I had my first sitting experience with the Haworth Zody Luxe at the largest office furniture trade show in 2022. I thought it was the most comfortable chair at the time and I was excited to use it in the office. My thoughts changed when I started using it on a daily basis.
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Haworth Zody Luxe Links
- Zody First Thoughts
- Scary Price Tags
- Best Office Chair Arms
- Backrest on the Zody Luxe
- Comfortable Seat Pad
1. Zody First Thoughts
Now with the Zody 1, I never found a comfortable position, so I was surprised with the updates the Zody Luxe had. The seating was more neutral and less forward titled. Another thing that stuck out was how nice looking the chair was. The color choice really made this one stand out.
2. Scary Price Tags
Price is always top of mind for people when buying a nice office chair. The Zody Luxe has an entry level model that is about $1000, but the one I’m currently sitting in with the fully loaded features is about $1600. So depending on your preference of features, price can differ.
With a price like this, the build quality should be top notch and in my opinion, it meets that. It is a solid chair and is built like a tank. The Zody Luxe fully loaded is made of aluminum whereas the entry level Luxe is made of nylon plastic and still aluminum in some areas. The one problem I had is the arm adjustment tube is white which can make it easy to show rub marks, dirt or grease. The black frame option is always available if you want to avoid that all together.
3. Best Office Chair Arms
Next, the arms for the Zody Luxe are ones that I speak highly of. They are similar to the Steelcase arms. They have a soft padding when leaning your elbows into them and more of a durable casing to last longer periods of time. The arm pads don’t have any hard edges which is convenient as well. However, the arm adjustments don’t have great range like the Steelcase office chairs do.
4. Backrest on the Zody Luxe
Moving on to the backrest, the original Zody has hard edges around the back frame and it seemed extremely uncomfortable when I first sat down. The Luxe design gave much more padding which gave my back and shoulders more cushion. Not only was there more cushion, there was an added lumbar height adjustment feature. This gave the overall chair more of a pleasing aesthetic.
Additionally, the back support isn’t the best when it comes to the upholstery. It doesn’t allow you to sink into the chair to get that upper support. It presents a slight recline preventing me to move freely and stretch out. The lumbar system is not aggressive and I feel like it doesn’t do a whole lot. The longer I sat in the chair, the more my back began to hurt because of the lack of aggressive support.
5. Comfortable Seat Pad
Furthermore, the seat pad is important when it comes to sitting on an office chair for eight hours a day. My experience has been pretty good, although I would rather have more of a firmer seat pad. It still gets the job done. The original Zody had a cushy seat pad too, which just wasn’t for me. I would compare the Luxe seat pad with the Fern seat pad; comfortable and somewhat firm.
The seat pad itself is wide enough so nothing is digging into you when sitting. While the seat pad is wider, the arms do adjust inward to accommodate narrower framed individuals. In general, the chair is versatile, so it will fit most people nicely. The flexibility could be a bit better, like on the Leap and Amia chairs.
Since there is a lack of back support, I used the forward tilt to help the backrest mold to my entire body. I’m not one to use a forward tilt, but with the help of the pogo footrest and raising the chair, it helped me sit comfortably at my desk.
Bottom Line
Overall, the Zody series has comfortable and supportive chairs. I would recommend the Zody II if you are looking for ultimate comfort and adjustability. Don’t just take my word for it, try out one of the most comfortable office chairs.
