Its look is a bit of an acquired taste, but the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 ticks so many things off the best office chair list that its shortcomings – including that steep price of entry – are easy to forgive.
For
Easy assembly, robust design
Hammock feel with dynamic lumbar support
Great adjustability, intuitive controls
Against
Wheels are not the smoothest, some adjustments aren’t easy
Expensive for an office chair
Shiny aluminum frame isn’t for everyone
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It can be tough to figure out when to splurge on office chairs, like the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743, and when to save your money. Many expensive chairs are not quite worth the price tag while some budget ones actually punch above their weight. And really the only way to know if one is a good buy for you is to test it out (or we test it out for you...).
This chair doesn’t fall into either of these categories. Currently at $799, it certainly sits at the higher end of the spectrum. However, its great adjustability, high breathability, intuitive controls, and dynamic lumbar support that moves – or rather, bounces – when you move and is just a joy to lean on certainly all ensure that you’re getting your money’s worth.
We’re not saying it’s the best office chair for everyone. That shiny aluminium frame isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Meanwhile, some folks might prefer a cloth option over a mesh one. And, while it is big enough and has an impressive max load capacity of 350 pounds, the heavier set users might want to look elsewhere for a bit more space.
However, for most people, it’s a terrific office chair that puts comfort and ergonomics first. And it’s a terrific investment to make… if you’ve got the money, of course.
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743: Assembly
We’ve assembled more than our share of chairs, both office, and gaming varieties, in the last few years, and we must say that the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 is one of the easiest chairs we’ve assembled. In fact, apart from the Herman Miller Embody gaming chair, which we only had to pull out of the box as it came pre-assembled, it might be the easiest, hands down.
The box it came in was neatly packed, with the different smaller components like the casters, gaslift, and armrests coming in their own smaller boxes. We appreciate this as it allowed us to establish a system in which we took apart those individual boxes and piled them tidily with the used bubble wraps and styrofoam, helping us maintain a cleaner assembly space and minimal cleanup at the end. The packaging, naturally, isn’t the greenest, but at least those boxes are recyclable.
The chair itself is easy to assemble. Its individual parts are gloriously light – we’re honestly tired of dealing with the weight of heavy seats and backrests while also attempting to slot them in blind – and you really do not have to exert much force.
Slotting the casters into the base, for example, is just a matter of inserting them, instead of pushing them in until you hear a click. You don’t even have to turn over the seat to attach the armrests or support both the seat and the backrest while simultaneously screwing the backrest in place.
With the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743, you simply insert all five casters, flip the base over, slot in the gaslift, pop on the seat, slide in the arms, slot on the backrest, and then round it out by sliding the neck rest in. Very easy, zero tears. There’s some screwing involved – you have to secure the arms, backrest, and neck rest – but it’s all very minimal.
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743: Design and features
The OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 has a shiny silver aluminium alloy frame and uses fiberglass nylon plastic for its plastic parts and PU leather for its armrests and casters. Meanwhile, the seat, backrest, and neck rest are all made of high-strength elastic mesh. Together, they give this chair a maximum load capacity of 350 pounds, which is truly impressive.
With a seat height range of 18.5 to 22.5 inches, it works for most people, including those that are six feet and 8 inches tall. Although, unfortunately, if you’re under five feet, you might struggle to reach the floor even when you set this chair at its lowest height.
The seat itself is 18.5 x 20.5 inches, which should fit most people. However, this also isn’t the most spacious chair we’ve tested. If you’re on the bigger side and want a bit more space, it might be a good idea to find a larger option. If you don’t care about having that extra wiggle room, however, that high max load comes in handy.
We’re not quite sold on the aluminium alloy frame. Don’t get us wrong; it’s robust, and it’s brilliantly designed, allowing you effortless backrest height adjustments. However, it also has a shiny, silver finish – the same finish as the base – that isn’t going to be for everyone.
Speaking of the base, it has five casters total, all of which are surprisingly quiet when rolling. They’re good enough, these wheels, but they also do not slide as smoothly as wheels on other chairs, and that’s a little disappointing.
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743: Comfort and adjustability
Because the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 is a mesh chair, you can count on its excellent breathability and great head dissipation to keep you cool at work. However, you can also count on having that sort of hammock experience, if perhaps a little firmer, made better by the fact that its lumbar support, which is C-shaped to follow the natural contour of your spine, is also dynamic.
That just means that the lumbar support has the ability to move back and forth based on the amount of weight you put on it. That not only provides you back support but also ensures that you’re not putting undue pressure on your spine. Plus, it’s just fun to use.
What else is fun to use are the controls for adjustments. There are just three controllers here, all of which are right underneath the seat jutting out to its sides, which makes them so incredibly accessible. Gone are the days when you have to bend over, extend your arms, and desperately feel for the right controls because they’re literally right there.
And, they’re intuitive to use. We often find, especially with premium chairs, that figuring out which button or lever does what is a bit of a guessing game. That isn’t the case here, thank goodness.
Most of the adjustments are easy to do as well apart from reclining and the neck rest height adjustments, both of which you need to exert a bit of force. We wish that weren’t the case, especially since reclining a chair should be effortless – and is the case with most premium chairs.
Speaking of its reclining capabilities, it has up to 135 degrees of reclining angle, which is more than good enough for an office chair. After all, it’s supposed to keep you productive, not encourage you to nap during work.
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743: Price and availability
The OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 is available in the US except for Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico where OdinLake does not ship. It typically retails for $999, although it’s discounted to $799 at the time of writing. Sadly for UK and Australian customers, this chair isn’t available in regions outside the US.
That’s certainly a pricey piece of kit, considering there are cheaper options out there, including one of our favorites, the Branch Verve Chair, which retails for $549. To be fair, the Verve does have less adjustability and features. However, we found it to be luxuriously comfortable and its backrest adjustments to be much easier to control.
If you are willing to splurge as much on a chair, you can shell out $99 more for a Mavix M9 instead, which is a gaming chair that puts a lot of emphasis on adjustability and comfort. It also comes with a soft leatherette finish and a plush seat.
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
Should you buy the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743?
The OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 isn’t exactly a cheap investment. In fact, considering there are office chairs out there that will cost you less than $300, this one’s actually a pricey proposition, especially for big offices that require more than 20 chairs. However, if you can afford it – whether it’s because you really only need one or you have an office of four people to supply with chairs – it’s one of those premium chairs that are really worth your money.
Not only are there several points of adjustability here – more than enough for most folks to prioritize ergonomics while staying productive – but it also boasts effortless and intuitive controls, a robust yet comfortable throne, and assembly that’s so easy it almost seems too good to be true.
Is the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 a little more than what most people expect to pay for an office chair? Sure. But, is it worth it? Absolutely.
Its look is a bit of an acquired taste, but the OdinLake Ergo PLUS 743 ticks so many things off the best office chair list that its shortcomings – including that steep price of entry – are easy to forgive.
Los Angeles-based Michelle is a writer and photographer. She regularly writes for TechRadar, Steve's Digicams and Techlicious, and is currently a freelance SEO and Production editor for TechRadar.
