Hinomi X1 ergonomic chair review: is it too feature-filled for its own good?

I'll be honest - I didn't really like the Hinomi X1 ergonomic chair the first time I sat on it. I wasn't won over by the style, so when I wasn't able to get it to fit my needs immediately, I admit I got a little frustrated. Having sorted out those niggles, and after several months of using it as my primary office chair, I've warmed to it a great deal. But it's still not perfect. 

The question is, is it perfect for you and your specific needs? Reviewing a chair can be very subjective, but I've tried my best to give an honest review of this capable chair with as many users in mind as possible. Retailing at $999, but available for $699 from the Hinomi website, the X1 should deliver in all the right categories you'd expect to make it one of the best office chairs for back pain. But does it? Let's get into it...  

Hinomi X1 review: Assembly

I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of assembling the Hinomi X1 chair. Perhaps because of its aesthetic similarity to some Sihoo chairs, I was expecting similar labour-intensive construction. But as you can see from the image above, it was straightforward with few pieces to put together and even came with a nice stand-alone single piece of card that covers all stages of assembly. 

There were five pieces altogether, including the headrest, so it took me about 10 minutes from getting everything out of the box to having a chair ready to sit on in front of me. One word of warning: the chair as a whole is pretty heavy, weighing in at 33kg. So I would advise that you construct the chair in the room where it will be used, and not in another room / on another floor (and that one is a hard-earned lesson!)

Hinomi X1 review: Comfort, build, price

First the comfort: I found the Hinomi X1 to be very comfortable, on the whole. The mesh seat is taut and gives enough bounce and give, not to mention is curved in such a way, that you can place your behind to the back of it and feel very snug indeed. The fact the seat adjusts forwards and backwards - right up against the lower back - will make the X1 a very comfortable sit for a range of users.

The back, with its butterfly design for lower lumbar and upper back support, allows a nice cradling that's enjoyably comfortable. This butterfly design – positioning two back plates together – can be hit and miss, as I've reviewed chairs that do this but where you can catch or pinch your back in the gap! Thankfully, this is not the case with the X1. Actually, I think the lower lumbar plates, made out of rubber as opposed to the mesh of the upper back, are slightly softer (though to be honest, there's not much in it). 

The headrest offers good support, but then there's the armrests. I found their lowest position to be far too high for me. For context, I am 5'10 with what I would consider an average arm span (as much as I can discern from rock climbing with people with a range of body types over the years). When you're sat at a desk, sitting on an ergonomic chair, you'll want your elbows to naturally rest on the chair arms, so that your arms make a 90-degree angle, with your forearms projecting forward and naturally resting on the desk. With these armrests, at their lowest setting, my arms were bunched up and pushed out instead of to the side of my torso. It didn't take long for this to be uncomfortable, so I ended up basically not using the rests when typing and instead resting my wrists on the desk. 

Now the build. All elements (even those damn armrests) are made of quality materials - from shiny aluminium to mesh to reinforced plastic and firm foam and rubber. I'm not exactly convinced of the look of the lower lumbar support rubber. I don't know why, but after reviewing several real leather chairs, and quality mesh and plastic chairs, the look and feel of rubber on the lumbar support seems odd. I must stress, it is comfortable, and so far there have been no problems as far as unwanted movement – I guess it's just the aesthetic of it that I don't like. 

Price-wise, office chairs often can be bought for a chunk less than the touted retail price. In the case of the X1, you don't have to go much further than the Hinomi website to find the current best 'deal' – down from $999 to $699. That price has been that low for a few months at the time of writing, but I can't guarantee that it will always be that price. To work with those two price points – at the full $999, I think the Hinomi X1 is not good value for money. You can currently get one of my favourite, high-end ergo chairs, X-Chair's X4 Executive for around that price in a sale. 

However, at $699, I think the X1 is much better value for money. And if you like the look of it, and can fit your arms around the highly positioned armrests, then $700 is a decent price to pay. 

Hinomi X1 review: Design and features

You may have guessed it already, but I'm not a fan of the X1's look. But who cares what I think about its look? Aesthetics are incredibly subjective, and if your initial reaction is positive, then that's all that counts...

However, my main aesthetic issue may also be an issue of function. The thing is, I'm not convinced about the butterfly back. To my eyes, it's horrible to look at, and I fear it may just be an over-engineered design splash that doesn't translate into superior comfort or support compared to a traditional one-piece of mesh or leather (faux or real). 

Pointless design masquerading as functional innovation really, really annoys me. And though I'm perfectly willing to accept that the butterfly back may have proven benefits to comfort and support, from three months of using this chair, I can honestly not report a discernable difference compared to my previous, one-piece backed chair (also a high/mid-end ergonomic chair). 

Am I splitting hairs? Perhaps. But especially if you're shelling out the best part of $1000, I'd want your expectations to be positioned realistically. 

The features are where the Hinomi X1 shine. After my initial impatience with the chair not feeling right straight out of the box, I spent some time getting to know all the adjustments and came to find a very comfortable, supportive setting that I thoroughly enjoyed over several months. 

I liked that the back has two different adjustments to make. One of the main upper back plates (up and down), and then you can tweak the actual lumbar support further, moving it up and down, and slightly moving the point of tension of the support. That's pretty cool, and not something that I've come across before. 

The headrest moves up and down and also on a swivel, and I found that to be fine. However, two options perplexed me. I've already mentioned the armrests being far too high for me. But what also shocked me was the seat height adjustment. The chair simply didn't go high enough! 

Luckily, the very highest the chair went was good enough for me, but it made me think that perhaps there was a major miscalculation in the chair's adjustment settings. In fact, after looking further into my order, I realised that the chair comes in several size settings, which only refer to the height parameters. Standard allows movement from 43-50cm. Extra-high allows movement from 50-59cm. 

Now, why Hinomi haven't just offered a chair that can move from 43-59cm, I don't know. There must be a pretty good reason. But if potential buyers are not aware of these height options, you may easily buy a chair that doesn't get you all the way to your desk! 

The last word on features is the tucked-away leg rests. I didn't get on with them. I don't ever wish to lay down on my office chair, but again, if you do, you may really like this feature. However, I do like to tuck my ankles and lower legs under my chair from time to time. With the rests tucked away, this becomes impossible. Definitely something a prospective buyer should weigh before clicking buy. 

Specs

Should I buy the Hinomi X1?

I've tried and tested a range of low, mid and high-end ergonomic chairs, and found excellent offerings in all categories. I find Hinomi's slightly higher-end offering to excel in a few ways, but with three glaring problems - not to mention an inflated retail price - I don't think I can fully recommend the average user to buy the X1.

However, if you like the look of the X1, are of a bigger build and so can fit your arms on the high armrests, and don't care about tucking your legs under the front of the chair, and in fact, like the idea of sprawling out with the leg rests extended, then this is well worth considering.