Two levers, clear statement: The Yaasa Chair Plus in the test
2.10.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Christian Walker
On paper, this chair offers a great deal: adjustable seat, headrest, synchronous mechanism, lumbar support, and adjustable armrests. Does the office chair from the Austrian-Swiss company Yaasa also prove itself in our test?
With the Chair Plus, Yaasa is venturing into the death zone of the office chair market. The model, which was introduced a few weeks ago, costs just under 300 Swiss francs. This no longer appeals to buyers of Topstar or Songmics chairs. You can already find seating there for around 100 francs. Those who value quality and durability, on the other hand, are willing to invest 500 francs or more. Established brands like Hag or Giroflex operate here.
I have already tested a number of office chairs for Galaxus – the cheapest cost 250 francs, the most expensive over 1000 francs. I am currently sitting very contentedly on a model from Ofinto (here is my review). The Chair Plus from Yaasa is 150 francs cheaper. Will I feel that in the test?
Yaasa is taking the risk. The company is sending me a chair to try out. As a tester, I have no requirements, and Yaasa does not interfere with how or what I test and report on here. This generally applies to all reviews in the magazine.
Assembly and setup
The test is taking place in our open-plan office in Zurich. On a Friday, I open the box. All individual parts are packed in foil or cardboard and well protected. My layout shows: hard plastic dominates. Only the mechanism is made of metal. And the screws. There are 15 of them, plus 13 washers and seven spring washers. Everything is shrink-wrapped onto a piece of cardboard. Two Allen keys are also included in the set. This allows me to tackle the assembly without having to organize extra tools.
As a reasonably experienced chair assembler, I need a good 20 minutes; as a beginner, you should plan for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your skill. I lose the most time with two screws that connect the seat surface and the mechanism. They are difficult to reach with the tool, and I have trouble tightening them. My set of keys with handles would have helped me there. It is now as tight as it can possibly be. The little Popeye arm symbol in the instructions inspired me to give it my all.
The screws grip well and sit snugly in the thread. There are no parts left over, which is always somehow reassuring. Many Lego Technic sets are more demanding to assemble. The only dangerous thing about the Yaasa chair is that I mix up the left and right armrests.
The armrests are screwed firmly to the seat support. I can decide how narrow or wide I want to attach them. I choose the position where they are furthest apart and tighten the three screws. If I want them narrower later, I have to reach for the hex key again. With expensive chairs, width adjustment is often possible via a lever or knob without tools.
The headrest is also attached to the top edge of the backrest with two screws. It is height-adjustable on a plastic rail.
Material and workmanship
I was skeptical when unpacking, but after the chair is set up and I glide my hands over the material, I am pleasantly surprised. The surfaces feel better than the name of the material – polyurethane – would suggest. There are no noticeable burrs, which often remain after plastic molding. The armrest surface even gives slightly when I press into it with my finger. This keeps my forearms comfortable even during longer use.
I am a fan of mesh backrests. The one on the Chair Plus is visually neat boredom because it hardly shows any pattern. But it does what it is supposed to when I lean back. It supports my back and lets air through. I like the degree to which it gives slightly, not too firm, but not too soft either.
The seat cushion is a simple molded foam with a polyester fabric cover. After just a few weeks, it is hard to say how long the foam will stay in shape. Although Yaasa generally provides a five-year warranty, the upholstery is explicitly excluded from this. Incidentally, manufacturers in the premium segment also practically never provide a warranty here.
At least the cover is solid with 50,000 abrasion cycles. While Hag or Giroflex offer fabrics with a Martindale value of 100,000, sometimes even up to 200,000, they also cost many times more. Low-cost providers generally do not provide information on the Martindale value.
Yaasa is a bit frugal with the gas pressure spring. The Chair Plus has a class 3 version; 4 is the best. The higher the class, the thicker the wall thickness of the metal tube. Yaasa is currently preparing an upgrade to the class 4 spring, as the company informed me upon request. The currently installed spring allows a stroke of twelve centimeters, meaning the seat height is between 44.5 and 56.5 centimeters. The minimum height is rather high; people under 1.70 meters might sit with their feet dangling.
