Skywatcher Observing Chair

[BinocularSky]

Skywatcher Observing Chair

£ 89.90 (inc VAT) + £5 P&P

from FLO

Delivery was an acceptable 3 working days from placement of order.

The chair comes disassembled in two parts: the frame and the seat assemblies. Assembly is intuitive and took eight minutes (I time these things), after which I found the assembly instructions in the package. It would probably have taken me longer had I used the instructions, #4 of which invites me to, “Remove the screws in the seat via a cross screwdriver.” Even ignoring the fact that all of my screwdrivers are mild-mannered, the only “screws in the seat” are those that secure the padded seat part to its sliding supports, and you most certainly do not need to remove those, particularly as there is no instruction to replace them! What #4 should say is “Remove the nut and washer from the screw in the unattached end of the spring.,” before moving onto #5, which says, “Connect the spring on the support with the seat.” It should add, “...and put a drop of CA into the thread to prevent the nut from working loose,” but I did that anyway.

Skywatcher has apparently learned its lesson from the reported problems with the previous incarnation of this chair. There is a page of safety precautions, that tells you (inter alia) that you cannot use the chair on open ground (danger of sinking and instability), that you must use special care and a torch at night to ensure that you are safely seated, how to sit (“in a slow, deliberate manner, keeping a central centre of gravity”) and stand, (“do not attempt to stand up whilst leaning back”) and that you must be “physically fit” to use this chair. I kid you not!

I weigh in at a bit over 100kg. The chair has a stated maximum weight capacity of 90kg. I knew this when I bought it. And I'm not physically fit either – I have damaged knees and use a stick to walk while I'm waiting for surgery.

Undaunted, I lugged the chair into the garden – open ground, and pretty soft – my ironing stool (previous observing seat) gradually embeds itself in the lawn. I opened it up, checked it for stability, adjusted the seat to a convenient height, and plonked myself onto it in a deliberately non-deliberate manner. Comfortable; in fact, the cushioning is a little softer than I prefer (but then, I prefer hard lab stools). It has a slight forward slant, which I like on any stool; it forces my back healthily straight. I bounced on it a few times, leaned over to either side to test its stability, stood up (not leaning back as I did so!) and collapsed heavily onto it. It made not one squeal of complaint, but maybe did give a sly smirk at the over-cautious safety instructions.

In fact, apart from the softness of the seat, I find it more comfortable than my office chair, and I am seated on it as I type this review. I might get another one, whose seating foam I would replace with something firmer, to use at my desk.

This is a pretty basic, but sturdy, bit of kit. The seat height is infinitely adjustable from 32 to 84cm (measured – the blurb says 30-82, which must allow for 2cm of padding compression), sufficient to range from the height I need to use the polar-scope on my Vixen GP, to the height I like to set my parallelogram-mounted binocular at. As I've indicated above, it is stable in any use I am likely to put it to whilst observing – the “anti-tipping foot design for balance” certainly does its job. It has a few rough edges (literally!): for example, two of the plastic tube plugs were not fully inserted and popped out. Bolts across the tubes prevented their insertion, but that was easily remedied with a sharp craft knife and a few drops of CA.

The seat is held in place by the observer's body-weight; you need to lift the front of the seat to enable it to slide on the frame. There were concerns with the previous incarnation that the seat could accidentally lift and slip down the frame, causing back injury. Skywatcher has addressed this with a spring on a slider (the spring mentioned in #5 above); this spring is under permanent tension. I haven't yet been able to devise a way that I can cause it to accidentally slip in anything even remotely like the conditions it would meet in normal use. Believe me, I've tried! I've even tried bulldog-clipping the back of my trouser legs to the front of the seat so I can lift the front of the seat while leaning back and standing (requires a walking stick in each hand to lift me into semi-limbo-dance pose), then dropping my buttocks onto the chair. The safety spring wins every time. It may possibly be that I am insufficiently imaginative and that some determined imbecile may be able to concoct a way to overcome this safety feature, but I think Skywatcher has cracked this problem, at least for normal users.

The castors on the back of the frame make it easy to drag around, especially if I have my walking stick in the other hand. It might even double as a trolley for lighter kit, but I wouldn't want to put too much stress on the castors.

I have only one complaint about this chair: the seat cannot be folded flat – this has implications for storage and transport. Apart from that, it is just about everything I want in an observing chair. Nice one, Skywatcher!

[kniclander]

that is the most thorough review of a chair I have ever read

[West End Wendy]

Thanks for the informative and entertaining review Steve.

I'm still using the ironing chair - always thought the dedicated ones were an overpriced luxury, but it sounds like they might be a sound investment in comfort, after all.

Tim

[Nexus 6]

Ironing chair here too, this looks far better to use and likely to last a lifetime.

Tempting.

Hope you get your op soon Steve

[kirkster501]

great review

I made a "Denver chair". Issue is it is heavy and difficult to get into my four wheel cart I use to transport all my kit to the quarter mile to the back of my estate where it is much darker than my back lawn.

May have to look into this chair.

Steve

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Even ignoring the fact that all of my screwdrivers are mild-mannered

Coffee everywhere.

[FLO]

Great review! I have added a link to FLO's Skywatcher Observers Chair listing

[RikM]

Great review. I also use an ironing chair but if/when that bites the dust, I may look into getting one of these.

[Damo636]

Fantastic review Steve. I was using a swivel computer chair but its too low for use with the 12". I now know what to drop into the equation for my birthday present.

[Skills]

I have one of these and generally I have been pleased with it.

Being a determined imbecile I have managed to overcome the spring safety slider a couple of times! I tend to favour slightly eccentric seating positions... When I had my feet raised on another chair in front of me for some intense viewing I found the change in direction of force on the seat caused it to slide. With my feet in a more normal ground based position I've had no problems.

