What’s the difference between Ergohuman office chairs and gaming chairs?
The Ergohuman Official Store has two types of chairs: office chairs and gaming chairs. Customers often ask: 'What is the difference?' and 'Which one should I buy?'
We’re here to walk you through what sets them apart from each other and which is best for you. It may comes down to personal preference or your home styling as all our gaming and office chairs are packed with over a dozen adjustable features, ensuring bespoke comfort when adjusted to your unique measurements. However, let’s dive a bit deeper.
Luxurious polished aluminium detailing
One of the most obvious aesthetic and structural differences is that the Elite office chairs have more metal detailing. The arms of all three ranges – Ergohuman Elite, Mirus Elite, and Enjoy Elite – feature polished aluminium uprights, and Ergohuman Elite’s backrest features an executive polished aluminium backrest support frame.
Ergohuman gaming chairs use an intelligent combination of eco-friendly and robust polymers instead. Unlike lower-cost products, we use premium materials to create strong, durable, and flexible gaming chairs for high performance.
Then there’s the Ergohuman Carbon – this chair takes luxury to new levels with a satin black aluminium frame and carbon fibre lumbar bar and coat hanger.
Colour options
The different colour options might help you decide. The office chair collection is available in two frame finishes – light grey or black – and six mesh colours – black, grey, red, pink, green, and blue. No matter your style, you’ll find an Elite office chair that suits your interior.
The Ultra gaming chair ranges feature three colour options – red frame with black and red mesh, white frame with black and white mesh, or in a black frame with black mesh.
The Ergohuman Carbon, which as it sounds, comes in a sleek black frame with striking carbon fibre detailing, and a warm silver and black patterened mesh.
Different levers and mechanisms
The motion and adjustability in the Ultra and Elite mechanisms are almost identical. However, the design of the controls do vary. Ergohuman Elite office chairs feature a single lever on the right, which operates the three main functions – seat height, seat slide, and backrest recline. The lever on the left operates the forward seat tilt. Another longer lever on the right lets you customise the recline resistance to suit your weight.
The Ultra gaming also chairs feature a lever on the left that controls the seat height, back tilt, and seat slide. This lever is located in the middle of the tension control dial.
Ergohuman Carbon comes with a different mechanism to cater for its additional recline limiter functionality. It also offers hybrid functionality with two armrest-mounted buttons, which electronically control seat height and recline limiter. The recline lock is controlled from the left side and the limiter is set using the right lever.
5D adjustable armrests
The armrests on all Ergohuman chairs across collections are 5D-adjustable. You can change the arm height, width, depth, angle, and armpad tilt to suit your tasks and provide maximum comfort to your wrists and forearms.
The office chair collection armrests have more height stops than the gaming chairs, but they have the same range. The gaming chair collection has more swivel options than the office chairs, making it ideal for various gaming modes.
Headrest and legrest
The Ergohuman gaming chair collection comes fully loaded with a headrest, legrest and coat hanger as standard. With the Elite office range, you can mix and match these accessories to suit your working style, needs, and posture.
Certifications
Lastly, consider the certifications for each range. The entire Elite range – including Ergohuman, Mirus, and Enjoy – is BS 5459 certified, meaning it’s been tested for safety and durability for up to 24-hour use per day for 10 years for persons up to 150 kg.
The Ultra gaming chairs are EN 1335 certified, meaning they are tested for 8-hour daily use and warrantied for 10 years for persons up to 110 kg. The Ergohuman Carbon is BS 5459 certified, so it’s also suitable for up to 24-hour daily use for persons up to 150 kg.
Which Ergohuman chair should I get?
If you’re still unsure whether you need an Ergohuman office or gaming chair, it’s important to know that both collections are designed for desk work and gaming. We designed all our chairs to include the ergonomic features and functions necessary for comfortable and healthy seating, understanding that your chair is essential for various tasks.
