We are convinced that a chair is the most important part of any setup.

04.04.2023

Okay, maybe we're a little biassed. BACKFORCE is a brand of Interstuhl: a German office chair manufacturer with over 60 years of experience. That one of the pioneers of the modern office chair assumes that their chairs are the most important part of a setup is not that far-fetched. But we say that with good reason! Let us explain:

We all sit too much ...

We humans live a sedentary lifestyle: Almost four out of every ten people (39 %) employed in the European Union (EU) carries out their work while sitting down. (As of 2017, Source) And when we get off work, we carry on sitting: We sit on the couch or at our desk. We watch Youtube, Netflix or Twitch-Streams of our favourite Esport Teams - or we play computer games ourselves. Sometimes hours on end, with little to no breaks.

Generally speaking: Sitting is bad for your health. It affects your whole body. Not just your spine, but also your heart, metabolism and muscles. Your risk of mental illness and the risk of cancer increases as well. So what is the solution? Stop sitting altogether? Maybe getting one of those fancy stand-up desks instead?

Okay - If sitting is so bad for me, I’ll just ditch my chair altogether!

Please don’t do that! The only real solution to this problem is keeping an active lifestyle. That's why presumably all Esports organisations have physicians to help their players stay fit. Sitting in itself is not the problem, but staying in the same position the whole time is. Just ditching your chair is not a solution. Of course, you can get yourself a height-adjustable table. The switch between standing and sitting every now and then relieves some strain on your body. Just ask yourself: are you really going to do this regularly? A better approach is to keep changing positions and moving regularly. E.g. by getting up every hour to get a glass of water. (Stay hydrated everyone!)

But what do you do when that is not an option? You can call breaks in most Esport titles. However, only certain amounts of breaks are allowed. So you most likely want to use them for tactical reasons - not for stretching exercises. And it’s probably years before we see Esports teams running their tables up and down in between rounds. (Or maybe never). What do we do then? Accept these conditions as a given? Use as many tactical breaks as possible to run to the bathroom and stretch our legs? Well, what if we could tell you about another solution, one where you don't even have to think about getting active?

Gaming chairs have a bad reputation. And for good reasons!

Before we can go into that, we need to clear some things up about gaming chairs in general: Why they get so much bad press. Most experts recommend ergonomic office chairs instead of gaming chairs. And they are right! More precisely: they were right! (More about how our gaming chairs differ from your usual gaming chair later)

For the longest time, gaming chairs were a dread for all ergonomics experts and medical professionals: a product made with the simplest manufacturing techniques in low-wage countries. The same cheaply made chair, resold for way to high prices under a plethora of names. A product that, given the facts, is just not worth its money.

The biggest issue with these chairs is that their shape and mechanics further add to the problems mentioned above. Their bucket seat design restricts movement even more than any regular chair would. The flat backrest does not follow the natural curvature of your spine, leading to bad posture. Worst of all: Most of these chairs rely on a simply made, cheap tilt mechanic to recline the chair. It does a wonderful job of making sure your body NEVER changes position. Even when you are actively trying to move. (Hopefully we don't have to explain to you why this is so bad for your body).

No wonder why most experts condemn gaming chairs and recommend ergonomic solutions instead. But here’s the catch: BACKFORCE gaming chairs are both: Gaming chairs AND ergonomic. How is that? Let’s find out!

How BACKFORCE was born.

Interstuhl, the manufacturer of BACKFORCE prides itself in their knowledge of chairs and ergonomics. One can only imagine how horrible these gaming chairs must have seemed to the seating experts at Interstuhl. There was a need for a brand that offers an ergonomic alternative: Backforce was born. (Albeit not with that name initially)

The goal was to develop a gaming chair that sets new standards. In terms of ergonomics and design. To meet all requirements for players, a project manager from outside the company was required. This is how Stefan Krumme, who is now the Head of Backforce, came into the project. Stefan Krumme, who hosted Casekings Youtube channel and was a frequent visitor of Germanys Gamescom, was the perfect fit. Together they established partnerships with Esport organisations like BIG that played a huge role in establishing BACKFORCE as a new name in the gaming chair industry. BACKFORCE and BIG are working together until this day!

Why is a BACKFORCE chair unlike any other gaming chair?

