[HN Gopher] Ask HN: Have you found a good desk chair?
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Ask HN: Have you found a good desk chair?
Despite my best efforts, in the past few years I have had no luck
with desk chairs--each one I've had grows uncomfortable after 10-15
minutes of working. This discomfort manifests as sore legs, sore
back, feeling too warm, poor seating posture, and similar
inconveniences. I recognize the need to stand up and stretch
periodically, but these uncomfy chairs make it really difficult to
get into the zone. Have you found a chair that makes you happy?
Given the amount of time I must spend at a keyboard, I am willing
to spend real money. For reference, I am a 40ish 5'10" male with an
average build (pandemic deterioration notwithstanding). I also
have a treadmill desk, and it's great for humdrum work, but
sometimes it is necessary to sit down and dig in when the task at
hand is more challenging.
Author : DamnInteresting
Score : 103 points
Date : 2021-06-17 15:49 UTC (1 days ago)
| brudgers wrote:
| My goto chair is an Ikea Poang with foot stool.
|
| It is not a desk chair.
|
| It is a laptop chair, and the laptop gets used as intended.
|
| In my lap.
|
| Yes I don't get multiple monitors. Instead I use xmonad and get
| nine screens just a two key keychord away. I switched when I was
| older than you and have never looked back.
|
| Sitting with the laptop in my lap lets me shift my weight, arms,
| eyes, etc. when I start to feel discomfort. The hardest part was
| learning not to try to power through discomfort after decades of
| habit.
|
| Good luck.
| hughpoint wrote:
| I have an Aeron from ~2006 which is still in good condition,
| virtually no drop in the pellicle mesh despite near daily use for
| 12 years. The foam under the seat near the front lip has died a
| little, and the arm rest pads needed replacement once.
|
| In 2018 I purchased an Aeron Remastered which for some reason I
| did not care for, it seemed to tilt differently in the seat and I
| felt the front lip more on my legs.
|
| So I sold it and purchased an Embody, which I've been very happy
| with so far.
|
| I think they are only for commercial buyers, but our office uses
| SitOnIt Torsa chairs
| (https://www.sitonit.net/productcatalog/torsa_taskchair.html)
| which I have found to be quite nice in quality and comfort.
| bransonf wrote:
| Didn't see it anywhere else in the thread, so I'll toss in my
| current: The Uplift Pursuit [0]
|
| Great lumbar, head and neck support, lots of adjustments. The
| reclining is very nice, it's on a double pivot. Pretty sure it's
| a 'replica' of a Scandinavian design, the same design featured in
| HBO's Silicon Valley (the CEO chair)
|
| I paid closer to $300 this time last year, but apparently it's
| gone up to nearly $400 now.
|
| [0] https://www.upliftdesk.com/pursuit-ergonomic-chair-by-
| uplift...
| kahlonel wrote:
| Not exactly what you asked, but a few squats, just once per day,
| really help with blood circulation to legs. Not having enough
| blood circulation results in leg discomfort no matter how
| comfortable your chair is.
| sg47 wrote:
| Steelcase Leap V2 works best for me.
| ApolloRising wrote:
| Try Staples Hyken Technical Mesh Task Chair and they have another
| one for slightly bigger bodies. Quite nice for the price. I was
| quite satisfied and I am also a picky sitter.
| Tepix wrote:
| I'm a fan of active sitting. In Germany we have "Aktion Gesunder
| Rucken e.V." (working group healthy back) and they publish a list
| of "Active office chairs" (Aktiv-Burostuhle) with their seal of
| approval at
|
| https://agr-ev.de/de/ratgeber-produkte/produkte/2837-aktiv-b...
|
| These chairs aren't for everyone, i encourage you to try them
| before you buy!
|
| The ones i know personally are
|
| - Aeris 3Dee
|
| Super nice chair, very ergonomic, quite pricey, starting at
| around 1000EUR
|
| - Dauphin Stilo with 3d-balance system
|
| Bought this chair for my adult son who is super happy with it and
| uses it lots. Costs around 550EUR. I may buy one for myself, too.
|
| - Haider Bioswing
|
| I bought a used chair with this mechanical principle and it's
| pretty good but not as good as the other two, at least for this
| (quite old) chair. A new one would probably be more ergonomic
| owenfi wrote:
| I bought a "Swing Chair" back at the final Macworld Expo -
| after a long day of walking around the exhibits sitting in the
| demo chair was so satisfying - and it's been my main chair
| during Covid (with varying use over the prior decade). Other
| than the arm rests wearing out and a set screw I should replace
| it is still in great condition and allows me to sit comfortably
| for longer than I probably should...
