Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been on an ergonomics kick lately. My job as an electrical engineer requires me to sit down pretty much all day at work. Then I go home and sit down again. At some point I figured out how to adjust my chair properly. I prefer to angle the chair so that it's slightly leaning back. That's the position recommended now by scientific studies of chair ergonomics. It takes some of the weight off the lower back and makes it less likely that you're going to slouch forward with your shoulders, head, and arms. So your posture is a lot better this way. But this creates another problem: your legs and feet. If you're leaning back slightly, you're probably going to create some tension towards your lower hamstring muscle. Pain and poor blood circulation results. So you're going to need something to put your feet on in order to take the pressure off your legs. And it should cushion your feet so that they don't get tired also. I did a fair amount of research, looking at Amazon reviews of this product and many others. I ended up buying this half-cylinder cushion product and the Kensington Solemate Footrest which is linked here: http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Solemate-Footrest-SmartFit-K56144US/dp/B004UQ40IS I've had a chance to use both products for a week or two now, and I generally think this product (half cylinder foot cushion) is superior. It feels better and does a better job of cushioning my feet. The Kensington foot rest is not particularly bad, but it's harder to use, doesn't cushion as well, and only provides a small number of angles compared to this half-cylinder cushion. There's no complicated adjustment needed for this foot cushion. If you don't like the angle, you just have to reposition your foot until you're comfortable. No big deal. With the Kensington foot rest, it actually has 4 adjustment knobs (two to control the left and right side height, and two to control the left and right side angle). They even include a sizing chart that's based on the size of your hand, which is a questionable way of going about it. It's also a bit cheaper than the Kensington foot rest. About $10 cheaper. My biggest problem was that I have an unusual kind of a desk at home that has a bar going across the middle of the floor. Unfortunately, the Kensington foot rest can not accommodate that (the bar is right where I want to place the foot rest), so I've been using it at my desk at work instead. The half-cylinder cushion, on the other hand, easily accommodates my desk's bar on the floor. I sit it on top of the bar and wedge the cushion into the wall. It's fine. And if I wanted to improve upon it even further, because it's made of foam, I can easily carve a groove out of the middle to fit right onto the bar. Not sure if I'll do that just yet. The width of the product is just right for me. I'm a 5 foot 10 inch male with long legs, by the way. I thought I'd need two of these, one right next to the other. But I really just need one. It seems to be wide enough. Oh, and when I put my feet on one of the ends, it doesn't cause the other end to seesaw upwards like I thought it would. If it did, then yes I think I'd need two of them placed side-by-side, connected maybe by velcro or something. But that's not the case. I also like the fact that this half-cylinder foot cushion comes wrapped in a fabric that has little rubber pieces dotting its surface. At least I think it's rubber. That makes it grippy. It doesn't slide around at all, on carpeting, tile, or wood. It's very stable. I don't use it as a rocker by turning it over and using it upside down like some people might want to do. I tried it, and it doesn't feel very stable in that position. It seems to slide a bit. You can try it, though. If it's against the wall anyway, then you'll be fine using it like that. The weight of this product is pretty light also. That makes it easy to pick up and take with you anywhere. The Kensington foot rest, on the other hand, is heavier and doesn't provide any easy way to hold it and take it with you anywhere. The only negative thing I'll say about it is that it's a bit tall and may end up causing you to adjust the height of your chair and maybe even your desk. Chair height is easy to adjust. Most office chairs have that ability. But changing desk height may require buying lifts and placing them under the feet of the desk. The only way of knowing for sure is buying it and trying it out. Well, ergonomics is a journey. One thing leads to the next in the pursuit of the perfect sitting experience. This half-cylinder foot cushion product is an easy thing to justify purchasing. It's cheap and versatile. Most people will be happy with it, and I highly recommend it. I've been wanting something like it for years. Hope that helps!