MUSSO E80 Office Chair Review
We have another MUSSO chair review, this time of the E80 model, which is again ergonomically designed for women in mind. It’s a bit pricier than the MUSSO E600 SE model we looked at last time and is in use every day here. With that higher price, you’re getting what MUSSO would consider a more refined chair, with button adjustment instead of levers and a different design approach to comfort. But is it worth it and does it actually work?
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Design
A mesh upper half gives the E80 chair an airier profile than it otherwise would have if it were upholstered throughout, and it also subtly breaks up the design to prevent it from looking too heavy in a smaller workspace. Arm to arm it measures 66cm in width, but floor to seat base can go as low as 42cm which allows it to tuck underneath most desks, although this might need a bit of encouraging as the wheelbase diameter of 67.5cm knocks into our subwoofer unless we manipulate the wheels in the right way to contort around it.
It’s available in three pastel shades: grey, pink and our shade of beige. We really like this colour; it’s very delicate and allows the chair to blend into our neutral workspace palette perfectly. What’s more, we found the material on the seat quite resistant to everyday marks while still maintaining a soft-to-touch feel.
Actually, all the materials used feel good: the base you sit on is silky smooth and the armrests are padded and feel softer than most chairs we’ve tested this year. The curved backrest, slim frame and there being no levers in sight, also help to present a modern, understated look that feels considered without being flashy, ideal for both home offices and more formal setups.
Assembly
As we discovered when we reviewed the MUSSO E600 SE chair, the instructions are very clear and printed out on an enormous format, so you definitely cannot mistake them, and following the visual steps is a doddle. So attaching the back and base, arm rests, etc., was really very quick and easy to do - we had a completed build in less than 20 minutes. But we would stress that this chair’s total weight is 28.2kg and the larger pieces such as the base are heavy, so having two people build it together will make it much easier.
Comfort & Productivity
When reviewing office chairs, the ideal situation is that you forget that you’re doing just that. After unconsciously sitting, working, eating, drinking and swivelling around on the wheels (which are very smooth on hard floors, by the way), you get to feel exactly how the MUSSO E80 treats your body: and it’s kind.
Whilst the MUSSO E80 has a wide seating stance clearly intended to suit varying body types, anyone who’s more petite will be pleased to know that they can sit cross-legged in this chair for some late-day gaming. With the armrests able to flip up, it’s very handy for gaming and also for playing guitar! Or you can literally put your feet up with the fold-out padded leg/foot support.
The CozyCloud padding located on the seat base and armrests is soft, somewhat memory-foam-like, but it springs back so quickly that you can tell it isn’t. This is where the chair’s pressure-relief technology, aimed particularly at women, comes into play. The material is said to reduce pressure by 20% compared to a standard foam seat and by 30% compared to a mesh one. After prolonged, continuous use, no one reported hip pain, and your lower back doesn’t go numb, so the ErgoHug-branded lumbar support seems to do its job. It’s adjustable by 20°, though the ErgoHug feature has divided opinion. Most users enjoy the soft yet prominent support that curves inward to cushion the lower back. A minority, however, disliked the constant sensation of the support and preferred the Slouch Chair’s approach, which places the support behind the chair’s back instead.
Unanimous opinion was that the controls are some of the best implemented on any chair we’ve used. Gone are the many branches of levers underneath the chair to adjust it, replaced instead by very civilised buttons. The right side is for height adjustment and seat depth. The left one allows you to recline, with 4 selectable lockable positions between 90° and 135°. One quirk is that this chair doesn’t go as high as other models we’ve recently reviewed; with 17cm height adjustment it sits lower but this hasn’t presented itself to be an issue so far.
Its neck support is optional, you don’t have to attach it, but it’s fairly comprehensive for anyone who likes to lean whilst at a desk. It offers height, depth and tilt adjustment – plus it’s the same mesh material as we mentioned before, so its support is quite welcoming.
Verdict
We think the MUSSO E80 is a sleek, good-looking package, especially in this beige shade. Does it show that this chair has been ergonomically designed for women? Well, the users here can attest that it offers squishy comfort that feels snug and cosy when working away or reclining in the evenings to game. There are a few pale drawbacks: we’d like it to go a bit higher, and the ErgoHug lumber support isn’t to all tastes. Having said that, the comfort is very versatile if the arch support suits and it definitely aids good posture from hours of constant sitting. Its button-styled controls are a dream to operate, making getting the comfort from adjustment that much easier.
