When we started ordering and testing kneeling chairs, it became apparent pretty quickly that most kneeling chairs have glaring weaknesses. We also found that the lowest-priced kneeling chairs tend to have the most weaknesses. That does not mean that you can’t find a low-priced product that will work for your needs, but it is important to temper your expectations with lower-end products.
Today, we are going to take a closer look at a low priced kneeling chair, the KCW773. This review will cover as much information about the KCW773 as possible. I will also go over my personal experience with the chair. In the end, I want to make it easy for you to decide if the KCW773 is a good option for you.
See all Kneeling Chairs reviews…
Full Disclaimer: We are an office furniture dealer and sell some of the products we review. To learn more about the products we sell, our review process and why you can trust us, please visit: Why we’re different. Who is BTOD.com and The Breakroom Blog?
Manufacturer
The KCW773 is a product by Office Star. Office Star is a US-based company that deals mainly with imported products from Asian countries. They have been in business since 1987. Their headquarters are in Ontario, California and they have a few warehouses across the US and Canada.
Office Star KCW773 Links
– Specs / Features / Pricing
– Colors
– Return Policy and Warranty
– Shipping and Assembly
– Build Quality
– Mobility While Seated
– Portability
– Range of Motion
– Making Adjustments
– Seat, Knee and Shin Comfort
– Ergonomics
– What I Like
– What I Don’t Like
Country of Origin
China
Specifications
Overall Dimensions: 17”W x 31”D x 25”H
Seat Size: 17”W x 12”D x 2.5”T
Seat height range (from the front of seat): 21.5”H – 24.5”H
Knee Pad Size: 17.5”W x 10”D
Weight Capacity: 200 lbs.
Chair Weight: 15 lbs.
Shipping Weight: 19 lbs.
Shipping Box Dimensions: 26” x 18” x 8”
Features
Mahogany finish wood frame
Dual wheel casters with 2 locking casters in front
Hand screw seat height/angle adjustment
Extra thick cushions with memory foam
2025 Price $131.07 + Free Shipping (Buy on Amazon)
Color Options
Black fabric with the mahogany wood finish is the only color option on the KCW773.
Return Policy
The KCW773 can be returned within the first 30 days for a refund. The chair must be returned in the original packaging and in like-new condition. The return shipping charges will be paid for by you and there may be a restocking fee, depending on the seller you make your purchase through.
Warranty
The KCW773 comes with a warranty provided by Office Star. You get 5 years of coverage on the wood frame, cylinder, and wheels. The foam and fabric on the seat and knee pads is covered for 3 years. If something becomes defective, new parts will be shipped to you. You will be responsible for any replacements or repairs that need to be made. The warranty is valid for usage of up to 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and a weight limit of 200 lbs.
Shipping
The KCW773 ships in a small box that weighs about 25 lbs. It was easy to carry into my office on my own. The chair is tightly packed, and each chair part is in its own plastic bag to help protect it from scratching. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any foam or cardboard inserts to keep the parts from hitting each other during transit.
Assembly
There will be some assembly required on the KCW773. The process is simple and straightforward. The instructions are also well done with pictures and written descriptions of each step.
All of the tools and hardware for assembly are included with the chair. There are a total of 10 screws that need to be assembled. You will also need to screw the wheels into the wood frame. Overall, it should take most people about 10-20 minutes to assemble the chair.
Build Quality
The build quality on the KCW773 is one of its biggest downsides. With a score of 35/100, it is among the lowest quality chairs that we have had in for testing.
This is to be expected from a chair that sells for less than $150. It is simply not possible to make a chair with good quality parts that sell for $150 or less. Everything on the chair is made from a low-end part.
The foam is overly thick, which is usually a sign of a lower quality product. The manufacturer is trying to make up for the lower quality foam but simply using more of it. This does not eliminate the problem with lower quality foam bottoming out or wearing more quickly.
The fabric also does not feel like it is meant to last for the long haul. It is pretty stretchy and is not durable enough to withstand any type of washing or scrubbing.
The KCW773 has height adjustment, which is nice, but it uses one of the most basic height adjustment systems available. The hand crank system is very primitive and much more time consuming than pneumatic height adjustment systems.
The casters are also low-end, so they do not offer much versatility and do not always function properly. The overall quality of craftsmanship is also lower than higher-priced products. Wood imperfections, uneven staining and exposed screw heads are all things that will be fairly common on a lower-end product like the KCW773.
Mobility While Seated
The KCW773 has 4 wheels which give the chair some mobility when you are sitting. I do not think it is the best option for seated mobility though. There are a couple of downsides with the casters.
The first is that they are lower end and limited in their use. They are small and only really meant for low pile carpet. They will struggle on medium to high pile carpet and hard floor surfaces.
The second issue is that the wheels are not positioned on the frame in a way to work at all heights. When you get to a certain height, the angle that the wheels connect to the frame will not allow them to turn. This means that you can only roll front to back when the chair is at a medium to tall heights. This is not a problem at lower heights.
Portability
The KCW773 has good portability. The casters help to make it easy to roll around your office or home. The chair is lightweight, at only 15 lbs., and is also small. If you’d rather not bend down and roll the chair, it is still easy to pick it up and carry it.
Range of Motion
There is no range of motion on the KCW773. Once you are sitting in the chair, the chair does not allow for you to get any body movement from it. The chair does not swivel so you are not able to easily turn from side to side, like a normal office chair.
