Beginning in the early 1980s, Teknion has been offering high quality office products for over 20 years. The Teknion Contessa (also called the Okamura Contessa as made by the Japanese company Okamura, it’s sold under the name Teknion in North America) is a top of the line ergonomic task chair that has many unique features that set it apart from the competition.
Seat Material – The Contessa is available with either a mesh seat or a fabric seat (leather is also available). Both the mesh seat and fabric seat options come with a mesh seat back to help keep you cool by promoting air circulation.
Easy To Use Controls – The controls to adjust the height and recline are levers right below the arm rests. This means to adjust the chair you don’t have to bend over and find knobs or levels to twist; they’re right there at hand level for you. The tilt tension adjustment is a knob under the seat, but unlike many other chairs where you have to turn it dozens of times to go from the loosest setting to the tightest, on the Contessa there are four presets that are easy to select.
Innovative Recline Mechanism – The Teknion Contessa has one of the best reclines of any chair on the market. To start, it’s a knee-tilt mechanism which means the pivot point is by the knee rather than in the middle of the chair, so as you recline your feet stay flat on the ground and your knees stay at the same height as well. The Contessa’s knee tilt recline is a 2.8:1 ratio (rather than the standard 2:1 ratio) which means that for every 1 degree the seat tilts, the back reclines 2.8 degrees. This allows you to get a better stretch and recline without the back of the seat lowering so much, so you don’t end up feeling like you’re “sinking” under your desk as you recline.
The recline is also adjustable using the lever under the left arm rest. The Contessa has three recline options:
1) Seat locked upright
2) Seat in free-float mode (no limitations)
3) Seat locked at a specific angle
Option 3 is different from most other chairs which don’t allow them to be locked at a specific angle. This allows you to work from the most comfortable reclined angle without worrying about the chair moving.
Lumbar support – The lumbar support on the Contessa is superb. Not only is it height adjustable, but it is also depth adjustable so you can put it at the correct spot on your back and then adjust how deeply it presses into your back.
The Contessa is one of the most advanced and comfortable ergonomic task chairs on the market and is definitely worth checking out if there is a distributor in your area.