The Move™ by Varier has a simplistic design that provides good functionality and has been a popular choice for active chair users. The Move™ has some unique design features, like the rounded wood base with flat section and saddle shaped seat. While these features are attractive for some, they may not be the best fit for everyone. In this review, I will cover everything you need to know about the Varier Move™. I will go over the upsides of the chair as well as the possible downsides. By the end, I want you to be able to decide for yourself if the Move™ will be a good fit for your needs.
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Manufacturer
The Move™ was designed by Per Øie and launched in 1985. The Move™ is a current product of Varier Furniture AS. Varier is based in Oslo, Norway and has distribution in countries all over the world. The Move™ has roots in another Norwegian company, Stokke AS. Stokke is famous for their children’s furniture, specifically the Tripp Trapp high chair. Varier is now a separate entity dedicated to ergonomic seating. Varier focuses on seating products that keep you active and moving. Many of their designs are unique and patent protected.
Varier Move™ Links
– Specs / Features / Pricing
– Colors
– Return Policy and Warranty
– Shipping and Assembly
– Build Quality
– Portability
– Seat Comfort
– Range of Motion
– Making Adjustments
– Ergonomics
– What I Like
– What I Don’t Like
Country of Origin
Made in Poland
Specifications
Seat Size: 15”x15”x15”
Seat Height Range: 19.25”-26.75”, 22”-32.25”, 25.50”-34.25”
Base Dimensions: 15.5” Diameter
Weight Capacity: 250 lbs.
Chair Weight: 13 lbs.
Shipping Weight: 15 lbs.
Shipping Box Dimensions: 17” x 16” x 9”
Features
Increases movement while sitting
Pneumatic seat height adjustment
3 different cylinder height options
Slightly rounded wood base
Padded seat with triangle saddle shape
360° swivel seat
Rubber stopper under seat to hang on desk
NEAT™ Certified
Optional rubber sole for slippery surfaces
2025 Price – $399.00 (Buy on Amazon)
Color Options
The Move™ offers one of the widest color selections available on a standing chair. The wood base is available in natural ash, black ash, grey or white. The cylinder is available in black, grey or white. There are 17 seat fabric colors available. Eight of the choices are available in a fabric family called Revive. Revive is made from 100% recycled polyester. There are also eight color choices in the Fame fabric line. Fame is made from 95% wool. The color black leather is also available All of the upholstery options are good quality and built to last.
Return Policy
Varier offers full refunds for 14 days on chairs they ship. Varier will send you a box with a return label so you do not need to hold on to the original packaging. This policy applies to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
For countries not listed above, like the US, the return policy will depend on the particular dealer that you make your purchase from. Return policies vary from dealer to dealer so you may want to reach out to a few if the return policy is important to you.
Warranty
The Move™ includes a seven year warranty on the wooden components and a five year warranty on the mechanism and cylinder. The seat foam and fabric are not covered under warranty. While this is disappointing, my concerns are tempered a bit because the upholsteries used are good quality. One thing to keep in mind is that your warranty is only valid if you register your chair on Varier’s website.
Shipping
The Move™ has two different shipping times, depending on what options are selected. A few of the most popular combinations are available to ship within a couple days of placing your order. The remaining combinations take about four weeks to ship. The Move™ ships via ground carrier and will arrive within a few days of shipping. The chair arrives in a small box that weighs 15 lbs. It is very easy to carry.. The chair is well packaged with all of the parts individually protected.
Installation
The Move™ requires assembly but it is very minimal and you don’t need any tools. The chair arrives in three separate pieces. You just need to place the cylinder into the base and then put the seat on top of the cylinder. The total assembly time will take most people a couple of minutes.
Build Quality
The Move™ is a standing stool that is designed in Norway and made in Poland. It features a saddle shaped seat design with a rounded base. The wooden base and seat pan are made of beech plywood. The base also features an ash veneer top. It is then coated with a water-based lacquer for a durable and non-toxic finish. The cylinder is made by Stabilus GmbH, who has a track record for providing good quality products. The seat cushion is made from combustion modified high resilient (CMHR) polyurethane foam. This means that is has fire retardant properties. The upholstery comes in a few different textile options, including wool, polyester or leather. The upholsteries are sourced in Europe and are high quality. Overall, the Move™ is a higher-end standing chair with premium components throughout the unit.
Portability
The Move™ stool has good portability. It weighs less than 15 lbs. and has a slim profile so it is easy to carry. It does not have a handle but it is still easy to carry with one hand. Because it is so small, it can be stored in tight spaces when not being used. Varier advertises that the underside of the seat has a rubber stopper which can be used to hang the chair on your desk to make it easier to clean the floor. I could not get the Move™ to hang from a desk by using the stopper.
Seat Comfort
The seat on the Move™ is moderately padded and features a pronounced saddle shape. The seat is triangular so it has three points that stick up a few inches from the flat part of the seat. The upholstery is durable and feels like it is good quality but it is not as soft as other chairs that use ultrasuede or microfiber. I found the seat to be comfortable for periods of two hours or less. If I sat for longer than that, I would start to get uncomfortable. The main reason for this is because of the lack of padding and very specific seating position. The padding felt like I was bottoming out after a while so I would start to feel numbness or discomfort. The very specific saddle shaped seat does not adjust so you are locked into the same sitting position, which can make it tough to use for long periods.
Range of Motion
The motion on the Move™ chair is produced by a base with a rounded bottom. The rounded bottom makes the chair wobble in any direction you’d like. The wobble on the Move™ is a bit different than typical wobble chairs, like the Focal Pivot, because there is a flat section on the bottom of the base. This takes away from the range because you have to rock the chair a certain distance to get it over the edge of the flat part of the base. The upside to the flat section on the bottom of the base is that the Move™ can be used more like a standard stool, in the fully upright position, without you having to balance it there.
