SUMO Omni Bean Bag Chair Review

Sumo Omni Bag Full Review

In a home theater or listening room you need to sit. For some, the constraints may warrant that the typical theater chair simply isn't going to be an option (like in a dorm room). For others, they may be looking for something for the kids, or perhaps something a bit less mainstream. SUMO is a company with a product which caters to all of these needs. Their Omni bag is a 4.5' x 5.5' "bean bag" chair that allows you to push, scrunch, and misshape it into just about anything you desire 舑 and it will stay that way. I know what you're thinking. Bean bag chairs are for 70's rejects or maybe those people who spend $20,000 in those HGTV redecorating shows who end up with rooms looking like it was blessed by Mike Brady. Well, you're right - but in case you haven't noticed, the 70s are "in" right now and the "chair" is way overrated (I mean, how 16th century). The Omni bag is different. It's cool, it's light, and it's pretty affordable. Hey, that's 3 for 3 so read on.

First Impressions

The SUMO bag arrived in a single large box. At first I thought that perhaps they had shipped the cover separate from the bag since it weighed less than 20 pounds - super light for a bag that has dimensions exceeding 20 square feet. When I opened the box, I found the Midnight Blue SUMO Omni bag, scrunched up and ready for use - no assembly required.

The first thing I did was test its pliability - after all, this is a bean bag chair, right? The last chair I reviewed that was in this category was extremely comfortable, but basically a big blob that didn't hold any particular shape - no so with the Omni. It will retain just about any shape you can think to put it in - and we tried a bunch.

Kid-Friendly

I'll admit it, I didn't have to do a lot of work reviewing this bag - I simply let my son and his cousins have at it. The easiest way to test usability and durability of a product like this is to subject it to the whims and imagination of a 3, 4, and 5 year old. The results were as impressive as they were amusing:

The first position is what I call the "crowd in and lounge" position. The second was the infamous "motorcycle" rig. Basically all three kids would climb on board the SUMO Omni and pretend they were riding a Harley (no Japanese rocket bikes in this family). It was funny to watch, but you know what - the bag took three kids and didn't tip over. It was amazing to see the shapes and positions this bag could be put in and hold weight. The website lists a bunch, but I also found a couple more that I liked, particularly one where I could fold back one end across the width of the bag and use it as a pillow of sorts to prop up my head while watching TV.

Do yourself a favor and make sure that you have the bag completely upright with the polystyrene foam balls all settled in at the bottom should you decide to open it up and examine the contents. I unzipped it and was greeted by a gleeful evacuation of hundreds of tiny white foam balls. The neat thing about these balls is they are anti-static by nature, which means that they will "run away" from your fingertips as you reach for them - good fun. Going back to the zipper, it was heavy duty and well-placed inside of a small area that could be opened by separating a foot-long stretch of 2" Velcro. This bag isn't going to open up by accident, but you are given a way to "re-inflate" it should the polystyrene decompress over time (it does, but it will take a while and you can by additional or replacement foam balls in 3 cubic feet increments online).

One Size Fits All, But You Can Pick the Color

The SUMO Omni bag only comes in one size (5.5' x 4.5') but you can choose from 8 different colors:

There is also an ottoman (aptly named the "Otto") which can be ordered in the same colors for $75. We didn't "test" the ottoman, but it really seems like the odd man out and would be good for those who liked one of the "sitting" configurations for the bag.

If You're Pregnant You Need This Bag

I had two individual pregnant Moms sit on the SUMO bag and both fell in love with it. My wife (pictured here) and sister-in-law (threatened to render me unable to bear children if I pictured her here) both enjoyed the ability to straddle the chair and lean back or forward into it while having the bag conform perfectly to their bodies. In fact, my sister-in-law told me specifically that this bag is the most comfortable thing she's ever experienced during pregnancy in terms of furniture (she's having her third child so she speaks from experience).

There you have it. If you are pregnant, know someone who is pregnant, or think you ever may get pregnant, this bag is for you.

Conclusion

The Omni bag may not be a home theater chair-killer, but it certainly does well as a gaming chair or flexible, portable seat that can go away to college or just about anywhere else you can think of. Its maneuverability coupled with its ability to retain various shapes and positions makes it an incredibly comfortable and versatile chair. About the only negative we could come up with is that it can tend to get a bit warm under your legs - especially if you live in the south or another humid climate. The cover did very well during our use of the bag, but since it's not removable you do run the risk of a permanent stain down the road. However, at $149 this is as close to a "no-brainer" purchase (for yourself or as a gift) that you may see all year.

SUMO Omni Bag
MSRP: $149

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

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• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Performance
Value