Varier Variable Balans Original Kneeling Chair Designed by Peter Opsvik (Dark Blue Revive Fabric with Natural Ash Base)

This chair is very light but it's also strong enough to hold you up. It has some flex to it but that's normal given the design. It doesn't feel like it would break at all.

+ : New, arrived about a week ago.Easy assembly, well designed to be stable and sturdy. Seat pad is firm, stable, comfortable. I was surprised that the chair allows me to sit comfortably with my feet, legs in a variety of positions - not just kneeling.I’m using it at my desk in a carpeted room, so have not attached the (included) floor protector strips to the wood rockers… and find I can “scootch” to make small adjustments to the chair’s position as I work. I can’t guarantee that’s a good idea for the long term since the floor friction may wear the wood finish on the very bottom of the rockers. However, the finish on the wood pieces appears to be very high-quality, and likely to be durable. And, it’s the very bottom… not going to be visible without turning the chair over!- : The two pads that support knees/lower legs seem thicker and less firm than the seat. As I sit down, and occasionally as I continue using the pads, I get a very slight sense of shifting, and question whether I might slip. Checking where and how I’m supported says all’s good, I’m safe. I can get accustomed to this. Especially since the pads are otherwise very comfortable.

I found it surprisingly easy to assemble and furniture hardly ever is. Could have been that it's light as a feather and there was no room for confusion which piece went where. It's true, though, that it's for people 6.1 or under as mentioned in a less favorable review, so that's something to consider when buying. Takes some time to get used to it, but it's been a great relief to my lower back pain. Would I buy it again? Yes, definitely.

I like the looks, and I really like the rocking part, I don't think I'd like a knee chair that doesn't rock. And this one seems like an okay rocker chair, with what is likely the right lower body ergonomics, although compared to expectations of Ikea furniture, it seems substantially overpriced.I am 6'2, and 178lbs. The chair fits me alright. I work off of a desk extension which is a little lower than it should be given my height, only 28 1/2", and the Balanz makes me quite a bit taller than my adjustable height run of the mill office chair. But I find I am sitting closer up to the desk and the laptop keyboard height is still acceptable so far. But I have had to elevate my webcam by about 8 inches to maintain a fairly eye level placement, from both sitting higher and sitting more erect. The same height adjustment would be needed with a monitor as well if you are attempting to maintain a horizontal eye position. Since my desk is lower than the standard desk height of 30 inches, I would guess most people may want to elevate their monitors by 3 to 6 inches when switching from a standard chair based on user height. But I don't think this would be a work surface height concern - in general, I would speculate that the ergonomics of your work position can probably handle the height of this chair in most cases - not because you can change your position somewhat (it really doesn't make any difference in height no matter how your tilt on it) but rather because with the tilt of your legs and pelvis, you tend to sit a little bit further forward with natural spine curvature and consequently your arms can tolerate a greater variation of work surface height. I would not sit as close as I am at this moment in a normal chair, but this scooted up / more erect position is quite comfortable and natural feeling.Now, in terms of the chair itself, for the price of sale, I certainly have some questions about its value. It is a nice quality of wood and upholstery. But, even at might weight, it has a considerable amount of flex if I'm wiggling on the chair at all. For the price, this really surprised me. But it is wood, and perhaps this flex adds to its comfort unless the chair just simply breaks, which I'm nervous about. Moreover, I am fairly long in leg, and I find the knee pad and seat position has the pads typically resting right below my knees on my shins. I've never had the toughest shins (that was one of my secret nemeses in any type of martial arts), and they tend to be bony, and in turn I find this position fairly uncomfortable, abrasive, and hot on my shins when wearing my typical summer home office attire of shorts. I'm fairly oblivious to or tolerant of discomfort, so I'll put up with this for about 2 hours max on these first couple of days, but by then I definitely need a break. In contrast, if my wife were experiencing this, I think it would have been over in about 3 minutes and the chair would already be back at Amazon. I can adjust my position such that I could use knees, but it causes a further back butt placement on the main cushion, and tilts my pelvis in a less ideal way with undue pressure on the back of my legs, so this is definitely a forced and uncomfortable position only suitable for giving my shins short breaks.So where do I rank this chair?Pros:1. Feels good on the hip and lower back2. Has fun little rocky motion that entertains me and makes trunk feel better.3. Lightweight and portable4. Looks niceCons:1. Doesn't feel very sturdy.2. Fairly brutal shin cushions in terms or upholstery abrasiveness and hotness.More pros, but the cons are not to be overlooked. I think those sort out to about 3 stars.

This chair is insanely overpriced. You are paying $400 for three pieces of wood and three cushions that you could probably make yourself for $20 from a craft store. I'm not sure how it would help back pain long term but it initially was uncomfortable. I did enjoy being able to move more freely compared to an office chair, but the pressure on the shins make this very uncomfortable after using it for a few minutes. I could look past this and just use it occasionally if the chair didn't cost $400. You could buy a very nice office chair for that price. If Ikea made something like this, it would be $50 at most, and Ikea could totally make this. I thought the materials would be nicer at this price point but everything is cheaply made.