I wouldn’t consider myself the type who has ever cared much about the chair I sit in daily for work. That’s probably a bad thing, since well, I sit in the thing for hours and hours each week at this little desk to talk through the important things happening in the Android space. I’ve been through “gaming” chairs that ended up hurting my lower back, sat in tall drafting chairs from IKEA that offer little support, etc. None of them mattered that much, but they’ve helped me make it this far without too many bodily issues.
Flexispot, a company specializing in ergonomic chairs, standing desks, and all sorts of other office furniture necessities, randomly reached out in recent weeks to see I’d be interested in checking out of one of their chairs. As an aging office worker who should probably start caring about chairs, I was like, “Yeah, I actually do want to check out one of your chairs to see if they can make a difference in daily comfort.” Your boy might work out to keep this body in some sort of shape, but the hours I sit at a desk should be a included in my daily grind to remain mobile late into life.
So that happened! They sent me the Flexispot C7 Pro Max, a “premium ergo office chair” that caught my eye because of its mesh material, several points of adjustment, and fun Grey color option. I’ve had this thing for several weeks and want to share some thoughts. Yep, this is our Flexispot C7 Pro Max review.
What is the Flexispot C7 Pro Max? As I already admitted, I am no chair expert, but you need to know what I’m sitting here and a specs overview is probably necessary before we talk about whether or not this thing would be worth spending money on.
This C7 Pro Max is essentially the top chair from Flexispot. In fact, after scrolling through their list of chairs, this is indeed their most expensive. At full retail, it would run you $800, but because of their holiday and Black Friday sale, it’s down to $549.99. They also have ergonomic chairs as low as $99.99 at the moment, some that basically include a bike you can pedal while you work, and some “futuristic” thing that I kind of now want to sit in. Anyways, the C7 Pro Max is the beast chair with all the newest bells and whistles.
This chair has a mesh material on the seat, back, and headrest, which is something I haven’t sat in before. It’s actually “DuPont Bounce Technology Mesh” if you care. The idea is that you sort of just float as you sit, rather than sink into a typical chair pad. It should be easier to clean, is soft, and breathable for the bodily gasses you release all day, every day.
It supports up to 330lbs of weight, has a 10-level adjustable backrest (for heights 5’6″ to 6’11”), seat depth adjustment, mesh lumbar pad (that’s also mesh), adjustable headrest, “5D” armests that swivel and slide back and forth, and a hidden footrest that can be pulled out to let you fully recline. The Flexispot site says it comes with a 10-year warranty of some level.
Is the Flexispot C7 Pro Max awesome? I mean, it kind of is. Again, my chair history isn’t very impressive, so this thing didn’t have to do much to win me over. It certainly has, though. Here’s a list of all that I love so far.
- Building it: Putting this chair together took me all of 15 minutes I think. Not that chair building is ever that difficult, but there were something like 9 screws to attach, 4 wheels in the base, and then I just dropped the chair onto its lift. I was sitting in no time and adjusting all of its ergonomic bits to my liking. They include instructions and there may even be videos on YouTube to help you. It does come in a single large box that you’ll have to deal with after the fact, and the whole package weighs around 63lbs.
- Mesh comfort: First off, this mesh cushion/butt area is so cool. You really do kind of bounce into it and then you sit all day as if you were floating. It’s a wild experience that is completely new to me. It adjusts with your booty, while truly supporting you for long sitting sessions. I’ve had no butt fatigue, if that’s a thing. Like what you feel like after riding in a car for a couple of hours – I’ve had none of that in this chair.
- Mesh lower back support: The lower lumbar support is arguably my favorite piece of this chair, as it puts constant comforting pressure on my lower back, an area I do have issues with. It flips into high and low positions and can then lower and raise depending on where you set the backrest. It also has mesh, like the seat cushion, so there’s no difference in material and how that feels when you sit. It’s hard to describe, but this thing really does put the correct pressure on my lower back and has brought me quite a bit of relief since I started testing.
- Comfy headrest: The adjustable headrest, which is also mesh, is comfortable to sit back against. I don’t use it often as someone who tends to lean a bit forward when they work, but it’s there and I’ve used it while reclined. It is indeed soft enough and supportive. It adjusts separately up and down from the backrest too, again, to give you lots of customization.
