Saddle Chairs Australia

A saddle chair is not a variation on an office chair. It is a different way of sitting, and it exists for people who work over something rather than back from a desk.

If you spend your day leaning towards a patient, a bench, an instrument or a workpiece, a conventional task chair is working against you. It is built to support a reclined posture you never actually adopt.

Why the saddle position works

Who these suit

The people who take to a saddle chair fastest are the ones whose work is precise and close up.

We have written in more detail about why dentists and clinicians choose active sitting and about the Capisco for musicians.

The HAG Capisco

The Capisco was designed by Peter Opsvik in 1984 around the posture of a rider on horseback, and it is still the reference point for this category. The saddle seat lets you sit forwards, backwards, astride or perched, and change between those positions without consciously adjusting anything.

All carry a 10 year warranty from Flokk on structural components. If you want every published measurement side by side, our Capisco 8106 vs Capisco Puls comparison sets out what the price gap actually buys.

Getting the specification right

Two decisions matter more than the model.

For clinical environments, also consider castors versus glides. We stock genuine Flokk parts including glides, castors and replacement gas lifts, so a chair can be re-specified rather than replaced if a room changes use.

Give it a fortnight

Worth saying plainly: a saddle chair feels strange at first. It asks you to engage rather than settle, and most people find the first few days unusual. Nearly everyone who persists through the first fortnight does not want to go back. If you are trialling one for a practice, plan for that adjustment period before forming a view.

Try one before you commit

A saddle chair is genuinely hard to judge from a photograph, more so than any other chair we sell. Our Pyrmont showroom has the range set up so you can sit in them properly.

For practices fitting out multiple surgeries or benches, we can quote on volume and supply warranty and testing documentation for tender submissions. See commercial fit-outs or contact us with your requirements.

Frequently asked questions

What is a saddle chair?

A saddle chair has a seat shaped like a riding saddle, which you sit astride rather than on. It opens the angle between your torso and thighs to roughly 135 degrees instead of the 90 degrees a flat seat forces, and most people find they sit more upright as a result without trying to. It is designed for people who work over something rather than back from a desk.

Who are saddle chairs for?

People whose work is precise and close up. Dentists, hygienists, oral health therapists and surgeons working over a reclined patient. Jewellers, watchmakers and lab technicians at a bench. Guitarists, pianists, cellists and producers who need their arms free and their torso open. And sit-stand desk users, because a high gas lift lets you perch at standing height as a third position between sitting and standing.

Which HAG Capisco model should I choose?

The 8106 is fully upholstered with a 500 mm wide seat and an adjustable 440 to 500 mm backrest, and it is the most comfortable over a full working day. The Capisco Puls has a moulded shell that wipes down in seconds, which is why clinics and laboratories choose it, and it is the only model carrying a cleanroom rating. The 8105 is backless, for people who never lean back anyway.

What is the difference between the Capisco Puls 8010 and the 8020?

The 8020 is the 8010 with an upholstered seat cushion instead of the bare moulded shell. The shell, the backrest, the seat depth adjustment and the weight are identical. The cushion raises the seat about 10 mm, so the 8020 sits slightly higher than the 8010 at every gas lift.

Which gas lift do I need?

The standard 200 mm lift suits a conventional desk or a dental chair at normal height. The 265 mm lift is the one to choose if you work at a raised bench or a sit-stand desk at standing height. This is the single most common ordering mistake and it cannot be corrected later without replacing the cylinder, so measure your working height before you order.

Do I need a footring?

On any high-lift model, yes. Without one your feet dangle and the posture benefit is undone. The Capisco FootRing fits the 200 mm and 265 mm lifts only and is colour-matched to the lift, so specify the two together. There is no adapter for a 150 mm lift; on that lift the chair-mounted HAG StepUp is the alternative.

How long does it take to get used to a saddle chair?

About a fortnight. It asks you to engage rather than settle, so most people find the first few days unusual, and nearly everyone who persists through the first fortnight does not want to go back. If you are trialling one for a practice, plan for that adjustment period before forming a view.

Is there a maximum user weight for a HAG Capisco?

Flokk publishes no maximum user weight for the Capisco or the Capisco Puls in any factsheet. The 110 kg figure that circulates for HAG chairs is a condition of the ten-year guarantee rather than a tested load rating, and the two are different measurements. If you need a certified user weight in writing for a tender or a workplace assessment, ask us and we will request the test documentation from Flokk.

What warranty do HAG Capisco saddle chairs carry?

Flokk's ten-year guarantee against production defects in normal use for up to nine hours a day, dropping to five years beyond nine hours a day, with fabrics and leather covered for five years and normal wear excluded. Flokk separately guarantees the delivery of spare parts for a minimum of ten years after the chair's production date. Australian Consumer Law rights apply in addition and cannot be excluded.