Both Elite and Ultra collections feature adjustable lumbar support, breathable mesh, 5D armrests, a reclining backrest with four lockable positions, and easy-to-use controls.
Consider your personal preference in terms of style and colour, as well as which lever you prefer.
As a general rule of thumb, if you are predominantly using the chair for full work days and perhaps gaming as a hobby, we recommend choosing an Elite office chair. If you are mostly gaming, we recommend an Ultra gaming chair. The Ergohuman Carbon gaming chair is perfect for hardcore gamers and workaholics who desire a chair that will support them for long working and gaming hours. It offers an extra level of luxury and additional functionality.
Perhaps most importantly, consider how long you will use the chair daily so you don’t exceed the warranty limits. If you are going to be using it for more than eight hours then choose a chair that’s BS 5459 certified (tested and warrantied for 24-hour use). This includes Ergohuman Elite, Ergohuman Carbon, Mirus Elite, and Enjoy Elite.
In the unlikely event that you are unhappy with your choice, we offer free 30-day returns so you can send it back and order a different chair.
Frequently Asked Questions
> Are gaming chairs good for sitting all day?
With any chair, the next posture is the best posture. You should avoid sitting all day. A report from the Chief Medical Officers in the UK states that sitting too much is related to ‘all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and cancer risk and survivorship’⁽¹⁾. It also states that adults should reduce the amount of time spent in sedentary positions and should break up these periods with light physical activity.
If you follow the government’s health guidelines, the Ergohuman gaming chairs are great for all-day play. Certified for 8-hour daily use (or 24 hours with the Ergohuman Carbon), these ergonomic chairs are designed for extended periods of gameplay.
The autoflex zones in the chair’s elastomeric mesh upholstery provide sustained and flexible support that moves with you as you play. This minimises the risk of stiffness, strain, and pain that may be experienced in other types of chairs. The lumbar support ensures a comfortable sitting position while encouraging good posture, so you aren’t inclined to slouch.
If you are not used to sitting in a chair with proper integrated lumbar support, it may take you a few days to adjust to the sensation. But hold steady – you should feel the benefits of healthy back support within a week or two at most.
> What’s the difference between a gaming chair and a computer chair?
Some gaming chairs are less ergonomic and may look more like racing car seats. However, the Ergohuman collection of gaming and office chairs have been designed with over a dozen adjustable features, so you can experience the comfort of an ergonomic office chair in the aesthetic packaging of a cool, timeless gaming chair.
> What kind of chair does ESO Danny use?
ESO Danny, a gamer with over 2.2 million YouTube subscribers, uses an Ergohuman Ultra gaming chair. Danny sits in the black edition, and his partner sits in the white edition. As someone who is 6’5”, he describes the Ergohuman Ultra as ‘ergonomic perfection’. In his video, he highlights the recline function and the comfortable footrest, which makes the chair incredible for relaxing.
> Is a gaming chair better than a couch?
Absolutely! You want to be comfortable while playing your favourite video games, but when gaming for long periods, it’s also critical that your body is properly supported. A well-designed gaming chair offers many things that a couch can’t: proper lumbar support, forearm and wrist support on both sides, breathable mesh, and, due to the customisable height settings, healthy blood flow so that you don’t become numb. If you’re gaming for longer than an hour or two at a time, ergonomics are vital.
> Ergohuman office vs gaming chair: which will it be?
So, which collection will work for you? The main thing to consider is how long you’ll be sitting in the chair, as the Elite office chairs and Ergohuman Carbon are certified for 24-hour use, whereas the Ultra gaming chairs are certified for 8-hour daily use.
Secondly, consider the aesthetics of the chairs; the office chairs are available in 12 colourways, and the gaming chairs are available in four.
Both collections feature adjustable lumbar support, 5D armrests, a reclining backrest, and breathable mesh – and, of course, a 10-year warranty. So, it all comes down to which colours, style, and controls are most important to you.
If you have any further questions, we’re here to support you in finding the right Ergohuman chair for your situation. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