|
| They are no longer in business :'(
| https://web.archive.org/web/20160422143349/http://www.swingc...
|
| This seems pretty similar, but I haven't tried it:
| https://www.eurekadesk.com/ergonomic-chair-swing-chair.html
|
| I bought a glass corner desk around the same time that's still
| in use, most likely because it and the keyboard tray seem to be
| the perfect height for me/the chair. I can't recommend an
| under-desk keyboard tray enough, if you don't have one I'd
| strongly recommend investigating it.
| allears wrote:
| I've got a refurbished Steelcase Leap, purchased here:
| https://www.btod.com/steelcase-leap-v2 I'm very happy with it.
| Excellent seller, has a wide range of chairs including Herman
| Miller, lots of reviews, great customer service. Free returns on
| many items (not on the Leap, though my wife bought one first, and
| I liked it so much I bought one too). Also put skate-wheel style
| casters on it, makes it much more maneuverable.
| mcbishop wrote:
| I've happily used the Bambach saddle seat for many years. It's
| uncomfortable to slouch in that chair, so upright sitting happens
| naturally. https://www.bambach.co.uk/
| jmnicolas wrote:
| I bought the Secret Lab Titan about 2 years ago, and I'm quite
| happy with it.
|
| It's the first time I buy an expensive chair:before I was
| spending around 150 to 200EUR, this one is 400EUR.
|
| I have no regret, for the first time I can spend hours seating
| without any problems.
|
| Given this experience I would not go back to a cheaper chair.
| joshuaheard wrote:
| Herman Miller Aeron. I still have to get up every hour or so and
| stretch my legs. Luckily, I work at home, so I go outside and
| play frisbee with my dog.
| pshc wrote:
| A counterpoint I read on HN back in April, wherein the author
| decries expensive office chairs, and recommends exercise balls
| and tub chairs: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26919449
| failwhaleshark wrote:
| I read "tub chair" and thought of Dalton Trumbo in his bath
| office. I'm sure it's not ergonomic, but I bet it's comfortable
| and relaxing.
| guhcampos wrote:
| I have two herniated discs that hurt like hell for a couple years
| now, so a few months pre pandemic. I got exactly 3 different
| chairs in my home office now, as I tried several models until I
| finally succumbed to the gaming chair.
|
| I bought a DX Racer Drift looking for the foot rests, but I
| rarely use those.
|
| The big, big difference I saw in gaming chairs over most of the
| desk chairs is the ability to recline the backrest independently
| from the seat. While most office chairs will allow you to
| recline, the seat is fixed into the backrest so the angle between
| your legs and your back is always fixed at 90 degrees. Being able
| to tilt just the backrest, making a >90 angle between my legs and
| the back is the super-dupper-killer-feature for me.
|
| I usually leave it slightly over 90, not too much, maybe
| something like 110 degrees, which gives me max confort without
| hurting my shoulders (which start to hurt if you go too far back,
| as you lose some support while typing).
|
| What I found in the end is that all this ergonomics bs is just
| that: BS. Find a chair that works for you, it does not even need
| to be expensive. For a long time I was using my kitchen chairs
| because they were less painful then my previous two other office
| chairs.
| failwhaleshark wrote:
| Do you happen to have an inversion table and a traction pulley
| system?
| yourabstraction wrote:
| If you want to try something kinda unusual, here's what I'm
| doing. I have a sit stand desk, and I have two different chairs.
| A saddle seat and a drafting chair. The saddle seat is very good
| for posture because it opens the hips up and increases the angle
| from your legs to torso, which makes sitting upright much more
| comfortable. However, I can't sit in it for more than a couple
| hours (maybe I'll adjust over time), so I switch between either
| standing or sitting in the drafting chair. The drafting chair is
| great because it goes super high so you have a lot of different
| posture options with an adjustable height desk. I think any
| solution that involves being in the same posture for too long is
| flawed, so variety is a good idea to keep your body happy.
|
| I think I spent about $250 on the saddle seat, and $150 on the
| drafting chair, so it's a pretty cheap solution that offers a lot
| of flexibility. I made the desk from a full sheet of plywood cut
| in half, finished smooth, and glued together to make it thicker
| and some electric legs I bought for $250. All in about about $700
| for the desk and two chairs.
| avenger123 wrote:
| Adding my thoughts to this.
|
| I have been using one of these for the past few years.
|
| https://shoplifeformchairs.ca/collections/high-back/products...
|
| Although it's a Canadian based company, they have dealers across
| the US - https://relaxtheback.com/apps/store-locator
|
| Anything that is adjustable with a chair can be done with one of
| these. It's unfortunate that they are expensive and marked as
| "executive" chairs but the chairs are a couple of notches above
| Aerons and the SteelCases in comfort and adjustability.
