Office Chairs without wheels - What are the options?

What is the difference between castors and glides?

So, you're interested in buying an office chair. But you might be confused about a few phrases thrown about. Castors... glides? What are they? And how do you know which ones are right for you? When deciding whether to go for castors or glides on your office chair, you might want to start by understanding the difference between them. They might sound complicated but they're really not! Castors are a fancy term for wheels whilst glides refer to a flat foot-like attachment. See, not too difficult right? Now, let's run through the main differences between the two types of office chair attachment.

Castors

• Essentially wheels that look and move exactly as you'd expect
• Usually, there are five castors on your average office chair
• There are three types of castors: charge braked, interval braked and free wheeling
• Allow for easy movement around the office
• Castors are much more common for home office chairs

Glides Office Chairs Without Wheels

• Look a lot more like boardroom chairs than home office chairs
• Don't allow for free movement but will remain safely in place
• Glides are easy to differentiate as there is only one type
• Can often be cheaper than castors to buy as they're easier to manufacture

 

Flat Feet

• Better on carpeted floors
• Don't allow for free movement
• Better clean cut finish
• Five flat feet on an average office base unit

 

Which one is more suitable for you: castors or glides?

Now, which one is best for you obviously depends on a few factors. Where will you be placing your new office chair? If it is going in a room for meetings, glides might be a good option. However, if it's for a room where you'll be working alone, castors may work best. Ultimately, you should decide how much movement you want to get out of your office chair. Do you need to easily move the chair and wheel it to different parts of the room? Then castors will be best. However, if you'd like the chair to remain stationary for the majority of the time, we recommend glides. Shop our office chairs here!