The popularity of the Muvman chair, coupled with the growing demand for standing office furniture, has caused a number of manufacturers to try their hand at designing their version of the next popular standing chair. The Hon Perch Stool aims to be one of those contenders. With a similar design, a traditional style seat and a low price point, the HVLPERCH is a chair to consider when looking for your next standing stool. How will the Hon Perch Stool stack up to the competition? In this review we will find out. I will make sure to go over every aspect of the HVLPERCH so that you have all of the information you need to feel comfortable about whether or not this is the right product for you.
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Manufacturer
The Hon Company has been in business since 1944. They are one of the most recognizable office furniture brands. They are part of HNI Corporation, which is currently among the largest office furniture companies in the world. HNI Corporation owns popular brands such as Allsteel, Gunlocke, Paoli, and Heat & Glo. The Hon Company prides itself on producing a large portion of its products in the USA, but in an effort to offer lower priced product options, Hon began importing some products under the Basyx by Hon brand name.
Basyx by HON Perch Stool Links
– Specs / Features / Pricing
– Colors
– Return Policy and Warranty
– Shipping and Assembly
– Build Quality
– Sitting Mobility
– Portability
– Seat Comfort
– Range of Motion
– Making Adjustments
– Ergonomics
– What I Like
– What I Don’t Like
Country of Origin
China
Specifications
Seat Size: 14.5”W x 14”D
Seat Height Range: 24” – 35”
Base Dimensions: 16” Diameter
Weight Capacity: 250 lbs.
Chair Weight: 22 lbs.
Shipping Weight: 34 lbs.
Shipping Box Dimensions: 18” x 15” x 20”
Features
Forward tilted seat design
Seat swivel with automatic return to center facing
Waterfall front seat edge
Built-in handle on back of seat for better portability
Pneumatic seat height adjustment
2025 Price – $302.99 (Buy on Amazon)
Color Options
The base, seat pan and top portion of the piston are grey. The bottom portion of the piston is black. The seat comes in five different color options: black, blue, charcoal, green and red.
Return Policy
Hon does not sell direct to the customer and instead works with a network of dealers and wholesalers. Hon does not accept returns so the return policy for your Hon Perch Stool will depend on what the policy is from the authorized dealer you buy from. Some dealers may accept returns with a restocking fee, shipping charges or both. Others may not accept returns at all. Make sure to reach out to a few different authorized dealers to get their return policy if you are not certain that you will like the chair.
Warranty
Hon offers a five year limited warranty on the Perch Stool. It is covered for five years from manufacturer’s defects, with the exception of the fabric. The fabric is warranted for two years. Industry leading warranties offer five years of coverage with no exceptions, so the Perch Stool’s warranty is almost on par with industry leaders.
Shipping
The Perch Stool’s shipping time will vary, depending on who you purchase the product from. Most dealers will ship the chair within a couple days via ground carrier like FedEx or UPS Ground. The product will arrive within a few days in a small box that weighs about 30 lbs. I had no problem carrying it into my office on my own. The product is well packaged so there is little chance for your chair to arrive damaged.
Installation
The HVLPERCH arrives ready to assemble. There are only a few parts, so you will need a Phillips head screwdriver to attach the screws. It is really important that you follow the instructions in step 3. If you do not line up the arrows to ensure that the piston is placed with the seat facing forward, then the seat will be crooked after installation and you can only fix it by removing the cylinder from the base. It is difficult to remove the cylinder once it is in place, so it is very important that you get this step correct the first time. I would estimate that it will take most people around 10 minutes to get the HVLPERCH assembled.
Build Quality
The Hon Perch Stool is designed after the popular Muvman by aeris. This design has been used by many different brands, often times with lower quality parts to achieve a lower price point. That is the case with the HVLPERCH. The base is round and is made from plastic. The bottom has a hard rubber ring around the edge to help to protect hard floors from being scratched. The base is heavy, but it does not contain a metal plate like many other models.
The piston is attached to the base with a system that pivots, which is what allows you to move while using the chair. The cylinder is a lower end product from China, but I have found that it operates smoothly. The seat pan is made from plastic. It features a decent amount of standard seat foam and low-quality fabric. The fabric does not have even stitching and it is not as soft to the touch as higher-end models.
The one thing that I like about the build quality on the HVLPERCH is that Hon made an effort to make the product more attractive by using a plastic covering for the piston and making the height adjustable button flush with the underside of the seat.
Sitting Mobility
The Basyx Perch Stool has a base that is meant to stay in one place. It does not have wheels so the only way to move the chair is to stand up off the seat and then move it. This is not a problem for getting things around your office because it is really easy to just get off the chair and move to a different spot to get something or perform a different task. A problem occurs when you want to make a small adjustment, while you are sitting, to be more comfortable with your typing or working set-up. These small or “micro” adjustments can become tedious if you are having a tough time finding your most comfortable position.
