Varichair Review

Ryan Fiorenzi - Updated on May 3rd, 2023

Varichair Quick Summary

  • In 2018 this was our top choice for leaning. But, after just over a year our chair became stuck and unadjustable. For this reason we recommend checking our Best Chairs and Stools review to see our current top choices.
  • Beautiful design, easily adjusts height with the lever on the right hand side.
  • Comes preassembled.
  • Great price especially compared with other high end chairs and stools.
  • May work best with a footrest, such as the Mind Reader ergonomic footrest.
  • Lightweight and easy to move out of the way for when you want to stand at your desk.
Rated Overall: 3/5

Our research is supported by our readers. We may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site, but this in no ways increases the price of the products - advertiser disclosure

VARIChair Full Review

This chair works as a leaning chair as well as a regular sitting chair. It's really simple to change the height-there's a handle on the right hand side that you press down to lift the seat, or push the handle down and put your weight on the chair to push it down.

If you're not familiar with leaning, it's a healthier work position that's starting to get a lot more attention where the angle of your legs to your torso is more open than the traditional 90 degrees you have when you sit.

The VARIChair moves in any direction, encouraging movement while you lean or sit, often referred to as "active sitting."

It doesn't have back support to help encourage better posture. When you lean back against the back of the chair, the natural tendency is to relax and slouch. With no back support, and a chair that moves, your core gets engaged slightly and you tend to fidget more than sitting in a regular chair.

Shipping and Assembly

The VARIChair comes with free shipping and arrives fully assembled. It weighs just over 26 lbs so it's not difficult to get out of the box and in front of your desk.

Warranty and Guarantee

All Varidesk products come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a limited, 1-year warranty. If there's an issue with the chair after the first 30 days, you'll have to pay for shipping to send it back to Varidesk. If the failure of the product was determined to be because of misuse or abuse by the user, you'll have to pay for the repair and the return shipping.

It's a good idea to save the box for the first 30 days to make sure that you like the chair.

Specs

The VARIChair will go as low as 23" and as high as 32.75", and will accommodate users up to 220 lbs.

The total weight is 26.31 lbs, so it's light enough to just slide out of the way when you're not using it.

The base is 15.75" by 15.75". The seat has a couple of inches of foam on top and is only available in black.

VARIChair vs. Competitors

This is where the VARIChair shines. The leaning chair most similar to it is the Muvman stool, which is a great product, but it's triple the price, yet it's similar in function and in design.

Muvman Stool, similar in design and function to the VARIChair, but triple the price.

Other ergonomic chairs and leaning stools that are designed to encourage active sitting tend to cost much more, such as the Swopper (which can't be used as a leaning chair), Focal Mobile Leaning Station, or the Varier.

Is the VARIChair Right for you?

If you're trying to build new habits and not be sedentary for long periods of time, using a standing desk and leaning can change your life. I originally bought a standing desk and spent my workday either standing or sitting. Now I love having a third option - leaning - which is a nice in-between. It burns less energy than standing, but it's a lot more active than sitting.

I almost wish the chair had a little more padding, and I say almost because I think if it was really soft, I think I wouldn't switch positions as much. Switching positions is a good thing as prevents you from suffering the effects of being sedentary.

You do have a 30-day guarantee, so if you tried it out for a week and didn't like it, you can return it.

Not long after I purchased the VARIChair I noticed I was getting tension in the muscles next to my shins because my feet were pressing into the floor to keep me from sliding. I purchased a Halter footrest, which had really good reviews, and I no longer have that tension in my lower legs.

As mentioned in the summary, after a year our VARIchair became stuck and unable to adjust so we had to throw it out. I was really excited about this chair initially, and really disappointed that it stopped working. For this reason we recommend other chairs and stools such as the Songmics stool.

If you have any questions or comments about the Varichair, or any other chair, comment below!

Comments

  1. Is there a minimum weight to make the piston work to get chair to go down once up? I ordered another chair because it had more of a back support on it, however, I couldn’t get it to go down. When I called manufacturer I was told that there is a min weight of 150 lbs fir the hydraulics to work it down and I’m only 120 lbs. I want to order this chair but don’t want to have the same issue.

    1. Author

      Hello Cathy,

      My wife is under 120 lbs and she’s able to push the chair down without issue.

  2. Feb 26, 2018. Thank you for your review. Is the center post connected to a spring so you can move forward and back? Is the center post tension adjustable? I weigh 165 lbs, but some people weigh more or weigh less and I imagine that could affect hoe the center posts moves. Thank you. Victo

  3. I was wondering how stable the varichair is. I way about 220 lbs. Is there any risk of me tipping over when leaning, getting on or getting off when fully extended/near standing height? thank you!

  4. Great chair – for and beyond its price point. I tried the Swopper Air which is twice the price and not nearly as flexible or comfortable.

Leave a Reply to Cathy Ducharme Cancel reply