On Our Desk - 14

Sumo Omni

Manufacturer: Sumo
UK Price (as reviewed): £99.00 (with free shipping)
US Price (as reviewed): $149.99 (with free shipping)

This is the life – taking time out of our days to lounge in a huge Sumo Omni beanbag, right in full view of workmates and bosses and totally ambivalent to the looming danger of falling asleep.

The Omni was designed and made by a company called Sumo who make some of the biggest and most comfy beanbags ever to settle noisily on the surface of this planet. The Omni is stuffed with thousands and thousands of little microbeans which are so small you can’t feel them through the cloth, and the outer fabric is made from top-quality rip-proof nylon.

Sumo came up with ten ways to use the bean bag, ranging from a comfy seat to a crash mat, but we’ve tested it in our own way here at bit-tech.

To start off I tested the comfiness of the Omni and I was not disappointed, as you may have guessed. I was able to relax back in a comfy beanbag whilst playing Fable 2 all day in the middle of the office and, to be frank, it was awesome.


Next I tested the relaxability of the bean-bag, which was also brilliant, as already mentioned I almost fell asleep - which in my opinion is ultimate relaxability. Finally we tested the dozimetrics of the Omni and were amazed once more at how easily we were able to fall asleep in its all-encompassing beads. It even proved drool-resistant!

One thing that’s hard to convey in these pictures though is just how large and lightweight the Omni is. The Omni is hardly small, measuring in at 4.5”x5.5”, but it’s incredibly light for something that large and hardy. Altogether it weighs just 18lbs (and we assure you, weighing it was difficult), so it can be shifted around quite easily.

Because it’s so light you could even carry it around with you just in case you saw someone about to fall over. Then you could throw it down to break their fall and be a hero – it would be fantastic!

The next amazing thing about the beanbag is that it has a wipeable surface, so it won’t stain if you spill tea or soft drinks on it. Tim took responsibility for testing this aspect of the Omni by allowing his dog to mark her territory on the bag, if you know what I mean. During this test we also found out the bag doesn't hold onto nasty smells...like dog wee!


One downside to the beanbag though is the amount of courage it actually takes for you to sit in one. That's right it sounds crazy but it’s actually quite nerve-racking to sit in a big, brown cushion while there’s a meeting going on. There’s no way of lowering yourself into it either – it’s all or nothing!

When you have finally overcome all of these difficulties and are starting to feel more confident, perhaps ready to contribute to the lunchtime discussion without fear of rustling, then comes the worst part – getting out. If you have nothing near you to hold onto and pull yourself up, then you are in trouble. You could be sat there for life... but that's hardly a bad thing.

Overall the Omni will give you a lot of pleasant memories I'm sure – and we don’t just mean that it’s really comfy for gaming in. It’s a touch on the expensive side, but it’s got free shipping at least and you are getting a lot of bean for your buck.

Verdict: A brilliant buy, we suggest getting a darker coloured bag like the brown we went for. That way, if it does get mucky for some strange reason, it won’t show up as much.