| bennathanson wrote:
| I always thought spending more than $500 for a chair was for
| suckers. Then I did some house sitting for a friend. They had a
| Herman Miller Aeron Chair.
|
| At the time I was doing my CS final project and was putting in
| consecutive 12 hour days. I had chronic back issues, and had
| never been able to pull that kind of project off without at least
| some back pain! I was sold on this chair.
|
| Once I graduated and got a real job, I upgraded to an Aeron and
| never looked back. That being said, I got a significant discount
| by shopping used on eBay. There are people who go to offices, buy
| the whole lot of used chairs, then refurbish and sell them. Paid
| about $650 for it, and I feel good knowing there are replacement
| parts available if something wears out in the future.
|
| I threw out the headrest and the lumbar thing, though. Didn't
| find those comfortable.
| heroHACK17 wrote:
| Secretlab.co makes fantastic chairs!
| jml7c5 wrote:
| I'm going to suggest something strange and almost embarrassing.
| It's not for the office, unless you have a _very_ relaxed work
| environment. Get a cheap, folding "zero-gravity" lawn chair.
| This sort of thing (...though perhaps detach the beer can
| holder):
|
| https://www.amazon.ca/Goplus-Folding-Gravity-Reclining-Outdo...
|
| You'll need a monitor mount to give enough space.
|
| If your tastes are more haute couture than mine, or indoor patio
| furniture doesn't match your decor, there are more elegant
| version of the same "zero gravity" idea. Versions with wood and
| leather and padding and so forth. But my tastes are simple, my
| aesthetic sense is stunted, and it is the most comfortable I have
| ever been working at a computer.
| hughrr wrote:
| Second hand Herman Miller Aeron and Amazon basics foot rest.
| Can't beat the combo. Just make sure you get the right size chair
| for you.
|
| Late 40s 5'9" here.
|
| Also farting on an Aeron is a whole new life experience.
| WaltPurvis wrote:
| Another vote for the Steelcase Leap. I sit in it for 10+ hours
| some days, with continuous stretches as long as two hours, and
| have had no discomfort. (I'm older than you and not in great
| physical condition, FWIW.)
| vehemenz wrote:
| Herman Miller Mirra. Compared to the Aeron, it is stiffer and has
| better back support for sitting upright. It makes you feel
| "locked in". Great for work.
| beardbound wrote:
| I got a Herman Miller Mirra from an office liquidator at the
| beginning of lock-down and love it. Although I spend most of my
| day working at a standing desk. I love the chair so much that I
| would probably pay full price for it, or look around for a
| reasonable reseller. I like that it doesn't have a pad. I've also
| heard good things about the other models they have.
| jimwalsh wrote:
| Herman Miller Embody, worth every penny. Call wholesalers or
| office furniture suppliers in your town to see if you can get
| them at a discount.
|
| This was after years of doing the normal 'buy $200 chair from
| local place every couple years' routine. I've had this chair now
| for probably 12 years with no issues at all, no wear either and I
| sit in it for 8-16 hrs a day too.
| dTal wrote:
| Warning: controversial...
|
| Getting uncomfortable after remaining stationary for 15 minutes
| is normal. Your body is telling you something - being stationary
| is the enemy. I think trying to optimize your chair is the wrong
| solution. Instead the answer is a diverse work environment you
| can move around in and continually adopt different postures! My
| favorite work environment is a carpeted floor which I can lie
| down on, crouch, sit up, work at a coffee table, or even pace
| around. Any one of those postures would probably get
| uncomfortable after a while, but I cycle through them too
| quickly. Admittedly this probably wouldn't work well for work
| involving huge amounts of typing, such as long form writing - but
| for the kind of programming and data exploration I do it's great!
| I've always been a fidget, and being able to fidget with my
| entire body feels like I'm finally embracing something I was
| always meant to be doing.
|
| This working style has only become practical in the last decade
| or so, with the advent of very light computers with excellent
| battery life, and I don't think we've culturally caught up.
| the__alchemist wrote:
| I'm happy with the Steelcase Gesture... And taking regular breaks
| to stand. I find Aerons dig painfully into my thighs. (Plastic
| rim on front). Cheaper chairs can be comfortable, but generally
| break after a few years.
| mixedCase wrote:
| I've bought a fairly cheap office chair around 3 years ago which
| I've been happy with.
|
| For me the solution was to go to a few stores and actually sit on
| a bunch of them until I found one that had lumbar support at the
| right height, and mushy enough on the actual seat and armrests.
