IKEA released a couple new ergonomic office chairs last year that are decent options in
addition to their ever popular IKEA Markus chair.
The Hattefjall chair that has a nice minimal and modern design, and the Jarvfjallet that
is basically a new take on the Markus.
They both include nice adjustable features to fit different body sizes, which I’m happy
about but they’re still far from perfect for my comfort, the arm rests are still poorly
designed and a couple changes to the recline feature that I don’t really like.
But I think they’re still a good budget options to try out the next time you’re
at an IKEA, especially if you can’t afford to spend a thousand dollars on a higher end
office chair.
Hi I’m David and here are my impressions on these two new IKEA office chairs, the hattefjall
and jarvfjallet.
Let’s start with the big change going from the original Markus to both of these two new
designs.
The adjustable features.
Adjusting the seat pan depth is an important one for me since the original Markus lacks
this feature, and based on my 5’7 height, it’s too deep for my legs and rubs the backs
of my knees.
Both these new chairs can adjust the seat pan depth with this lever and slide the seat
pan further back and leave a more comfortable gap behind my legs.
The lumbar back support is also now adjustable on both these new chairs.
With the hattefjall you can raise the entire back support higher or lower to match your
curve, while the other chairs opts for this movable pad that isn’t the greatest but
it’s better than nothing.
The Jarvfjallet also adds a simple height adjustment to the headrest, that wasn’t
moveable on the Markus.
The tilt recline feature has also been tweaked on both these new chairs.
All these chairs can free recline when unlocked.
And now to lock the recline it’s activated by sliding this bar inwards.
The Markus and Jarvfjallet can be lock into multiple recline positions which I really
like but the Hattefjall only allows you to lock it at a 90 degree angle.
IKEA also decided to remove this recline tension knob that lets you adjust how stiff or loose
the recline of the chair is.
Now it’s supposed to dynamically adjusts the tension based on your weight but I really
don’t like this change and kind of wished they just kept it a manually adjustable feature
because sometimes I prefer it stiffer or looser.
All the chairs are height adjustable but for shorter people, the Markus and Jarvfjallet
are still slightly high even at the lowest setting for me.
Whereas the Hattefjall is just a bit lower, that makes planting my feet on the floor a
little more comfortable.
With these chairs you can buy the optional arm rests separately but I didn’t buy them
because they have the same problem as the Markus.
They don’t adjust, and they don’t look that comfortable to me.
But next let’s talk comfort.
I think they’re all pretty comfortable when you first sit in them.
But I feel like the Markus is still the most comfortable of the bunch.
Specifically the seat cushion on the Markus I feel has a nicer soft plush foam that’s
very comfortable over a long session.
Whereas the newer chairs both use a firmer, more dense foam that’s definitely noticeable.
This foam different alone isn’t major issue for me but combined with the shape of the
seat makes for a very different experience between all the chairs.
Both the Markus and Jarvfjallet have a very flat profile that rounds off at the front.
While the Hattefjall has a much rounder almost oval pebble shape to it that puts a little
too much pressure in the middle of the seat for me over a long session.
It also has these side lips which are mainly for the aesthetic that only get in the way
if I sit in my chair sideways.
For my comfort, I’m actually not a huge fan of any of these shapes.
I instead prefer this waterfall edge, which is one of the main reasons I still use my
older IKEA Volmar chair.
The comfort of the back is also a little different coming from the Markus to the new chairs.
The Markus has a tall flat mesh back support.
That I find pretty comfortable to rest my upper back and head on.
The Jarvfjallet keeps this high back mesh design but tweaks it with a slimmer frame
and slightly rounded shape.
I personally find this a little less comfortable because of the slimmer frame, which for people
with broader shoulders that means you’re upper back and shoulder blades sometimes rest
on the stiff frame, instead of the softer mesh like it does on the Markus.
The Hattefjall is completely different with a foam back, that only supports the lower
back region.
Still I think this lower back support is comfortable enough for working but less so for lounging
around watching movies or relaxing.
And finally build quality.
All of these have great 10 year long warranties.
And IKEA has always been really good with support from my past experience.
I think all the chairs seem pretty well built but the Jarvjallet uses a lot more plastic
bits and components for those adjustability feature, which makes it feel slightly less
solid but I wouldn’t be too concerned with that, especially with the IKEA warranty.
So in the end.
I think these two new IKEA chairs are nice budgets in addition to the popular Markus
chair.
My recommendation though, try the Markus chair at a store, and if it fits and you don’t
need any extra adjustments, I’d stick with that since it’s cheaper, I find the build
quality a little better and it’s more comfortable.
But if you’re shorter or smaller sized and need the extra adjustments or just prefer
the newer modern design, the new Hattefjall and Jarvfjallet are great options to try as
well.
In my opinion they aren’t perfect but I still think they’re some of the best budget
options to look at before you start needing to spend a thousand dollars on a new chair.
Which I’ll probably end up doing soon, with all these chairs I’m going through.
But hope you guys enjoyed this one.
You know what to do.
And I’ll see you in the next video.