The Person Behind the Setup Before the Change Why LiberNovo A New Way to Sit Built to Fit Their Words The Person Behind the Setup Before the Change Why LiberNovo A New Way to Sit Built to Fit Their Words Brent is a software developer working from home in Colorado, spending 10 to 11 hours a day in his chair between work and personal projects. Three months into a LiberNovo Omni SE, he says the backrest alone was worth the switch, even with a couple of things he'd still like fixed. Software Developer · 10–11 hrs/day LiberNovo Omni SE · 5'10" · ~200 lbs Overview Brent works from home in Colorado as a software developer, splitting his day between roughly 8 hours of focused programming and another 2 to 3 hours of personal projects and light gaming, most of it in the same chair. After struggling for a year and a half with a basic office-supply-store chair that left him stacking a seat pad and lumbar cushion on top just to get through the day, he researched his way to LiberNovo and picked up a LiberNovo Omni SE. Three months in, he calls the backrest one of the best he's used. The Person Behind the Setup Can you walk me through a typical day and what you do for work? I work from home, so I have a home office. I'm a computer programmer, and I sit here coding for at least 8 hours a day for work, and I also use the setup for personal stuff, so between work and everything else I probably average 10, maybe 11 hours a day in the chair. How does that time split between work and gaming or personal projects? Of that 10 or 11 hours, 8 is definitely working. Playing games or working on other projects, email, that kind of thing, is maybe another 2 to 3 hours. I don't do long online gaming sessions, just simple games for a bit of a distraction. I used to play a lot more, but I'm too busy now. How do you actually sit through an 8-hour day? Do you take breaks? I'd say I average about a 3-hour sitting session before I take a break, though it really depends on the work and how absorbed I am. If I'm deep in a coding problem, I might not take breaks as often. Usually I'll do a straight 3-hour stretch, take a 10–15-minute break, and come back and do it again. Where do you usually start to feel it after a long stretch? Probably my butt, mostly. Before the Change What were you sitting in before this? When I worked in an office, before going remote, I had a Herman Miller Aeron. Once I moved to working from home, I bought a regular chair from an office supply store, Office Depot or Office Max. It seemed comfortable at first, but I noticed a lot of long-term discomfort, restless sitting, having to keep switching positions. I ended up adding a seat pad and a lumbar support cushion just to make it workable. The armrests weren't adjustable either, and I have pretty long arms, so I was always kind of slumped. How long did you put up with that before switching? About a year, a year and a half. I finally did some research into what else was out there, narrowed it down to two or three strong competitors, and landed on LiberNovo. Why LiberNovo How did you first hear about LiberNovo? It was an ad, I'm pretty sure on Instagram or Facebook. Once you start looking into something, the algorithm picks up on it, and in this case it worked. What made you take it seriously once you saw it? The number one thing was the design of the backrest, the way it moves and flexes, with segments that adjust and an adjustable lumbar support. A lot of chairs have adjustable lumbar support, but I really liked how this one was built. It also wasn't exceptionally wide; it looked like it was actually built to fit a body rather than just being big. Had you tried other gaming or ergonomic chairs before this? I've sat in Secretlab chairs. Some friends of mine have them, and I really didn't like those. How was the installation? Really easy overall, just a breeze. The only tricky part was two screws connecting the backrest to the vertical post; they were a bit hard to line up. Everything else went smoothly. A New Way to Sit What was your first impression sitting in it? The back. The shape, the support, the feel of it were excellent, probably the best chair back I've ever felt. Not just how it fits my body, but how it actually makes me sit upright. There's no initial lean to it, and it's genuinely supportive in that position. With most chairs, you only feel supported when you lean back into them. This one supports me while I'm sitting up straight and typing, which I don't think I've felt from a chair before. You mentioned really loving the backrest specifically. Can you elaborate more about that? I can't emphasize this enough. I love the back of this chair. It fits the articulation in your back, the curves, and it's not too wide, so it's not pushing my shoulders in. When I need to sit up and type, I need a good body position where I'm not slumped, and this actually helps me sit up instead of scrunched over. I feel supported while I'm sitting upright, which I don't think I've ever felt in a chair before. Sure, you feel support when you lean back because the chair's pushing on you, but this gives you that push and support even when you're sitting straight up. I've tried Secretlab chairs too. Some friends of mine have them, and I really didn't like them; that shape tends to round your shoulders forward over time. This one's fully open at the top, so I can actually stretch out instead. What's the cushion situation like? That's honestly the thing I noticed pretty quickly that I'd change. The seat cushion isn't quite cushiony enough, especially toward the back, closer to where you sit on your sit bones. It has different densities front to back; the front and mid-thigh area are great, soft with good support, a nice mix. But the density furthest back flattens out and you basically bottom out on it over time. I'd actually read the same complaint from reviewers and on YouTube before I bought it, and it's matched my own experience. When I brought it up, the team told me this was a known issue on early SE units and that they've been offering a free replacement to anyone who reports it, which was more than I expected. Built to Fit You mentioned something about the recline in the survey too. What happened? There was an issue with the second lock position on my unit not holding when I reclined past a certain point. I'd flagged it to support but hadn't sent them footage yet. This call actually became the first time I walked it through on camera. They're looking into it now. If you could change one more thing for someone who sits 8 hours a day, what would it be? Cushion first, for sure. But I heard you've already fixed it with new cushions, so other than that, I really wouldn't change much. Any features you'd want added? No, honestly. I specifically went with the SE because I didn't feel like I needed the automation, the stretch feature, the fan, any of the extra stuff. I just wanted a high-quality, well-built ergonomic chair that covers the basics of comfort and support. I don't need a coffee holder on the armrest either; that's what the desk is for. Why didn't you go with the Maxis instead? I didn't think my size really called for it. I'm 5'10" and about 200 pounds, right around the lower-middle of the range for the Omni. I've had a lot of chairs in the past that were just oversized for me, so this time I spent close to a month researching, reading, and actually measuring my own leg length against your sizing information before deciding. Who do you think the Omni SE is best suited for? Somebody who doesn't need all the extra automation and features, and just wants a simple, high-quality, well-built ergonomic chair that meets their comfort and support needs. That's really what I was looking for. Their Words Can you complete the sentence: after using LiberNovo, I realized... I definitely needed a better chair sooner. "When I'm sitting up and typing, I need a good body position where I'm not slumped, and it actually helps me sit up instead of scrunched over. I don't think I've ever felt that in a chair before, being supported while sitting upright, not just when I lean back." Fast facts: Software developer, WFH in Colorado · Sits 10–11 hours a day (8 work, 2–3 personal) · 5'10", ~200 lbs · Previously used a Herman Miller Aeron (office) and a basic office-supply-store chair (home), the latter requiring an add-on seat pad and lumbar cushion · About a month of research and measuring before buying · Found LiberNovo through an Instagram/Facebook ad · Chose the LiberNovo Omni SE (manual) over the LiberNovo Maxis based on his own sizing · About 3 months of use at the time of the interview View All Cases