Gaiam Classic Balance Ball Chair – Ergonomic Stability Chair for Desk & Office | Yoga Ball Seat with Base, Air Pump, & Exercise Guide | Improves Posture & Core Strength (300 lb Capacity)

I’ve wanted a balance ball chair ever since I read a few articles praising them on Lifehacker. I already owned a cheap balance-ball, but had no base or way to really stabilize the ball. After reading endless reviews and going through the questions/answers here on Amazon, I finally decided to bite the bullet and order the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair.In the box is one chair frame (disassembled), one 52cm balance ball (deflated), a hand pump (borderline useless) and a nice, well-illustrated booklet containing exercises/stretches to use with the chair.The chair itself is a cinch to assemble – the casters simply press into the base, then the back support clicks into the base and is held in place with 2 twist-in bolts. Finally, 4 small nuts hold on the wire ball support (a little wrench is provided). All in all, assembly takes under 5 minutes.The ball is a different story – the ball needs to be at room temperature before inflating. You only want to inflate the ball about 80%, then let it acclimate and stretch for about 24 hours. Gaiam provides a small hand pump, but it’s incredibly tedious an inefficient to use. I used a bicycle pump and inflated the ball to about 42 cm (about 16.5”), then left it sitting for 24 hours.Note: By 42cm, I don’t mean the circumference of the ball. I marked off 42cm from the wall, placed the ball against the wall, and inflated until the edge of the ball touched the 42cm mark on my tape measure. After acclimating, I followed Gaiam’s directions and inflated the ball fully to 52cm (about 20.5”). The ball, being fully inflated, needed some manipulating to fit into the chair frame, but nothing too difficult.Before I purchased the ball chair, my main concern about the chair was height – I am only 5’0” tall, and was afraid that the chair would leave me sitting too low. Turns out, the opposite was true – once the fully-inflated ball was in place, I was seated up very high, and my feet did not touch the floor. Gaiam’s instructions say to inflate the ball so that the thighs and shins should be at a 90° angle to the floor. If your hips are higher than your knees, deflate the ball. Conversely, if your hips are lower than your knees, you need to inflate the ball to find that ‘sweet spot’ for your height.I ended up deflating the ball until my feet were able to touch the floor – as a result, the ball was not as firm and had more ‘give’ to it, but the ball is still quite comfortable. I have to make slight adjustments to keep myself stabilized, which activates my core. I also have to sit up straighter instead of slouching or leaning forward (as us shorter people are prone to doing). The chair’s ‘back’ isn’t really meant as a support structure; per Gaiam’s instruction booklet, it’s strictly for stability during exercises.Work your way up to using a balance ball chair – I recommend ditching your office chair and going to the balance ball chair full-time. As you become more conscious of your posture and core, you’ll be utilizing muscles previously neglected. So, work your way up to the chair – I spent a few hours in the ball chair, then a few hours in my regular office chair until I felt comfortable going ‘full-time’ with the ball chair. I do not use the ball itself for any exercises, though I do perform some of the seated stretches from the included booklet.Now, my posture is so much better, my lower-back pain is near nonexistent, and I can definitely feel a difference in how my core feels. I also don’t experience the tailbone pain that I used to have after a long day of work.For under $80, you won’t find a better chair.

I've borrowed my co workers Gaiam Balance Ball Chair when she's been out of the office. I just loved it immediately, less back paid, less pressure on my legs and helped with my posture. I just had to get one for myself. It arrived today!!! Like a kid on Christmas I tossed my old uncomfortable office chair to the side and immediately put this together. I like the pop of color the green has....so that's about all the positives I can give.Assemble of the chair was very quick and simple. Inflating the ball however, with that ridiculous pump thing, I had to go into a conference room to put air in it. (just not appropriate to do while sitting at your office desk) The ball.....the ball is inflated to the max I didn't want to pop it. I placed it in the chair and it was like dropping a beach ball into it. This ball is SOOOOOO freaking small when I sat on it I could just aboutsit Indian Style on the floor!! I'm 5'10 about 150lbs. I immediately rolled it to the side and grabbed my neighbors ball and I'm sitting here typing this review in comfort.UPDATE 6/9/15: okay so I called Gaiam customer service about replacing the ball and was told to just give it a couple days to expand to it's full size. So today (day two) I came in and inflated more.....to my SURPRISE it's not perfect IT"S BETTER. I'm high yet still able to lean back on the back rest comfortably. This goes from 2 stars to 5 in my book. I couldn't believe it. If you think its to small on the initial opening let it sit in a warm space over night and then add more air......you'll be pleasantly surprised. Everyone at work is taking triple looks at my comfy, supportive, fun colored, new office chair! Love it. They should put a disclaimer in the description so people know what to expect. would have been helpful for me. Considering it? Go for it!!!Since I had it shipped to the office I don't know if I should return all of it or go in search of an adult sized ball. I did some digging and I see there are different sized balls on Amazon sold separately for 19.99. Seriously?! How do I just exchange the ball?!Hello, AMAZON? Anyone out there? I've spent allot of money on this site at least deliver the items pictured. The lady in the picture isn't squatting on the floor she's at desk level.

I like the chair very much. It has helped my posture, and my back is not in pain while using it. The height is perfect for me. I am 5' tall. The ball has a nice firm "bounce" and appears to be well made and will hopefully last a long time. The only issue I have are the cheap plastic casters. This makes the chair hard to move on thin Berber carpet, and they do not seem like they will last over time.