Musso E80 Review: Plenty of Adjustments, a Few Awkward Details

Musso E80 Review

I like the $399.99 Musso E80 considerably more now that it is assembled. Mine is pink, and despite the petite positioning, this is a full-sized office chair with a substantial base. The range of adjustments is the strongest reason I’m considering it. Assembling it, figuring out the purpose of its leg extensions, and considering future access to the screws leave me with a few suggestions for Musso.

First, the word “petite.” The Amazon listing describes the E80 Muse as a chair for women and small frames. Buyers should distinguish between a chair that adjusts to accommodate a smaller person and one that occupies less space. The E80 feels like a full-sized office chair to me. Musso’s product specifications list an arm-to-arm width of about 26 inches and a wheelbase diameter of about 26.6 inches (calculated from metric). Musso says the seat lowers to about 16.5 inches. A lower seat may help a shorter person find a useful sitting position, but the base still requires room under and around a desk.

Assembly is part of the ownership experience, even if manufacturers prefer reviews to start with the finished product. The Musso E80 requires assembly and a fair amount of space to work through it. The rolling base comes in several parts, including the core, the legs, and the rollers. Musso supplied all the hardware and tools. I’ve purchased many office chairs, and most of the time, the base arrives assembled, perhaps awaiting rollers and a pneumatic tube. I usually don’t need to fit legs and footrests and screw them down. I was less worried about the footrest than the legs, since the legs are critical to the chair’s long-term durability.

Because of the self-assembly, owners need to pay attention to the fit and the finish of their own work. Those who don’t tighten everything down may find themselves revisiting the assembly after sitting in the chair for a while

To that point, a Trustpilot review reported recurring loose screws and movement in the Musso E80’s upper chair and armrests. That individual report does not establish that my chair will develop the same problem. It does, however, reinforce the reason I want straightforward access to the hardware. Musso replied that it wanted to investigate the movement.

The seat is heavy enough to make assembly awkward. I wish I had pictures of me hugging the seat to install the chair’s back, which the instructions require before setting the entire thing on the base.

A chair with this much adjustment already asks buyers to spend time learning how to fit it to their bodies. I would welcome less work before that. I assembled the chair myself for the most part, but I didn’t help lift the seat into place. Some parts of the assembly are better accomplished with two people

Once assembled, the adjustments become the Musso E80’s strongest feature. I liked that the chair offers so many ways to configure it. Owners will enjoy adjustments to seat height and depth, lumbar and head support, flip-up arms, armrest swivel, and four locking recline positions between 90 and 135 degrees. Seat depth deserves particular attention in a chair marketed to smaller people: getting closer to the backrest without too much seat under the legs is practical. The ability to adjust several parts of the sitting position gives the E80 more appeal than its gendered branding.

The button controls for height, seat depth, and recline, plus the flip-up arms, make this more than a desk chair. Many users report using the chair to play musical instruments or for art, such as painting. I appreciate that flexibility built into accessible controls.

My daughter and I struggled to figure out the Musso E80’s lumbar adjustment at first. Eventually, we discovered it must be lifted all the way up before we can bring it back down. Once the owner masters the mechanism, it makes sense, but getting there shouldn’t require experimentation. Though Musso makes that sequence clear in the instructions, the number of adjustments makes it hard to find a specific item.

I want to point out the Musso E80 instructions as another area that needs redesign. The instructions would benefit from separating the operating instructions from the assembly instructions, which most owners will never look at again. Both arrive on a single giant sheet of paper, with the operating instructions at the top, which doesn’t make much sense since the chair must be assembled before it can be operated. A smaller operating guide that can be kept near the chair would be beneficial, given the myriad available adjustments and features. I’m OK with a readable, large-format assembly instruction, but only if it is a standalone document.

So back to the Musso E80’s lumbar support. It may prove too thick for some to maintain comfortable upper-back contact. While it can be removed, I would rather see a version that includes reducing the lumbar support thickness as another ergonomic adjustment.

As for the leg extensions, I understand them the least. In my sitting position, they support my thighs while leaving my knees and feet dangling. And keep in mind, I’m not the target audience, but also, not all women have short legs. The result feels a little weird. I am unclear how often I, or anyone else with a similar fit, would use them. Images on the Musso website suggest feet resting on them, with knees bent.

The leg extensions tuck away, which helps, but I remain unconvinced that they are a critical feature. I would give much more weight to the seat and back adjustments when deciding whether to buy the chair—though for some, the leg rest may be a deciding factor. If leg rests aren’t part of your buying criteria, look for a chair that doubles down on the required elements rather than buying one with features you won’t use, regardless of price or other features.

I am not enthusiastic about the caps that cover the screws on the Musso E80’s arms. They tidy up the appearance, but they are not designed for easy removal. If those screws ever need tightening or adjustment, I suspect owners may have to pry out the caps and potentially damage them in the process. I would prefer a cover with an obvious, reusable removal method (like a metal cover with a screw in the middle). Furniture should be designed for maintenance, especially where parts move or bear weight.

Musso also needs to evaluate its marketing. “Ergonomically designed for Lady.” was emblazoned on the chair box; it should have been “Ergonomically designed for women.” The website is better, but I wish companies whose first language isn’t English would seek editorial help when preparing material for the U.S. market. Awkward copy distracts from the product and makes the positioning harder to take seriously. If a company has thought about accommodating different body proportions, clear language and useful measurements will help communicate that.

Musso E80: The Bottom Line

My overall assessment remains positive. I like the pink E80 now that it is assembled, and I particularly like the range of adjustments. I encourage prospective buyers to measure their space, consider how the lumbar support might fit, and plan to handle the heavy base during assembly. Musso could improve the experience with a preassembled base, removable screw covers, clearer instructions, and a better explanation of whom the leg extensions are intended to support. The chair gives me plenty to work with. A few more thoughtful details would make it even easier to recommend.

Musso provided the E80 device for review. Images courtesy of Musso unless otherwise noted.

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