Gaiam Classic Balance Ball Chair for Stability and Core Strength

K. LinK. Lin: I was reading the reviews going back to 2020 and had to wonder why some people had great experiences and some don't with the ball size. So I was really anxious about my item when it arrived.

Set up of the chair was easy though I needed some assistance to hold the base while pushing in the seat back. This was a little difficult as I couldn't tell when it is properly inserted given the gap in the back of the base. But the 2 holding screws turned and tightened so I guess I inserted sufficiently.

I set up the seat back first (contrary to the instructions, I did step 2 first, then step 1), then flipped the base upside down over a cushioned chair to install the 4 wheels for the feet.

The pump that came with the kit wasn't great, you can feel air escaping as you pump air into the ball beyond a certain size but just keep pumping, it does work to inflate the ball. Follow the instructions!!!!! THAT IS KEY. First inflation, the ball got to about 42cm. See first photo. That's the same picture where a lot of people just stopped and wrote a review complaining the ball is not the right size. You have to let the ball rest and stretch.

I waited over night and the next...

United States on Nov 03, 2023

Amy: I use this chair at work as an educational assistant for myself and share it with my students. Every teacher , student , EA should have one as the chairs at a school are horrible to sit on all day .

Canada on Oct 31, 2023

Alexandra Lilley: I love this- I will say I wish this was taller. I thought the ball wouldnt inflate at first but did after I let it sit for a bit. Great purchase!

United States on Oct 24, 2023

Debbra Lee: Works as intended. Advertized correctly. I loved it until i didnt. After awhile my lower back would start to really hurt

United States on Oct 08, 2023

Ethel Malone: It took a day to get used to, but I can’t be without it now I’m in front of a computer way too long to not be on one of these balls. At least you can say you’re always on the ball.

Canada on Sep 10, 2023

leahleah: I am a lash artist so I sit for 8 hours a day in a very terrible position and this has improved my lower back a lot since I’ve gotten it. I’ve only been using it for a week or so but I do find it very comfortable and I have used every single kind of chair because I have been doing this for a long time! However I gave it 4 stars because the wheels are really cheap, but I switched them out easily for better ones. Also I’m lucky I have a hydraulic bed that I work with because the chair is very very low so if you are sitting at a normal height desk or table or massage table this chair would most likely be too low. A lot of people seemed to have trouble inflating the ball properly but I followed the instructions and inflated it then let it sit for 24 hours and then deflated it by 50% and inflated it back up and it was then full size and fit perfectly in the ball hole. Also no issues with the metal bar bending, some people said that happened and that it broke but I haven’t had mine long but it seems like it will be fine!

Canada on Aug 22, 2023

Aaron Prothero: This is a decent chair. Lasts quite a long while. Unless you get a defective ball like I did.
This is the second chair exactly like this I've bought from Amazon. The first one is still going strong 8 months later, so I figured I'd get a second one for the other desk. Inspect your ball very carefully, mine came with a tiny tear in the seam that I didn't notice until I tried to sit in it. It gave way and I almost broke my neck. I need to get a new ball, but I will be contacting them to get the defective ball replaced.

United States on Aug 15, 2023

Mary Halstead: I was expecting it to be a bit bigger just based on the pictures, but it is the height it clearly states it is. It was simple to put together. I think I'm going to love it, but it's going to take some getting used to. I'm not giving up my regular office chair just yet. I will say I actually found myself slouching MORE on the ball chair than I normally do, mostly because I haven't quite got my position on the ball figured out yet. It's also difficult to 'relax' into it, sitting up perfectly straight for 8hrs a day hurts too 😬 I'm used to reclining back a bit for webinars and now I cannot, the back is low and has little give. Like I said though, I have faith it will become my favorite.

United States on Jul 28, 2023

David AlbertDavid Albert: I was originally looking for a ergonomic office chair but felt this one might be more beneficial as it does engage your core. After about 20 minutes of use i could feel the difference in my lower back. It was still sore but the good kind after a nice stretching work out. Let's just get to the points good and bad.

Good:
Fairly easy to assemble must know how to use a wrench
Does relieve lower back pain and engage your core
Comes with a nice stretching guide if your a yogie you should be able to do them all, if not there are a couple you may have to work on or just skip.
Casters although fairly cheap the do roll which is nice
You can literally rotate 360 and not hit anything like your arms on a normal chair would
Turns Chair Dancing into an ART form

BAD:
Not easy to inflate, I had to use a small air compressor
The valve pin can be tricky to remove
Inflating the ball to the proper inflation actually causes the ball to squish which puts a lot of pressure on the metal ball holder.
Metal ball holder should be beefed up the plastic is very weak as you can see in the photos it is already bending, I had to put extra washers to stop this.
You...

Canada on Oct 20, 2022

DM: I tried to order this chair twice before but I kept getting refunded by Amazon. Third time I ordered it actually got delivered but the pin that plugs the ball was missing. The pump they include to inflate the ball doesn't do an efficient job either. I contacted the company straight away and they answered same day and agreed to send out the pin. Initial contact with Gaiam was on September 30... I'm still waiting for the pin to be mailed to me from the US. I'm hopeful that when I get the pin, all else will be well with the chair. I've seen one in a dentist's office and it looks like it would serve well. We'll see.

UPDATE: Pin was delivered Oct 21st. I pumped the ball up to size with a foot pump, installed it into the chair and so far so good. I tend to sit at the edge of my office chair and hunch over the desk so the ball chair forces me to sit with my back straight. I'm no longer sitting on my tailbone.

Canada on Oct 08, 2021