On our office floor, there are chairs from Giroflex and König + Neurath. None of my colleagues notice the difference between these chairs with a class 4 gas pressure spring and the class 3 spring from Yaasa. No wonder, this is more about durability and safety. That is why some office chair manufacturers indicate that the gas springs in their products have TÜV, GS, or LGA certificates according to EN 16955. Such springs usually cost a few francs more from the supplier than uncertified ones. Yaasa does not indicate any certification for the spring itself, but the chair as a whole meets EN 1335-2:2018. It specifies what an office chair must withstand during around eight hours of daily use.
It certifies that the chair can withstand the stresses of eight hours of daily use in the office.
Comfort and operation
For this review, I didn't just sit on the chair myself, but invited a handful of colleagues in the open-plan office to also spend one or more days on the Chair Plus.
The impressions regarding seating comfort are all similar and generally positive. Everyone finds the upholstery pleasant. The seat surface can be moved horizontally by four centimeters. This makes the Yaasa chair comfortable for people of different heights because the thighs get sufficient support surface.
There is also praise for the lumbar support. It is height-adjustable. Using a knob, I can adjust the depth, i.e., determine how strongly it supports my spine. The padding is pleasant; I don't feel any edges, unlike other models where the lumbar support is sometimes just a piece of hard plastic.
A real highlight of the Chair Plus are the levers under the seat surface. There are only two of them, which makes me learn how to operate it faster than with other multi-lever chairs. And – ta-da! – Yaasa has also printed symbols on the levers. They show what happens when I press, pull, or push. This makes the chair interesting, for example, for offices where different people are constantly sitting on the chairs.
The headrest is included at no extra charge. It is adjustable in height and depth. I can unscrew it, but I can't just pull it out of the rail if it's currently in the way. And sometimes it is, because at 1.91 meters tall, my shoulders bump into it when sitting upright. Only when I lean back a bit do I have enough space for my long back again. Other, shorter testers don't have this problem. They praise the headrest as "boss-like" or criticize it as annoying because their hair clip hits it.
Made for "active sitting"
Sitting for a long time is not necessarily healthy. That's why your office chair should help you make the best of it. Instead of remaining in the same posture for hours, there should be movement involved. For this, the Chair Plus has a synchronous mechanism, where the seat and backrest move coupled when leaning back. The chair therefore follows the body instead of fixing it. This is standard for good office chairs today, and I feel sufficiently activated on the Yaasa chair. The tilt resistance can be adjusted steplessly via a knob. If you want, you can lock the rocking backrest in one of four positions. This is practical for relaxed leaning back during a thought break.
At the beginning, I asked the question of whether I would feel the price difference to my currently used and slightly more expensive chair. The answer is: Yes, because I miss the few centimeters higher backrest on the Ofinto and the slightly longer seat surface. In terms of comfort and operation, however, the Chair Plus can easily keep up with more expensive models.
In a nutshell
A challenge in the mid-range office chair segment
With the Chair Plus, Yaasa introduces an office chair that may appear inconspicuous at first glance. However, a closer look reveals what it is truly capable of. There are clever details, such as the levers with printed explanations. Furthermore, it is neatly crafted and offers truly excellent seating comfort. The headrest, lumbar support, seat surface and height, as well as the tilt and resistance of the backrest, can all be adjusted. Only people like me, who are taller than average, might find the headrest bothersome; but I can simply unscrew it. The slightly weaker gas spring, the non-removable headrest, and the fixed armrest width are minor flaws that cost Yaasa the fifth star. Nevertheless, for just under 300 francs, the Chair Plus delivers an excellent overall package.
Pro
- Headrest included
- Lumbar support with cushion, adjustable in height and depth
- Explanation of pictograms on adjustment levers
- comfortable mesh back
- good cushioning
Contra
- Width of the armrests only adjustable with tools
- Minimum seat height is rather high for shorter people
- Headrest a bit too low for heights over 1.90 meters
- class 3 gas lift only
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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