Last updated: 01st Oct 2026
Some office chairs are exciting to look at. The Haworth Zody II is not one of them. This is why I’m not surprised that I’ve never noticed it.
For the past couple of years, I’ve been obsessing over its stylish big brother, the Haworth Fern.
The Zody II, meanwhile, escaped my attention the way a balding middle-aged operations manager from Westpac would escape Dua Lipa’s attention at a pumping cocktail party.
I’m sure Ken is a nice guy. But Dua’s radar is attuned to a different type of man.
Imagine my surprise when I finally got my hands on the Zody II – and started to fall in love with it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Perfect for upright tasking. The seating position is top-notch. | Functional aesthetic that doesn’t belong in a carefully considered interior. |
| Lumbar support will appeal to people who dislike aggressive lumbar. | Series 2 offers better value if you will not use the perching feature. |
| Perching position is legitimately useful – especially if you have a standing desk. | The wide backrest will swallow people with narrow shoulders. |
| Top-notch construction means the chair will last. Warranty covers frame, mechanisms, mesh and fabric for 12 years. | Not great for reclining. You’ll tolerate it instead of enjoying it. |
Above: The Zody II’s lumbar support is on full display here. Notice the wide, tall pad that spreads pressure evenly across your lumbar.
Is The Haworth Zody II Chair Right For You?
Don’t have the time to read the full review? Get the TLDR here.
| If this describes you… | My recommendation is… |
|---|---|
| Practical and price-conscious | I would buy the Steelcase Series 2 instead. You’ll get a similar chair for $350-450 less. If even that stretches your budget, start with the lower-priced options in my chair guide. |
| Standing desk user who wants to perch | Zody II is a great choice. You get a comfortable task chair and a perching stool in one. |
| Aesthetics are non-negotiable | The Zody II is the wrong chair for you. Consider the prettier Zody LX instead. |
| Frequently reclining | Choose a Fern or an Aeron instead. I prefer their rocking feel. |
| Broad-shouldered | A promising fit. The broad back feels welcoming for people with large frames. |
| Overweight | Could be a great option because of the broad back – but verify this by visiting a showroom. |
| Slight build or narrow shoulders | The Zody LX or Fern are the better picks. Zody II’s broad upper frame will restrict your ability to move. |
| Prefer gentle lumbar support | The Zody II is a great choice – it offers progressive, inoffensive, but wide lumbar support. |
| Want a firm push into the lower back | Avoid. Get a Leap or a Joobie instead. |
| Experiencing lower back pain | Worth trying. The Zody II has the ergonomic chops to keep you in a correct position. |
| Sweat easily | Pretty good option because of its mesh backrest. |
| Sit with leg tucked under you | Excellent choice – because of the soft fabric seat base. |
Above: The Haworth Zody II looks best in profile. Rear and front angles are less flattering.
Reasons To Buy The Haworth Zody II Office Chair.
Reviewing office chairs is mostly an exercise in disappointment.
Apart from a dozen top-tier ergonomic chairs that are easy to get excited about, office chairs are predictably dull.
Moreover, the cheaper they are, the nastier they get. Which is why I was unenthusiastic about reviewing the Haworth Zody II. I was expecting it to be a flimsy, uncomfortable, cubicle-grade piece of office equipment.
Then I sat in it – and wondered where this chair has been all my life.
The seating position is outstanding.
It holds you tight in a way that vaguely reminds me of the Herman Miller Aeron – but with almost none of the Aeron’s nasty habits.
(I say “almost” because Zody II has one issue that I’ll discuss below).
The huge backrest gently supports my entire back while offering moderate flex.
Important!
The Zody II isn’t as bendy as Steelcase chairs, but it’s flexible enough to encourage decent movement.
Above: Haworth designers did a great job of minimising Zody II’s controls. No unsightly levers or knobs sticking out anywhere.
Speaking of Steelcase, the Zody II’s seat pan reminds me of the Series 2. For people not used to ergonomic chairs, it will initially seem unusually firm – but that’s a feature, not a bug.
Expert Tip.
A cushion like Zody II’s needs 3-4 days of use to conform to your butt – and your butt needs a similar amount of time to get used to it.
Because it has no nasty side bolsters or hard frame, it lets you sit like an ergonomic rebel, with one leg tucked under you, or both legs crossed under you.
You get all the usual controls you’d expect on a $1550 chair from a premium brand, so I won’t waste words listing them here.
In fact, you get an additional perching control I almost never see at this price point. And as you’ll see in a moment, this feature is the single biggest reason to buy the Zody II – if you’re a heavy standing desk user.
The perching control makes your Zody II both a comfortable desk chair and a perching stool.
Above: The wide backrest isn’t exactly a work of art – and will prevent you from opening your chest.
Zody II’s perch is unique – because it doesn’t just tilt the seat pan forward. It also significantly raises the seat pan, creating a sitting position you’d typically get with a perch stool.
The extra height is a game-changer, making Zody II’s perch far more useful than Aeron and Sidiz’s.
I’ve tried using a perching stool before.
Once the initial novelty wore off, its narrow, uncomfortable pad made me reluctant to use it.
The Zody II’s seat is far more comfortable, but I suspect the same thing will happen to you – after 2-3 months you’ll revert to either sitting or standing.
Important!
The risk is that you have to buy the chair before you know whether you’ll use the perch function long-term.
Also, the perch creates a minor mechanical compromise I’ll discuss in “Cons” below.
But Zody II’s lumbar support is one of the best I’ve ever experienced.
It’s ideal for anyone who finds moderate-to-aggressive lumbar pads intrusive. If you want a gentle nudge instead of a strong push, you’re in the right place.