| Nothing but the seat height is adjustable on this model, but at
| the end of the day I spent 1/5th the cost of the cheapest Aeron
| chair available at the time.
|
| With that said, no chair will save you from the wrong posture.
| Which also means: never ever, ever, ever consider using both the
| laptop's screen and inputs as anything more than an "emergency
| use only". At the very least either use an external monitor, or
| use external K&M with the laptop on top of a very tall support
| that puts the center of the screen right at eye level.
| Ashanmaril wrote:
| I bought myself a moderately expensive chair last year after
| using cheap little computer chairs my whole life. It's a Secret
| Lab Omega and... meh.
|
| Didn't change my life. Even like half a year later, sometimes
| I'll touch an area under the chair that's constantly covered in
| oil and makes my fingers black, even though i've wiped it down
| several times. The left arm rest has a long crack across the
| length. And I found it bizarre that when you assemble it, the
| main part of the chair just plops down onto the roller base, and
| doesn't actually click in anywhere, so if you were to lift it up
| vertically the base would fall off.
|
| Later on I bought an Autonomous standing desk and it felt like a
| much better investment. I think no matter what kind of chair you
| get, if you're sitting all day every day, you're gonna have back
| problems. I'm still getting used to it, but if you have the
| option, I'd go for a sit-stand desk over a chair.
| netman21 wrote:
| I can no longer sit at a desk. I use a cheap lapdesk while
| sitting in a Slumber rest chari manufactured by the CJ Streit
| Company in Ohio. This chair is a direct eveolution of the Morris
| chair and is perfect for sitting. I work about 12 hours a day
| from this chair with zero pain.
| mrsareen wrote:
| Would strongly recommend POMODORO technique for all computer
| professionals. Everything else is just a growing side business
| due to the lack of knowledge of our own physiology.
| simzor wrote:
| When I first started working from home because of the pandemic, I
| had a IKEA Marcus chair, however, this soon was too bad of a
| chair to sit all day in, so I ended up investing in a Herman
| Miller Embody, and have not been looking back since. Great chair!
| factorialboy wrote:
| One way to sort this out is strengthen your back, spine and
| improve your posture.
| decafninja wrote:
| HM Embody chair. I know it's a bit controversial especially
| because of the cost. I picked it partially because how exotic it
| looks, but it also ended up being supremely comfortable. I hurt
| my back several years ago doing crossfit and further aggravated
| it with a Spartan Race, and the Embody chair helps a lot.
| billyt555 wrote:
| Embody + Aeron and alternate between them. Always amazes me
| people will spend incredible amounts on a car, but will skimp
| on something they spend 8+ hours a day sitting in.
| grantc wrote:
| +1 for Embody. Had an Aeron. Pretty comfortable. Broke.
| Steelcase Leap after that. Durable. Had many years. Hadn't sat
| in for days on end until pandemic. Was killing my lower back.
| Ordered an Embody without having sat in one before. It's an
| opinionated chair in terms of design and damn if it didn't save
| my back. Still good a year later. They're not for everyone, but
| , man, they're for me.
| gautamsomani wrote:
| How long did Aeron last? And how did it break?
| AquinasCoder wrote:
| I have the logitech version of the HM embody chair. It
| supposedly has more cushioning and some cooling, but it doesn't
| seem too different. I think the materials on the Aeron were
| superior, but the embody has a more relaxed position and won
| out in the end.
| flyinglizard wrote:
| You are the first person I've seen with anything good to say
| about the Embody. I have two friends that sold theirs and I
| tried it for a week before getting an Aeron.
| jonpurdy wrote:
| I considered the Aeron but the hard edge of the seat just
| didn't work for me.
|
| Embody has a huge seat without any hard pieces and a back rest
| that narrows at elbow height. The first chair I've bought for
| myself and very expensive, but I love it and expect it to last
| a decade or more.
| dirtyid wrote:
| Maybe placebo, but I don't find Embody the most "comfortable"
| chair among HM lineup, but a properly adjusted Embody also
| doesn't aggravate any pains and niggles I've accumulated
| powerlifting over the years. I frequently find myself
| healing/feeling better after long sessions on Embody. Steep but
| worthwhile investment.
| kjax wrote:
| I'm the opposite. Had the Embody for years, but it slowly
| started to deform (long torso with lots of reclining) and
| cause back pain. I've since switched to an Aeron C, and after
| a few months, I'm back to lifting like I used to.
