I bought a Furmax office chair because my old one collapsed at the base — plastic spider arms snapped after two years. The price was $60. I expected it to be a temporary bet. Ninety days later, it's still holding, but I've learned exactly where this chair is lying to you and where it's telling the truth.
The One Decision That Started This Whole Mess
The first Furmax I put together took 40 minutes. The instructions were, honestly, a photocopy joke. But here's what mattered more: I didn't measure. I assumed a 22-inch seat height would fit my desk. It did, barely. But the armrests? They hit my desk frame. I had to raise the desk by 1.5 inches with wood blocks. That's on me, not the chair. If you're looking at Target Office Chairs: First Week Setup and the One Decision That, read that first — it saved me from a bigger mistake later.
Assembly and the Week One Crack
The seat cushion is dense foam, not memory foam slop. I'm 190 lbs, so I was worried. Day 5, I noticed a hairline crack at the base of the backrest tilt mechanism. Just a stress mark, not structural. By day 90, it hadn't spread. The gas lift drops about 1 inch over the first month — that's normal, but it means the chair sits lower than the spec sheet says. I adjusted my desk height again.
The wheels are a weak point. On carpet, two of them started wobbling at week 7. On hardwood, they're fine. I replaced them with rollerblade wheels for $20. Not a dealbreaker, but know you might need that.
Week 9: How It Holds Up in Real Use
I sit 6-8 hours daily. The lumbar support is a hard plastic bump, not a pad. It works, but you'll feel it through a thin shirt. The tilt lock is binary — either fully upright or full recline. No middle. I got used to it, but if you lean back a lot, you'll miss a mid-position.
The fabric is a mesh that breathes. I don't sweat as much as in my old leather chair. But it pills after a month. Tiny fuzz balls at the edges. Not visible from arm's length, but it's there.
The 90-Day Endgame
After 90 days: no collapsing base, no stripped caster stops, no broken hydraulic. The seat foam hasn't bottomed out. For $60, that's a win. But it's not an ergonomic fix for a 10-hour workday. It's a chair for someone who sits 4-6 hours and doesn't need fancy lumbar curve.
Who should skip this? If you have back problems or you're over 230 lbs, don't. The base is rated to 220, and I wouldn't trust it beyond that. Also, if you can't handle adjusting your desk to match the armrest height, look elsewhere. The Serta Big And Tall Executive Office Chair — Measure This Before You gave me less armrest trouble, but it costs five times more.
If you're on a hard floor, the wheels are fine. If you're on thick carpet, budget for replacement wheels. And measure before you buy. That's the lesson I keep repeating: I Bought a Drafting Office Chair Without Measuring My Desk. Here's the fix I used.
For a budget chair, it's reliable — but it's a tool, not a luxury. Treat it as such.