- Gaiam 610-6002RTL Balance Ball Chair - Classic Yoga Ball Chair with 52cm Stability Ball, Pump & Exercise Guide for Home or Office, Black

This chair is fantastic and perfect for my job. I have a herniated disc at L4/L5, which I've been dealing with for 3 years. I've tried everything for pain management with no long-term success, and I'm not a candidate for surgery, so I decided to buy this chair with the hopes that it would help strengthen my back during the day. I have a desk job, but do get up at least every hour to walk around a bit. It is so incredibly comfortable and stable! I make sure to not use the backrest and sit up very straight to get the most out of the ball. I waited to write this review about a month after I purchased. The first day, because it was so comfortable, I sat on it for nearly 6 hours and came home in pain! Don't get me wrong, this is NOT a bad thing - this is a good thing! This means it works - it does what it's supposed to do - strengthens your core and those muscles along your spine. If you're unsure, think no more - YOU MUST BUY THIS CHAIR!! When you put it together, the ball will make the whole chair look really low, and I was worried it would be too short for my desk, but it was the perfect height. My desk at work is tall, and our monitors are elevated even more - I would say you're probably safe to buy this for your desk, as I believe mine is higher than typical desks. My advice to others - 1. There are only two wheels with brakes on them - if you're like me, you roll around to different parts of your desk all day. You should put those wheels on the back, so you don't accidentally put the brakes down with your heels. 2. Pump that ball up as much as it will go! You want it to be really full and firm. 3. Start off sitting in the chair for 2-3 hours per day, then slowly move up in hour increments so you build up your muscles and don't end up hurting your back like I did! Example: Monday & Tuesday, sit for 2-3 hours. Wednesday & Thursday, sit for 3-4 hours. Friday and next Monday, sit for 4-5 hours, etc. You will not regret buying this chair. I'm so happy I did!

I purchased 3 of these for my office, 1 for me and 1 each for two other co-workers. I assembled all of the chairs. The packaging is very substantial and is well packed for easy removal and assy. The assembly was straight forward and very easy to do. I found the parts to be of good quality as well. I was nervous about pumping up the balls because I read on other reviews that some folks were receiving balls that were too small. I assembled my co-workers chairs and both of their balls were the correct size and fit nicely within the chair. However, when I assembled my own chair the ball was noticeably smaller than the other chairs and i inflated it the same amount as I did the other two balls. When inflated it did not fit snugly into the chair like it is supposed to fit. Amazon was great about immediately delivering another chair to me on the very next day and they instructed me to box up my chair and leave it outside my door for pick up- easy, no charge to me and great prompt replacement. However, the second chair I recieved the same thing occured. One co-worker decided to pump up the ball extremely more than we pumped theirs. I was reluctant as I was not sure how much pressure they can hold. This solved the issue. Apparently the smaller balls are thicker in material as well and they require much more pressure to pump to the right size. I did not realize this and I hope this helps others who have had the issue with the size of the ball portion of this chair. By the way, this chair is SO comfortable and its great for your posture. I also like that I can remove it and do ball exercises during my lunch hour, office door closed of course.

I feel like giving it 5 stars: it is exactly what I expected. But... I do NOT "love it"; my back hasn't strengthened to the point necessary: I get a back-ache after several hours on it. I think I NEED it, however; I think in time I'll have stronger back muscles from using this... and then I'll owe it a 5th star. Observations: * I didn't see any assembly instructions in the box until after I finished. Keep an eye out for the 6x8" sheet. It's pretty intuitive and undemanding, but there are facts to consider on the sheet. * What looks like a "back" isn't: it's impossibly far to the rear and flimsy for a back, but just fine for a handle to move the "chair" around. Hang a coat on the "back" and the unit will probably fall over. * That "back" is the only blight on assembly: the two screws attaching it are short enough that the back piece must be fully seated in its "socket" before the screws meet the embedded nuts. Be patient, be brutal. * I used-to place my wireless keyboard on my knees while typing. This chair encourages a more spread-legged posture for stability -- creating a tripod of separated feet and the ball -- and that means the keyboard works better on a little table. My position, legs 60 degrees apart, might be indelicate for a Lady in mixed company(!), but I'll leave it to the female species to comment on alternate positions and perspectives. * I found inflating it to be quite awkward at first, though easier after I had it 20% full. This would be a time where growing or borrowing an extra pair of hands would ease matters. * While it -looks- a bit fragile, it seems completely untroubled by my 240 lbs. I already had a Gaiam Balance Ball and would've liked to purchased the chair alone without a second ball. No go. That Gaiam Ball, alone, was tedious chair-substitute: it rolled around too much, requiring more attention and effort than this variant. With this balance chair, the ball tends to stay in place: if you lean slightly to the side, the chair remains centered and the ball doesn't try to run away. When you sit on it, the ball doesn't try to skip out from under one. It might be that at some future point the chair might reduce the exercise-benefit of the ball alone, but I find it easier to start out with the "chair". Now... just have to get those back muscles toned up...

