N9EWO "Mid Back" Task Chair Reviews (STREET prices in US Dollars as this report was updated in July 2023) - ErgoGenesis "BodyBilt" J752 (Blue ESD Vinyl - $ 1200.+, Nov 2010) - Global Industrial "Interion" 24/7 #T9F695506 (Black Vinyl - approx. $ 250.) - Eurotech 4x4LE - LM59802A (Black Leather - $ 500.) - Lemberi / Bossin AB-EOC01 WM-08-1 (low grade vinyls - $ 85. Discontinued) |
The now
discontinued ErgoGenesis "BodyBilt" J752 ESD / Clean Room Task Chair
in Blue (ESD) Vinyl with the "Number 2 Deep Seat" and
padded armrest option.This was NOT a low cost "mid-back"
chair, so was it worth the money to purchase from this company (NO) ?
See my "Hard Hitting" (updated) full report below .
Above picture was taken as brand new out of the box in November
2010. It became rubbish exactly 10 years later (November 2020), but was in failure mode years before.
(N9EWO
Photo)
New “Radio Room” Chair / “Now For
Something Completely Different”
Was in the hunt for a new chair for the "radio room" and wanted to
TRY something different over the usual Chinese offerings that one
sees in retail stores and on line. This of course entails most of
what is sold today.
After some research the USA
Texas made “BodyBilt” chairs appeared to be very different (and
desirable at the time to my eyes) over just about any chair on
the market. They have been manufacturing office chairs since 1989~1990.
What intrigued me first about these chairs was the offering of
the very contoured seats (boy was that a mistake).
However , there is one other USA manufacture that is very near
the “BodyBilt” offerings. Also made in
Texas USA is
“Neutral Posture”.
After a bit of research, there was in fact was a major
legal battle in July 2002 between these 2 companies.
“BodyBilt” won this particular court case.
Also has been at least one
financial difficultly (bankruptcy)
with “BodyBilt” over the years. The core
company was renamed “ErgoGenesis” later on (was
previously “ChairWorks”, but this name is now
used by a Taiwanese chair company).
“Neutral
Posture” also
markets chairs with different contoured seats. I also found the street pricing to be less
too. But they just do not look as exciting for some reason?
Yes, what I found out in reality was very sour with this BodyBilt
chair, as you will read below. As usual I’m NOT going to
give any “rosy-candy covered” advertising type report.
In the usual “Hard Hitting” N9EWO style. Mind you there
are many other models and configurations of BodyBilt chairs (but
we will only cover the one in review here).
Even if this chair I review here has been discontinued now, this
should inform YOU if it's worth dealing with this company
and it's current products. The current mid-back BodyBilt "Task
Chair" that still offers ESD / CR at the time this
report was typed is the model J757.
Taking the Plunge / Arrived Almost Totally Damaged
Anyway, after liquidating a few radio goodies in order to finance
this high-end chair, I decided to go with a “BodyBilt”
ESD type J752 task model in Blue ESD vinyl. Mind you this is not
your typical “Office Max” or “Staples” chair
as the price is on the commercial side of the fence (ouch !). So
it was major sticker shock. It was hand made to order and took
about 4 weeks for it to be built (not including the shipping time)
via Texas in the USA.
In my case it was shipped via truck (Estes Trucking). For what
chair I ordered it was too big for UPS or Fed EX Ground. It came
fully assembled (could the shipping method vary with the model
ordered ?). The downside was the box arrived in very very bad
condition (see photo below). Was heavily damaged on the lower end
including being somewhat wet, but (whew) the damage missed the
chair by inches. In my view the packing and thin box used were on
the wimpy side for such a heavy high end product being shipped
via truck. The chair was wrapped in plastic (as it should have
been) ,so no water damage either.
The shipping weight was 73 lbs. The general chair (as ordered)
was on the heavy side with its metal-chromed base it
came with. Being a ESD chair that was a standard option.
Chair was sent via truck and the very poor shipping carton that almost did not make the trip !! As I read around the internet (including reviews on Amazon) , I'm not the only person to experience this with BodyBilt chairs along with very poor customer service. (N9EWO Photo)
Why
a
“BodyBilt” Chair / Ordering / General Model Features /
Generally Modular Construction
Why a “BodyBilt” chair : At first I liked the selection
of the heavily contoured seats (I did not know any better before
this) and the most chair adjustments that anyone can have.
