Orangebox Do Better office chair review: A comfortable, supportive (and sustainable?) mid-range office chair

Since we originally reviewed the Orangebox Do several years ago, the company seems to have put a lot of thought into the materials that go into making its office chair. The Do Better (see what they did there?) is now made with less carbon and more recycled materials, with sustainability in mind.

Of course, claims of total sustainability are difficult to verify. What I can say is that, despite the changes in materials, the Orangebox Do Better remains a comfortable and supportive office chair that I’d recommend just as enthusiastically as the original Do – although that enthusiasm is tempered slightly by its price.

Orangebox Do Better office chair review: What do you get for the money?

The Orangebox Do Better costs around £500 from Wellworking. It has a fabric upholstered foam seat and a mesh backrest, and comes with seat height and seat height adjustability, plus the ability to tilt the backrest and adjust lumbar support.

The tilting mechanism has a recline limiter that can be set to three different positions, but it can only be fully locked in the upright position. Furthermore, in its attempt to make the chair easier to set up and use, Orangebox has done away with a tilt tension knob in favour of a “weight balancing mechanism” that automatically adjusts to the sitter.

Most of these features were part of the original Orangebox Do chair. However, as I mentioned above, there have been some changes with the introduction of the Do Better. According to Orangebox, the new chair has been manufactured with significantly less carbon and is made from 98% recyclable content. I won’t go into the finer details here but, if you’re interested, you can read a full breakdown on Orangebox’s website.

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Orangebox Do Better office chair review: What does it do well?

The Orangebox Do Better is very comfortable. Its foam seat is cushioned, yet firm enough to be supportive, and the adjustable lumbar support, which can be easily moved up and down via two sliders on the back of the chair, is good – if a bit hard.

It’s tricky to judge the exact effectiveness of the Do Better’s weight balancing mechanism and automatically adjusting tilt tension. That said, I’m of a slim build and I found it suited me perfectly. It was neither too stiff that it wouldn’t move nor too loose that it gave way under the slightest pressure. I also asked a few of my colleagues to test it out and they found it worked similarly well.

Another tricky thing to discuss here is Orangebox’s sustainability claims. Greenwashing is widespread and it’s often difficult, if not impossible, to confirm whether a company’s products are as environmentally sound as the company claims they are. Ultimately, manufacturing products for a consumer market can never be environmentally friendly, though brands can take measures to reduce their carbon footprint.

It’s this that Orangebox has perhaps succeeded in. According to Orangebox’s website and the Do Better’s product brochure, the chair is made up of 98% recyclable content and 58% recycled content, with a carbon footprint of 40.6kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per chair – apparently a 40% decrease compared with the previous Do model.

Having experience of sitting in the original Orangebox Do, myself and other members of the Expert Reviews team did notice a slight difference in the feel of the new chair. The build does feel a bit like it’s made from recycled and recyclable materials, but this is not a deal breaker; it’s still a sturdy chair.

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Orangebox Do Better office chair review: What could be improved?

One thing I don’t love about the Orangebox Do Better is the arms. Comfort wise, these aren’t actually as hard as they look: they provide a nice bit of cushioning. When it comes to adjustability, however, they’re not as convincing.

They’re height adjustable but that’s the extent of it. Arguably, armrest depth and angle adjustments aren’t the most essential features in the world but, considering I’ve seen these features offered by much cheaper office chairs, it’s a notable omission.

Wellworking’s ‘Create Your Own’ option seems to offer fully adjustable arms as an optional extra, but these are quoted at £200: £110 more than the regular height-adjustable arms.

While I’m on the topic of price, I should say that despite the Do Better being far from the most expensive chair I’ve reviewed, it can’t really be called an affordable option, either. At £500, it’s perhaps more accurate to call it a “mid-range office chair”. Having tested the likes of the Slouch Task One, which I found offered comparable levels of comfort and support (plus a greater level of armrest adjustability) for £279, I don’t find the Do Better a straightforward recommendation at its current price.

Orangebox Do Better office chair review: Verdict

It’s a shame that the price of the Orangebox Do Better holds it back from winning an Expert Reviews Best Buy award. Nevertheless, the Do Better has a lot going for it: it’s comfortable to sit on for long periods of time, offers decent levels of support and – from what I’ve gleaned during testing – its automatically adjusting recline tension works very well. For what it’s worth, Orangebox’s apparent efforts towards sustainable manufacturing are commendable, too, and may appeal to many consumers.

If you have the budget to spend on a mid-range chair, the Orangebox Do Better is a solid choice, then. In fact, putting aside the price and the minor foible with the arms, there are few other faults I can find.