Most office chairs make you adapt to them. The LiberNovo Omni claims to adapt to you every time you move, with no motor, no app and no battery, just mechanics. I sat in the fully manual version for two weeks in October 2026 to see whether it's real or just clever marketing.
A work tool, not a luxury
I spend about eight hours a day at my job and another couple at home writing, editing and filming, so roughly ten hours a day in a chair. I'm also 1.95 m and 110 kg, so a chair has to work for me. LiberNovo sent me this one. It's my first high-end chair.
It arrived in two big, heavy boxes, so you may want help. All the empty space was filled with foam and cardboard, there was even a branded charcoal desiccant, and the base is aluminium. You can feel the sturdiness. With a big illustrated instruction sheet, assembly took me no more than 10 minutes. A third small box contained the footrest.
Manual vs Omni Pro
This is the more affordable, fully mechanical sibling of the award-winning Omni Pro. Two differences: the lumbar support uses a knob instead of an electronic button, and there's no seat ventilation. I see both as pros. Once you've found your lumbar position, it stays. And after two weeks of southern Italian heat, still in short sleeves on 10 October, I never felt hot: the fabric and memory foam breathe, and air flows under the seat. No electronics also means the warranty is simpler. The Pro has 2 years on electronics and 5 on mechanics; mine is mechanical, so it's covered for 5 years.
A chair that follows you
The real difference is the mechanism. Lean towards the screen and the backrest comes with you. Lean back and the headrest follows your neck, and the armrests move up almost 10 cm to support your arms. The recline goes from 105° to 160°, and when you go all the way back, the lumbar support and armrests follow along, so nothing needs readjusting. With the footrest at 160° I watched a whole two-hour movie and almost fell asleep. At 110 kg it felt rock solid. The headrest adjusts in many directions, and keeping my head in the right position is saving my back.
Honestly, the first hours felt so comfortable it was weird, so I waited two weeks of editing sessions, video calls and work from home before telling you. It held up amazingly.
The honest doubts
I can't compare it to other high-end chairs myself, but in reviews I watched, people compared it to €2,000 chairs from big brands, and at around €700 it holds up very well. The one concern everyone raised: LiberNovo is a startup, and nobody yet knows how these chairs or the customer care will hold up over five or six years. Neither do I.