Review of the Bonas Butterfly Ergonomic Chair

General Information about the Bonas Butterfly Ergonomic Chair

During this period of working from home due to social distancing measures, I've been spending a full 8 hours glued to my webcam, sitting on a $50 chair, feeling the strain on my back (or maybe it's from too much Netflix). So, I've been on a quest to find a more ergonomic chair to ease my discomfort.

I passed on gaming chairs since my setup faces west, right next to a window, rendering the air conditioning useless. After scouring Google and Facebook for a few days, I stumbled upon a chair that ticks all the boxes: adjustable, reclining, full mesh, and importantly, aesthetically pleasing.

I ended up purchasing the Bonas Butterfly chair from Shopee (although the shop named it Bonas BNS-880) - part of the Bonas Furniture brand. This chair, along with Xiaomi Hbada or Sumet Butterfly, is essentially the same, as they share the same design and manufacturer. So, go for the cheaper option. I splurged on the max option - full mesh, priced at $230, while Xiaomi Hbada or Sumet are selling for a significantly higher price: $300 to $350.

Features

In addition to basic features like height adjustment and reclining, this chair boasts the following functionalities:

Multiple customizable positions: The lumbar cushion moves up and down (acting like two lungs on the back of the chair), the headrest can tilt and be raised or lowered similar to a car headrest, auto-reclining feature (up to 125 degrees) via the lever on the side and a round knob at the base (adjusting the intensity of the feature's tilt mechanism).

Regarding the auto-recline feature, the chair allows you to adjust the tension, meaning if you lean back with a certain force, the backrest will recline accordingly. If you prefer, you can lock it in place with a lever, and the backrest will stay fixed. This is my favorite feature because I often prop my feet up on the desk! :LOL:

The armrests are made of soft plastic, quite comfortable and adjustable in height.

The seat pan can slide forward or backward, although I haven't fully experienced the benefits of this feature yet. It mainly affects the recline of the lumbar area.

The wheels glide smoothly and silently, a stark contrast to my old squeaky chair that used to get stuck and jammed.

Mesh: Advertised as American-imported Matrex mesh, I'm not an expert on this, but when you touch the mesh, it feels thick and rigid, yet sitting on it is very comfortable with clear elasticity. To describe it more easily, it's more like plastic than fabric, like a fishing net.

Real-life Experience

In default mode, without any adjustments, the chair provides a very comfortable sitting posture, with excellent lumbar support thanks to the mesh, lumbar cushions, and shoulder pads. This locking mechanism suits long work sessions requiring an ergonomic posture to avoid fatigue.

When unlocking the backrest and activating the auto-recline mode, it's perhaps more suitable for relaxing, watching movies, and gaming. However, to achieve maximum comfort, you'll need to spend time adjusting the round knob under the seat to find the most suitable tilt for your comfort level. Personally, adjusting this knob took me 30 minutes.