Haworth created a wide, tall mechanism that spreads pressure across a large area of your lower back. It’s never pokey or nasty – just wonderfully progressive and well-mannered.
Important!
I prefer more assertive lumbar pressure (which is why I enjoy the ErgoTune Joobie and the Steelcase Leap), but Zody II’s lumbar is so comfortable that I’d live with it.
Above: The lumbar assembly is exposed behind the knitted back. You can see the separate left and right sections.
I must point out that the lumbar controls are unusual. Height adjustment is exactly what you’d expect – it slides up and down to meet the right part of your back.
But the other axis, which I’d usually refer to as “depth”, isn’t technically that at all – because it doesn’t change the distance between your back and the backrest.
Important!
Strictly speaking, the right name of it is “tension” – because it lets the C-shaped part of your spine sink further into the backrest.
Most unusually, you can dial in different tension levels on each side of your back. I personally don’t see myself using this bilateral pressure feature – but maybe you will.
Let me know in the comments if you do.
This is a common problem that plagues even the most premium chairs (looking at you, Fern).
They aren’t particularly luxurious, but I’m glad they got this one important thing right. And the rolled front edge doesn’t dig into your forearms – mazel tov!
Haworth didn’t short-change you on adjustments here, either – you get pivot, width, height and reach.
Important!
Zody II’s armcaps feel slightly plasticky and are clearly aimed more at longevity than plush luxury.
Above: The broad arm pads sit beside a cushioned fabric seat. This chair has Haworth’s ribbed Digital Knit back.
Are you the type of person who hates sitting on mesh, but also runs hot?
The Zody II’s hybrid fabric base/mesh backrest construction offers a satisfying compromise.
You get a breathable back that doesn’t trap much heat and a proper foam cushion.
Expert Tip.
If you rarely overheat, consider the all-fabric Zody LX instead. You trade some ventilation for a more aesthetically pleasing chair.
The Zody looks like ordinary office equipment, but its build quality is standard deviations above typical Officeworks-grade chairs. The chair feels solid for its price point.
Yes, some plastics could be less plasticky. If I were to get picky, I’d also mention that the seat fabric could be less functional.
Nothing on the chair looks or feels like it belongs on a plush luxury chair. But equally, nothing is offensive and cheap, either.
The Zody II is the Volvo of chairs – it’s mass-produced, comfortable, safe and reliable.
The warranty is consistent with this positioning. You get 12 years on frame, mesh, mechanisms and fabric. No issues there.
Reasons To Avoid The Haworth Zody II Office Chair.
Zody II’s build quality isn’t perfect, for two reasons:
- Cheapish armcaps (that I’ve already discussed at length above).
- Centre wobble. Zody II’s perch function never fully locks, creating more wobble than usual around the chair’s vertical axis.
The second point isn’t technically a build quality issue, but a quirk in the perching mechanism’s design.
Regardless, my body interprets the resulting wobble as excessive play that it associates with cheap furniture.
It doesn’t help that the Zody II doesn’t exactly look like an artwork. It’s not ugly – it simply gives you very little to enjoy looking at.
The Zody II makes my Steelcase Leap look modern – and that’s saying something, because I’ve repeatedly characterised Leap’s aesthetic as cubicle-grade.
The broad backrest and exposed lumbar mechanism make the rear view particularly unenticing.
That may not matter if your home office shows off its side profile, but it’s worth considering if you’ll see the back first when you enter the room.
Important!
If looks are important to you, the Zody II is the wrong chair for you. Its prettier brother, the Zody LX, is the better choice. You get a nicer backrest shape for only $100 more – but you will also lose some ventilation while gaining more freedom of movement.
Above: Seen head-on, the back widens towards the shoulders.
The broad backrest also kills movement.
What feels enveloping around my broad shoulders will feel restrictive to someone with a smaller frame – because they won’t be able to stretch by opening their chest and moving their elbows rearward.
It’s not as restrictive as the similarly wide-backed Aeron, but it’s pretty close.
Speaking of movement, the Zody II is a poor choice for people who recline a lot.
It reclines, of course. It just doesn’t give me the same rocking feeling as an Aeron, a Joobie or a Fern.
Which is consistent with my initial impression – it’s a tasking chair that reclines. Not an all-around ergonomic monster that does everything well.
The gentle lumbar isn’t for everyone, either. Comfortable though it is, the Zody II never gives me the same satisfying lumbar pressure as a Leap.
How The Haworth Zody II Office Chair Stacks Up.
The Zody II excels in ergonomics, build quality and comfort, but struggles with aesthetics.
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Adjustments | 5 / 5 |
| Comfort | 4 / 5 |
| Aesthetics | 3 / 5 |
| Build Quality | 4 / 5 |
| Warranty | 5 / 5 |
| Cost | 3.5 / 5 |
| OVERALL | 4.1 / 5 |
My Final Verdict About The Haworth Zody II Office Chair.
The Zody II is impressive – on paper.
For $1,550 you get everything that Ken from Westpac does – practical comfort, plenty of adjustment, and inoffensive looks.
The perching function is a surprise that you rarely encounter in the wild.
The chair’s value proposition hovers exactly there – it’s for people who want both perching and a breathable back.
But the question I’d ask myself before buying this chair is – if I stopped perching, would I still want the Zody II?
Unfortunately for me, the answer is an emphatic “no” – because the Steelcase Series 2 does everything the Zody II does – except perching – in a far more attractive package that costs only $1200.
If Steelcase didn’t exist, the Zody II would be a great buy. But it does, making the Zody II the uglier, more expensive cousin.
It has one party trick up its sleeve – perching – but I’m willing to bet you’ll stop using it after a few months.
Steven
