Sihoo Doro S100 office chair review: Sacrificing style for incomparable comfort

For the longest time, I have used the most basic IKEA office chair you could imagine. It had such luxury features as wheels and the ability to recline. But to no one's surprise, sitting at a desk for 12 hours a day in that chair hasn’t done me any good.

So when Sihoo came along and showed us its Doro S100 offering, I was intrigued at the premise of it fixing all my posture problems - but is it really all it's cracked up to be?

Not your average gaming chair

The Sihoo Doro S100 looks impressive, and you'd hope so for the $549.99 price tag. It’s classed as an “Ergonomic Office Chair”, and its unique design screams that when you see it put together.

Immediately, it was apparent to me that this was a comfort over-style product. While I personally think the design looks pretty slick, comparing it to other gaming/office chairs at this price point is pretty underwhelming (at least from a design perspective).

Most of the external design is plastic, and it can be visually apparent where cost-cutting measures were introduced. Sihoo is clearly focusing on that “ergonomic” market and just taking a quick glance at the chair fully built will tell you all you need to know. It looks like it’s more tailor-designed for fixing posture and long sessions at a desk than it does a style piece for your house.

That’s not to say it’s ugly. It has a clean, modern aesthetic that will easily fit into most office spaces, but it’s not a product for which you spend $550 to show off visually. 

Build it like Beckham

Building the Doro S100 is relatively simple; you get a single instructions page that clearly lays everything out. All the parts are stored on a prepackaged piece of card, which makes getting every screw out feel like opening a toy on Christmas day.

It took me around 45 minutes to unbox and assemble everything, but it would have been much quicker if another pair of hands had helped. The only tricky part was putting the chair's main body onto the wheels, again a process that would be simpler with someone else to help.

Everything you need is in the box, and I can’t complain about the process. Still, it's worth noting again that for the premium price of the chair, nothing about the experience feels particularly premium. A couple of parts feel flimsy, and items like the metal decorative cover are left sliding around in place, something that, for the price, I would expect better.

Serene sitting experience

Sitting in the chair, though, changes everything. The mesh design allows for a sturdy but flexible seat, and it’s easy to get comfy once perched. The fabric has just the right amount of spring to make it really comfortable, and that’s before you adjust any of the settings.

The self-advertised “Dual Dynamic Lumbar Support” is the real winner here though. These are two individual panels on springs that move independently of each other. When leaning back to recline in the chair or even sit up straight, they allow you to pillow right back into the chair. It’s incredible how such a minor innovation can improve your posture, but I already felt its benefits even after just a week of using it. 

If that wasn’t enough, the chair also has an extendable headrest, and as someone who is 6’3 ft tall, I think this is a blessing in disguise. The headrest clicks in and out of place, rising almost just above my head, meaning I can lean back fully and get neck support even though I am very tall.

Admittedly, I’m not used to this kind of comfort. It’s often that chairs like this are designed around people of smaller stature, so it’s a pleasant surprise that this is almost the perfect height for me. 

Fits like a glove

Almost all aspects of the Doro S100 can be modified on the go. For example, the armrests have “4D Movement”, meaning they can move in four directions for optimal comfort.

The chair can also rise just over three inches, giving you a bit of wiggle room with placement, and you can even adjust the depth of the seat. Admittedly, though, the seat depth is something I’d like to have seen extended. While it’s nice to be able to move it back and forth, it only moves two inches, which is just not enough for someone as tall as me. 

All of these features allow for a truly customisable experience, and after a few weeks of testing, I can confidently speak about the benefits they have brought me. Most of my time is spent video editing, often hours a day inside and outside of work. After just two weeks of using the Doro S100, I’ve already noticed a significant decrease in what back pain I had, and I’m able to sit at my desk even longer. It’s made those long editing sessions feel more comfortable, and I find myself less irritated than I was before.

The multitude of recline settings means that whether I'm typing this review or sitting back playing a game, I can change my chair to fit the environment. Multiple times a day, I’ll now mix up the settings on the chair just to change my posture, and that’s a level of freedom I’ve not had before. 

One slight issue I noticed with both the backrest and the armrests is that it’s very easy to knock them out of place. While the recline can lock in at certain angles, the rest of the chair doesn’t have that feature. It would be great to see future models of the S100 have the ability to permanently fix these in certain positions at the click of a switch. 

The verdict

The Sihoo Doro S100's RRP is steep, and it could use a few more premium touches for that price tag. That said, most definitely does its job.

While I would always love more customisation, there is still an excellent range for people of all heights and sizes. This could be ideal if you are in the market for a new office or gaming chair that will help with long stretches of sitting down.

However, don't be fooled into thinking of it as a vibrant style piece that you’ll show off to everyone who comes to visit.

4/5

Review unit provided by the manufacturer. GGRecon uses affiliate links, if you purchase any products from our links we may earn a commission.