One needs to take the time and read and understand the options
BEFORE ordering. It’s intense, very confusing (ergogenesis
very poor web site not helping the cause), and even the
representative in Chicago I talked to did not even know AT ALL
what was REALLY up with this ESD model for options (duh ??). That
was a song and dance exercise and I think I knew more than he did.
He was more worried about his credit with any sale (I said "see
ya later gator"….I was done dealing with him at that
point). Customer service first strike !!
I ordered an ESD Mid-Back Task type (J752, now a discontinued
model), with a # 2 type “Deep Seat” and upholstered
armrests. See the chart on this page (below) for the exact
details on what I actually ended up with.
NOTE: Additional “memory” sport foam option was NOT
available on an ESD chair model. I went with ESD Blue Vinyl.
Black vinyl is the other color option as well as a (Gray ?)
fabric version. Sorry, there is no real leather available on an
ESD chair from BodyBilt. Leather would have driven up the already
super expensive chair greatly anyway (like adding $ 700.00 + USD
more?).
J Mech (chair mechanics) was also ONLY available with an ESD
model. There are other chair mechanic types available for other
models.
Neat part with these chairs is the modular design (for the most
part). If you need a new seat, back or armrests, you can actually
order these parts (however at extremely high prices) and should
be easy for the consumer to install or change out (this may
not be in all cases of course) ? However we don’t know what
pricing would be involved either for parts like the entire
replacement seat ? Will a replacement seat cost half the price of
a new chair ? UPDATE : Cost of a new SEAT (at the time this
update was added in 2011) is $ 250. USD , NOT including shipping
and handling.
Getting Used To The “Deep Seat”....NOT !!! /
Many Adjustments / So-So Chair Mechanics
There were different seat types available when I ordered this
chair. I went with the # 2 “Deep Seat”
for more support as more seat to body contact for less pressure.
Well that’s what the manufactures hype said .
"The deeply contoured seat gives for passive weight
distribution via surface contact. This also encourages proper-seated
posture and cushions the high-pressure points that lead to
discomfort on flat seat designs."
With this # 2 deep "tractor" seat configuration, it
positions your legs out quite a bit so you are forced to sit near
“spread eagle”. This takes a bit of getting
used to (OK more like NOT !!!).
Now in my view if this highly contoured (maximum) # 2 deep seat
really does help with total seat pressure could be greatly argued
? I feel "thigh" pressure in the process no matter how
much I adjust it. Proper seat height is important too. If
it’s too low the butt area suffers , too high any your
thighs suffer even worse. These are basic chair adjustments of
course. Also ones butt needs to be properly in the seat. It too
forward is no good either (or too far back). Without a "seat
slider" adjustment with this ESD model (it's not an option)
along with the #2 seat, it sort of locks you into place anyway.
One has to
keep
in mind that it takes time to adjust any chair to your liking and
comfort, do not expect to do this in just a few minutes. It took
me a good week of playing around and is still fairly
uncomfortable. .
The # 7 Moderate seat is probably going to be
best for most folks ?? The manufacture actually recommends the #
7 seat for most of its customers.
But the real gremlin with the # 2 deep seat for me is with the
LARGE pommel (bump in the middle) and is covered more below. One
Internet dealer says that most women prefer the # 7 seat to the #
2 seat and I can sure understand that (would a # 2 be even more
painful for women)?
With the chair as ordered, I can adjust the seat height, seat
tilt and tension, backrest angle, backrest height, armrest height
and angle (arm rest tilt not available with upholstered type).
Seat slider option is not available with the ESD model, but a
similar backrest depth option is , but however I did not order
this.
Talk about being the extremely versatile in the adjustment
apartment. However to be fair, if one looks around (like I did)
one can find most of these types of adjustments with some Chinese
chairs at about 1/3 of the cost.
The mechanism was imported from Canada and does not look that
robust to me (Northfield Metal Products in Waterloo, Ontario).
