Many claim that the Autonomous Kinn chair is one of the most ergonomic office chairs in the market today. And it seems like it’s offering a more affordable ergonomic solution. The office chair is quite stunning, you would instantly see that it resembles a lot like the Herman Miller Embody. But is it as comfortable as the chair that it took inspiration from? Let’s see
Aesthetics
The Autonomous Kinn has an interesting look. The Embody-like backbone would be a premium look. And the overall aesthetics of the chair could easily pop out in a room of black ergonomic office chairs.
So clearly, for the aesthetics department, it did pretty well.
A different kind of lumbar support
The back plastic net material is made from a different kind of mesh material. It’s made of a TPU plastic material, something different from what most ergonomic office chairs have. Do this can be a yay or a nay.
Well, surprisingly it did cradle my spine and I felt nice support on the lumbar part of my back. But there’s a big but here. The seat is also quite deep, about 26 inches. This depth felt nice. While I found it comfortable at first, it started to feel too firm for my liking as the hours passed. So I won’t be able to work longer hours on this chair, it’s not going to be as comfortable as the first time I sat on it.
And if you have any issues or any back problems, you won’t be able to sit on it for more than 2 hours. There’s some sort of pinching and poking sensation when I try to sit on the chair for 6 hours. I could not even last for another hour. Still, nothing beats a Herman Miller Aeron or an Embody when it comes to comfort and back support.
Packaging and assembly
It came in one single box with the brand and model of the chair labeled on the front of the box. It could have been easy to maneuver the box because it’s lightweight. But it lacks handles or holes on the sides, so you have to lift it from the base of the box.
The chair only has fewer parts. And it also includes an Allen wrench that you’re going to use for the setup. That’s a plus point since you don’t have a lot of components and parts to connect. It won’t be confusing. And there’s no chance that you’d lose or miss a screw.
The instruction manual was pretty easy to follow. It’s straightforward and kind of intuitive. So you would not have any problems in the FIRST few steps. But once you have to put the screws on, this is where you will encounter some challenges. Most of the pre-drilled screw holes in the unit that I received did not align properly. So I had to push a lot to align the holes to get the screws in place. It kind of concerned me a bit that I might break the back of the chair, considering that it’s made of all plastic material. But lucky enough, I was able to finish the setup without damaging anything.
This perhaps one is where quality control could have been better. For seasoned DIYers like me, it won’t be much of a problem as I can find a way to align the screw holes. But for beginners, it might be frustrating to find that the predrilled holes do not align.
Build and construction
The entire chair is made of plastic. The screws are the only metal parts. An advantage would be that it’s going to be as easy to lift during the setup, so you don’t have to ask for help in carrying it.
But an all-plastic construction can be nay when it comes to the durability of the chair. Take the caster wheels, for instance. It’s also all plastic and there isn’t any type of metal reinforcement.
So I’m quite concerned about how long it will last. Or would be able to take abuse and use? if you’re used to rolling your office chair on the floor to get some stuff from one table to another, this might take a toll on the caster wheels. It might be better off to outfit the chair with a more durable type of caster wheels or a reinforced one.
Though the lumbar is made of flexible plastic, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The base can also be really stiff and rigid. It’s not for you if you’re used to sitting on padded office chairs. This can hurt your butt a lot. The chair is designed to provide very firm support of the buttocks.
But it was too firm that you might not find the chair comfortable to sit on for longer hours.
Ergonomics and adjustability
To be fair, this chair has a lot of adjustable features. I think it is even tagged as one of the most ergonomic chairs in the market. You can adjust the armrest, the seat depth, seat height, tension, and back tilt. Any office chair that has a seat depth adjustment is very convenient. Not a lot of office chairs offer that level of flexibility. And I must say that the deep recline is what I have enjoyed the most. The chair did feel stable when I pushed it further back to a recline.
Though the armrest could do better. You won’t be able to lock the horizontal adjustment on the armrests. So it kind of gives away or moves a bit when you are seated on the chair. So you need to readjust the arm so the chair every now and then. It tends to be quite loose.
In summary for the ergonomics, the chair has what is called the forced ergonomics. But does it work? It will really push you to issue an upright position with its firm and rigid construction, but your body will not find it comfortable. Maybe for the first few hours, yes, but it can be painful over time. So the forced ergonomics doesn’t fully work since you’ll eventually get tired of it and find another chair to sit on.
Other concerns
- The chair is very rigid, especially on the thigh part. There’s a hard plastic bar at the front that seems to cut off circulation on the thighs. Some review often states that this feature of the chair helps keep you in an ergonomic position. But it doesn’t work. Most find it rather annoying than helpful. Especially if you lean forward, you can feel the horizontal bar digging into your flesh.
- The chair can be noisy. I’ve had it for 15 days and it started to squeak badly. Though I did tighten everything and made sure that the chair was properly connected. I’ve heard from other users too that the squawk is something you have to live with if you’re going to use this chair. I think the squeak resulted from forcing the holes to align together. Or it could also be because of the spring mechanism of the chair. Either way, it’s really annoying to hear a squeak every time you move.
Is the chair as ergonomic as it claims to be
Ergonomic wise, yes it is. The different mesh material of the chair is designed to prevent you from slouching. So it kind of pushes you to assume an upright position. But it’s not working for most. The chair does shove you in a proper posture while seated. But if it can be uncomfortable. Even if you don’t have back problems, you might feel too tired to sit on it for an extended time.
But what works for the Autonomous Kinn chair is the multiple adjustment options for almost all aspects of the chair. Except for the adjustable arms, you’ll find all the adjustments working for you.
The chair made an effort to be one of the most ergonomic office chairs on the market by forcing you to keep a proper posture. But in doing so, the comfort is somehow thrown under the bus. So if you want to still achieve comfort level and ergonomics, you should use this chair for a short period only. Or it can also be a more elevated task chair or something that you can use for company meetings.
Final say
It’s very clear that the Herman Miller embody is the inspiration of this chair. It’s not as cm of the premium brand, but it can be at par when it comes to the overall aesthetics of the chair and the recline function. But the overall comfort is questionable. It can be comfortable for 1-2 hours. But if you sit on it longer, it becomes too firm. It’s way too firm and rigid for most people, even for me.