Portability
The HVLPERCH has great portability. The unit has a compact design, it is lightweight and has a handle that is built into the back of the seat that makes it really easy to carry around your office. This makes it a nice option for shared workspaces or as a secondary chair. It is small enough to keep under your desk or off to the side of your office, without it taking up a lot of space.
Seat Comfort
The seat on the Hon Perch Stool has a larger seating surface than the other chairs with similar designs. Not only are the dimensions a bit larger but it does not have a pronounced concave or convex shape. There is a bit of a contour on the front section of the seat, but it is not noticeable while sitting on the chair. The seat is padded with traditional foam instead of high density foam that is seen on a lot of competing products. The seat features a polyester fabric. The shape of the seat, foam and fabric made the HVLPERCH feel the closest to a standard office chair’s seat. I found that the seat does bottom out after a while but I was able to use the chair for 1 to 1.5 hours without the seat being uncomfortable.
Range of Motion
The HVLPERCH has a piston that attaches to the base with a system that allows it to pivot. This is the same system used by other popular products like the Focal Mobis, Aeris GmbH Muvman and VARIchair by VARIDESK. The tension level on the pivot is what determines the range of motion. The HVLPERCH has a large amount of tension, which limits its range of motion. It can move in all directions, but you will not be able to move as far or as easily as the other products mentioned above. I found the limited range of motion to be more of a problem at taller heights. It takes quite a bit of effort to keep the seat tilted forward when at taller heights, which limits the amount of time you can spend in higher perching positions and leaning heights.
Adjusting the HVLPERCH
The simplistic design on the Hon Perch Stool only features an adjustment for the seat height. The seat height adjustment is controlled with a button underneath the right side of the seat and it is powered by a pneumatic cylinder. Pressing and holding the button will unlock the seat height adjustment which will allow it to move up or down. The gas cylinder will naturally raise the seat, so you just need to take your weight off the seat to raise it and put your weight on the seat to lower it. Once you are at the height you want, release the button to lock the seat in place.
Ergonomics
The Hon Perch Stool is not a chair that is designed to put you in a comfortable position that will last hours on end. Instead, it is designed to keep you moving and more active while you work. Being able to move allows you to keep your muscles engaged and helps to increase blood flow. Your legs will be positioned with an open hip angle, which helps to reduce tension on the lower back compared to sitting at a 90-degree angle. While I was able to be more active while using the HVLPERCH, I was not able to use the chair for more than an hour or two at a time before needing to switch to a new position, like standing or sitting in my standard ergonomic chair.
Stability
I found the HVLPERCH to be one of the most stable standing chairs I have tested. The base is heavy, larger than the seat and has a non-slip rubber ring, so it is difficult to tip. The limited range of motion also helps to contribute to the stability because it is difficult to lean far enough in any direction to feel unbalanced. The chair was stable at all heights during my testing.
What Do I Like?
Good seat height adjustment range
The HVLPERCH does not go low enough to use it in a normal sitting position but it does have a large enough range to allow for a variety of perching and leaning positions. It also adjusts high enough for taller people to use.
Very stable at all heights
The stability shown by the Hon Perch Stool may make it an attractive option for people looking to incorporate a little bit of movement without feeling like they may be off balance or in danger of falling.
Great portability
Of the standing chairs I have tested, the Hon Perch Stool is one of the easiest standing chairs to carry around the office. This makes it a nice option for a lot of different applications and users.
Traditional style seat
The seat is not quite as large as seats you will find on normal office chairs, but it feels pretty close. The padding and foam style also help to make the seat feel more like a normal office chair. This may be attractive for people that are put off by the high-density foam or urethane seats we see on competing models.
What Don’t I Like?
Lower end build quality
The plastic components, cylinder and fabric are going to be on the lower end of the spectrum. The Hon Perch Stool has a low price point, among the chairs I have tested, so it makes sense that it doesn’t have the best quality parts.
Limited range of movement
Hon chose a pivoting joint with a high amount of tension. While this limit the chances of making you feel unbalanced, it does take away from your ability to move freely.
Not good for prolonged hours
The Hon Perch Stool is not a product that I would recommend to someone that is looking for a product to use for prolonged hours at a time. I think it is best suited when used in short stints of 30 mins to an hour.
Poor sitting mobility
The base design on the Hon Perch Stool is meant to stay stable. This is good for keeping you in one spot but it also makes it more annoying to find the optimal positioon to type or task in. You can’t just move a couple inches like you can in a chair with wheels. You need to pick the stool up and move it and then check how it feels. This process can take a bit to get the spot dialed in.
Bottom Line
The Hon Perch Stool is not composed of high end parts and it has a limited range of movement compared to other products with similar designs. I do not think it is a good option for numerous hours of use per day and you may have a tough time adjusting to the new sitting style.
With that being said, I think there is still good value in the Hon Perch Stool. The lower quality parts mean that you pay a lower price than most competing models. Yes, the range is limited, but that also adds to the stability. The seat is more comfortable than a lot of brands with higher price tags and the adjustment range is suitable for the majority of the population. The HVLPERCH is not perfect but I think it should be a chair to consider if you are looking at this style of standing stool.
