Slouch Task One office chair review: A mid-range winner

Part of the wider Allermuir group, Slouch is a small UK-based brand that, at the time of writing, sells just one product: the Task One office chair.

A quick glance at the brand’s website might remind you of one of the many new-age online bed-in-a-box brands – thanks in part to its trendy marketing and aloof models. Marketing aside, though, the Task One is a fantastic value office chair that’s just as good as, if not better than, many more expensive options.

Slouch Task One review: What you need to know

The Task One starts at £259, but if you want armrests then you’ll need to be prepared to fork out an extra £20. It comes in two frame colours, black and grey, with five muted colour choices for the seat’s upholstery fabric. I tested the grey model with armrests, with a seat upholstered in ‘Bluestone’ fabric.

In terms of adjustable features, the Slouch Task One does everything you’d expect an office chair to do, and then some. Seat height is of course adjusted via a gas lift mechanism, with additional levers to control backrest tilt and seat depth. You can also adjust the height and depth of the armrests, as well as the position of the lumbar support behind the backrest.

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Slouch Task One review: What do we like about it?

This office chair does its job with flying colours. It’s well-built, very comfortable to sit in throughout the course of a working day, and it looks very smart without trying to be too flashy.

You can pay an awful lot of money for an office chair with all of the features I outlined above. On the other hand, while the Slouch Task One can’t be called a budget office chair per se, it’s remarkably good value – particularly when compared to some of its pricier rivals. Take the Herman Miller Verus, for instance, which will cost you around £490 from Wellworking (more if you order directly from Herman Miller).

For the most part, the ergonomic features on offer here are comparable and, save for the curved ‘Triflex’ backrest, the Verus even looks rather similar. It’s a great chair that we were pleased to give a four-star recommended award in our review, but I’d argue the Task One is just as comfortable. And when you consider it will cost you just a fraction of the Verus’ price, the choice will be a no-brainer for many.

Indeed, I’d even go so far as to say that the Task One is better than some of the more expensive ergonomic office chairs that I’ve tested, where sometimes a focus cramming in heaps of smart ergonomic features can get in the way of simple good quality construction. In this sense, the old adage of “you get what you pay for” may not be so true.

Slouch Task One review: What could be improved?

At its price, it’s hard to find much fault with the Slouch Task One. Of course, £260 is still an investment. However, if you regularly work from home, and you’ve not got an extremely strict budget to play with, it’s exactly the sort of investment you should make.

One thing you don’t get is a headrest and the armrests are a little bit hard, but these complaints are minor. And besides, if you prefer your office chair without armrests (as some people do), you’ve got the option of the cheaper armless model.

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Slouch Task One review: Verdict

To put it simply, the Slouch Task One Office chair is one of the best chairs I’ve tested, and it’s more than deserving of its spot in our 2023 Remote Working Awards. Comfortable, smart and great-value for money, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a home office worker looking to upgrade their setup to something a bit more mid-range.