With many of us spending an unusually large percentage of our time tied to our desks these days, the limitations of inexpensive gaming chairs are becoming more obvious and if you’re looking to up your game to something a bit more professional then Flexispot is hoping that their BS9 chair impresses enough to get our recommendation.
The Flexspot BS9 is a multi-purpose ergonomic chair from the same manufacturer that dropped a gaming desk on our doorstep recently. Sidestepping the racerback designs of most chairs you might expect to feature here on Gamespace, this chair is something close to a traditional office chair in many respects and is built to balance comfort and support in a way that many of the more budget-focused gaming chairs might very well lack.
Specifications:
Height adjustment (chair) 44.5 – 53.5 cm
Height adjustment (header) 119 – 128 cm
Material Black nylon base with PU rolls
Max. Load 120 KG
Class 4 Gas Lift
Boxed Weight: 15KG
Out The Box
Getting the Flexispot BS9 from the front door and into a position to review was an easy enough task for one set of hands. Unlike the unyielding weight of the Flexispot Gaming Desk, this all-around chair lands in at just 15KG. Thanks to the mesh design, rather than a steel scaffold and padded pleather, this addition to the office setup or gaming cave proved to be extremely easy to handle. The entire unit came with just 13 screws and a set of components that are simple enough to identify and arrange. While it would still have been nice to find each of the screws labelled or attached to their requisite components, the included instructions are clear, and the small number of parts make for easy matches.
Bringing It All Together
Thanks to the lightweight back and base, construction was a breeze and barely even took 20 minutes to complete. The included alan key and screws all effortlessly came together, and threading barely took any time. Even the most difficult parts of piecing together a chair, settling the assembled chair onto its gas lift, didn’t end in the same cacophony of grunting and poor aim that happens to accompany every gaming branded chair I’ve ever pieced together.
In The Chair
Once the Flexispot BS9 is screwed together, the light and breezy tone of this chair continues. The mesh back certainly isn’t going leave gamers calling for extra ventilation during long raids, and the fabric base provides plenty of opportunities to stay cool too. The included padding doesn’t appear to be memory foam, meaning it manages to be both breathable and consistently firm without making me uncomfortable during 14 hour days of work and play. Stitching is consistently well finished, although a fully stitched base means replacing any internal foam might not a simple job. However, after a couple of weeks in the not so hot seat, I have a feeling that this design will hold up better than a simple memory foam matt with a few months of continued wear.
Moving away from the base, the lightweight fabric and plastic construction of the entire chair means the BS9 glides around the office or gaming room with much effort and never feels like a battle just to get around in. While in use it provides surprisingly effective lumbar support across a range of body shapes, with the curve of the hollow frame and the reliability of the mesh backing allowing owners to lean in while the chair provides resistance where it is necessary. The gas lift gives plenty of range and should fit anybody around the 6 foot / 2 meter range without issue and the internal distance of 1.6 feet / 48cm armrest to armrest should give plenty room for most buyers.
The overall design choice seems to be a compromise that fits somewhere between the custom configuration of chairs like the Herman Miller x Logitech G collaboration and the more questionable cushions traditionally plastered onto mass market-oriented gaming chairs. There’s no denying that the Flexispot BS9 is built to add ergonomic support far above a laid back night in. In many respects, it misses the more premium add ons of similarly priced gaming designs. The 30 degree of tilt in the base seems sparse compared to the lazy level of backward motion inherent in most gaming chairs. Similarly, while the armrests can be repositioned to accommodate greater girth, this requires reseating several screws. It’s an entirely manual operation that lacks the on the fly options and 4-way movement that similarity priced models might incorporate. That said, it’s surprising how far back a mere 30 degrees feels and the static armrests fit perfectly under my desk.
Largely, that compromise between solid support and some unusual aesthetics is indicative of the Flexispot BS9. It is incredibly easy to put together and comes with enough flexibility of form to make it more than another uninspired office chair. The color scheme is a little outrageous but the form of this design, especially the backplate, stands out among a wave of similarly styled Twitch props. I do love my gaming chair, and I’m going to have a hard time picking between it and the Flexispot BS9, but when work rest and play all take place in the same space this loud looking chair may very well be worth the price tag. If you need a chair that can hold its own then the Flexispot BS9 is available for £299 on the Flexispot website. For the immediate future, Flexispot are running a sale that will bring this down to £219, and stcking codes push it down as low as £179.99 or local equivalent.