Adjusting the Move™
There is only one adjustment on the Move™, seat height adjustment. The seat height adjustment is powered by a pneumatic cylinder that is controlled with a lever underneath the seat. When you hold the lever down, the cylinder will be unlocked and it will push the seat up. To lower the seat, you’ll need to use your weight to push it down while you are holding the lever. The seat height adjustment is smooth, with no awkward sticking points or noises. There are three different cylinder heights to choose from. This provides a wide range of heights which gives you the ability to use the Move™ in different applications. The Move™ is one of the few standing chairs that can be used at normal desk height, with the short cylinder option.
Ergonomics
Like most standing chairs on the market, the Move™ has a different set of ergonomic principles than a standard ergonomic chair that is meant to be used for 8-12 hours per day. There are no arms or backrest. You will not have a lumbar support system. The idea behind the Move™ is to keep you active while working. By continually moving, you are engaging muscles and therefore burning energy. The goal is to strengthen your core muscles, increase circulation and reduce tension in the head neck and shoulders.
One thing that helps to set the Move™ apart from some other chairs is that it is NEAT™ Certified. NEAT™ stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. It is a certification from the Mayo Clinic. The certification is given to products that increase energy used above a standard baseline.
Stability
Wobble chairs will naturally have less stability compared to standing chairs with fixed bases but the Move™ feels more stable than the other wobble chairs I have tested. The base on the Move™ is wider than the seat and the majority of the weight of the chair comes from the base. This provides a nice anchor point for the chair and you never feel like the seat is top heavy. The flat section of the base also helps to add to the stability because you can use the chair without having to hold it. The Move™ may not be as stable as chairs like the VARIchair by VARIDESK or Muvman by aeris GmbH but it is still stable. I never felt off balance or in fear of falling.
For people that will be using the Move™ on a hard or slippery surface, I would highly recommend getting the rubber sole for the base. It will provide a more stable sitting experience and will help to prevent the base from slipping.
What Do I Like?
Good build quality
The Move™ is made from high-quality components throughout the chair. From the beechwood to the cylinder to the seat foam and upholstery, the Move™ is a good quality product.
Good portability
The Move™’s has a good build quality and it is also backed by a solid warranty, providing you with a guarantee that you will have a Move™ in good condition for numerous years.
Good portability
The Move™’s compact design and light weight make it easy to move from location to location. This is a nice option for people that are constantly moving from one area of the office to another for different projects. You can just pick up your Move™ and bring it with you. The Move™ is also nice for collaborative work areas where the layout space is constantly changing.
Huge seat height range
The Move™ offers a massive height adjustment range because there are three different cylinder options to choose from. The short cylinder option allows you to use the chair with a standard height desk, which is not an option I have seen very often on standing chairs. The short cylinder is also nice for children or little people. The tall cylinder adjusts as high 34”, which makes it one of the tallest standing chairs available. This large range in seat height choices means that the Move™ can be used by almost anyone of any height.
What Don’t I Like?
Saddle seat is not good fit for everyone
The saddle shape on the Move™ is quite pronounced. Some saddle seats have downward sloping edges, like the Back App 2.0. Others have upward sloping edges, like the Move™. While some people prefer this type of saddle seat, many will not. It can be a bit intrusive and does not give you a lot of room to maneuver on the seat. The seat is also small, especially when compared to a standard office chair. Larger people will not be able to use the Move™ comfortably.
Not comfortable for full upright leaning
I did not find the Move™ to be comfortable for full upright leaning. The first reason is that you need to tilt the chair forward so much that the surface area of the seat that you can sit on becomes small. You have to sit on one of the three points and cannot sit back into the large part of the seat. The point is not comfortable to sit on top of. I found it much more comfortable to lower the seat slightly so that I could sit on top of it fully instead of on a point.
Not a good option for prolonged hours
The Move™ is not a chair that I would recommend as a replacement for a chair that you plan to use for prolonged periods of time. The lack of a backrest, lumbar support and arms can make it hard to maintain a good posture over a several hour period. The main reason why I do not like the Move™ for long hours in the seat. It was not comfortable enough for me to use for more than an hour or two at a time.
There is an adjustment period
If you have never used a standing chair and are making the transition from a normal office chair, there will be an adjustment period while your body adjusts to the new sitting posture. You may experience soreness, discomfort, fatigue, etc. I would recommend slowly transitioning to your standing chair instead of switching fully in one day.
Poor sitting mobility
The Move™ suffers from the same problem most standing chairs suffer from, poor sitting mobility. The base design does not make it easy to move the chair around while you are sitting. You will need to get up off the stool to move it, which can be annoying when trying to find that perfect typing position.
Bottom Line
The Move™ is a high-quality product but it does have its downsides. The saddle-shaped seat is a feature that separates the Move™ from a lot of other standing chairs but it is also its biggest detriment. The seat is not conducive for larger people and it is not a comfortable option for people to use as a full upright leaning chair with their standing desk. I also do not think this is a good substitute for people that sit for five or more hours per day.
While the Move™ has its downsides, it does have a lot going for it. All of the components are good quality and everything except the seat is covered for five or more years. The large seat height adjustment range makes it suitable for people of almost all heights. I think the Move™ is best suited for people that sit for around four hours a day or less and are continually changing between sitting, standing and perching. I also think the Move™ excels in areas where the seating arrangements are constantly changing and being used by different people throughout the day. I hope this review has helped you to narrow down your standing stool search.