There is also no rocking motion on the chair due to the frame design. Some of the highest quality kneeling chairs allow you to rock back and forth, which really helps to increase movement and add to the comfort of the chair.
The final thing missing is any flexibility in the chair frame, which allows you to easily wiggle, fidget or stay active. High-end chairs, like the Variable Balans, have wood frames with excellent flexibility. The KCW773 really keeps you locked in one position the entire time.
Adjusting the KCW773
There is only one adjustment on the KCW773. There is a hand screw on the cylinder under the seat that allows you to raise or lower the seat. When you raise the seat, it not only increases the height, but it also increases the pitch of the seat. The higher the seat is raised, the steeper the angle is. At the lowest height, the seat is almost flat.
The KCW773 has a large height adjustment range. This gives you a wide variety of sitting postures. My one complaint with the seat height adjustment is that the hand screw system is very time-consuming. It took me 60 or more turns of the hand screw to go from the lowest height to the tallest.
Seat Comfort
The KCW773 scored a 60/100 for seat comfort, which is the 3rd highest seat comfort score we have given to a kneeling chair. The seat is fairly large for a kneeling chair, but still quite a bit smaller than the seats you might find on standard office chairs.
The seat features a c shape with thick memory foam. The foam on the KCW773 is among the thickest we have seen on a kneeling chair and it is also one of the few kneeling chairs we have seen with memory foam.
While the memory foam was comfortable initially, it did not maintain that comfort for me. The thick memory foam started to bottom out fairly quickly. After about 30-60 minutes, it started to feel like I was bottoming out on the seat. When in the lowest position, this feeling was much more pronounced. At taller heights, it seemed to take longer to bottom out.
Knee/Shin Comfort
The KCW773 received a pretty low score for knee/shin comfort, with a 60/100. This actually ended up being a top 4 score out of all the kneeling chairs we have reviewed.
The knee pads have the same thick memory foam as the seat. The pad is a bit smaller than the seat but there is plenty of room for your legs to be comfortable.
The thick memory foam was a great feeling at first, but I was not a fan of it after about 30 minutes. The main problem with the foam is that it is too thick, and the quality is low-end. This means that the foam begins to compress very quickly, and it doesn’t take too long to bottom. Once you bottom out, your legs become wrapped in the foam, which made my legs really warm and uncomfortable.
The height and angle of the seat will be a big determining factor in how long it takes to bottom out in the knee pads. The higher the seat is, the steeper the angle and the more of your weight is placed on the pads. The higher the seat, the faster my legs bottomed out in the chair.
Ergonomics
The purpose of a kneeling chair, in terms of ergonomics, is to allow your hips to be at an open angle. This can relieve pressure on your lower back and thighs compared to standard office chairs.
The original thought process behind kneeling chairs was to not only open your leg angle but to also incorporate movement into your normal sitting posture. This is why the original kneeling chair was designed with a flexible, rocking frame. It allowed you to rock back and forth but also move freely because the frame can bend and flex.
The KCW773 accomplishes the first part of the goal nicely but fails at the second. The chair design and height adjustment range allows you to use the chair in a bunch of different open leg positions, but the rigid frame allows for no movement in the chair.
What Do I Like?
Hand crank seat height adjustment
The hand crank seat height adjustment system is basic, but it is still nice to have. Not all kneeling chairs have seat height adjustment. I like that you can adjust the chair to fit your desk and I also like the various seat angles the chair offers.
Good portability
The KCW773 is really portable. This makes it a nice option to consider if you need something for shared work areas or something that can easily be tucked away into storage.
Thick, memory foam padding
There are not many memory foam options available on kneeling chairs. If you are a big fan of memory foam, then the KCW773 may be worth considering.
What Don’t I Like?
Low-end build quality
This is one of the lowest end chairs we have reviewed. It is important to have realistic expectations on things like comfort, longevity and aesthetics on a chair that is sold for such a low price point.
Knee/shin padding may not be comfortable
While some people will be drawn to the memory foam, I was not a fan of it on the knee pads. The thick foam bottomed out quickly and made my legs too warm to be comfortable.
No range of motion
The frame design does not allow for any movement or flexibility. This is probably the thing that I dislike the most about the chair. You really feel locked in while sitting in the chair and I felt the need to get completely out of the chair more often than my normal office chair.
200 lbs. weight limit
The KCW773 can only hold people that weigh up to 200 lbs. This is 50 pounds less than the standard weight capacity found on normal office chairs. This not only limits the number of people that can use the chair but it is another sign of the low-quality components used to make the chair.
Not comfortable for long hours
Because of the overly thick seat and knee pads, along with the rigid frame, I do not think it is a good option for people that want a kneeling chair that they can use for long hours at a time. This chair is best suited for 30-60 minutes at a time.
Bottom Line
This is a kneeling chair that will work for very specific people. If you are looking for a low priced kneeling chair made of wood, then this might be a nice option. This chair may also be appealing to people looking for a kneeling chair with thick memory foam since there are so few options available.
Overall, I do not think the KCW773 is a good kneeling chair for most people. It will not work for people under 200 lbs. It offers no range of motion and the knee pads were uncomfortable after about 30 minutes of use. The KCW773 also has a really low-end build quality so it is not a chair that you should expect to last for years to come.
At the end of the day, you are going to get what you pay for with kneeling chairs. If you are looking for something with a low price point and you have reasonable expectations on the comfort and longevity of the KCW773, then it could be a nice option.
