IKEA office chair review : IKEA Malkolm chair

Summary : Solid comfy office chair. Perhaps there are comfier office chairs for the price range (seems to be the IKEA mid-range office chair) but this is definitely in the 'comfy chair' league, so I am not disappointed. Wide seating space (about 50cm/20 inches). No discomfort or bad back (like my old cheap 'executive' office chair). Can get a bit hot but overall a good desk chair to sit on for hours. My chair is the UK black artificial leather version (link to UK IKEA page for desk chairs).

Rating : 7/10
Rating per cost : 8/10
Cost : £65 at the time

The 3 main questions this video gets about the Ikea Malkolm chair

1 : Chair won't tilt at all. Stuck upright  ...
probable answer : you need to pull the up/down lever out a bit. The height lever seems to lock the chair in upright when it is fully in. Pulling the height lever slightly out unlocks it from upright (thanks to TheAlexandraGo aand anyone else who pointed this out)

2 : The side rests are missing
answer : They are in the back. Unzip to get out.

3 : Can't use the winder. It hits underneath.
answer : You pull the winder out before winding.

Bought the plain 'black' version of this IKEA chair as my back was hurting from being hunched at the copmputer for hours in an uncomfy 'executive swivel office chair' (cost £40). Main priority was 'comfort' (I would say a comfy chair is more important than the computer). A big bonus with IKEA is that I could go and sit on their chairs as long as I want without feeling too odd. Tried out all their office chairs. Price was also a factor but I thought it unlikely I would get comfort under a certain price, so quality was more important.

Malkolm chair :
Chair is pretty robust and well-padded. It has 2 control handles : One for elevation and the other to control tilt tension. Has comfy padded armrests. I like to have the tilt at lowest tense so I can tilt right back. Padding all round is pretty substantial but can get a bit heated. I am not disappointed in the chair, it is quality and comfort. I do wonder if I could have got a comfier chair for the price but it was too much hassle to look around and I am ok to stick with what I have. The wheels are fine.

The Malkolm chair seems to be the mid-range IKEA office chair. The budget IKEA office chair seemed 'bearable' as a budget office chair in the short time I sat on it in IKEA but had much less seating space and a lower back so perhaps would not be uncomfy for sitting for hours. The Marcus chair looks like sheer luxury but is almost 2 times the price of the Malkolm. I was looking for a chair that was minimum price for comfort in all-day use.

Constructing the chair :
Construction took a while. IKEA instructions are basic but can be followed once I absorvb what the drawings are meaning. One sticking point was that (if I recall correct) some parts (the arm-rests ?) were inside the back of the chair. There is a zip on the back of the chair that you unzip to get to the parts. It took about 2 hours to construct. Most people should be able to construct but maybe there will be delay moments.

Controls :
To adjust the tilt tension : Grab the handle on the front right side and pull it outwards so that it is beyond the chair. Then you go clockwise/forward to make the chair more upright and tense. To make the chair more tiltable, turn the handle anti-clockwise/backwards.

To adjust the chair height : Handle at the back right of the chair. Use same as a normal height adjuster for office chairs

Some FAQs I notice regarding the Malkolm chair :
The chair has no tilt lock. if you want the chair fixed at a certain tilt. I see the Marcus does have tilt lock. You need to lean back to make it tilt (presuming you have unwound the tilt winder).

Tilting degree : tilts back about 30 degrees ? Markus chair tilts back further. Tilt does not lock. You have to lean back to keep it tilted.

Update August 2012
I have had this year for a couple months now and I am still delighted with it. It's a chair you could sit in all day without discomfort. Can get a bit hot but it's passable as a full time chair. Probably I would go for even more expensive luxury comfort chair in the future but I am fine with this as a full-time chair.

Issues as they happen :
Squeaking (Sept 12) : Getting a bit of squeaking when I rock the chair or stand/sit etc. I'm hoping I can iron these out with e.g. grease. A minor irritant which I am sure I can fix.