I’ve wanted a balance ball chair ever since I read a few articles praising them on Lifehacker. I already owned a cheap balance-ball, but had no base or way to really stabilize the ball. After reading endless reviews and going through the questions/answers here on Amazon, I finally decided to bite the bullet and order the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair. In the box is one chair frame (disassembled), one 52cm balance ball (deflated), a hand pump (borderline useless) and a nice, well-illustrated booklet containing exercises/stretches to use with the chair. The chair itself is a cinch to assemble – the casters simply press into the base, then the back support clicks into the base and is held in place with 2 twist-in bolts. Finally, 4 small nuts hold on the wire ball support (a little wrench is provided). All in all, assembly takes under 5 minutes. The ball is a different story – the ball needs to be at room temperature before inflating. You only want to inflate the ball about 80%, then let it acclimate and stretch for about 24 hours. Gaiam provides a small hand pump, but it’s incredibly tedious an inefficient to use. I used a bicycle pump and inflated the ball to about 42 cm (about 16.5”), then left it sitting for 24 hours. Note: By 42cm, I don’t mean the circumference of the ball. I marked off 42cm from the wall, placed the ball against the wall, and inflated until the edge of the ball touched the 42cm mark on my tape measure. After acclimating, I followed Gaiam’s directions and inflated the ball fully to 52cm (about 20.5”). The ball, being fully inflated, needed some manipulating to fit into the chair frame, but nothing too difficult. Before I purchased the ball chair, my main concern about the chair was height – I am only 5’0” tall, and was afraid that the chair would leave me sitting too low. Turns out, the opposite was true – once the fully-inflated ball was in place, I was seated up very high, and my feet did not touch the floor. Gaiam’s instructions say to inflate the ball so that the thighs and shins should be at a 90° angle to the floor. If your hips are higher than your knees, deflate the ball. Conversely, if your hips are lower than your knees, you need to inflate the ball to find that ‘sweet spot’ for your height. I ended up deflating the ball until my feet were able to touch the floor – as a result, the ball was not as firm and had more ‘give’ to it, but the ball is still quite comfortable. I have to make slight adjustments to keep myself stabilized, which activates my core. I also have to sit up straighter instead of slouching or leaning forward (as us shorter people are prone to doing). The chair’s ‘back’ isn’t really meant as a support structure; per Gaiam’s instruction booklet, it’s strictly for stability during exercises. Work your way up to using a balance ball chair – I recommend ditching your office chair and going to the balance ball chair full-time. As you become more conscious of your posture and core, you’ll be utilizing muscles previously neglected. So, work your way up to the chair – I spent a few hours in the ball chair, then a few hours in my regular office chair until I felt comfortable going ‘full-time’ with the ball chair. I do not use the ball itself for any exercises, though I do perform some of the seated stretches from the included booklet. Now, my posture is so much better, my lower-back pain is near nonexistent, and I can definitely feel a difference in how my core feels. I also don’t experience the tailbone pain that I used to have after a long day of work. For under $80, you won’t find a better chair.

I switched from a crappy office chair to a ball for a couple of weeks, but I found it impossible to move around my desk space with any sort of convenience. Additionally, in order to reach my desk, I had to sit on a ball far too big for my frame, which gave me achy hips. This Gaiam Ball Chair is the perfect blend of a chair and a ball. The wheels work well on the flat carpet in my office, and I never feel unstable during the day. I can move from one end of my long desk to the other with no difficulty at all. There's an insert that warns you the ball will seem/feel too small for the chair when you first set it up. THIS IS TRUE. Don't panic; it will stretch out with a few days' time, just as the insert claims. I'm currently at 25 hours of the chair being set up, and the ball has already stretched and relaxed to become visibly bigger. I currently have it inflated to a point that's a bit too firm for my comfort, but I expect to be able to decrease the air pressure as the ball stretches a bit more in the next few days. My butt was sore after using it the first day, but the soreness is not lasting. This is great for anyone who is a wiggler, fidgeter, or otherwise restless at their desk. Set up took me all of 10 minutes (and that's with ball inflation) and was easy to understand. No tools needed (it comes with a tiny wrench and the air pump). **8 MONTH UPDATE** I've been using this chair 5 days a week since I bought it and it's amazing. Any soreness I had disappeared after a month. The ball has stretched to a great size now and totally looks like the photo. The height is good for my desk; just today, I added more air to the ball and I realized how much bigger it could get now! If you're on the fence about this, or if you just purchased it and you're feeling some buyer's remorse, stick with it! It's so worth the time.

