Are egg chairs really all they're cracked up to be?

My Christmas gift wish (it will be an IOU from hubby once we’ve done our research!) is for a comfy egg chair that we can put on our balcony to enjoy the view while I snuggle up with our two little girls and read stories. Sounds idyllic - hopefully the 2yo and baby will agree at some point!
But where to start? I’ve seen a variety of egg chairs online but I’d like comfortable, practical and affordable rather than “appeared on a tv show”. I’m partial to the egg shape, but want to make sure it can fit me and the kids, and I don’t want the bar cutting in.
I’m also not sure about the difference in weight - ie if we were to hang it from a beam, could it potentially hold more than if it was on a stand?
I couldn’t find any Choice reviews on egg chairs. Can this please be rectified? And in the interim, I’d love feedback from the Choice community on what makes a good egg chair. Thanks!

3 Likes

What’s the thing about these “egg” chairs? Give me a good old fashioned swing chair anyday. You can lie down on it, or sit with two others.

2 Likes

There seems to be various interpretations of the egg chair. Do you mean the hemi-elliptical kind, often wickerwork, that hangs from above or the sculptured kind that sit on the floor like this?
image

I cannot make any firm recommendation other than to look at the strength of the support. A chair is one of the most difficult items of furniture to make well because of the strain that it must withstand due to the weight of person getting on or off and wriggling about. A chair that has only one point of support is focusing the stress on the structure through that point.

If that point is a foot then beware of welded legs, when repeatedly stressed welds can crack unless well done.

If you want the hanging kind look at the point of attachment and what it will hang from. Having its own frame or hanging from a ceiling joist both require strength and durability.

Comfort is in the bum of the beholder they say but I would sit in anything for a while before you buy. Can you get in and out easily enough? Does the front lip cut into the back of your legs? Does it support your lower back, the risk with the shape is that it will tends to curve your lower spine and give you muscle stress after a while.

3 Likes

Thanks for the request @Katie_Amos, I’ll pass it on to our testing team (and nice work on the post title :joy:). If anyone spots any egg chair product claims they would like to highlight, please leave a comment.

5 Likes

Hi Katie & welcome to the forum.

Look for the maximum weight rating the chair has been ascribed. I would think that one with four legs will be sturdier and more stable than a swivelling pedestal chair to bring your little chicks into with you.

For hanging chairs it also depends on whether you put a bolt through a beam or just screw in a hook. The former being much stronger and safer.

2 Likes

The best answer is it is an unknown - Unless the supplier and manufacturer provide a different weight capacity - if suspended from a beam and not the supplied stand.

Best to work with the same weight capacity as for the stand. It’s not worth the risk.

Notes:
Knowing an overhead beam is safe to hold the weight and knowing how to make a safe attachment are different questions. With my ex Engineers hat on there is no one simple answer, although many may offer opinions. It is not something that any one would want to get wrong.

The best method of attachment overhead depends on what it is the chair is attaching to. This may explain why the norm for the advertised product is a manufactured stand. One of the worst options is an over sized timber screw eye as these will come loose one day. In the real world it is common to use very large factors of safety when designing or selecting to suspend dynamic human loads. None of the common hardware items one might select in the local hardware store or … will be rated for that application.

I’m not suggesting an Egg chair cannot be suspended safely from part of a house or building. Anyone doing so would be wise to seek appropriate advice before doing so, and identify a suitable point where the chair is to be suspended.

2 Likes

The only way you will find out is to take the two kids when you go shopping in a bricks and mortar store.

If the kids are small, don’t forget they will grow and what may be big enough now, might be too small next year.

2 Likes

Thanks for your insights, Mark. I think I’ll stick with an egg chair on a supplied frame so it’s fit for purpose.

1 Like