dollars on an office chair, the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is arguably a bargain. However, it is true that you get what you pay for and it’s not without its problems.
The question is, how much do those problems bother you? We’d suggest that, for users of average height and below (approximately 5ft 10in / 178cm or less), the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is an excellent budget choice. However, taller users should look elsewhere.
Pros
Comfortable fabric, including breathable mesh
Quality plastic and metal components
Good value option
Cons
Wobbly headrest
Head and back rests too low for tall users
Loose arms move horizontally
Read on for our review of the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair from Office Furniture Online. Also available at other retailers, including Amazon.
Why you can trust Homeworker HQ: I tested this chair for several weeks before writing this review. I’m even sitting on the chair as I write this! The chair tested was purchased by Homeworker HQ – it was not provided as a review unit by the manufacturer.
Contents
Assembling the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair
The first thing to note is that this is not a flimsy, light-weight desk chair. It’s a quality product that includes a metal base, so when packaged up, the box is very heavy.
If you’ll be using the chair upstairs, you will need two people to carry it up. Alternatively, you will need to open the box downstairs and carry the parts upstairs in multiple trips.
The assembly process itself is straightforward. There are relatively few parts and they all fit together using the same kind of bolts and washers.
While it is possible to assemble the chair solo, we recommend getting someone else to help if at all possible. The reason for this is the chair’s weight and the awkward shape of some large pieces. If assembling on your own, you may have difficulty holding two heavy pieces in position and securing the bolts at the same time.
Overall, the first impression when unpacking and assembling the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is good. Even the plastic components are well-made and the metal base offers some assurance that this is a chair built to last.
Features of the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair
Breathable mesh back
The back of the chair is made from an elastic mesh.
The advantage of mesh office chairs is that they are breathable, with a small amount of flex built in. This makes the chair more comfortable and means you don’t end up with a sweaty back!
While this may be a relatively minor consideration overall, it certainly an advantage. And for anyone working in a warm environment, a breathable mesh office chair is a must-have.
Adjustable lumbar support
The lower part of your back is called the “lumbar” region, and it’s an area where back problems occur frequently. These problems can be caused or aggravated by sitting on a poor quality desk chair, so proper lumbar support is vital. (If you suffer from this, you may be interested in reading our guide to the best office chairs for sciatica nerve pain.)
Not all office chairs include adjustable lumbar support. Even many of those that claim to be ergonomic do not allow you to adjust the chair to properly support your lower back.
The fact that the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair offers this feature is therefore a big plus for us.
When sitting in the chair, you can simply reach around to your lower back and turn a wheel that adjusts the lumbar support. As you turn the wheel, you’ll feel the cushioned lower-back pad moving towards or away from you, allowing you to adjust to a position that works for you.
Adjustable headrest
Another feature that is often missing from supposedly ‘ergonomic’ desk chairs is an adjustable headrest. Or even any headrest at all!
So again, this is a plus for the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair. However, on this point, the chair doesn’t score quite as well as it did for lumbar support.
The headrest is simply too low, even when set to its maximum height. Of course, this is fine if you’re on the shorter side, but tall people will find that the headrest does not work for them. In fact, many people will find it to be more of a neck/shoulder support than a headrest!
This may be fine for you. Maybe you don’t want to use the headrest, or maybe you find it comfortable against your neck. However, some people will certainly find it uncomfortable.
There is also a slight wobble in headrest – particularly when extended to full height.
For these reasons, we would not recommend this chair for anyone taller than 5ft 10in (178cm).
Vertically adjustable arm rests
The Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair continues to score well on adjustability, as the arm rests can also be moved up and down.
However, once again, things could be better. The arms can only be adjusted vertically, not horizontally, and the range of movement is limited.
One complaint in many reviews is that the arms are too high to fit under a desk. We found this wasn’t the case if they were set to their lowest point.
Also, it’s worth remembering that you want to sit in an ergonomic position – it may be that your new seating position simply takes some getting used to.
If the arm rests present a real problem in reaching the desk then there is a novel solution: it is possible to fit the arm rests the wrong way round (left in right and vice versa). Due to the shape of the arm rests, this will allow you to get closer to your desk while maintaining some arm support.
Of course, you shouldn’t have to do this, and it’s not a problem you would encounter in more adjustable higher-end products.
Height adjustable
As you would expect, the chair is height adjustable.
The height adjustment works in the same way as most other desk chairs, you simply pull a lever on the right-hand side while sitting on the chair to make it go down.
To raise the chair height, you pull the same lever while not sitting down.
The height range is reasonable. Certainly at the low end – the chair can be adjusted to a very low position. At the top end, it could possibly go slightly higher, but it will be absolutely fine for most people and for most office desks.
Ergonomics of the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair
The Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair scores highly in-terms of adjustable features – including the breathable mesh back, contoured seat, head rest, arm rests and lumbar support. However, in some cases the adjustability is limited. This is certainly true for the head rest and arm rests in particular.
This means that the ergonomic benefits of the chair are limited to certain body shapes and sizes, and may be impacted by other factors, such as the height of your desk.
It could be that you are lucky and the chair can be adjusted to be perfect for you. Or you could be unlucky and encounter irritating issues, such as the headrest being too low for your height.
As always, we highly recommend trying the chair in-person if at all possible before buying online.
We also reiterate our advice to only buy this chair if you are 5ft 10in (178cm) or below.
Value for money
Assuming the chair can be adjusted to your needs, the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is a strong option for anyone setting up a home office on a budget.
The chair offers easy assembly, quality breathable materials, and lots of adjustability options, for much less money than many of its competitors.
Yes, you can buy a standard desk chair for half the price. But does it have a headrest? Or adjustable lumbar support? Those features are worth paying for, as they could save you a lot of unnecessary back pain!
If you have the money to spend then, of course, there are far superior chairs out there. But if you want to improve your health without breaking the bank, the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is one of the best value ways of adding a truly ergonomic chair to your home office.
If the Ergo-Tek Mesh Manager Chair is unavailable, we recommend the mfavour Ergonomic Office Chair as the next best option in this price range.