A Day at the Desk The Chairs That Didn't Fit Finding One Built for Tall One Month In Fit, Flaws, and Who It's For Their Words A Day at the Desk The Chairs That Didn't Fit Finding One Built for Tall One Month In Fit, Flaws, and Who It's For Their Words Shaoor is 6'4"–6'5", works as a chief AI and data officer, and spends 8 to 10 hours a day at his desk. A month into the LiberNovo Maxis Manual, he says it's the first chair, ergonomic or otherwise, that hasn't made his back pain worse over the course of a long day. Overview Shaoor is based in Sacramento and works at a startup as chief AI and data officer, a role that keeps him at his desk for most of the day. At 6'4"–6'5", he'd spent years in chairs that weren't built for his proportions, and a lifting injury a year ago made the mismatch worse: the lumbar support on his previous ergonomic chairs met his lower back at the wrong angle and aggravated the pain rather than relieving it. He tried several premium ergonomic brands and couldn't fit properly in any of them. A YouTube video recommending chairs for tall users pointed him to the Maxis Manual, his first real investment in a chair. A month in, he can sit a full day without the pain building. A Day at the Desk Can you introduce yourself and what a typical day looks like? My name is Shaoor Munir. I live in Sacramento, California. My height is around 6'4" to 6'5". My primary job, I'm working at a startup as chief AI and data officer, so most of my job is around sitting at the computer, and then sitting in that chair. What made you start looking for a chair like this specifically? I was looking for a chair for tall people, essentially. I'd had a few chairs in the past that were supposed to be ergonomic, but because of my height, and I think the proportions, a bigger torso, bigger legs, my lumbar would end up at a weird angle. It would hurt my back, and I've had back problems for the last year or so. I was trying to find something that would alleviate that. I sit around 8 to 10 hours a day at least, so I wanted something comfortable too, not a chair that forces you into one strict, good-posture angle, because you can't actually hold that for 8 to 10 hours while you're going through meeting after meeting. What's the longest stretch you sit at once? Generally from around 8 or 9am until 5 or 6pm, and I've sat longer than that, until 8 or 9pm, when there's a lot of work going on. Most of it is continuous; I get up to eat and do other things, but it's a lot of sitting. Do you remember to get up and move? I try to, and my doctor's suggested it too because of my back issue, but when work gets busy and you're engrossed in it, it does happen that I forget. I've tried timers in the past, but between meetings where the camera has to be on and you need to be at the computer, it gets difficult to actually act on them. The Chairs That Didn't Fit What were you using before the Maxis? The first one, going back further, was an Ergo chair I used at a university lab, back when I was in school there. It was comfortable at the time, but then I injured my back lifting something heavy, and after that the lumbar area became a lot more sensitive, so the chair stopped being comfortable. It was fine for about two years, and then the last year, after the injury, I had to stop using it. After that, I looked at a few ergonomic chairs and landed on a Proto Arc, the most recent one before this. It's comfortable if you sit at a very specific angle, but because of my height, I couldn't adjust it well across different angles. If I leaned back slightly, the lumbar support would rub against my lower back and aggravate the pain. I used it for around three months before I had to stop; I still have it in the house, but I can't sit in it anymore. Did you look into pricier options before landing on LiberNovo? Eventually, yes. My back wasn't getting better, so I looked at Herman Miller, their Embody chair, and also Anthros, which is built around ergonomics too. I tried a couple of demo units, but because of my height, I couldn't really fit properly in any of them. Finding One Built for Tall How did you first hear about LiberNovo? I think it was a YouTube video, a comparison or recommendation video for tall people, and this chair was in it. I did a fair amount of research after that. What made you curious enough to look deeper? I saw it was built for people in roughly the 6 to 7 foot range, on the product page, and since I'm 6'4"–6'5", I figured it would probably fit me well. I found a lot of positive videos and comments, so I decided to take a chance. I actually missed the original pre-order window, when the price was lower, because I was still doing research and was a bit hesitant. I ended up buying it through Amazon instead, which has still worked out fine. Why did you go with the manual version first? A few reasons. From comments I'd read, some people who got the electric version would try the powered lumbar a couple of times and then leave it where it was, and I'd also seen it suggested that fewer moving parts means the chair lasts longer. On top of that, this was the first time I was spending this much on a chair, so I wanted to go a bit more slowly and see how I liked the manual version before considering anything more. One Month In What was your first impression sitting in it? Much more comfortable than the Proto Arc, honestly a big relief. It also felt more stable. I'm around 230 pounds, and on the Proto Arc, if I leaned back, it would feel unstable, like the weight was too much for it. The Maxis has been a noticeably better experience there. Has anything changed with your back pain since switching? Definitely better. With my other chairs, if I sat for a long period, the pain would gradually get worse over the course of sitting. That hasn't been my experience with the Maxis. If I don't have pain going in, I can just sit comfortably and it stays that way. If I do have some pain, it stays at that same level rather than building up. With the other chairs, I'd have to fight the lumbar support because it wasn't in the right position for my height, and I'd get up feeling sorer than when I sat down. How do you use the lumbar and recline settings day to day? I adjusted the lumbar support a couple of times early on, but because the backrest follows me when I shift, I haven't felt the need to keep changing it, I basically set it once and forgot about it. For recline, I mostly stay around the third position in the recline range, with the tension increased a bit so there's some resistance, I can lean into it when I want to, but it still lets me sit upright and type comfortably most of the time. Any features you've come to rely on that surprised you? The dynamic support, mainly, the way the back and armrests follow me instead of needing a lot of separate settings. I set it once and don't really have to think about the chair every few minutes, which has been genuinely useful. Fit, Flaws, and Who It's For Anything you'd flag as a downside? A slight creaking noise that started a couple of days after I assembled the chair, when I lean back a certain way. It hasn't gotten louder since, and most of the time I don't notice it at all, especially with noise-canceling earbuds in. If it gets worse I'll reach out to support, maybe try a lubricant first. I also think a tougher fabric would hold up better; I have two cats that shed and scratch, so I've had to put a fabric cover over my seat. Was there anything you were concerned about before buying, being a newer brand? Honestly, not really, mainly because I'd never bought an expensive chair before and had never had to rely on a warranty, so six years of the warranty sounded good to me. What would make the experience better? A couple of things. I've heard other people mention rough experiences with customer service, even though mine's been fine so far. And I couldn't find anywhere near me to actually sit in the chair before buying it. Given the price, over US$1,000, people want to sit in it and confirm it works for them first. Returning it would also be a hassle, reassembling, repackaging, and shipping it back, so a showroom or return process that didn't require full reassembly would help. Who do you think benefits most from a chair like this? Taller people, specifically. I don't think there are many good options out there for anyone above about 6'3"–6'4". Big-name ergonomic brands tend to design for a broader average range. I tried the Herman Miller Aeron in its largest size, which people recommended for bigger frames, and it still wasn't that comfortable for me. I think taller, heavier, broader-shouldered people in particular would benefit the most from this. Their Words Can you complete this sentence: after LiberNovo, I realized... That it's possible to sit in a chair for 8 hours and not have my lower back hurt me the whole time. I think it was the first time that was actually possible for me. "I don't have a lot of experience with very expensive chairs, but this has been the most comfortable chair I've sat in, and it's been really helpful." Fast facts: Chief AI and data officer at a startup, Sacramento, CA · 6'4"–6'5", around 230 lbs · Sits 8 to 10 hours a day, sometimes longer · Long-standing lower-back issue following a lifting injury · Previously used an Ergo chair at a university lab and a Proto Arc; also priced a Sihoo at around US$500 to US$600 · Tried and couldn't fit Herman Miller Embody, Anthros, or the largest Herman Miller Aeron · Found LiberNovo through a YouTube recommendation video for tall users · Bought the Maxis Manual himself through Amazon after missing the pre-order window, about one month of daily use at the time of the interview. View All Cases