Active Chairs Comparison Core Chair, Swopper & SpinaliS
Review by Mr. Sujoy R. SPINALIS HACKER - SWOPPER - CORE CHAIR
SpinaliS HACKER Chair - Swopper Chair - Core Chair - which one will really help you to get rid of back pain?
INTRO: My name is Sujoy R,. I purchased three active chairs: SpinaliS (Hacker), Swopper (Air) and CoreChair in order to resolve my lower back pain and Sciatica issues. I had purchased Swopper and CoreChair in November 2016. Since I was not satisfied with either, after conducting more research
I ended up purchasing SpinaliS in January 2017. This review is based on my own experience in terms of how useful I found them for my specific back issues.
SpinaliS Chair - Swopper Chair - Core Chair - Comparison Conclusion:
In terms of overall functionality, ergonomic design and ease of use, I would rank the 3 chairs in the order:
1. SpinaliS
2. Swopper
3. CoreChair
The main reason I am prefer SpinaliS Hacker over Core Chair or Swopper
In addition to its active features, SpinaliS functions like a regular office chair with a full backrest and an adjustable armrest. The backrest has a bit of flexibility in that it swivels on a left-right horizontal axis to align itself with the user’s back contours. While the armrests are not detachable, at the lowest position they do not get in the way of typing on a keyboard. This makes it a great candidate for both office and home use.
Three issues with Swopper for which I rank it below SpinaliS
Firstly, I believe that a backrest is necessary in order to be comfortable while sitting for long periods of time. While Swopper does have an optional backrest that can be purchased separately, the backrest does not rotate along with the seat. Therefore, the chair needs to be repositioned every time one is switching positions on an L-shaped desk. Secondly, the design of the chair makes it a bit awkward to get on and off. Lastly, the design may look out of place in an office setting. Swopper should be considered by those whose back issues are not fixed by SpinaliS, or those who may want a second chair for their home.
Why I don't recommend Core Chair?
I did not feel there is any key active feature in CoreChair where it performed better than the other two in terms of helping with my specific back issues, and therefore do not recommend it. One good feature in CoreChair is the contoured seat with a depression in the rear surface of the seat, which prevents the user’s tailbone from pressing against the seat. However, I still found myself slipping forward and had to keep pushing backward in order to be snug with the backrest. Also, the seat design makes it difficult to sit with the legs wide apart. Moreover, the backrest is a little too short for comfort.
The feature comparison grid shown below provides a side-by-side comparison of various features of these chairs.
First Active Sitting Feature – Seat Tilt
The most important active feature common to all three chairs is the seat tilt. The tilt mechanisms and corresponding actions vary amongst the three and appear to target different muscle groups.
The tilt pivot on the SpinaliS chair is directly beneath the seat and is controlled by a spring attached to the bottom of the seat. The spring aids in bringing the chair seat back from the tilted position to the upright position once the tilting force exerted by the user is relaxed. While the seat can be tilted in any direction, the extent of the tilt depends on the user’s weight.
In Swopper chair, the tilt pivot is located at the bottom just above the floor and is controlled via a 3 dimensional movement element. The tilting action requires lateral movement and use of legs by the user for tilting. The movement element contains an elastic tilt ring that returns the chair to the upright position. While the seat can be tilted in any direction, backwards tilt on the Swopper is limited, as without the optional backrest there is a risk of the user falling over backwards. Also, the extent of the tilt in Swopper is user adjustable.
CoreChair the tilt mechanism is under the seat but does not use a spring, and requires more effort from the user to tilt to a different position with only little aid from the chair. It allows adjusting the extent of the tilt but even in the maximum position the tilt is not so smooth as on SpinaliS chair and the user has to initiate the move so I was still able to slouch in the seat. The backwards tilt is more limited than the forward and side tilt.
Second Active Sitting Feature – Seat Compression
In SpinaliS chair, the spring that allows the tilt also allows vertical compression. In Swopper Chair a separate spring located between the tilt mechanism and the bottom of the seat controls seat compression. The SpinaliS provides more of a floating feel than a bouncing feel. There is no seat compression on the CoreChair as no spring is present.
Which of the three active sitting chairs helped in resolving my back issues?
In terms of helping with my specific back issues, I have mostly benefited SpinaliS Hacker Chair. SpinaliS chair helped me strengthen my lower back.
Also Swopper helped relieve issues on my right side, at least initially I used to feel my left lower back pain aggravated after sitting on it for a while. It feels stressful to sit on the Swopper for extended periods of time, likely due to the pressure the spring compression exerts upwards. On SpinaliS, there is no such pressure and it is easier to sit for long periods. At the beginning, I tent to use both SpinaliS chair and Swopper chair alternately, though over time I have gotten more comfortable with SpinaliS and spend more of my sitting time on it.
I did not find CoreChair to be of much help. I believe that having a spring mechanism is important, and the absence of it in the CoreChair renders it relatively ineffectual in remedying back issues.
