In the market, you will find that some office chairs have caster wheels and others don’t. There are some reasons to understand for which office chairs have wheels. You need to know why office chairs have wheels and the uses of caster wheels to pick the right office chair for you.
The reason for Office chairs having wheels is to provide the user with better flexibility and mobility. Generally, office chairs contain five wheels, which increase the point of stability while enabling the ability to swivel, reach, and move around.
In order to learn more about the reasoning behind office chairs having caster wheels, keep reading!
Is it Important for Office Chairs to Have Wheels?
Well, there are some controversies regarding the importance of caster wheels. Some people prefer office chairs with caster wheels, and some people don’t.
People who prefer office chairs with casters wheels think it is important and there are also some people who think the casters wheels are not important.
To me, it is definitely important for my office chair to have caster wheels as I like to roll around the room and reach things easily.
On the other hand, some people are concerned about caster wheels damaging their floors, and they do not think it is important for office chairs to have wheels.
So, to find out about people’s preferences, I interviewed some people and found out about their preferences. Let’s look at the major finding of my interview:
As you can see, 81.3% of the respondents think that having caster wheels is important for them. However, there are some people who do not think having caster wheels is not important for them.
So, it is clear that to the majority of people, it is important for office chairs to have caster wheels. The sample size was very small to provide an exact percentage, but it gives a general idea about what people prefer most.
However, we can not say one is better than the other. Office chairs with caster wheels serve people’s special needs so as office chairs without wheels.
To have a better understanding of why do office chairs have wheels and which one is better for you, let’s check out the benefits of them:
What are the Benefits of Having an office Chair Caster wheel?
The benefits of office chairs with wheels are as follows:
1. Easier to Move Around:
This is the main benefit of which office chairs have wheels. It was Charles Darwin, who invented chairs with wheels with the purpose of providing flexibility in moving around. The wheels helped him to move around while he studied.
I feel like it is easier for me to get to my printer, files, and other nearby things because of having caster wheels. So, I think for the same benefit, an office chair still has wheels. Besides, who doesn’t like to roll around on chair wheels!
2. You don’t Need to Stand up and Pick Nearby Things:
As I mentioned earlier, Charles Darwin invented caster wheels on office chairs. He had to get up from a chair more often to get things. But after introducing this feature, he can reach things without getting up.
Suppose you want to get a book from your shelf which is situated nearby. If your chair does not have a wheel, you have to get up and take that book out of your bookshelf.
However, if you have caster wheels on your office chair, you can easily roll and swivel your chair towards the bookshelf and get it very easily, without standing up.
This is another major benefit that you will only get from a chair with wheels. This is surely another reason for which office chairs have wheels till today.
3. Allows 360 Degree Swivel:
Most of the chairs with caster wheels these days allow 360-degree swivel. The chairs without wheels mostly lack this feature. The 360 Degree swivel functionality enabled chair was introduced by Thomas Jefferson.
This functionality allows us to move side by side with ease, which is really handy. When you combine this feature with wheels, the comfortability and flexibility reach a whole new level.
What are the Benefits of an Office Chair Without Wheels?
The benefits of office chairs without wheels are as follows:
1. Office Chair without wheels does not damage your floors:
You might have already heard that office chair with casters can damage your floor, especially when you have hardwood floors. Rolling office chair casters often leave scratches and marks on hardwood floors. If you use a rolling office chair on a hardwood floor, you are damaging your floor.
So, If you want to protect your Hardwood floor from your rolling office chair, you may want to use an office chair without wheels. Chairs without wheels do not harm your floors for sure.
2. Better for Small Space & Carpeted Floors:
If your workspace is small, you can not take the advantages of having wheels. Office chair with wheels usually costs more than the ones without wheels. So, it is better to buy office chairs with four legs instead of going for wheeled ones.
Again, If you are using carpet on your workspace, the casters do not move or rotate properly, and this hampers your experience with caster wheels badly. Also, people who use rolling chairs on the carpet end up damaging their carpet in the long run.
So, if you are looking to buy a chair and your workspace is not spacious enough, go for an office chair that does not have wheels. I would recommend the same if you are using a carpet on your floor. However, there is a solution that will help you to protect your carpet from your rolling chair.
Just buy a chair mat to protect your carpet from your chairs with caster wheels. To know in detail about that visit our article here.
3. Non-wheeled Chairs Usually Last Longer:
Caster wheels are prone to damage. Most of the cheap chairs contain wheels that are not that much at all. Wheels get damaged over time. After that, they are needed to be replaced again.
This does not happen with non-wheeled chairs. They are very strong and stable and usually last longer than chairs with caster wheels. Besides, you don’t have to face an issue like replacing wheels if your chair is a non-wheeled one.
4. It is Easier to Clean an Non-wheeled Office chair:
It’s always easier to clean an office chair without wheels. If your chair has wheels, you have to clean them regularly. Caster wheels often get tangled with hairs and other dirt. You have to remove them then clean them and again attach them to your chair. This is a lot of work. On the other hand, cleaning a chair without wheels is very easy and simple.
Related Questions:
Can you remove wheels from the office chair?
Yes, you can remove wheels from the office chair as most of the office chairs have removable caster wheels. In most cases, removing a wheel from an office chair is very simple, but sometimes it can be difficult. People mostly remove caster wheels from their office chairs to clean them or replace them when the wheels are damaged.
If you want a step by step guide to remove and replace the caster wheels, you can find it here.
What do you Call an Office Chair Without Wheels?
That’s a pretty simple question. You can call an office chair without wheels a wheel-less chair or a non-wheeled chair. They are also called swivel chairs or modern office chairs as well, as swivel chairs have wheels on their base, which allows you to move around your workspace without standing up.
How do I keep My Chair from Sliding?
There are many simple ways to keep your chair from sliding. Among them, the cheapest and easiest way is to use Rubber Chair leg Caps and place them under the legs of your chair. This works better for chairs with four legs. If your chair contains wheels and your chair has a wheel lock system, you can just lock them as well to solve the issue.
You can find rubber Chair leg caps for your chair on Amazon here.
Why do Most Office Chairs have 5 Wheels?
Most office chairs have 5 wheels for ensuring better stability and mobility. The five wheels displace the center of gravity to the line of support. This provides greater stability even on uneven floors. This is why most office chairs have 5 wheels.
Final Thoughts:
As I have mentioned earlier, I mostly prefer office chairs with wheels as I spend lots of time at my desk. I like to swivel around and reach nearby things without getting up every time I need something.
But it doesn’t mean that I do not like wheel-less chairs. There are people who live in wheel-less chairs as well. It just depends on the preference and needs of an individual.
So, I did a little survey, and I wanted to find out about people’s preference between an office chair with wheels and without wheels. The results are as follows:
As you can see, on the above graph, the majority of people preferred an Office chair with wheels. However, there are few people who prefer an office chair without wheels. So, which one do you prefer? Let me know in the comments section.
Thanks for reading!! Before you go, take a minute to check out my article, Why is it More Comfortable to Slouch? (Is it Actually Bad?)
