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Sitting for hours on an uncomfortable chair is quite literally a pain in the rear. For those who work long days at a desk, hours of sitting can mean tight hip flexors and hamstring muscles, stiff hips and knees, decreased productivity, and a very unhappy derriere. Although a standing desk or ergonomic office chair can help alleviate the body strain of excessive sitting, these options can be pricey. When your backside is suffering but a new piece of office furniture is out of your budget, you may want to consider purchasing a seat cushion.
As a writer and editor, I spend long hours sitting at my desk. In mid-2020, when my productivity began to suffer because I could no longer sit for more than 20 minutes at a time on my office chair—with its unforgiving seat—I knew my heinie needed help. I didn’t want to invest in a new chair, so I researched the best-quality seat cushions available and settled on the Purple Double Seat Cushion.
Purple is best known for its distinctive polymer GelFlex Grid mattress, which adapts to the user’s movements and relieves pressure while providing cushioned support. Purple has applied this proprietary hyperelastic design to other comfort products, including its pillows and seat cushions.
Purple Double Seat Cushion: At a Glance
Rating: 8.5/10
PROS
- Relieves pressure on joints
- Stays cool
- Long lasting and durable
CONS
- Expensive
- Requires regular repositioning
- May be too thick for some chairs
Get the Purple Double Seat Cushion at:
What is the Purple Double Seat Cushion?
The Purple Double Seat Cushion is made with a hyperelastic polymer base in a grid pattern. The soft, flexible material redistributes weight around pressure points and adapts as you move and shift your weight. The grid pattern is designed to fold under pressure, so your rump stays relaxed even if the seat underneath is uneven or bumpy, and even if you are sitting on your keys or wallet. GelFlex material is designed to bounce back after use and retain its shape and integrity with daily use.
The Purple Double Seat Cushion measures 18 by 16 by 2 inches and weighs 5 pounds. The model is called the Purple “Double” Seat Cushion because it has two layers of GelFlex Grid: a smaller grid layer on one side, recommended for softer seats, and a larger grid layer on the other, designed for harder seats.
Other Purple seat cushion models include the Ultimate Cushion, Royal Seat Cushion, Simply Seat Cushion, and the Portable Seat Cushion. The Double Seat Cushion is the model recommended for office chairs. All Purple seat cushions come with a machine-washable cover as well as free shipping, free returns, a 30-day trial, and a 1-year warranty.
How comfortable is the Purple Double Seat Cushion?
Before getting the Purple Double Seat Cushion, I could not sit on my office chair for longer than 15 to 20 minutes before needing to shift my weight or get up to move around and unlock my stiff joints. I noticed an immediate difference with the Purple Double Seat Cushion. In fact, the first time I used it, I sat and worked for a solid hour, uninterrupted by squawking hips or knees.
Though the sensation of sitting on a flexible grid pattern takes some getting used to, the cushion lives up to its claim of relieving pressure on overworked joints and distributing your weight to provide cloudlike, comfortable support for your tushy and thighs.
Moreover, the temperature-neutral polymer base and the hundreds of air channels in the grid-patterned material combine to offer cool comfort for your seat. On hot days, when my upper-level office is baking and starved for AC, my seat never feels steamy.
As stated, the Purple Double Seat Cushion has two sides: a large grid and a small grid. After trying the large-grid pattern on the first day, I flipped it around to try the other side the next day; I lasted about 2 hours. The side of the cushion with the larger grid pattern is significantly more comfortable on my hard office chair than the side with the smaller grid pattern, which is recommended for softer seats.
Is the Purple Double Seat Cushion worth the money?
As seat cushions go, the Purple Double Seat Cushion is pricey at $101. At first glance, it may seem extravagant to spend over $100 on a seat cushion, but when compared with the cost of buying a new ergonomic office chair, a Purple seat cushion is considerably more affordable.
Additionally, Purple seat cushions are built to last and are backed by a 30-day trial and 1-year warranty. After having used my Purple Double Seat Cushion now for 2 years (by my calculations, that’s about 1,500 sitting hours!), it has retained its shape and integrity and still feels as comfortable as it did on the first day.
When deciding if you want to purchase the Purple Double Seat Cushion, keep in mind a few considerations. First, although the cover’s nonslip bottom is meant to keep the cushion in place, the cushion does drift forward in the chair, requiring periodic readjusting throughout the day. I find this slightly annoying, but as I get up for short breaks frequently, I just use that time to reposition the cushion against the back of the chair. For users who find this bothersome, Purple recommends affixing rug tape to the bottom of the cushion cover to keep it held in place.
Second, at 2 inches, the Purple Double Seat Cushion may be too thick for some chairs, particularly those with armrests and targeted lumbar support. The thickness of the cushion elevates your body, which could affect how your arms rest on the armrests and how your lower back aligns with lumbar support. Personally, I have not found this to be a problem with my office chair.
Is the Purple Double Seat Cushion right for you?
The Purple Double Seat Cushion offers outstanding value for those whose caboose is suffering from hours spent sitting on an uncomfortable office chair. Although more expensive than other seat cushions, the Purple Double Seat Cushion offers an affordable and effective alternative to a pricey ergonomic office chair. A high-quality seat cushion such as the Purple Double Seat Cushion can reduce back and hip pain, eliminate office chair “numb bum,” improve mood, and increase work stamina.
Purple’s GelFlex technology keeps your seat cushioned, comfortable, and cool while relieving pressure on strained joints and adapting its support to your shape and movements. The Purple Double Seat Cushion allows you to customize your comfort by offering different-size grid patterns on either side, and it comes in a durable, machine-washable zip-up cover. The hyperelastic material is built to last, and Purple stands by its product with a 30-day trial period, free returns, and a 1-year warranty.
I have been singing the Purple Double Seat Cushion’s praises ever since buying it for my home-office chair 2 years ago. If you give it a try, you—and your keister—just may join the chorus!
Where to Buy the Purple Double Seat Cushion
Get the Purple Double Seat Cushion at: