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 Chairs by Cooke, M Series: $450

Overall Ratings
mfgr & line	UNC price	overall score	seat	back	arms	lumbar adjust	directions	material	rater's opinion	state contract
Chairs by Cooke, MSeries	$450	65%	4	3	2	0	0	3	3	Yes

Description

This is a highly adjustable chair with an unusual "Anatomical Back" design. This chair had simultaneously adjustable seat and back angle as well as forward seat tilt. The armrests were concave in the middle. Horizontal bar for seat sliding adjustment. Available in regular and large sizes. Chairs by Cooke also makes a similar Big and Tall chair.

Seat Description

The seat is adjustable in height, depth, and tilt. Seat tilt is independent of backrest tilt.

Backrest Description

The "Anatomical" backrest padding is split in the middle - a feature some users will enjoy and others may not be able to get used to. The split padding might be more comfortable for persons with back discomfort, as the split padding may reduce direct pressure from the backrest on the spine.

Armrest Description

The armrests are scooped in the middle and the padding is firm. Options are available for height and width adjustability as well as pivoting. Users who type while resing their arms may be able to use the pivoting option to angle the armrests to be in line with the arms. Because of the scooped design of the armrests, any mismatch between the armrest angle and the arm angle during typing may cause the edges of the armrests to dig into the elbows.

Unique Features

The tilt feature on this chair allows a relatively wide adjustment range between seat and back angle. The Anatomical Back, according to the company, is supposed to keep the spinous processes of the back straight. While this may or may not be true, the groove does encourage the user to sit in the middle of the backrest. Some may enjoy this built-in reminder not to lean while others may dislike being forced into any one posture.

Comments

This is an easily adjustable chair when it comes to the backrest and arm height. Adjusting the seat pan depth, however, is difficult because the user needs to push off the backrest in order to slide it forward (most seat sliders allow you to grip the armrests). The seat sliding mechanism also requires a great deal of wrist flexion. Tension adjustment requires getting off the chair, which is a standard problem. The arm width adjustments are under the chair and may be difficult to get to for people with a shorter reach. Being able to tilt the seat forward and tilt the back backward at the same time is a nice feature. The armpads are firm but not uncomfortable. Some users may feel they are too hard, however. The scooped armpads may make typing somewhat uncomfortable (because there was no pivoting mechanism on the chair evaluated here). Overall a highly rated chair, if a little expensive.