Fezibo C3 ergonomic office chair review: a good-value seat with some drawbacks
Fezibo C3 ergonomic: One-minute review
Fezibo is a Chinese company that specializes in office gear, including desks, chairs, cabinets, and peripheral stands. If you're a fan of lighter hues in your office, the Fezibo C3 will certainly catch your eye. Decked out in white and turquoise, it's a striking number, but it would fit in well in near-enough any home office.
Underneath this bright exterior is a fairly standard office chair, with everything you'd expect, and very little you wouldn't. You'll get a one-step reclining function, activated by pulling out the single lever, which also serves to raise and lower the chair. The stiffness of reclining backrest is also adjustable, as are the arm rests, and there's a little lumbar adjustment – but that's it.
It's unlikely to challenge the best office chairs, but if you're looking to pick up one of Fezibo's best standing desks and just want a on office chair to ship with it, it's not a bad option. Be aware, however, that this chair can't match the likes of Steelcase or Secretlab in terms of build quality – although that might be expected at this price point.
Fezibo C3: price and availability
- Price: US$299 / £179 / €209 / AUD$299
Found in the "accessories" section of the website, the C3 can be purchased directly from Fezibo. There are no upgrades or additional features you can tack on to the C3, so there's just one price to pay in each region.
In the US, the list price is $299. However, at the time of writing, this has been reduced to $179, which is a decent , if not super-cheap price for a reclining office chair. I'm not intimately familiar with Fezibo as a company, so this could very well be one of those "permanent sales," but for the sake of clarity, I'm stating the chair's regular price as $299.
In the UK, the C3 costs £179, which does not include any discounts or deals. In Europe, the ticket price is €209, but again, that's currently discounted down to €179. Finally, in Australia, the current pricing is the same as the US – $299, discounted to $179.
If the "true" price of the chair really is $/£/€179, it looks Brits will pay slightly over the odds, while those in Australia are getting a remarkably good deal.
However, something like the Corsair TC100 is just a little more expensive, and is regularly featured in our best-of guides. It's one to consider if you're willing to spend just a few dollars more.
- Value: 4/5
Fezibo C3: Design and setup
- Attractive design
- Basic frame
- Requires assembly
The Fezibo C3 comes unassembled in a large cardboard box. Open that up, and you'll see the pieces, a blister-wrapped tray of bolts, washers, and an Allen key, along with some instructions.
Fezibo has done well to avoid the confusion that assembly instructions for Chinese products often cause, and simple imagery guides you through the process. As someone who's experienced with and even enjoys flatpack construction, it was a breeze – but I think the process will be easy enough for just about anyone.
When constructing the chair, I noticed a couple of things that betrayed the C3's cheap price. Firstly, the upholstery on the seat base is stapled together – no surprises there – but it's all a bit wonky on the underside and little effort has been made to disguise the cheap manufacturing process.
Secondly, when attaching the mechanism to the seat base, I found the holes for the bolts to be slightly off-centre, making the final bolt incredibly stiff to tighten. This required me to break out my DeWalt impact driver to zap the bolts in, rather than struggling with the small Allen wrench provided.
Once constructed, the C3 looks like an standard office chair, and performs the task adequately. When the backrest is locked in the upright position, you get around 10 degrees of free movement backwards before the lever stops you. There are a few more degrees of motion after this afforded by the tough plastic and mesh backrest.
The gas strut allows around three inches of vertical adjustment, which is more than enough for regular usage. I've used chairs that go lower and higher than the C3, but I wouldn't consider that a negative.
Pull the lever out and you'll swing back into a near-horizontal position that's far too relaxed for the office, unless you really need to take a nap. A couple more increments would be welcome here, but in my usage of the chair I haven't had any desire to recline more than the standard upright position.
The stiffness of the unrestrained reclining mechanism is controlled by a large black knob on the base of the chair. This is distinctly old-school, and it's pretty difficult to turn it without flipping the chair upside-down. I'd suggest dialing this in when you first get the chair, and subsequently forgetting it exists.
The armrests can be raised, lowered, moved forward and back, and swivel. All that's missing here is moving side-to-side, but few chairs offer this, especially at this price range.
The lumbar support allows you to move the clear pad behind the mesh up or down a couple of inches. I can't say that it does much, but personally this is preferable to some of the more intrusive setups I've experienced.
Turquoise upholstery might not be to everyone's taste, but it's soft to the touch and doesn't elicit the same nails-on-a-chalkboard feeling as some cheap synthetic fabrics do. It's slightly textured, and is fairly breathable. It doesn't feel the toughest, but I don't expect it to wear through incredibly quickly, either.
The mesh also feels of decent quality, and while it's not up there with the likes of the Sihoo Dor0 C300, there's nothing to complain about.
Overall, the C3 has everything you need, but lacks any standout features. It feels tough enough for home use, but if I was kitting out a hot-desking environment, I'd be looking for a chair that I trust could take a battering. The C3 isn't flimsy, but it doesn't feel like an absolute workhorse.
- Design score: 3/5
Fezibo C3: Comfort
- Comfortable to sit in for extended periods
- Lumbar support is minimal, but effective
- Review example tilts when reclining
I've sat on much less comfortable office chairs than the C3 in my time, and if you're looking for a foam base over the increasingly popular mesh-seated options, the Fezibo C3 will stand you in good stead.
There's nothing fancy here, but the seat base is roomy and would easily accommodate all but the largest of people. I generally lean back in office chairs rather that working entirely upright, and find that both the angle of the seatback and the amount of lumbar support is just right for me. After a day or two of using the C3, I haven't suffered any back fatigue.
The mesh back is breathable, and while I haven't found myself using it much, the additional headrest is a nice addition over the basic seating often found in hot-desking offices. This is also easily removed if you prefer.
However, there's a strange issue with the C3 – or at least the example I reviewed. When reclining fully – in the locked or unlocked position – the seatback tilts to the right. This is only when some pressure is applied, and not when resting gently at full tilt, but it's quite an odd sensation.
I've looked over this example and can't see anything untoward, so I'm hesitant to say this is a one-off manufacturing error. But, having not had the chance to test another example, I can't say this with certainty.
Elsewhere, the armrests are pretty firm, and are made from the sort-of-foam plastic I'm sure you'd recognise. At this price, this is perfectly fine, and I can't say I've wished for a more supple upholstery.
This is a comfortable, basic office chair that offers more adjustment than a fixed-back chair – and for many, that's all you'll need. However, the strange issue with the tilting mechanism certainly doesn't feel pleasant, and if you're a big recliner I'd look elsewhere.
- Comfort score: 3.5/5
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