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Boulies OP300 office chair review
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Boulies EP200: 30-second review
If I asked you to draw a picture of an office chair, I strongly suspect you’d show me something that looked a lot like the Boulies OP300.
To me, it’s professional seating well-suited for professional spaces. Now, I’m a big fan of the company’s EP200 office chair (you can read my review here). One of my main issues with it, though, is the limited availability outside the UK. Thankfully, that’s not an issue with the OP300 office chair, which is readily available in both the UK and the US.
With that in mind, I was keen to try out the OP300 – formerly, and briefly, known as the EP300. For what it’s worth, the EP series are for those using an office chair for around six hours a day, while the OP range are aimed at professional settings, gaming, and those using the chair for over eight hours a day. I’m not sure I fully agree with this division. I use the EP200 for at least eight hours a day without fatigue or discomfort. But maybe that’s besides the point.
It’s a smart, all-black ergonomic seat that looks professional and feels comfortable, with plenty of adjustments to find the sweet spot. I spent the last two months trying it out to see how it compares to the best office chairs around.
Boulies OP300: Price & availability
The Boulies OP300 is priced at $370 / £290 – although at the time of review, it’s on sale for $300 / £260 via the Boulies website in the US (click here) and the UK (click here). I’m also seeing it on Amazon.co.uk, under its original name, for the same cost.
I’d suggest the price is about right for what you get here, putting it roughly on par with the likes of the FlexiSpot OC3 and Branch Task Chair as a mid-range professional seating option.
Boulies OP300: Specs
Price (RRP) | $370 / £290 |
Seat height | 19.5 – 23in / 49.5 – 58.5cm |
Seat depth | 18.1 – 20.3in / 46 – 51.5cm |
Seat width | 20.7in / 52.5cm |
Backrest height | 20 – 21.6in / 51 – 55cm |
Recommended user height | 5’5” – 6’3” |
Max weight load | 120kg / 265lbs |
Material | Back: Mesh / Padded mesh Seat: Padded foam |
Warranty | 2 years |
Boulies OP300: Design
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There’s something distinctly functional about the design of the OP300 – and that’s no bad thing. It’s a traditional office chair design that will suit every office environment. One look and you can imagine it parked under a hundred desks in an open-plan office just as easily as in the home office.
The chair itself is available with either a mesh or padded mesh backrest (reviewed here) and a cushioned foam seat. Whichever you choose, this is an office chair Henry Ford would understand – like the Model T, you can choose any color you want, “so long as it is black.” And, again, I don’t consider that a drawback for the types of settings this chair is designed for. In fact, I’d argue that this uniformity is exactly what you’d want in the workplace.
The backrest width isn’t quite as wide as the EP200 (approximately 20in vs 19in), but wide enough – and more importantly, supportive enough – to comfortably fit most body types. As is the seat itself, for that matter, which I think it a nice touch. Around the back is a sturdy Y-shape support where backrest height adjustments can be made and that, again, to my eye, looks functional rather than unnecessarily over-designed.
In use, the casters rolled nicely across both wooden flooring and textured carpeting, and while sitting, it didn’t creak or feel unstable. While the plastic is thin in places (notably on that Y-support), it doesn’t feel cheap or prone to break under use.
Boulies OP300: Assembly
Firstly, it’s worth noting that when disassembled in the box, it’s heavy – I’d strongly recommend having two people carry this to its destination. How my delivery guy managed alone to get this from his van to my door is a testament to his strength and sheer tyranny of will. Once in position, it’s an easy one-person job.
I had no issues putting this chair together, taking me around fifteen to twenty minutes to complete the entire procedure. Instructions were clear to follow. Even if you haven’t assembled an office chair before, it all makes sense and is pretty intuitive anyway.
Boulies OP300: Comfort & adjustability
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I have no problems with the amount of comfort delivered here – like the EP200, the broad seat itself feels at once firm and supportive, even with its foamy cushioning.
Now, that may be a deal-breaker for some who prefer to sink into an office chair like it’s a well-loved couch, but I rather prefer this, and it kept me productive (and less sluggish) throughout my use. Although, saying that, the backrest, which reclines between 85 and 113 degrees, felt soft and breathable, and I found it all too easy to snuggle into it.
Having a lot of adjustability is, I feel, critical for any ergonomic chair worth its salt. So, I was pleased to find loads of options to tweak the seat and find that comfortable sweet spot.
First, you can modify the seat depth to make sure you’re firmly ensconced with your back against the rest. The armrests move in three directions – up, down, back and forth, and swivel in and out to suit your seating style. And the headrest can be lightly angled and adjusted up or down. So, those are the basic boxes all ticked.
Beneath the seat to the right (as you’re sitting in it) are three levers to alter the chair’s height and angle, and to lock the recline into place. On the left is the lever for adjusting seat depth. These are all operated by flipping the levers up or down, which I really liked. There’s no need to fiddle here, no pushing and pulling and flipping up or swivelling around three times and performing an awkward rain-dance to get the chair into your chosen position. It’s just simple and effective.
In fact, the only area where the chair isn’t adjustable is the lumbar support. It’s fixed into position. I would’ve liked to see more flexibility here, but I can’t say it’s especially noticeable in use.
Given the backrest can be adjusted between five levels depending on your height, and is already contoured, at no point did I find fatigue setting in or that my lower back wasn’t adequately supported while sitting down during the working day.
Boulies OP300: Final verdict
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One of the reasons I like Boulies office chairs is that they’re generally good all-rounders – and the OP300 is no exception. I’ve used this seat for working, gaming, chilling out, and, when family were over, even eating dinner at my downstairs desk.
With its classic silhouette and all-black materials, the design isn’t especially flashy – quite the opposite, in fact. But to my mind, that makes it ideal, where it won’t dominate the office or home office landscape.
At all times, the OP300 felt comfortable and supportive, which are really the two criteria any good office chair should meet.
Should I buy the Boulies OP300 office chair?
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