Founded in 1987, Duoback is now one of South Korea’s most popular home-grown furniture brands. In 2009, the company launched its flagship Duorest Alpha to a warm local reception. In 2024, the company also offers the Duorest Gold chair. This article assesses the suitability of each model for 2024 desk workers.
The Duorest Alpha and Gold chairs both employ similar concepts. Standard features include a sliding seat depth, reclining backrest, and adjustable armrests. Notably, neither comes with adjustable lumbar support.
Instead, the backrest splits into two halves. Each half has an indent designed to fill your lower back curve. All models let you adjust the height of the backrest to perfectly fit your curve. A few also add depth control adjustability as well.
Duorest Ergonomic Chair Reviews
The Duorest Alpha and Gold have similar adjustable features. The Alpha justifies its higher price tag with a breathable mesh seat and backrest.
Duorest Alpha chair
The Duorest Alpha is the flagship of the Duorest collection. It has a clean design, ultra-breathable seat, and robust features designed to encourage dynamic sitting.
This model is one of several that reimagines the Herman Miller Aeron chair. If you remove the headrest and put the two side-by-side, the resemblance is clear.
Under the hood, the Alpha offers similar ergonomics as the Aeron, at a much lower price point. Like the Aeron, it delivers a mesh seat, synchronous tilt functionality, and dynamic back support.
Duorest Alpha Specifications
Like all Duorest chairs, the Alpha promotes two healthy sitting objectives. First, to help users maintain clean neutral postures while they sit. Second, to keep the body moving with dynamic sitting practices.
Beyond movement, the Alpha chair delivers adjustable back support that lets you customize the fit to your particular size. Highlight features:
Synchronous Tilt
The Alpha chair comes with a 3:1 synchronous tilt mechanism. This angles the seat up by one degree for every three degrees of recline. With this feature active, leaning back provides flexion in the hips while maintaining healthy spinal curves.
Note that leaning back pulls you away from a desk, while the tilting seat puts the hips in motion. Use this feature in between intense work sessions as a quick and easy breather.
For more stable movement, you can also disable sync-tilt (lock the seat) and initiate the backrest recline. That tilts from 90-135 degrees, with 4 lockable positions.
Dynamic Backrest
Like all Duorest chairs, the Alpha model comes with a dynamic 3D backrest. The entire unit is height-adjustable. As well, each of the two backrest halves is also width adjustable.
Instead of an adjustable lumbar support system, each backrest half curves inward to fill the lower back curve. Use the height and width adjustments to tailor the support for your body.
Once set into the right position, each piece will provide mild pressure into your lower back curve. At the same time, each piece is 3D dynamic. As you move in the chair, the halves flex up, down, left or right.
This is a clever reimagining of the Herman Miller Aeron’s ultra-adaptive mesh upholstery. 8Z Pellicle Mesh has variable tension zones that adapt to micromovements to provide consistent support. The Alpha chair’s backrest does the same thing with a simple hinged system.
Duorest Alpha Specifications
- Recline: 90-135 degrees; 4-position tilt-lock with tilt-tension
- Sync-tilt: 3:1 back to seat tilt ratio
- Backrest adjustments: 1.7″ height-adjustment range; 1.3″ width adjustment range; 3D dynamic tilting
- Headrest: adjust the height and support angle
- Upholstery: mesh seat, fabric padded backrest
- Seat slider: 2″ depth adjustment range
- Armrests: 3D adjustable (height, depth, pivot)
- Warranty: 3 years on the frame; 1 year on parts
- Seat: 20″ (W) x 19.6″ (D)
- Backrest: 20″ (W)
- Seat height: 17.6-21.5″
- Size rating: 5’5″ to 6’0″; 300 pounds
Duorest Alpha Advice
The Duorest Alpha is attractive, easy to use, and easy to customize. The downside applies to all Duorest chairs: the warranty. All models come with a 3-year warranty on the frame. However, everything else only comes with a 1-year warranty.
That’s the same warranty protection that the cheapest gaming chairs come with. When you pay over $500 for a chair, a 1-year parts warranty is a concern. If you can live with that, you’ll get a well-built Aeron clone with superb dynamic support.
Duorest Gold
The Duorest Gold has the same 2-pronged height and width-adjustable backrest as the Alpha chair. It differs with a clunkier look, less adjustable armrests, and a smaller recline range.
Duorest Gold chairs are available in a choice of padded fabric or PU leather that resembles cheap office chair upholstery. The plastic urethane base continues that theme with a chunky, gamer-style look.
Given the basic styling and low price, this is a solid starter model for first-time ergonomic chair users.
Duorest Gold Features
As with the other Duorest chairs, a star attraction is its synchronous-tilt functionality. However, this version is more limited, with a basic 1:1 ratio sync.
When you recline in a Gold chair with sync activated, the entire seat bucket tilts as one unit. That’s basically the same as a rocking function on a standard office chair, albeit with a fancier name.
The Gold also lacks the depth-adjustable seat slider of the Alpha chair. Instead, the backrest unit slides. If you need more or less space, you can slide the backrest forward or back to cater to your size.