The welds that hold the arm brackets on , look fair to me (see
photo). Its body is anodized steel and some parts of the
adjustment levers just feel very flimsy to me. The chair tilt
adjustment can make some nasty cracking noises like something
busted into pieces if you don’t support the seat properly
before you engage it. Also when in the locked mode, it giggles
around just a bit. At this price point, this seems to be a
weakest "metal" part of it ?
A little note in regards to the "seat tension" adjustment (tilt when in free floating mode) . I found that you should tilt the seat fully (lock off) forward BEFORE adjusting the seat tension. Otherwise the knob may not feel properly. This one is not covered in BodyBilt manuals, or any Internet information on their website .
The ErgoGenesis "BodyBilt" J752's underside "J Model" chair mechanics (this part was made in Canada) To my eyes only "so-so" construction , also one has to wonder how long the the 3 adjustments (levers) will hold up ? The added welds for the arm brackets look fair to me as well. You can see one of these small weak welds in center picture above if you look close enough. (N9EWO Photo)
Perhaps not a real issue here , but should a high end "ESD - Clean Room" chair have rusty parts out of the box new ?? The rusty area shown is on the top of the steel armrest brackets (both of them). At least the welds look good here. (N9EWO Photo)
Seat
Issures / Backrest and Chair Height Adjustments / Not All Bad
News
Yes, we have vinyl covering being used in this chair. Of course
will not be as durable as leather (again this is not available on
a ESD chair). It is on the light softer side too and how long it
will hold up will be another very interesting part we will have
to see (Update : It did not , see below ) ?
****
MAJOR SEAT ISSUES ****
NUMBER ONE : However only after a week of
careful use we have I would call excessive “ripple marks"
on the seat. You always have marks that are going to appear in
the vinyl (or the foam) from pressure from your clothing. These
should disappear for the most part in a few minutes after your
butt is out of it ?? This could be a normal trait for a vinyl
chair with a # 2"deep seat", but how much worse this
will get is a good question (see photo below) ? UPDATE : In 2
years of use the seats glue that holds the vinyl to the cushion (yes
glue) has totally lifted up. So the vinyl just sits floating in
the air now. Also the vinyl has serious wear creases (see picture
below) and I'm now just waiting for a major tear to happen . It
has NOT held up well !!
NUMBER TWO (and is the
MAJOR NASTY seat issue for me) : Next seat nasty
involves a sharp feeling after you settle "sink" into
it (say an hour or so). Involves the rear end of the seated area
and feels like I'm hitting one layer (end of) of foam in the
cushion that has either moved around or is just defective ?? Like
a foreign sharp object is moving around in there. After awhile
this gets to such a "sharp feeling" where I MUST stand
up and get out of it.
UPDATE : After a number of contacts with the "so-called"
customer service and only getting a royal run-a-round on this
matter , I then sent a long email to the CEO of the company ,
then (and only then) did I receive a replacement seat. This was
indeed a defective seat issue here, but is still uncomfortable
anyway you try it . Anyway customer service was near a total joke
for me (why did I have to go through the CEO to get action) !!
Yes as covered above the seat has NOT held up well at all either
in only 2 years after !
NUMBER THREE : (however this one is not a defect
per-say and a much lesser issue, but for the record) Last seat bug for me
is with the very large “Pommel” and may very well add
to the uncomfortable situation. This is the bump in the middle
that helps spread out the weight distribution (see main photo at
top of this review). The # 2 seat places very undesirable
pressure in the prostate area for me and of course gives
PAIN (this would have to be even worse for a woman ??). Again one
of course one must sit properly in the chair (back far enough and
not too forward either) and have done this. But even with that
properly executed, it can be a painful part of this chair for me.
There was a reduced “Pommel Foam” option for this chair
that takes off 1inch of that area. Cannot say one way of the other if
this would help the issue (untested) ? But I think if there is
even less Pommel rise, could this make for an even a worst case
issue in my case ??
It's not all bad news mind you. The backrest is super neat (but
is not 100 % either, see photo below). The height adjustment has
clicks and can be moved right where you need it. It can make a
creaking sound while your back hits it, which is a bit annoying.
Backrest angle adjustment also works very well.
