Sihoo M18 Review: The Affordable Ergonomic Chair Worth Stretching For
The M18 sits below the better-known M57 in price but still gives you the features that actually matter. For many people, that makes it the smarter buy.
Who this review is for
You want an ergonomic chair that feels like a real upgrade from a cheap mesh seat, but you are not ready to jump to Sihoo M57 money, never mind anything more expensive.
That is the M18’s pitch. It gives you the parts people actually feel in daily use, namely a good seat, useful lumbar support, a breathable back, and a headrest, without turning into a giant overbuilt chair that overwhelms a small room.
Why it made the shortlist
This is one of the easier research calls in the batch. Creative Bloq called the M18 a budget classic and gave it five stars in 2024. TechGearLab highlighted its comfort and lumbar support in testing. Ergonomic Expert still rates it as one of the best affordable office chairs in the UK, and Sihoo’s own current listing still shows the core features that made it popular in the first place.
That kind of consistency matters. Budget chairs come and go quickly. The M18 has been around long enough to earn a reputation.
Check the Sihoo M18 on Amazon ~£140What the chair gets right
The seat is the first thing. Sihoo’s W-shaped cushion sounds like marketing, but it points to something real: the seat spreads pressure better than the flat foam pads you get on cheaper chairs. That makes the chair feel friendlier over a full working day.
The second good bit is the lumbar support. At this price, you normally expect fixed support or a token bump in the backrest. The M18 does more than that, which is why it keeps getting picked out in reviews.
Where it sits in the Sihoo range
If the M57 is the practical all-rounder and the Doro S100 is the better chair if the budget allows, the M18 is the value play.
You give up some refinement and some adjustability, especially in the armrests. What you keep is most of the comfort story, which is the bit that matters if you are trying to build a solid setup without overspending.
The main trade-off
The armrests only go up and down. That is the compromise you feel most clearly against pricier ergonomic chairs. If you need in-out adjustment or you are particular about elbow position, you will notice it.
The other caveat is fit. This is not the chair I would pick blindly for someone very short, very tall, or especially broad. For average-height users, though, it looks like a sweet spot.
How it compares
Against the Sihoo M57 (£230), the M57 is more adjustable and the safer buy if you work long hours and want more fine tuning. The M18 wins on price and still gets surprisingly close where it counts.
Against the Hbada ergonomic desk chair (£111), the Hbada is cheaper and easier to justify for casual use. The M18 is the better chair if comfort is the actual priority.
Against the Sihoo Doro S100 (£249), the Doro is better. It should be, because it costs a lot more. The M18 makes a case for itself by being the point where affordability and real ergonomics actually meet.