Duorest Gold Specifications
- Recline: 90-105 degrees; variable recline tilt-lock with tilt-tension
- Sync-tilt: 1:1 ratio (the entire seat bucket tilts as one unit)
- Backrest adjustments: 1.7″ height-adjustment range; 1.3″ width adjustment range; adjustable depth
- Headrest: adjust the height
- Upholstery: fabric padded seat and backrest
- Seat slider: n/a
- Armrests: 2D adjustable (height, width)
- Warranty: 3 years on the frame; 1 year on parts
- Seat: 19.6″ (W) x 20″ (D)
- Backrest: 19.6″ (W)
- Seat height: 16.8-21.3″
- Size rating: 5’2″ to 6’0″; 300 pounds
Duorest Gold Advice
The Duorest Gold provides similar dynamic sitting support as the Alpha chair. It differs with slightly stripped-down features and a more basic design.
Its low price makes it ideal for ergonomic beginners. Many people struggle with back pain in a cheap office chair for years before upgrading.
If you’re a creature of habit reluctant to go ergonomic, the Duorest Gold is for you. It has a familiar office chair look, easy-to-use features, and surprisingly robust dynamic sitting support.
About Duoback
Duorest is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. The company also operates its own factory in nearby Incheon. The company was established in 1987 and listed on the Korean Stock Exchange in 2004. The same year, Duoback chairs entered the Korean office furniture market.
Over the years, the company has won several local design awards and big-time contracts. Duorest supplies furniture for mega-corporations like Samsung, Hanwha, Doosan, and others.
For most of the past decade, Duorest has focused on Asian markets. The company sells its wares in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Mainland China.
After two years of operating at a loss, the pandemic hit. Many big chair brands broke sales records. Duorest also prospered, enjoying a 38% increase in sales over the previous year.
Duorest chairs are the flagship Duoback products. Even so, the company’s current focus leans towards new ergonomic solutions that incorporate IoT technology. Examples:
- Algorigo: body pressure analysis R&D.
- Posture Know: smart ergonomic chair with pressure sensors connected to a phone app. Get real-time posture reports and advice while you sit.
- Position Algo: a smart cushion with pressure sensors and a phone app.
Duoback Warranty
On Amazon, Duoback chairs are billed as coming with “up to 3 years warranty”. To clarify, all chairs come with a 3-year frame warranty and 1-year parts warranty.
| Warranty | Coverage | Details |
| 3 years | Frame | Backrest, armrest, and body frame |
| 1 year | Tilt mechanisms, gas cylinder, caster wheels | Any adjustment malfunction |
| 1 year | Rubber connectors, seat pan (mesh, padding, upholstery) | Any damage or discoloration |
Duorest Alternatives
Both gaming chairs and ergonomic office chairs support good posture over long periods. The big difference is that the former is more casual. You can recline, chill out, or even take a nap in a gaming chair.
In contrast, a good ergonomic office chair will force you to sit in upright positions at all times. If that’s what you’re looking for, here are three Duorest chair alternatives to compare with.
Herman Miller Aeron vs Duorest Alpha
The Duorest Alpha is basically a cheaper version of the Aeron chair. It has a similar look, functionality, and dynamic support properties. At a glance, the biggest difference is the price — the Aeron is three times as expensive.
Even so, when you factor in the price-per-year (based on the warranty, the gap narrows significantly.
| Duorest Alpha | Herman Miller Aeron | |
| Sync-tilt | Seat 0° to 15°; backrest 90° to 135° | Seat -1° to 16°; backrest 93° to 104° |
| Armrests | 3D | 3D |
| Lumbar support | Height and width-adjustable backrest | Height-adjustable unit |
| Recline | 90-135 degrees | 93-104 degrees |
| Seat depth adjustment | 19.6-21.6″ sliding range | n/a |
| Upholstery | Mesh seat, fabric padded backrest | Full mesh upholstery |
| Warranty | 1 year on parts | 12 years |
| Price | Price not available on Amazon | $1805+ from Herman Miller |
| Price-per-year | Price not available per year (with 1-year warranty) | $150 per year (with 12-year warranty) |
Spread over 12 years, the Aeron is a lot cheaper than the Alpha chair. For a larger up-front investment, you get a higher-quality build, more advanced features, and long-term peace of mind.
On the flip side, the Alpha chair does a similar (but less spectacular) job for a much lower up-front cost. If you don’t have the cash for an Aeron chair, the Alpha qualifies as a solid consolation prize.
Duorest Gold vs Space Seating Air Grid
The Duorest Gold is around $100 pricier than the Space Seating Air Grid 23 Series. The Gold has a slight functional edge; the Air Grid offers better long-term value for money.
Here’s how both models measure up:
| Duorest Gold | Space Seating Air Grid | |
| Recline | 90-105° | 100-120° rocking range |
| Seat sync-tilt | 1° | 1° |
| Armrests | 2D | 1D |
| Lumbar support | Height-adjustable backrest | Height-adjustable |
| Seat depth adjustment | none | none |
| Upholstery | Fabric or faux leather seat and backrest | Mesh seat and backrest |
| Warranty | 1 year on parts | 3 years on upholstery; lifetime in parts |
| Price | Price not available on Amazon | $273.26 on Amazon |
Between the two, the lower price and lifetime parts warranty sets the Space Seating Air Grid well ahead of the Duorest Gold. Learn more about the Air Grid:
Conclusion
The ChairsFX website is packed with glowing reviews of racing-style gaming chairs. Even so, those designs don’t suit all tastes.
In fact, many famous streamers and PC gamers insist on using ergonomic office chairs. If you fall into this camp, Duorest office chairs are an interesting option.
These chairs stand out with a unique ‘duo-back’ design and an emphasis on dynamic sitting. If you’re after something unique for a home office setup, these models qualify.
