I admittedly was very dubious about the Backstrong when I first heard about it from my chiropractor, who (disclosure) is also a friend of the chair’s inventor. I mean, a rocking bucket for the seat …. REALLY? We would discuss it the few times I went in to deal with some ache or pain, most if not all caused by the amount of time I spend sitting. I have spondylolisthesis and, as a writer who also runs a small research business, I sit much of the day and focus. That is NOT a good combo, which is why ergonomics and back support are VERY important to me. Over the years, I have spent thousands on chairs. For at least 10 years my chair was the Humanscale Freedom Chair. But I always complained it was too hard, especially at my tailbone and lower spine. Then, after doing an enormous amount of research and test-sitting, I switched to the Herman Miller Embody. The Embody’s concept (in theory, at least) seemed to make sense since it uses tiny spring-like pixels that supposedly release pressure as your body moves. That was my chair for at least the last six years. But I still had uncomfortable pressure in my tailbone and lower spine. And I would be stiff when I got up after hours of sitting. I’m 68, so I simply figured that was to be expected. But still… I hated the stiffness of my spine, especially since I regularly exercise and do stretching exercises. With both the Freedom Chair and the Embody, I also always grumbled that neither would tilt forward or do something so I wouldn’t slouch as I would focus on writing. Then, about a year after my chiropractor first told me about it – after feeling the sitting was really starting to take a toll – I took the plunge. The Backstrong was on sale for Black Friday and was priced at about half the price of Embody with a money-back guarantee and a long trial period. I had ZERO to lose. Verdict: Let’s just say the Embody is now in the garage and will likely be sold or donated. The silly bucket on the Backstrong isn’t so silly, after all. For the first time in years, I can feel my vertebrate move (while I'm sitting, no less), at times like I’m having a minor adjustment. The REAL secret, I think, is that there is no chair – just air – where your tailbone is. That results in zero pressure. Some people have complained that it’s too hard. Well, it isn’t soft. But the benefit of that is that you are forced to stand every now and then. Let’s face it, there is no perfect chair; they ALL have tradeoffs. The Backstrong is closer to their claim of slouch proof WHILE YOU ARE WRITING than any chair I have seen or tried. This is a serious task chair with the added benefit of being able to rock your pelvis as you sit, so your lower spine doesn’t get stuck. (Think of the rocking pelvis exercises you might do while on your back.) The best news, I’m no longer stiff when I stand after hours of sitting. Certain pains have disappeared or have been minimized. My only complaint about the chair is the quality. The first chair they sent had a pretty bad squeak. That was immediately handled by the fantastic Sandra in customer relations. I have no idea who she is, but she deserves a raise. I also think the casters that come with the chair are too slick for hard flooring. I know that mine was. Solution: I replaced them with the wood-floor casters that I had ordered with my Embody. All in all, in my case this chair appears to REALLY be what the doctor ordered!

I bought this chair because of Bruce Willis' recommendation and I have arthritis in my lower back. First off, I'm a woman and set this up by myself in ten minutes. Secondly, I only bought this because it had a money back guarantee that I was sure I would use even if I had to drive it the 60 miles to Beverly Hills. I can try 20 office chairs and not find comfort in a single one. I am that picky with chairs. It's not that I'm hard to please, but my lower back definitely is. Arthritis sucks and you do what you can. I do not believe in medication. I'd rather deal with the problem and see what works. I've used an $1.100 Knoll Life chair for the last 10 years - one at the office and one in my home office. It is a great chair but I had to try the Backstrong because I have lousy posture and a bad lower back and I will try anything that comes highly recommended as this chair did. (I WAS very skeptical when I ordered it.) Once putting the chair together yesterday, I put my Knoll Life chair out of the way and used the Backstrong chair for about 3 or 4 hours and finished up for the day. This morning, I used it a few hours and decided to sit in my Knoll Life chair just to see how it made my back feel because my lower back was in pain. I sat down and my back immediately slouched. The lack of support hit me like a train. I immediately went to my son's room and gave him my Knoll life chair. One thing I notice is the chair lifts your rib cage up and keeps it upright. Keeping yourself upright requires muscles we slouchers don't use enough, so I think the first few weeks will be tough on the back muscles especially. I've noticed that in just these past two days. The exercises that come with the chair are awesome and I do them a few times a day. Many of them I've done before because when you have a bad back you stretch in ways that alleviates the pain, which is what the exercises do. Overall, this is an AWESOME chair and I highly recommend it. It's also relatively inexpensive considering you're getting a chair that truly supports correct posture unlike any other I've tried. Most chairs that claim this - like my Knoll chair - are more comfortable than the average expensive chair, but can't compete with this Backstrong chair. This is in a class by itself. I have a great chiropractor in Orange County, California who I've known for 30 years. He will get a full report from me on this chair next week. It is really that good.

I saw a negative video after placing my order. I immediately emailed ALL33 asking if they could please cancel it. Unfortunately, they were unable to cancel but did tell me to go ahead and refuse the shipment. Sue, the CS rep emailing me, was very accommodating. The chair arrived very quickly, just three days after placing my order. I weighed out refusing but curiosity got the best of me. I very carefully unpacked it, fully expecting to be re-packing it for return. All I’ll say is that I’m SO GLAD they didn’t cancel my order. I’m 59 years old and have sat in a LOT of business chairs over the years. I’ve NEVER experienced ANYTHING like the comfort & (almost crazy) benefits I get from using this particular chair. It’s amazing, and I’m absolutely thrilled with it. They’d have to send armed guards to get it back from me at this point. I think it's safe to go ahead and recycle the box now. ;)

I work as a writer for a non-profit, so I sit at my desk most every day all day. For the first time in my life, I developed truly horrible sciatica back pain that ran down my left hip, leg, and ankle. Some days I could barely walk. Moving from sitting to standing, or the reverse, from standing to sitting was the worst. Sharp, stabbing pain! Pain killers and sitting nightly in my hot tub helped manage the pain some, but not alleviate it. So I wondered if a different office chair might help? I looked at many different chairs at the local office supply store. And I searched online and found the All33 Backstrong chair. The office supply store chairs certainly were a lot less costly than the All33 Backstong chair, but I didn't think they would help my sciatica condition. So I risked the purchase and ordered the Backstrong chair, having never seen it in person or sitting in it. It came in a few days after ordering and I easily assembled it (though simply bending over hurt like crazy). Amazingly, in less than a week my back began to feel different. In two weeks my sciatica almost was gone. I stopped taking pain meds. Now all my back, hip, leg, and ankle pain are completely GONE! I never would have imagined that simply sitting in a chair could fix my condition. My wife told her chiropractor my story and even he was amazed and asked for information about the chair. My CEO heard me tell my story and asked how he could order a chair for himself. Yes, the chair is pricey, but worth every cent not to be in excruciating, daily pain.

I love this chair but now after using it a month it seems to be a bit wobbly. Ill be reaching out to customer service. Its presidents day this just started happening yesterday. Im not sure if the gasket is going or not. the chair is very comfortable for long periods of time. my back loves it. I hope they can figure out the wobbles.