Simply put: Because of Interstuhl. All their existing knowledge of an ergonomic office chair went into making these chairs. That is why the suggestion “Don’t buy a gaming chair, buy an office chair instead” is so off-putting to us. A BACKFORCE chair is both: It’s undeniably a gaming chair. In fact, the design is so unique, the first vendors tried to copy it already. And it’s a fully-fledged (ergonomic) office chair with all the bells and whistles one could ask for. You don’t know what that entails? Don’t worry, we’ll explain it to you!

The Shape:

We carefully designed every part of the BACKFORCE chair, so that you are not restricted in your movement. That also means no bucket-seat design! Moreover, the backrest is shaped like an “S”, to contour the natural curvature of your spine. This enables our chairs to support your back throughout. To achieve this, we do not use steel frames, like most other gaming chair brands. (These are uncomfortable and make the upholstery wear out quicker) We use a wooden plate underneath the backrest and seat. It ensures stability, is the perfect base for the upholstery and best of all: it is sturdy but still flexible. (further contributing to our “able to move” promise)

The Mechanics:

All BACKFORCE chairs include a synchronous mechanism. Remember when I told you there is a way for you to be active while sitting, without even thinking about it? This is it!

The mechanic functions in a way that is most ergonomic to your body. It adjusts the backrest and seat in unison. That way our backrest supports your back optimally, even when you lean back. (The other mechanics just tend to pull on your T-Shirt) Additionally the front of the seat does not push into your thighs – Maintaining good blood flow. The mechanism also has another benefit: If you keep it unlocked, it promotes active sitting. When you sit actively, your body is constantly shifting positions. Why is this so important? Your intervertebral discs are like sponges that contain a nutrient fluid. Normally, these sponges remain compressed when sitting and the nutrient fluid cannot circulate. But when you're actively sitting, the disc can soak up new nutrient fluid while expelling the old. One of many factors that enables you to sit longer on a Backforce chair!

There are even more features that are ergonomic. Some of them are specific to certain models. You can find an overview here.

This all sounds so technical, are there any cool features?

We think our ergonomics are one of the coolest features of ours. But we get what you mean! Of course, we also include some features that are specifically geared towards e-sports and gaming.

Our fold-away armrests ensure that you don't have to hunch over when you want to take out the camper at the other end of the map. In addition, you can customise your Backforce any way you want: There are changeable patches on the chair's shoulders. You can order your own here. On the back of the Backforce One and One Plus is our GAMER PULSE LED where you can put your own logo. (For the Backforce V you can order it for 9 EUR in our store). The design of the chairs itself is one of its greatest features.

It's best to look at the individual product pages to see the differences between the models. You can find an overview here.

All this must come at a cost, right?

Well, it does. Just not like, you might think! One might argue that our chairs are too expensive. You can get a gaming chair for much less. Ask yourself: where and how are these chairs produced? Are they ergonomic? How long is their warranty? We started BACKFORCE, because we think that other gaming chairs are just not worth it. We produce in Germany, we offer a 10-year warranty and all of our chairs are truly ergonomic and made with high quality materials. Because of this, one might even argue that our chairs are too cheap! Other German manufactures usually cost a whole lot more, sometimes even while providing less features. That is because these companies either don’t manufacture themselves, rely on a chain of distributors, or both. We manufacture BAKCFORCE chairs in our own factory in Germany and sell them directly to you via our website. No middlemen that want to chip in. It is also why you will not see any discounts or sales from us, like from the others: The discounts from other vendors are part of the calculated margins for their distributors. We do not have any distributors; therefore, our price contains no additional margins. Practically you get a discounted price all year long. No sales and no coupon codes to miss. (Thank us later!)

I’m still not convinced. What else do you offer?

We produce our chairs in our own factory in Germany. We ensure a stable, fairly paid and safe work environment for all of our workers. We also strive for social responsibility and sustainability. (Read more on how Interstuhl ensures sustainable production). Did we already mention that we only use high quality materials and thus offer our customers a 10-year warranty? (Read about our warranty conditions here)

There are many more reasons to choose us for your next chair. You can find out even more in our FAQ. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about BACKFORCE and our chairs that you need answered. Either via our contact form, Social Media or on our Discord.

Your Backforce Team

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