Metro Mid-Back Office Chair

The Metro Midback sets itself to your weight as you sit and holds your lower back where it curves. A physiotherapist shaped the support and the South African Society of Physiotherapy stands behind it, so the back you lean on has been judged by the people who treat backs for a living. The tension finds you on its own, which leaves you free to forget the chair and get on with the day.

• The lumbar support pad raises and lowers to sit in the curve of your own back, set behind a mesh panel that lets the heat out across a long day
• The synchro mechanism sets its tension to your weight on its own and the recline locks where you stop, so the chair pushes back as hard as you do without a dial to find
• The moulded foam seat slides to your leg length and the gas lifts it through 42 to 55cm, so your feet sit flat and your knees clear the edge whatever your height
• The armrests raise and lower through a 28 to 37cm range to bring your elbows up to the desk, so your shoulders carry less of the load through the day
• A five-star base on twin-wheel castors carries up to 140kg, steady under a larger frame and clean across the floor.

Should I get the Midback or the Highback?

The build is the same through the seat, the mechanism and the lumbar system, so the choice comes down to how far up your back you want support. The Highback adds an adjustable headrest for your neck when you lean back to read or take a call. The Midback carries you to the shoulder blades, which is the zone that does the work through a keyboard day, and keeps the price where you want it.

Will it hold a larger frame?

It carries up to 140kg on a five-star base. 

Will it fit a taller sitter?

The seat lifts through 42 to 55cm and the chair stands 92 to 103cm overall, so a taller frame gets height under the seat and the back reaching up to below the shoulder blades. The lumbar then raises to meet your own curve rather than holding a fixed spot, so the support finds you wherever your back actually bends.

What does auto tension mean, and do I lose control?

It means the recline sets its resistance to your weight on its own, so you skip the dial most chairs ask you to find. You keep the part that matters, the recline still locks where you want it, the chair just takes the guesswork out of how hard it should push back.

Does it arrive ready to use?

It arrives fully assembled, so the box opens to a chair you sit in rather than a flatpack waiting for an afternoon and an Allen key. Unwrap, set your height, and you're working.