Autonomous ErgoChair Core Review: You get what you pay for

With so many chairs on the market, from gaming chairs to office chairs, it can be difficult to decide which is the best fit for those long days spent propped up at your workspace. With so many features to consider, it's fair to say that picking a chair is no easy feat. Even within our own list of best gaming chairs, you’ll find a wide range of options to choose from.

If you're looking for an entry-level, cost-effective office chair to get through those long hours of work and play, the Autonomous ErgoChair Core aims to provide a comfortable solution. Originally released as the MyoChair in 2020, the ErgoChair Core has seen some impressive revisions over the years — with its latest iteration providing some solid features that work to improve overall comfort for long days of sitting.

Priced at $349, the Autonomous ErgoChair Core offers solid back and lumbar support, is lightweight, and has a decent, if slightly limited, range of adjustable components. While there is a lot to appreciate about Autonomous’s entry-level office chair in terms of comfort and structure, the limited adjustment ranges in the lumbar and headrest and the mesh bottom seat might be points of long-term discomfort for some.

Assembly

Assembling the ErgoChair Core was fairly straightforward. It arrived in a single, reinforced packaging box and was quite well wrapped and secured. Once unpacked, there were seven major components (not including individual wheels). Assembly was very easy, with one caveat that I will circle back to.

The instructions were clear, easy to follow, and the whole assembly took about 30 minutes. While the ErgoChair Core comes with a single Allan key for assembly, the screws and bolts are durable enough that you could use a power driver and bit, which I tested during assembly. There are a few spare bolts included in the packaging, as well.

Each piece fit together perfectly, which made threading screws and bolts a quick and simple affair — it was easy to assemble alone. I had the entire chair assembled, aside from the headrest, in about 20 minutes using a power driver. If you assemble it by hand, it will probably take closer to 40 minutes to complete.

While every other bolt and screw hole was easy to see and thread into, the headrest screw holes were tucked up under the backrest, which made it much more difficult to align. Simply put, there's no easy way to see what you are doing. Additionally, the screw holes are inset, which forces you to fumble around blindly — even using the Allan key with its longer extension, it took me around 10 minutes to fish around and find the final two screws.

This seemed like an odd choice considering how easy the rest of the chair was to assemble. Even the way the headrest was mounted to the backrest seemed at odds with the rest of the design — while every other piece slid seamlessly together, the positioning of the inset holes for the bolts was slightly out of alignment here.

Headrest aside, the ErgoChair Core was quite easy to assemble. All framing components feel sturdy and are constructed of rigid plastic, providing sturdy construction while keeping the overall weight of the chair down to 42 pounds (19.09kg).

Specs

Design and Construction

The ErgoChair Core chair provides a slim and compact form factor while still managing to feel sturdy when sat on. The ErgoChair Core is a good-looking piece of furniture, and is firmly planted in the "office chair" side when it comes to style. The mesh design with Polyurethane(PU) Leather accents works well to elevate the overall look of the chair, helping it feel more premium than the price point would suggest.

Fully assembled, the chair measures 50.80 inches (129.03cm) high, with a seat width of 20.5 inches (52.07cm). At its base, the ErgoChair Core measures 27.50 inches (69.85cm), providing a suitable seat-to-base ratio while still maintaining its slimmer form factor. For clarification, the suitability of the seat-to-base ratio is determined by whether the chair will fall forward if you apply your sitting weight to the front-most part of the seat. The ErgoChair Core handled this test well — never falling forward.

This chair is also quite light compared to other gaming chairs, which is a welcome change. While I appreciate the larger, more robust structure of many gaming chairs, the ErgoChair Core is much easier to navigate around an office and sits well in tighter spaces. This is especially appreciated in my office, as I'm often moving chairs between the two floors without an elevator.

The wheels are composed of dense plastic and each feels sturdy and durable, gliding exceptionally well on both hardwood and carpet floors. Composed of dense plastic, each wheel feels sturdy and durable. Due to its more compact and lightweight design, the ErgoChair Core is easy to move around the space and, if needed, to pick up and carry. This makes it ideal for cubical work spaces or more compact desk setups.

The mesh back and seat seem fairly easy to clean, though the real winner in that department is the PU leather pads. Located in the headrest, front part of the seat and armrests, the PU leather can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth, leaving no marks behind. The grey PU leather (also available in black) hasn’t had any issues with oil residue that would be left behind from hair products, either, which is nice for those who like to make use of such products.

The three seat controls located on the underside of the seat are positioned well, making it quite easy to reach without needing to lean over the side of the chair. They extend just far enough so as not to be hard to reach without extruding past the seat width, a smart design choice that further emphasizes the ErgoChair Core’s compact form factor. A key reason it's so easy to reach the controls is due to the armrest placement and slide capabilities. This allows for easy access to the underside of the chair, as you can essentially slide the armrests out of the way.

