The Best Folding Chairs

HDX Black Plastic Seat Foldable Folding Chair

You don’t want to feel like you’ve been folded up after sitting in a folding chair for a few hours. After looking at owner reviews and testing the top six models to check them for build and comfort—and planting a wide variety of butts in the chairs in our offices and homes—we still recommend the flexible HDX Black Plastic Seat Foldable Folding Chair, our favorite since 2017 (when it was called the MityLite FlexLite)The HDX Black Plastic Seat Foldable Folding Chair is very comfortable and durable. It’s made of 18-8 steel and flexible, ventilated plastic that conforms to your back and legs and that can (reportedly) hold more than 600 pounds. (MityLite, the company that makes this chair for Home Depot, also sells it under the names FlexLite and Flex One at other retailers.) It’s an inch and a half wider than most of the folding chairs we tested, and it feels great to sit in, even after many hours. This nice-looking chair is currently available in all-black, all-white, and black with a silver frame, but it has also at times come in navy blue. The HDX has a 10-year warranty, by far the longest we foundThe IKEA Nisse Folding Chair is an affordable, compact chair that’s remarkably comfortable—more so than any other plastic or metal chair we tested, aside from the HDX. It folds up even smaller than our main pick, which is something that may be appreciated by people living in small homes or by those who are short on space. It also looks sleeker than most folding chairs we found, so you won’t hesitate to pull these chairs out for extra seating at parties or during the holidays. And the Nisse has a convenient handle that makes it easy to move around or hang for storage. Compared with the HDX’s 600-pound rating, the Nisse’s rating is only 220 pounds (although we didn’t test this). It also has a smaller seat—about 3 inches narrower in both directions—and it doesn’t include a warranty.

Our pick: HDX Black Plastic Seat Foldable Folding Chair 

The HDX Black Plastic Seat Foldable Folding Chair is the most comfortable folding chair we’ve ever tried. We think most people will be happy using it for hours at a time, and we also think it’s ideal for parties or family gatherings. A wide seat and a back with a bit of give (which allows for some bounce) set the HDX apart from the competition. The tall, 9-inch backrest provides plenty of support. Because the seat and back are made of a plastic mesh (the chair’s frame itself is steel), you don’t have to worry about searing your thighs or sticking to the chair with a sweaty back if you’re using it in the summer heat.

Despite the extra width, each chair folds up into a super-slim 4¾ inches, and although the specs list a weight of 11 pounds, our chair weighed in at 7½ pounds on an at-home scale. As a result, these chairs are easy to move and stor
At $20 to $30 per chair, the HDX folding chair is more than twice the price of the cheapest models we tried, but we think it’s worth the investment, especially if you live in a small home and don’t have enough storage for bulkier chairs. This chair also has a 10-year warranty, which is far better than those for most other chairs we found, which had one-year warranties or none at all.

Special projects editor Ganda Suthivarakom uses HDX chairs in her home for dinner-party overflow, and they’ve held up beautifully for several years, without scuffing her soft bamboo floors or making screeching noises, like cafeteria-grade metal folding chairs do. One Wirecutter colleague has had a set since 2016 that she uses only at holidays and for the rare large gathering. She said they’ve “held up great. Guests always comment on how surprisingly comfortable they are.” We also used these chairs as backup seating for our New York City office for the past four years. They’ve held up well, and our staff members have always found them comfortable.

Budget pick: IKEA Nisse Folding Chair 

At 15 bucks a chair, the IKEA Nisse Folding Chair is a remarkably good value for a simple seat that gets the job done. It’s smaller and lighter than the HDX—only 3 inches deep when folded and less than 8 pounds. With a wide handle cutout that runs along the top of the back support, the Nisse is easy to pick up and to move around or hang. It’s one of two chairs we tried—and the only one we recommend—that has a handle. We also appreciate that, like the HDX, the Nisse is sold by the chair (rather than in two- or four-packs) and comes in three colors (black, dark blue-lilac, and white).

Although the Nisse’s seat isn’t as roomy as the HDX’s, it’s still remarkably comfortable. The plastic doesn’t have the same degree of flex, but it feels softer than the steel-and-padding or solid plastic seats on other chairs we tested. And the angle of the Nisse’s back is neither too upright nor too steeply reclined—it’s just right for long stints of sitting.The Nisse lacks the ventilation of the HDX’s mesh and has a lower weight rating (220 pounds, compared with the HDX’s 600). Temperature wasn’t an issue for us during our testing, but this chair may be a bit sticky to use at summertime parties. Reviewers on IKEA’s site also like this chair—it has 4.6 stars across 34 for the black version (the ratings are fewer but similar for the other colors).

Budget pick: IKEA Nisse Folding Chair 

At 15 bucks a chair, the IKEA Nisse Folding Chair is a remarkably good value for a simple seat that gets the job done. It’s smaller and lighter than the HDX—only 3 inches deep when folded and less than 8 pounds. With a wide handle cutout that runs along the top of the back support, the Nisse is easy to pick up and to move around or hang. It’s one of two chairs we tried—and the only one we recommend—that has a handle. We also appreciate that, like the HDX, the Nisse is sold by the chair (rather than in two- or four-packs) and comes in three colors (black, dark blue-lilac, and white).

Although the Nisse’s seat isn’t as roomy as the HDX’s, it’s still remarkably comfortable. The plastic doesn’t have the same degree of flex, but it feels softer than the steel-and-padding or solid plastic seats on other chairs we tested. And the angle of the Nisse’s back is neither too upright nor too steeply reclined—it’s just right for long stints of sitting.The Nisse lacks the ventilation of the HDX’s mesh and has a lower weight rating (220 pounds, compared with the HDX’s 600). Temperature wasn’t an issue for us during our testing, but this chair may be a bit sticky to use at summertime parties. Reviewers on IKEA’s site also like this chair—it has 4.6 stars across 34 for the black version (the ratings are fewer but similar for the other colors).

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