INTRODUCTION

   If you're sitting in a chair for prolonged periods of time (regardless of the reason) then it's almost certain that at some point in time you'll experience issues with your back. Needless to say, these issues are not the same for every single person out there but back pain is the most common one and with so many mediocre gaming and office chairs in the market today it's really not a surprise. Personally, I’ve been having back pain issues for many years now (thankfully it's nothing serious, so far anyways) and so naturally I've been paying extra attention on what chairs i use in the lab. Ergonomic chairs provided the solution for me and since many of you asked today with me i have yet another chair by Sihoo and actually one of their bestselling models currently, the M57 (M57-M111).

   Since established in 2011，Sihoo Furniture is always committed to becoming a professional ergonomic furniture provider, providing ergonomic furniture for the study, work, and entertainment of users around the world. Our products include ergonomic office chairs, children's study tables, and chairs, game chairs, etc. In order to ensure that our users get high-quality products, Sihoo has established an Ergonomics Research Institute to create a whole industry chain system integrating design, manufacturing, marketing, quality testing, storage, transportation, and installation. After years of development, Sihoo has become a professional ergonomic furniture brand and is loved by users all over the world.

   The M57 ergonomic mesh chair is both BIFMA and EN1335 certified and is currently available in black and light gray colors (in some areas of the world you may be able to find it in red, green and other colors as well). The M57 ergonomic mesh chair may be marketed by Sihoo as a cost-effective model but it still packs numerous features and so aside the typical height adjustable seat, 3D armrests (height, front/back and diagonal) and 126 degrees recline (with recline tension) it also sports a double adjustment waist/lumbar support (up/down and front/back), height and angle adjustable headrest, waterfall arc seating design, breathable mesh fabric and a weight support of up to 150Kg (330lbs). Again, ergonomic chairs like the Sihoo M57 may not be the best looking ones around (and thus may not be quite what a gamer would be interested in) but for office use where a healthy sitting posture is a must they are clearly the way to go. So, let's see just how good the M57 Ergonomic Mesh Chair by Sihoo really is.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Typically, Sihoo has used a large cardboard box to ship the M57 chair in the front and rear of which are both taken by a drawing showcasing the various recline positions.

On the two sides we find several warning icons along with the model name and weight.

Just like in the past Sihoo doesn’t do very well in terms of packing and so it’s no surprise that this time over the box arrived with a large hole in it (and most parts not very well packed).

The first two things taken out from the box were the 3D armrests.

The adjustable headrest was next followed by the mounting kit, class-3 gaslift and the 5 caster wheels.

Both the backrest and the seat (with the installation instructions) were placed just under the 5-star aluminum base.

The adjustment mechanism was the very last thing left in the box.

ASSEMBLY

As with all my past chair reviews i start by mounting the 60mm caster wheels onto the 5-star aluminum base.

These caster wheels may not look as good as 70mm ones do but they get the job done (and they are quite silent too).

Attaching the class-3 gaslift is next and as with most ergonomic office chairs there’s no cover to go over it.

Next, I attach the 3D armrests and the adjustment mechanism onto the seat as seen above.

Each 3D armrests require 3 Allen screws (4 for the adjustment mechanism).

Attaching the backrest to the seat requires using 3 Allen screws (just like with past models there's a bit of leeway here so you might want to try various positions first).

The double adjustment lumbar support mechanism can be raised 5cm (1.9”) and extend 3cm (1.2”).

Sihoo has once again used an adjustable headrest which can be raised up to 9cm and rotate back and forth (45 degrees).

With the upper body ready it’s time to place it onto the class-3 gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

Design and even size wise the M57 lands very close to the M90D.

Both the backrest and the seat are dressed with a breathable nylon mesh.

The 3D armrests can extend up to 8cm upwards, can move forward and backwards and can rotate diagonally as seen above.

The design of the rear along with the double adjustable lumbar support mechanism do stand out.

Sihoo has placed their logo at the base of the headrest.

You can recline the M90D up to 126 degrees as seen above (most of this is achieved by the backrest).

SCORE

Many of you recommended (including some manufacturers) that I place a chart pointing to the pros and cons of each gaming chair that finds its way to the lab. Now of course since there's really no way for me to "benchmark" gaming chairs i decided to rate them based on their size, comfort and quality after using each chair for at least one full week. Size and comfort usually go hand to hand (the larger the chair the more comfortable it usually is - that however also depends on the amount of padding and also the type and quality of the cover) while in terms of quality having tested dozens of models over the past years, i think i have a good idea about that as well. Of course, these scores are based on my personal opinion (always based on the samples i get – isolated/early sample issues are always possible) so do take them with a grain of salt.

CONCLUSION

   Just like with the M90D and the V1 before it the Sihoo M57 did very well during the whole 2 months i ended up using it. Yes, it’s not quite as adjustable or comfortable as the V1 but it comes very close to the M90D and that’s a very good result. The one thing i didn’t like a lot just like with the V1 and the M90D is the lack of padding for the seat which in turn means you’ll need to stand up quite often. Of course, by using a nylon mesh cover the M57 is a very cool chair during the hot summer season so i guess we just can’t have it all. Unfortunately, once again it’s not quite clear what colors one can get of the M57 since there are some websites that also offer this model in red, blue and even green but it’s only available in black and light grey in most regions such as the EU and the USA. This is by no means what I’d call a serious issue but i do imagine some people wanting to have access to more colors.

   Currently retailing for just USD175.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 208.39Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Sihoo M57 is very affordable for what it offers. Long story short the M57 Ergonomic Mesh Chair by Sihoo may not be the best model in their product line but it’s comfortable, large enough for most people, helps with your posture and is indeed very cost-effective and that’s why it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Adjustability / Comfort / Posture (Dual Lumbar Support / Backrest, Headrest & Seat Height / 126 Degrees Recline / 3D Armrests)
- BIFMA & EN1335 Certified
- Breathable Mesh Fabric
- 3 Year Limited Warranty
- Available Colors (For Some Regions)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Seat Padding (For Some)