- Arms that are super twisty: Flexispot calls these “5D” armrests and that sounds fancy and all. What I can tell you is that they move up and down, front and back, and they have 215° rotation to give you several angles for your arms. The pads on them are a semi-squishy rubbery thing that your elbow could sink into with pressure, but they aren’t pillows by any means. They aren’t uncomfortable or anything, and they feel like they will last a while with some abuse.
- Legrest!: Yeah, this thing has a hidden legrest that tucks into the bottom of the chair and can be pulled out for full reclining leg awesomeness. I haven’t used it that much, because I can’t exactly take a nap during the day, but the few times I’ve pulled it out, in full recline with this mesh, it is very nice. And one of the best parts is the way it just slides into the base and disappears, so you wouldn’t even know it’s there unless you knew. I’ve seen some chairs with legrests that just kind of flop downward and are always present – that’s not the case here.
- This grey color: This C7 Pro Max comes in the standard black that every office chair comes in, but they also offer a grey, which I’ve tested. Black office chairs are boring, man, so go with grey if you think this is the chair for you. It just adds a bit of subtle flair to the office that we could all use.
- Build quality so far: This is an expensive chair, but I do get the impression that the quality is of the level of the price. The plastic pieces are not awful plastic. The buttons and switches are all solid and don’t feel like they might break with extended use. All of the adjustments you make properly click and latch without wobbles. And the full metal base on this grey model is a shiny stainless that looks sharp. This is certainly the highest-quality chair I’ve owned.
Anything wrong with it? As nice as this chair is, it’s certainly not perfect and I do have a handful of complaints.
- Lift was too short for my liking: This is probably more of a personal preference thing that most won’t care about, but I found the gas lift that came with the chair to be slightly too short. For one, I like sitting up high, since I sat for years in a drafting chair, and this lift just didn’t top out high enough for me to do that with a footrest. Flexispot also rates the chair for folks 5’9″ to 6’11” and I just don’t believe a 6’11” person would be able to sit in this thing. I’m 6’1″ and had it at the top notch. Either way, I bought a super tall silver lift on Amazon to basically turn it into a drafting height chair and it’s awesome.
- Cross-leg sitting doesn’t work: I often sit on a folded left leg during times of the day to adjust how I sit and give my legs a rest or stretch. This chair doesn’t really allow for that because the mesh material has to attach into semi-sharp plastic edges. Those edges just don’t really allow for cross-leg or folded leg sitting for someone of my size. I’ve adjusted my positioning some to allow it at times, but it’s just something to keep in mind if you sit at weird angles. The spots where the mesh attaches to the sides of the seat could be a problem for some people. I’ve also had some under-leg tiredness if I spread my legs out to the edges of the seat because I feel like those edges can apply some pressure. You really have to sit in the very middle of this seat at all times.
- Twisty arms are too twisty: I know I talked about how cool it is that the “5D” armrests are super adjustable, but they are also obnoxious at times. They twist far too easily with little pressure, so you are constantly fidgeting with them. If you grab your chair by the armrest to move it, it’ll move the armrest into a new position. If you lean on one, there’s a good chance it’ll slide out to the side. You can lock them from going up or down, but not to the sides or how they twist. I still mostly like the armrests, but they have certainly annoyed me a handful of times per day if I forgot to move the chair without grabbing one.
Should you buy a Flexispot C7 Pro Max? If you have the budget for a higher-end chair, I think most people would find this to be a comfortable option with plenty of flexibility in adjustments for your body and size. I’ve been able to properly target my lower back, get armrests in just the perfect position, and sit for hours without a tired butt. This is a nice chair and the mesh is a difference maker to me that would be tough to live without now that I’ve sat on it.
Again, this chair can retail for $800, but it seems to be regularly on sale (since I started reviewing it) for around $550. Since it’s the holiday shopping season, that price could fluctuate and you may even be able to find it with further discounts. For example, Flexispot is running a Black Friday sale and it’ll save you at least another $30. You can find that sale here.
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