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Bean Bag Chair Master: The Sumo Omni

You know what it’s like to have a crappy beanbag chair. It’s loud, uncomfortable and generally unstable – especially if you have pets around. It only takes one cut before all of that junk that fills up your chair is all over your living room floor. Is there a premium chair out there that has none of that hassle? There is, and it’s the Sumo Omni.

Instead of having that cheap, plastic cover found on many beanbag chairs, the Omni utilizes ballistic nylon. You could have your dog attempt to dig into and bury something in this thing – and I have caught my canine trying to do so – and the tough layer will withstand any such assault with nary a scratch. The nylon doesn’t let hair or fur stick to it, either. It’s also smooth, so if you lounge around in shorts and a t-shirt you won’t get scratched up.

 

 

The high-quality theme continues to the actual filling of the Omni. Instead of the cheap, short-lasting “Durofoam” commonly used inside inferior alternatives, Sumo opted to fill the Omni with polystyrene foam balls. This allows you to move the chair around into the desired position, of which there are dozens, and then refuse to budge once your body weight is on the chair. It’s also light, weighting about 18 pounds, so you can move it around the house and push it around into positions without much of a sweat.

Speaking of positions, that’s probably the hardest part about the Omni Chair. While there are a few instructional videos and pictures, it can be a bit daunting to figure out a preferred mold for your Omni. Thus far it seems that the “chair” position, with the Omni bent in half to mimic a conventional seat, is the most comfortable. That said, flatting the Omni out completely and using it as a “crash pad” is also a great option.

 

 

 

The Sumo Omni works great as a gaming chair, especially for titles like Guitar Hero III. Since you can be comfortable without armrests on the Omni, you have as much space as you need to fiddle around with the guitar controller. Just get the chair into a right position and dig in a good seat, and you can comfortably play any game for a while – it just may be hard to get up afterwards!

One thing I can’t quite put my finger on is how the Omni retains heat. At first, I thought it was my imagination. However, after having several others try out the chair, it became apparent that the chair heats up as you sit on it. This is a godsend in the winter months, because it pretty much acts like a heated chair wherever you are. It remains to be seen how this will affect summer usage, though.

Overall, the Omni is a no-brainer for those looking for a high-quality bean bag chair. Sure, there are some pretty cheap alternatives, but you get what you pay for. And what you get for Omni’s $130 price is the best seat in the house.

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