LiberNovo Omni chair review: A love hate relationship

As you open the big box, the large instruction board greets you, followed by neatly assembled parts. Everything is easy to pull out of the box, and there is a separate box that houses the hardware and battery. The StepSync Footrest ships separately and is also packaged in a compact manner.

The Omni certainly has a unique look. It is a premium chair and that shows with the build quality. Everything feels well built, even though the legs and the main body are plastic. Assembling the Omni is easy enough for one person with the step-by-step instructions included in the box. There are also official videos to help with assembly. The casters roll smoothly on wooden flooring as well as low profile carpet. The one thing that makes it feel less than premium is the armrest wiggle, more on that in a bit.

Starting with the seat, the multi-density foam cushion comes in two depth variants, 45 cm and 48 cm, and it’s a fixed seat unlike some other ergonomic chairs. I found that even the 48 cm depth didn’t quite support the legs with about six to eight cm of the thigh hanging beyond the seat (I’m 5’7’’). This is in part due to the back rest taking up some seating space. There is a fix to get some of the lost space back, but it could damage the back of the chair, so do it at your own risk. The back of the seat that supports the hip has firm foam which I found to be a bit too firm for my weight (65 kgs) and skinnier build, so your experience may vary.

Coming to the armrests, the only complaint I had is that they are somewhat easy to displace. While sitting and working, when the arms are simply resting on the armrests, they stay in place, but a small amount of force is enough to slide them back. There is a 3D printed fix for this as well, though it requires opening up the armrests. That being said, the customizability is excellent. They can be rotated inwards or outwards, pulled forward or pushed back quite a bit, and of course, raised or lowered. On top of that, the arms can be pushed out or pulled in to accommodate larger frames. The padding, however, is on the firm side. All this customizability lends to great ergonomics. I tend to rotate the armrests slightly inwards for support when using the keyboard and mouse, and push them all the way back when using a controller.

Moving to the neck support, it is made from hydrophilic sponge memory foam and is very soft yet supportive. It can be extended forward quite a bit, raised or lowered, and also twist, so everyone can find the perfect orientation. The adjustment is also easy, requiring just the right amount of force.

Now, the star of the show, the backrest and lumbar support. The base is a “resilient material of aircraft seat” that has a flexible pressure relieving sponge layer on top. The sponge is wrapped with micro-linen feeling elastic fibre. I found the density of the foam to be comfortable and supportive, and the fabric feels soft to the touch. Since it rests on a single spine, the back laterally moves with you. The standard reclining features are present here, including tilt angle lock and tension adjustment. It can be locked at four angles – 105, 120, 135, and 160 degrees – and the back won’t recline beyond the set angle, which I think is better than the back locking at the set angle. I’ve read comments saying the second position is too far back but it didn’t bother me as I found it to be just right. I tend to recline to the second level, scoot the chair all the way forward, and have the armrests in line with the desk.

There are three buttons on the left armrest to control the motorized back support and start the OmniStretch massage. The hydraulics make it easy to find the perfect amount of back support by extending or retracting the central part of the bionic lumbar support to match the curve of the spine. There’s a lot of extension at the max setting, which comes in handy with the massage feature. LiberNovo calls it a massage but it’s more of a stretch, but it’s relaxing nonetheless. With the StepSync Footrest and the chair reclined all the way, you are essentially lying down with back and legs supported. The five-minute session essentially extends and retracts the hydraulic support from minimum to maximum repeatedly, stretching the back and the spine. These motorized features are powered by a 2,200 mAh battery that slots in the left side of the seat. There’s no indicator for battery level but the company boasts 30 days with daily lumbar traction. In my three weeks of use and three to four times a week “massage,” it's still going.