Boulies NUBI review: Take a seat

If you work remotely then few things are as important as your desk chair. After all, there won't be many places you spend more time. Fortunately for my office set-up (and unfortunately for my old chair) I had the chance to upgrade to the Boulies NUBI.

Recently we had the opportunity to review the Master Max 2024 chair - a chair that combined the sensibilities of a gaming chair with a traditional office chair. However, with the NUBI, there's no denying this is an office chair through and through. Because of this, there's more of a focus on the wellbeing of the user, and ergonomic support whilst looking sleek and professional.

There are two types of NUBI, the standard version and the NUBI Lite, an iteration that is a bit more compact and lighter. I was using the standard NUBI that boasts a larger backrest but still uses the same fabrics and design as the Lite.

The Build

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The chair is definitely on the heavy side, I managed by myself but it was a bit awkward to manoeuvre for one person. Yet, there is no denying just how simple the actual construction process was. The instructions were clear, and that’s probably the biggest compliment you can give anything you need to build yourself.

However, as simple as the instructions were to follow, lining up the back and seat to screw them together was an awkward process - again, this could be simplified if two people were building the chair. I also had a slightly wobbly armrest, even after tightening it fully.

When using the chair it’s not noticeable, but when adjusting the height of the arms to pop the chair under the desk, one armest feels noticeably more flimsy. Once I had built the NUBI, and got it up my ridiculously narrow stairs (a slight on my house, not the chair) it was time to take the chair for a spin.

Going for a spin 

Most importantly, for all children who are pretending to be adults, the chair spins incredibly well. The mechanism is smooth, and you can get up a bit of speed when rotating. Once I was done spinning, it was time to try out all the different mechanisms on the bottom. All of them work very well and offer a variety of different seating positions that I can genuinely think of a use case for. The NUBI allows you to tilt forward, change your seat depth, adjust the armrests and the chair height.

Being able to tilt the seat and change its depth allows for different positions, which is especially useful for someone who fidgets as much as I do. I often need to readjust, struggling to sit still for too long without growing uncomfortable. The different options you have on the NUBI helped me feel more comfortable at my desk, genuinely aiding in my concentration as well.

Keeping these adjustments in mind, you can even create enough space to pop a foot up on the chair, something not all chairs have space for. My only criticism is regarding the armrests and how flimsy they feel. It also feels like a missed opportunity to not allow for any rotation of the arms or adjustments to the position outside of their height - a feature I love on any chair.

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My biggest criticism of the NUBI is the fabric it's been covered with. The fabric is comfortable to touch, and the seat never feels too warm, which is only aided by the fabric, yet whatever it's made of is like a magnet to lint and hairs. The chair I received is black and I have a white dog, and despite him never sitting on the chair once his hairs are attracted to it, the fabric is quite clingy. It maybe wouldn’t be so noticeable if I had the cream NUBI. For anyone with pets, you may want to keep this in mind but for most it won't be an issue.

Despite the fabric, the seat itself is incredibly comfortable and I won’t pretend to understand the design feature that redistributes your weight when sitting down but it works, allowing anyone to sit for a long time without any numbness or discomfort. Once you combine this with all the positional modifications mentioned, you will be comfortable whilst you’re working.

The Verdict

Overall the NUBI from Boulies will be a welcome addition to any home office thanks to a stylish but subtle design and a variety of different comfort options that should cater to anyone's needs. Outside of a couple of nitpicks, there is very little to complain about here and if you’re on the lookout for a new chair then the NUBI should be more than satisfactory.

4/5

Review unit provided by the manufacturer.