I spent four months of workdays sitting in the Autonomous Kinn chair so I could tell you how good it is with a trustworthy degree of hands-on butt-on experience.
While picking out my very first real office chair far more years ago than I’m comfortable disclosing, a supervisor at the time told me some of the best advice I’ve ever heard in regards to working at a desk. Your office chair should be exactly so comfortable and well-adjusted that it is forgettable when in use. Unfortunately... we were at a Staples store, and I don’t think there was a single chair there that was comfortable enough or adjustable enough to fulfill Wayne’s charge.
His advice stuck with me, though.
Before I sat in the Kinn from Autonomous, I test drove two other office chairs at similar price points. You didn’t hear about them because they didn’t pass Wayne’s forgettable test. The Kinn does, and is a solid testament to Autonomous’ credibility in the premium office furniture sector.
Today we have dozens of premium chair brands all vying for the comfort of our rumps and backs. Picking the right one, especially from an online shop without ever sitting in it, is stressful enough to make you want to sit down. I already use and love the SmartDesk 2 Home Office sit/stand desk that Autonomous offers, so considering one of their chairs should have been my first thought. I only tried two other chairs first because I was timid of buying anything I hadn’t sat in on a showroom floor... that misstep’s on me.
After researching, the Kinn chair’s feature list and touted adjustability was enough to make me try one site-unsat. I figured that if just 80% of what Autonomous promises is true, I’d still have a really good chair. Yet if all-else failed and I hated it, I’d simply use their 30-day “if you don’t like it for any reason” return policy.
Built using conical swirly TPE plastic springs (62 of them!) for the seat base, and spongyish rubber-plastic thermoplastic elastomer (commonly known as TPU) for the seat cover and backrest, the Kinn is next-level comfortable for hours on end. These progressive engineering choices aren’t just about comfort. They allow the Kinn to last an estimated 10-times longer than traditional fabric and foam chairs.
The Kinn is completely adjustable, even more-so than the Aeron chair I sit in at home. Armrests up, down, in, out; seat position forward and back, tension and lock position of the reclining backrest, and seat height all combine to provide excellent ergonomics for almost any body type or desk situation.
As functional and comfortable as this chair is, its contemporary design is really what makes the Kinn a premium chair at a mid-range price point. With a structure inspired by a leaf and the human spine, the Kinn has been noticed and talked about by almost everyone who’s entered my office over these past few months. I can’t remember anyone saying anything about my old office-furniture warehouse chair in the three years I used it.
Knowing that most of us want at least little control over aesthetics, the Kinn’s slick design is available in naked TPU or covered with a durable mesh fabric, and in a nice variety of frame, TPU, and cover colors. The naked TPU does tend to lift my shirt in the back when I sit down, so if you slide down the back of your chair when you sit like I do, go with the covered option.
Now, I’d be doing you a massive disservice if I didn’t talk about how incredibly simple the Kinn chair was to assemble. I didn’t time myself on unpacking, but I’m fairly sure taking everything out of the box and disposing of the packing materials took me longer than it did to completely assemble the Kinn chair. Construction took me less than ten minutes using only the tool provided in the hardware bag.
The Kinn chair retails at $449, but Autonomous almost always has a sale going. I’ve seen is as low as $349 during the time I was testing it, so keep an eye out for any active specials. I honestly don’t think I could be happier with an office chair any more than I am with this one. I’m still sitting in it today and plan to be for many years, so the Kinn gets my full recommendation to be your next office chair.
And be sure to check out the SmartDesk 2 Home Office desk while you’re browsing. It’s easily my favorite budget sit/stand desk, and it pairs exceptionally well with your new Kinn.