Swoppin’ in Austin: The Via Swopper Chair

One of our hottest-selling chairs of late is the Swopper Chair by Via Seating. With its unique approach to ergonomic seating, the Swopper is a favorite around The Human Solution offices for a daily break from our more traditional ergonomic office chairs. For users who tend to stand up and sit down frequently during the work day, or those who would like a little more freedom of movement at times, the Swopper Chair can work great.

The Swopper’s best feature is its singular motion. The seat shifts and bounces dynamically as the user sits, causing him or her to balance their body against the changing position of the seat. Doing so gently works lower back and abdominal muscles and increases circulation. All these things can contribute to increased alertness, stronger core muscles and improved comfort for users tired of sitting in an office chair for the entire day. It also gives more freedom of body movement while seated than a traditional chair.

Because of this last quality, our shipping clerk, Tim, probably uses his Swopper the most out of anyone in the office. While he is hard at work packaging and shipping your orders, the Swopper lets him move more freely than a normal chair would. He can stand up and sit down easily as he works. Back in the call center, we get tired of sitting at our desks in one position all day. Short of waiting for that glorious day when the boss declares that we’re all taking a field trip to the lake, the next best option is to move around as we work. The Swopper is great for taking a break from an Ergohuman or an Amia chair for an hour or two. This brings me to what the Swopper is not great for.

The Via Swopper Chair would make a poor choice for an all-day office chair. The seat is on the hard side and will grow uncomfortable after a time. Also, the work of sitting upright for a short while, which exercises those core muscles, turns into stress on those muscles if you overtax them. This eventually leads to poor posture and pain, the opposite of the goals of office ergonomics. We recommend this chair for those who are up and down frequently during the workday, or to take one- or two-hour breaks from their traditional office chair. Used in this manner, the Via Swopper Chair is a unique way to add a little bounce to your work day.

If you are looking for some other ways to incorporate motion into your office, I recommend a height-adjustable desk or Varier’s line of seating, especially the Varier Move Stool.