The chair “gas” height adjustment works well too. Some
chairs that have a gas cartridge for chair height have what I
call “sink factor” as one sits down. This BodyBilt
chair "gas" lift seems to sink down a bit more than
usual (like its in 2 steps too ??). But is not a drawback to me
at least at the time this report was typed .
Vinyl
seat photo only 2 weeks old (left photo) , photo above taken
"cold" at the start of a day. This vinyl has gotten
much worst in only 2 years of use (right photo). Also the spray glue (yes
glue) that sticks the vinyl to the seat cushion has now totally
broken down , so the vinyl just floats now (sags bad as shown) in
the air until I sit in it. There are other issues with this # 2
"Deep Seat" too (see text) , it's just plain
uncomfortable after awhile (say under 1 hour). But the seat just
does not hold up under normal use.
(N9EWO
Photo)
In my view at this price point , construction quality (and some parts) of this "Body Bilt" chair severely lacks.You can see that the backrest does not "center" properly to the back of the seat. I can see no way for the customer to correct this nasty ill. There is simply no excuse for this !! (NOTE : This picture above was taken when brand new, first day) Note : Adjusting the seat "mounting" (ever so slightly) with it's four mounting bolts made no difference with this backrest centering issue. None. (N9EWO Photo)
So
Is It
Worth It ?? / # 7 Type Seat Better ? / "Forget It" - We Say Stay Well Away from anything "BodyBilt"
Like I was saying at the beginning of this review that it was a
very mixed bag for this J752 BodyBilt ESD task
chair for me.
I find it to be "comfortable" only when one first sits
in it. It does have an extreme degree of adjustments and the
contoured seat which are the perks .
So
with the TWO seat issues as covered above (#1 and #2, plus the Chair
Back Also Falling Apart) and bad
customer service issues , I simply DO NOT recommend BodyBilt
chairs . Yes
nice "vinyl" Chinese chairs actually DO exist even if these "high-end"
high priced US chair manufactures say "no way" (of
course they say that.....). Of course there are MANY junk Chinese chairs too ! See our reviews below.
I cannot say for sure if a # 7 Moderate seat
would clear the Pommel issue up that happens with the # 2 type ?
I have not tested a # 7 type seat and have no plans to do so at
time this report was typed. The backrest being out of center with
the seat is just another nasty that should not be at all at it's $ 1200. price point !
So the old saying: “You Get What You Pay For” is NOT
valid here to me. Sorry that I must give a solid "thumbs
down" for any BodyBilt chairs. WAY too much money
for the low quality and the nasty issues I experienced (plus extremely POOR customer service).
As it goes with ALL office chairs sooner or later, the gas cartridge for chair height adjustment out went out just one month shy of being 10 years old. THAT part failure can be expected with ANY of them as they age.
I hope this review was of use and interest ? Caveat Emptor !
[It appears that this model / ESD configuration has been discontinued ?]
Dave N9EWO
© N9EWO , all rights reserved
ver. 7.1
ErgoGenesis
"BodyBilt" Ergonomic "Mid Back" J752 Task Chair (CR / ESD type) |
Blue" ESD Anti-Static
Vinyl - # 2 "Deep Seat" - J Chair Mech (only Mech can can be used with a ESD model) - CleanRoom / ESD - CRE - Fully Upholstered Backrest - U - Standard Chrome Cylinder, 5.5" stroke - Y6 - 25" Polished Aluminum w/ Chrome Base - B3 - ESD Casters - C9 - Upholstered S'port Arms (Left and Right) |
Global Industrial "Interion" 24/7 #T9F695506 (Black Vinyl - approx. $ 250.)
Eurotech 4x4LE - LM59802A (Black Leather - $ 500.)
The
Eurotech 4x4LE - LM59802A while very sturdy and heavy was just too
uncomfortable to sit in. For some strange reason they put a nasty seam ACROSS
the middle of the seat. With soft vinyl you might be able to get away with it,
but not in stiff leather ! Has more than enough seat padding and is
very supportive (is quite stiff), but it does not matter with that
blasted seam ! Leather is a dull and ruff alligator style finish (don't
let the manufacture photos fool you if you think it has smooth finish). Wood base as it usually is in
this price bracket.