I and 3 of the girls that work for me got one of these "chairs". Two of us had been using a regular exercise ball, but due to the fact we are up and down alot during the day we decided to try the ones that are on casters. The "chairs" arrived sooner than expected and were easy to set up...well, except for the air pump, it was cheesy. We used a better pump we had on hand. The only problem I could state is the fact that the brakes on the casters will lock on their own, but it hasn't been a huge problem.
As far as the total experience of sitting on the ball chair all day at work, getting up and down and moving from the keyboard to the file drawer without having to get up (as I had to do with the regular exercise ball) it is a great chair! The exercise ball by itself took concentration and it was not good to wear a skirt or dress while sitting on it. With the casters it's no problem to wear a dress.
One of the girls had been using the Wii Fit Board prior to sitting on this chair. After about a week or so her fitness scores went up on the Wii; for better balance and core fitness. All of us have noticed better posture since using the ball chair. It is possible to slouch while sitting on it, but it is not comfortable to slouch. For some reason it is just more comfortable to sit up straight.
One of the girls had been having minor back pain and she said she hasn't had it since using the ball chair.
We do get allot of comments from customers about how weird or funny it looks, but it has not deterred any of us to go back to a regular chair. It just gives us a chance to applaud the attributes of how much better our balance, posture and core fitness is and tell them "We are always on the ball".
Of the four of us that bought the chair, we all like it 100% and have not gone back to the regular chairs provided to us by the county. We have all been using the Balance Ball Chair since the day we got them, 1 1/2 months ago.
10/7/2010: 2 YEARS AND 2 MONTHS LATER AND WE ARE STILL USING THE BALANCE BALL CHAIRS. One of the balls got a leak and she had to buy a new one. Other than that no problems. I have since hired a new girl and she also bought a ball chair like ours .... I highly recommend the chair ... plus they are tons cheaper than any office type chair. Isokinetics Inc. Balance Ball Chair - with Black 52cm Ball and a Pump
The isokinetics ball chair works like a charm. I recommend it for anyone who wants to improve their sitting posture and improve their health in the process. Instead of alot of fluff about how I love the chair, I will make this easy and concise.
- If you sit at a desk and are contemplating between this or just a plain ball, get this. You don't worry about the ball rolling away and you don't worry about being too low.
- This is the less expensive of the available offerings. I can see no real difference between this one and the gaiam.
- As you can see, there are no arms. If you have a keyboard tray at correct level, it wont be an issue. If your keyboard and mouse are not at a good ergonomic level, you may find your arms straining.
- The construction is solid. Yes, it is plastic, but it is not flimsy fisher-price plastic as mentioned. Use this as it is intended and you will have no problems.
- To avoid the ball explosions (that sounds dirty) others have noted, pay close attention to the instructions when the chair arrives. You wont be using this chair day one out of the box.
- The "back" of the chair is not actually a back, it is for balancing. It is not intended that you lean back on this ball chair. The instructions includes exercise recommendations and the "back" comes into play then.
- Go slow at first. Your spine needs to adjust to sitting up straight. Eventually you can sit the day on the ball and improve core strength as well as posture. At first, it may actually hurt if you sit too long.
- While it is not impossible to slouch, the chair does make it less comfortable to do so.
- The wheel locks others complained about... there are only two. make sure you put those wheels in back and you wont kick them. They have not fallen any other time other than when I did something to cause them too.
I have noted improvements in posture in just a few weeks of owning and using this chair. I dont wake with a stiff back anymore and I seem to be walking an inch or two taller as of late.
Here's to your health!
I first heard of the ball chair when Leo Laporte mentioned he sat on one when recording his This Week In Tech podcast. I thought, that sounds like a good idea. I must have one. And I clicked over to Amazon.com.
I have had issues with my back for years and was looking for something that would help strengthen my core while sitting at my computer all day. This ball chair claims to allow both of my goals to be met and the price is not bad either when compared to other office chairs.
Not being a very patient person I was a little disappointed to have to wait 24-hours while the ball was inflated at 60%-70% percent (cannot remember the exact amount). But my lack of patience isn't the ball's fault. This was necessary to condition the ball so that it would not pop when being used. I found it impossible to use the cheap plastic hand pump that came in the box as it was not even air tight. it did not pump any air at all. Luckily I had a tire pump that had a nozzle that would work with the ball. By day 2 I was ready to test out chair.
I put it in front of my computer, sat down and realized I was sitting too high to reach the keyboard without slouching. Hmmm. The instructions say it is okay to let some of the air out to remedy this. I felt a bit like Goldilocks as I let out some air....no, too low...add a little more air...no, too high....let out some more air...ah, there, just right.
I noticed right off that the ball chair was very uncomfortable. My lower back started aching immediately (it is not used to having to work). I had read other reviews and took their advice to only sit on the ball chair for 10-15 minutes at a time and build up. After about a week I could stand to sit on it for quite sometime without causing the muscles in my lower back to hurt. In fact, as I walked around, I could actually feel where my muscles had become stronger. This ball chair was really doing what they said it would! My spare tire was ever-so-slightly firmer.
However, my rear-end was in constant pain as what I thought would be a soft, bouncy cushion turned out to be a hard, round piece of rubber. I thought I would get used to this too and eventually the chair would not hurt my behind. But after a few weeks, that has not yet happened. Each time I would eventually have to get up and switch back to my old office chair. This week I did not use the ball chair at all. I know it is good for my back, but it is just too uncomfortable for my backside.
I am a 6-foot tall man who has a big rear-end taking up most of the ball's surface......Maybe this chair would be fine for a skinny woman who do not have the weight or mass to cover the ball. Or maybe it is a pain in the rear-end for everyone. I guess I just need to toughen up and take my yoga ball like a man. ;-) - Balance Ball Chair - Balance Ball - Office Chair - Ball Chair'
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