BlitzWolf BW-HOC5

BlitzWolf can’t stop when it comes to chairs, they have started to add more and more seating to their product line. The BW-HOC5 in the office line boasts all the goodness of the earth, with ten or so positions of adjustability, but it’s also been priced out of the penny category.

We’ve tested a significant number of BlitzWolf chairs, the main feature being great value for money, which is basically why you bought them. The BW-HOC5 is trying to conquer the more expensive segment. It’s made of material, because I’ll be pissed by the time I carry it up the stairs, and at nearly 27 kilos it’s not a little bit heavy.

Unpacking the box reveals the components of the seat, an Allen key and a manual to help you assemble it. It seems that most of the energy and price has gone into the substantial iron bracket at the bottom, from which a set of arms protrude to allow the chair to be adjusted in a myriad of ways. The quality of the other components, however, is not sky-high, and they are practically the same as the BW-GC series. The fabric stitching, the stitching, the plastic materials used scream a lower price, meaning the difference compared to previous models is in the functionality.

The wobbliness of some of the elements also destroys any faith in the quality, especially as I sat in a Markus chair from IKEA before, and you can see the difference between the two products. And the design is so much of a black mass that I can’t highlight any particular element. Oh, but still, the plastic cover element on the back is a bit of a mess, so there’s room for improvement.

The many options look good when described, but the fact that the armrest, for example, is wobbly, but the surface is comfortable and soft, is a strong detractor. I could only adjust the backrest distance with nervous jerking, and the reel used to tilt the seat backrest has to be turned with much more force than is justified, so the ‘mechanical’ part is not exactly a testament to its sophistication. On the whole, however, I wouldn’t say it’s uncomfortable, and in fact, if you work through the adjustment, you’ll end up with a very comfortable seat. For quantity, however, there are too many levers and handles, and I kept looking in the description to see what they did.

As for the material of the seat and backrest, well, I’d say it’s some kind of a more vile fabric, but since I know that anything can be made to look like leather, I’m very hesitant to make a value judgement on the type of material. I think the back is some sort of plastic mesh and the seat is a more undemanding fabric, neither of which I would think would not sweat in the summer heat, but I couldn’t test this in March in any way. However, I threw a blanket over it, so it doesn’t matter what the fabric is used for.

The problem with the BW-HOC5 is that quality has not followed price, only functionality. The quality isn’t particularly good – although the material is there because it’s heavy – and the functions are clumsy, it’s not fun to adjust things. It’s also odd that cheaper products, for example, could use silicone castors or metal feet, yet the much higher price of the HOC5 doesn’t fit. It’s also not surprising that you can get a similar or better chair in any furniture store for the same price.