Last updated: 01st Nov 2024
The Sihoo M90 is one of Australia’s most popular budget office chairs. You can buy one at Bunnings, FFS! Intended as a successor to the much-loved Sihoo M57, it has pretty large shoes to fill. Does it succeed or disappoint? Let’s find out.
(Related: 11 Best Ergonomic Office Chairs In Australia).
Quick Verdict.
Above: The M90 looks attractive and modern in a typical home office.
Sihoo M90 is an entry-level, all-mesh, centre-tilt ergonomic office chair. You get 8 points of adjustment and a 3-stage tension-adjustable tilt. Expect to pay about $400.
The chair’s weakest point is armrests, with too much tolerance between joints and poorly designed caps. When you recline, expect the front edges of the caps to dig into your forearms, cutting off circulation.
Apart from that, you get a very decent chair for your money.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent Mesh Backrest. Flexible design contours with the shape of your spine while offering plenty of ventilation. | Terrible Armrests. Too hard, too flimsy and too small, they are set too far back and feel too cheap. |
| Satisfying Lumbar. The fixed lumbar support works surprisingly well. It offers a medium level of pressure while never becoming pokey. | Not For Tall People. The 49cm maximum seat pan height and shallow seat pan will frustrate people taller than 170cm. |
Who Should Buy The Sihoo VIto M90?
Above: The fixed lumbar is spring-loaded. While it has no controls, it will move back when you push against it.
This is not a chair for people who seek luxury, a huge range of adjustments or a chair that will last forever. Instead, it’s for:
- University students looking for a decent, but not overpriced, study chair.
- WFH professionals who spend most of their time at work tasking.
- People who are shorter than 170cm in height.
(Related: Best Budget Office Chairs In Australia).
5 Things I Love About The Sihoo VIto M90.
The Sihoo offers plenty of bang for your ~$400 bucks:
- Excellent Mobility: The bendable backrest gives you lots of flexibility throughout. The chair will bend and twist as you move throughout your workday, and won’t make you feel locked into one place.
- Plenty of Adjustments. You get 8 points (seat height, recline, headrest height and tilt, backrest height and 3-way armrests), which is standard for budget chairs at the $400 price point.
- Decent Lumbar Support. I was surprised to discover that this wasn’t adjustable, but the “adaptive” fixed design works very well. Not excessively stiff nor hopelessly weak, it will not turn off people who prefer softer lumbar while still satisfying those who like it on the stronger side.
- Edgy Design. Ergonomic office chairs are rarely beautiful. The M90 isn’t either, but it does a great job of looking reasonably attractive. I like the sharp corners in the backrest and the modern-looking silhouette. The aesthetic is huge step up from the M57.
- Durable Mesh. The rubberised mesh feels like it will last a lifetime. It’s definitely on the firmer side, and reminds me of my old Aeron.
Above: The rear view is Sihoo M90’s best angle.
5 Things I Hate About The Sihoo VIto M90.
As you’d expect, the budget office chair has several important quirks and downsides:
- Confusing Assembly Instructions. I’ve assembled dozens of chairs by now. Despite that, I still found the instructions borderline illegible. The animations need to be larger and clearer.
- Not a chair for tall bodies. It’s ideal for folks between 150cm and 170cm, but people taller than that will feel like they’re sitting on a kid’s seat. I’m almost 200cm, and compared with my ErgoTune Joobie, I find the M90 almost comically small. The shallow seat pan doesn’t help, either – tall people will find their thighs hanging unsupported.
- Horrendous Armrests. Thinly padded, too narrow and with sharp front edges that make my hands go numb, the M90’s armrests are possibly the worst I’ve ever experienced. They also feel flimsy and are positioned too far to the back.
- Flimsy adjustment controls. The single lever controls both height and recline, but feels like it’s about to fall off or break. The under-seat tension control knob is the typical fare on a centre-tilt budget chair, but a side-mounted controller would have been a nice surprise.
- Seating position is too upright. In the 1st recline position, your back is at almost 90 degrees to the floor. In the 2nd one, you’re too far back. An in-between position would be ideal.
Above: You can see the spring that controls lumbar’s tension in this shot.
Technical Specifications.
Key facts you need to know before you buy:
| Seat Pan Width: | 44 cm |
| Seat Pan Height Range: | 41-49 cm |
| Product Warranty: | 3 years |
| Weight: | 22 kg |
Is The Sihoo VIto M90 Office Chair A Good Buy?
Above: The armrests that ruined everything. While they don’t look terrible in the photo, their shape and material need to change.
The Sihoo VIto M90 is a very competitive product, especially for shorter people who spend 4-5 hours per day tasking.
But would I buy the M90 or its predecessor, the M57?
Even though the M90 offers edgier design (and I’m a big sucker for design) I’d choose the older M57 every day of the week. It has one of the best armrests in the business, while the M90 has one of the worst. Also, the M57 has a 6cm higher maximum seat pan height, making it more useful for taller people.
Steven