I do want to note that while this chair works well for my height and frame, I’m concerned for those over 6 feet or those who have a longer torso. There are a few design elements that, while working well for someone my size, won’t work well for taller and heavier-framed people. This might not be a great chair if you fall into one or both of those categories. The source of my concern is threefold.

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The first issue is that while the lumber is quite comfortable, the height cannot be adjusted. It's locked into place. For those with a longer torso or even those who like the lumbar support a bit higher, there will be no way to accommodate that. As such, the positioning of the lumbar pad could be positioned poorly for your height.

The second issue is that while the headrest does tilt, there is no height adjustment functionality. At 5 feet 9 inches, this isn’t an issue for me. However, my colleague, who is 6 feet 1 inches, found the headrest to be oddly positioned for his head, even with the tilt fully extended. He was left with the headrest being too low for comfort, thus negating the purpose of the headrest.

Finally, with a maximum weight rating of 242.50 pounds (110kg), the ErgoChair Core won’t be able to accommodate heavier body frames. This is quite low, and most gaming chairs — even smaller ones, such as the Herman Miller x Logitech G Vantum, are rated for heavier (the Vantum is rated for 350lbs / 158.8kg). If, however, your height and frame fit within the aforementioned range, the ErgoChair Core does provide some great comfort.

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Comfort and Adjustments

For long periods of sitting, I appreciated the ErgoChair Core's breathable back, which is surprisingly comfortable despite lacking traditional padding. The lumber pad is, for my frame, perfectly positioned and provides ample support for my lower back while having enough give that my upper back rests comfortably against the back of the chair. I am pleasantly surprised at just how comfortable the mesh back is, as this isn’t always the case with this style of chair.

The headrest is also perfectly positioned to support my head thanks to the built-in, selectable tilt feature. The PU leather padding is firm with just enough give that it doesn’t feel stiff against the back of my head. The armrest, likewise, provides enough positioning options with three points of adjustment, that it's easy to accommodate people around my size.

The seat, on the other hand, isn’t quite as comfortable as the rest of the chair. A common issue I find with mesh seats is that they often apply extra pressure to your legs near the front edge of the seat. This is most notable where your leg extends past the seat, before it bends at the knee.

It is worth noting that while I do sometimes sit with my legs extended out in front of me with my feet crossed, oftentimes I will sit on a chair with one leg under me. As a result, mesh seats, especially narrower ones, tend not to be the ideal seat for my sitting style. When sitting with both feet on the floor, though, I still find that with time, the pressure mentioned earlier does start to cause discomfort.

Autonomous has attempted to address the pressure issue by adding PU Leather padding to the problem area, and it is admittedly more comfortable than most mesh-bottom chairs I’ve tested. However, the core issue still exists. While I find I can sit and work longer in the ErgoChair Core than I would in most mesh-bottom chairs, after a few hours of continual use, I do need to get up and take a break.

With this noted, I do like many of the features included in Autonomous’s entry-level office chair. I especially appreciate the recline functionality. The act of reclining is smooth and effortless, requiring little applied force to activate. It also includes a multi-position tilt lock, allowing the user to dial the position into their preferred reclining position.

While the headrest lacks height adjustment, it has a fairly large tilt range. I find it quite well-padded and comfortable to use. The armrests, likewise, offer a good range of adjustment. As a three-adjustment system, I can comfortably position the height, tilt and slide, allowing for perfect positioning for my desk setup. While there is no hard lock for the tilt and slide, both provide incremental step adjustments which, once set, haven’t slipped out of place.

Overall, I appreciate what Autonomous has created in the ErgoChair Core. For everyday use, where I am up and down multiple times throughout the day, the ErgoChair Core is comfortable enough. The recline and headrest are perfectly positioned for my needs, and the compact, lightweight form factor works well in my small space.

Bottom Line

The ErgoChair Core is a decent entry-level office and gaming chair that provides a few above-average features for its price point. But these features are hampered by the mesh bottom seat that, while functional, can become uncomfortable after long periods of sitting. In addition, the locked lumbar will be problematic for taller people, while its 242.5lb / 110kg maximum weight further restricts its user base. For people who need a larger chair, I’d suggest something like the Cooler Master Hyprid 1, which is much better suited for all-day comfort.

The price point of $349.00 / £117.91 feels a bit steep, especially considering some of the issues. While it could be argued that some features, such as the solid build and design that works well in smaller spaces, justify the price point to some degree — as these are usually seen in more premium office chairs, such as the Herman Miller x Logitech G Vantum and the Steelcase Karman, the concerns stand.