Monday, November 16, 2009

Shopping For The Right Office Chair Casters

By Maria Leventhal

If you're looking at ways to improve your efficiency and productivity in the office, you might be looking at the wrong things. Sure, having a good computer and desk and printer are all important. But these are givens. There are other things that are too often overlooked--things that, if they're left ignored, will gradually eat into your office performance. We're talking about the little things. Do you have paperclips, good, sharpened pencils, is your paper crisp enough to go through the printer. And of course, are your office chair casters the type that allow you to move around with the freedom that you need? Casters? That's right. To understand just how important these are, think about all the times you move around the office from one place to another by rolling from one spot to another. Now imagine if your chair had legs--and you had to either stand up or pick up and move your chair. Suddenly you now see just how important the right office chair casters are, right?

Furthermore, did you know that there are literally dozens of different kinds of casters you could get for your office chairs? So this is not a topic to take lightly. Finding the right caster is important to helping you work at your best. And make no mistake about it: Office chair casters come in various models, shapes and sizes. So how do you pick the best ones? It's not an easy answer. There are two primary factors that you must consider to make the perfect choice.

Factor number one: Which style of wheels will work best for you. There are three main options: The single-wheel, the dual-wheel and the ball-style wheel. Each of these is best used in certain circumstances, so you first need to understand what your particular needs are. To further complicate matters, even in these three categories are several sub-categories. That's right: Each comes in its own variety of functions, sizes and weights.

As we consider these three types of casters, we can dispense almost immediately with the dual-wheel caster. These are almost exclusively used to move heavy furniture items--not something as light as a desk chair. So for instance, perhaps you have a heavy cabinet or an oak desk. These might be well-served by dual casters.

More likely, for chairs, though, you'll be requiring single-wheel casters. These are used on chairs as well as other light furniture. The single-wheel caster is usually made of a sturdy material meant to take a lot of abuse. High-grade rubber is a common material. So even though you're using these for light-weight items, don't think of the casters themselves as 'light weights.' Indeed, they are designed to take a lot of rugged use for many years.

There's also a third kind of caster, and these will also sometimes be found on office chairs: These are those with ball-type wheels. The ball caster is meant to be used on an item which moves around quite a bit. In the case of a chair, if you're someone who finds yourself moving around, without standing up, quite a bit, to get to the printer, to other desks, etc., a ball-type caster might be just want you need. It helps you reach all parts of the room easily and quickly.

Another consideration when you're selecting casters is the materials from which they're made. The material you choose will depend on the floor your chair rolls over. What is the material? How hard is it? if you get the wrong caster, you could wind up scratching the floor or even creating a dent. As a general rule, use a plastic caster only on carpets. For tile or hard wood floors, you'll want to go with harder casters (for instance, urethane). And if your chair will be used in a factory or outdoor setting, an iron caster will work well.

So what's the conclusion of the matter? There is no "one size fits all' in the world of office chair casters. You need to decide what kind of floor your chair will be on, and how much you plan to move around in your chair, to select the best casters for your office. Once you figure that out, you'll be on your way to making the right decision.

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