Gaiam refused to publish my review on their website because it shed some unfavorable light on a known issue with this item. The metal (chrome) bar that tries to help hold the ball in place atop the base is of inferior quality and breaks after a few months of gentle/careful use on either low pile carpet or bare floor. There are so many reviews about this on the Gaiam website - it is officially a "known issue". Gaiam will send you a replacement bar but there is currently a three month waiting list. The ETA for mine has been extended twice already. If Gaiam "knows" this is an issue, why have they not made improvements? I have reached out to Gaiam Customer Service a few times over the past several weeks (while waiting for my replacement bar) to find out if/when they will begin selling these chairs with an upgraded bar but have yet to receive a response (or acknowledgement) to my question. Since I have experience using an exercise ball as a chair, I still sit on this chair with the missing bar. However, a handful of times the chair has shot out from underneath me because the ball started to roll out of the base - and I use this chair at work directly atop hard wood flooring. I would highly recommend this chair for "desk jockeys" as it does encourage good posture and helps strengthen my core and lumbar regions. However, I would wait to see when/if Gaiam begins using higher quality material for the "metal" bar.

Ordered this on Jan 6th 2017, probably got it on jan 9th or so and today May 25th 2017 it broke. The end of the metal bar that keeps the ball in place broke off. Holding the broken off threaded piece in my hand - this feels like the cheapest quality steel possible. My wife asked if it was really metal or some other pressure formed solid coated to look like steel. I have handled a lot of threaded bolts and nuts and this is the lightest "chuck" of a bolt I have ever seen. I have only ever sat on the chair. I have never tried to do any of the exercises that use the chair that are included in the instructions. The ball is properly inflated. While I will attempt to get a replacement part - I have no idea if this will be possible and if so is this a part that is going to need to be replaced every 5 months. Assuming I cannot get a replacement part for free, this will have cost more than $10 a month to use for only about 10 hours a week. Before it broke, I liked it ok, I was using it as a desk chair. Not a great desk chair but better than I though it might be. Perhaps if they used real "old fashioned" steel in the metal bar it would last longer than 5 months. This ends up being an expensive way to get an exercise ball, because it won't work as a chair for long. Yesterday I received the replacement metal bar (yes, it took essentially 3 months). The new bar does seem to be made of steel, it is substantially heavier and hopefully will actually last. The packing list shows 3 items shipped, but all I got was the metal bar - no nuts to hold it on. Packing slip Lists: 95-1198 Kit Comp: Circular Metal Piece BB Chair 1 ordered 1 shipped 95-1198BOLT Kit Comp: Circular Metal Piece Security Bo 2 ordered 2 shipped I went to the hardware store and got the necessary nuts to hold the bar on. But it does seem a little strange that a company that initially sent out a product that based upon all of the reviews of the metal bars breaking, knew was defective, while replacing the defective part would not send the nuts necessary to hold the bar on. They seem to be trying and not to have their act together. I did raise my review to 3 stars (from 2), but I would not see Gaiam on a product and purchase it thinking the quality was any good. Updated. 11/9/17 Tonight the ball started to deflate. Sitting on the chair at my desk I heard a hissing noise. At first I thought it was coming from the computer, no the hiss got louder and I figured out the ball was deflating. Nothing punctured the ball - it is just poor quality. Lowering review to 1 star. Gaiam quality control is very poor if the chair I got is at all representative.

My back was hurting from my office chair and this ball chair has been amazing. Same height as a chair. Strong and sturdy framing.

I love this chair but takes some getting used to. Not the most comfortable for sitting for long periods but I guess that must be the point to get up and walk around and not sit for too long.

Tengo una semana usando la silla en mi home office, si bien no son 8 horas al día al menos si son 4 y la verdad es la silla más comoda que he sentido en casa. Hace algun tiempo intente usar solo una pelota para sentarme y no me era tan comodo porque era difícil mantener la estabilidad. En esta silla tengo los beneficios de forzar tener una buena postura y a la vez no tengo problema con la estabilidad. Me encanta

This was purchased for my co worker. He gets very bad back pain and found our work chairs to put too much pressure on his back. He has been using this chair now for a few months and he hasnt looked back! Things he loves about his Balance Ball Chair: - less pressure on his spin - easy to set up - easy to inflate - the stretching guide (he does not use it but it is a nice touch) - it is secure but still gentle on his body Things to consider about this chair: - need to be reflated every week or so (being used 5 days a week mind you) - Although it is easy to inflate with the pump, it does take some physicality, so I wouldn't recommend someone who is physically unable to do so unless they had help - on wheels so make sure you have a solid surface - back rest is very far back, so it isn't quite usable - which is good because it encourages great posture! This is a great

Es súper cómoda si tienes dolor de coxis, sin embargo como el respaldo es muy bajo, no me mantiene la espalda recta. Combino el uso de esta silla con la tradicional y mi coxis dejó de doler

RECIBÍ UN BALÓN MÁS PEQUEÑO QUE EL QUE MUESTRAN LAS FOTOS DEL ANUNCIO. ASÍ QUE NO SIRVE PARA LA SILLA