Adrian

[Skybrowser]

Hey Steve, you're giving blokes a bad name by admitting, in writing....that you put it together without following the instructions....

If I ever do that, 'er indoors isn't happy and a certain Swedish furniture shop have much to answer for.

Great review and thanks for sharing. Love the humour. Most of us make do with something other than a specially designed one, but you've set me thinking...now where's my wallet? Oh, no, yet more "astro stuff" I can hear my beloved saying. I have, er, modified the word "stuff" somewhat... she loves it really - first time she saw Saturn she said the predictable "wow".

[BinocularSky]

When I had my feet raised on another chair in front of me for some intense viewing I found the change in direction of force on the seat caused it to slide.

I've just tried that -- still can't make it slip. I must be doing something wrong. I'm clearly insufficiently "imaginative".

But, as I said, " ...cracked this problem, at least for normal users."

[Dave Dubya]

I saw one of these in a home & wares shop the other week, marked up as an "ironing board chair".

[Tyr]

Thanks for the review Steve an interesting read.

I'll be keeping this one on my wish list for when I get tired of perching on the arm of the garden chair to look at object lower in the sky or kneeling and sometimes even sitting on the decking to observe objects at the zenith.

I've noticed a few stockists with these but it's only FLO's site I've seen mention they are the newer design. Does anyone know if these chairs got recalled by the manufacturer or is there a chance others are still selling the "surprise edition" of the chair?

Tyr

[Collidog]

Hi there,

Haven't been on here long and first post. Great site by the way.

I too took delivery of the SW observing chair and agree with Tetenterre regarding the build quality, instructions, comfort etc.

However, I am failing to see how the spring modification is really offering a significant safety feature. In principle it is supposed to prevent the seat from being accidently lifted thus causing it to slide down the frame. One end of the spring is attached to the cushion part of the seat and the other end is attached to the main seat frame via a 'collar'. However, this collar slides up the seat frame along with the cushion, thereby meaning there is little or no tension in the spring. By the way, the spring is not much beefier that the springs that you find inside biro pens!

My seat has been assembled according to the instructions, yet I have already suffered a sheer drop of the seat cusion (with me on it) from mid height to base. I must have shifted my weight and marginally lifted the seat cushion up, causing the grip to fail.

To be honest, I think the spring is a cheap after-thought. One still needs to exercise caution getting on, off and when shifting around on the seat.

Cheers - Neil

[BinocularSky]

One end of the spring is attached to the cushion part of the seat and the other end is attached to the main seat frame via a 'collar'. However, this collar slides up the seat frame along with the cushion, thereby meaning there is little or no tension in the spring. By the way, the spring is not much beefier that the springs that you find inside biro pens!

I thought the "sliding collar" thing was simple, but ingenious -- it allows 1-handed seat-height adjustment. Mine never has "no tension" in normal use; I've not measured it, but it seems sufficient, but I agree that stronger would be better (as in "more confidence-inspiring"). I've found (just played with it again) that I can force it into no-tension mode by rotating it so that the cut-out in the collar is on the outside and it can slide up inside the seat brackets, but it's difficult to see how this could happen in use because the tension on the spring resists this rotation.

To be honest, I think the spring is a cheap after-thought.

I'm sure you're right, but I thought it was also simple and ingenious.

My seat has been assembled according to the instructions, yet I have already suffered a sheer drop of the seat cusion (with me on it) from mid height to base. I must have shifted my weight and marginally lifted the seat cushion up, causing the grip to fail.

I still haven't been able to emulate this, but...

One still needs to exercise caution getting on, off and when shifting around on the seat.

Given your experience, this is obviously wise. Perhaps I should not have been quite so dismissive of the safety instructions, which advise exactly that.

[CanesVenatici]

Nice review, but I would still that that the following is a far better option. What's more it costs only a few quid more for something that is primarily designed for use in industry and was made in Germany, rather than being knocked up in China, probably for a couple of quid!

http://stargazerslounge.com/astro-lounge/159674-observing-chairs-another-option.html

[BinocularSky]

http://stargazerslounge.com/astro-lounge/159674-observing-chairs-another-option.html

Now that does look good!

[peterbolson]

Hi Steve

Great review. You say it doesn't fold flat but the product info says it is "foldable" so how much does it actually fold ? I'm thinking about storage space in the small tool shed where I keep my scope.

Peter

[EBU]

Hey, nice review Steve. Thanks!

[BinocularSky]

Hi Steve

Great review. You say it doesn't fold flat but the product info says it is "foldable" so how much does it actually fold ? I'm thinking about storage space in the small tool shed where I keep my scope.

The frame collapses to flatness, but the seat protrudes. I'll do piccies if you like.

[Space Beagle]

I bought one of these! Smart-Seat Observing Chair made in Japan

Was too expensive for a chair really, but, very well made, strong and will never slide down!

I do like some of the other options people have found though - some of the so called 'ironing chairs' look fantastic for the low cost involved, I do feel a bit like ive overpaid , but it still is a very good chair and I can see it outlasting some of my scopes!!

Doc

[peterbolson]

The frame collapses to flatness, but the seat protrudes. I'll do piccies if you like.

Thanks Steve. No need for any photos - I can imagine what it's like.

Peter

[gooseholla]

I looked into one of these, but the cost put me off. The only benefit it had, for me, was the wider feet than are found on a bar stool. However, a slab of wood, or using it on concrete - which I do, means a £6 bar stool from wilkinsons does just fine - and it folds up and down in about 3 seconds!

[Astrosurf]

Great ideas. The only problem I'd have being small is that I'd have nowhere to put my feet on the high positions! That would hurt my poor old legs. The Smart Seat looks good but a tad expensive.

Alexxx