| Lendal wrote:
| I also got the Embody last year and couldn't be happier. It's
| comfortable and looks good, but mostly I bought it because I
| just can't stand throwing away one more cheap office chair that
| only lasts a few years and ends up in a landfill. I expect the
| HM to last the rest of my life. No more squeaking, creaking,
| loosening, or faux-leather crumbling. It makes me feel good
| mentally as well as physically that I won't have to buy or
| throw away another chair again.
| jamesbvaughan wrote:
| I definitely second the Embody. I got a decent deal on one on
| Craigslist and it's been a great investment in my setup.
| growthtalk4 wrote:
| You can't go wrong with the ErgoChair Pro from Autonomous:
| https://www.autonomous.ai/
|
| Check out PostureHealth: https://theposturehealth.com/beta
|
| The app uses your webcam to monitor your posture and alerts you
| if you've been slouching for an extended period of time. It's a
| desktop app and no visuals are stored/recorded on the cloud. It
| will also remind you to take walk breaks and gives you stretches
| for back and joint care.
| jhannon1 wrote:
| Can't recommend Branch's ergonomic and elevate chairs enough -- I
| have the ergonomic at home and the elevate at the office.
|
| I've tried basically all of the premium chair options from
| Herman, Steelcase, etc. but haven't found a better quality:price
| ratio than Branch's. The value is just so much better than any
| $800+ chair (added plus, Branch is a small company and their
| customer service is excellent -- you can trade in your chair for
| credit when you're done with it).
|
| Check out the elevate if you're looking for strong upper
| back/neck support:
| https://www.branchfurniture.com/products/ergonomic-chair
| zepto wrote:
| Humanscale freedom. I've tried pretty much all of them and this
| one 'just works' for me, but it's definitely a matter of taste.
|
| I'm similar in terms of height, build and age.
| gabrielsroka wrote:
| This is an FAQ, for example
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27265275
| ranuzz wrote:
| I am using an IKEA swivel chair `ORFJALL`[1]. I have a tendency
| to slouch or slump in a more comfortable chair and never got a
| hang of standing desks. This makes me sit upright for most of the
| time and my back loves it (so far).
|
| [1] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/oerfjaell-swivel-chair-white-
| vi...
| jeffrwells wrote:
| Check out the startup Branch:
| https://www.branchfurniture.com/collections/office-chairs
|
| They're the same quality as Herman Miller but quite a lot cheaper
|
| (disclosure: I'm an investor)
| rjbwork wrote:
| Yes. A lifeform 2390 high back executive with a custom made
| coccyx/perineum cutout seat. It cost me a pretty penny but I've
| had it for about 9 years at this point and it's been totally
| worth it.
| maxbaines wrote:
| I switched to a vluv sitting ball, really happy one note is it
| makes you stand up as after while it does get awkward sitting on
| it, but for me thankfully thats a positive.
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26790132
| extra1234 wrote:
| Current favorite: humanscale freedom with headrest (1 year)
| Runner-up: Herman Miller Mirra (2 years)
|
| - I find the Mirra than the Aeron and more comfortable for my
| body (2 years on the Aeron) - I've used various Steelcase models
| and liked them but not as much as the Mirra or Humanscale (~7
| years on various Steelcase) - My issues tend to be caused by over
| exercising and I think the relaxed options with Humanscale are
| good for this.
| d0mine wrote:
| Start resistance training. A strong back can take more.
|
| The best posture is the next posture (move from time to time).
| superyesh wrote:
| Have a Herman Miller in the office, got myself a
| https://www.autonomous.ai/?lang=en-US&quickview=ergonomic-co...
| for home use. At the 3 month mark I can say I love the Ergo Chair
| Core more and will definitely recommend since its not as
| expensive as HM, but comfortable enough.
| jakebasile wrote:
| If anyone has suggestions for a good chair for overweight people
| I would appreciate it. I'd love to get an Aeron like others
| suggest but I'm over their limit and would worry about breaking
| the chair. The options I've found for big and tall have left me
| unhappy and uncomfortable.
| muzani wrote:
| I've been using an IKEA MALKOLM for the last 6 years. It's more
| comfortable than anything we have in any office I've worked at.
| I'm sure there are better chairs, but it seems to be the best
| cheap range one. The IKEA MARKUS is more popular but I don't like
| it as much.
| axegon_ wrote:
| Same. I remember trying all office chairs at ikea before buying
| one and even though the MALKOLM was one of the cheapest I found
| it most comfortable by a margin.
| aequitas wrote:
| I got a MARKUS for a few years now and am using it daily for
| the last year and a half and have been doing fine. It's not
| adjustable except for the high and spring tension, but it fits
| me fine I guess. As long as I mind my posture I have no
| complaints so haven't found the need to find a new chair
| because I'm afraid they won't sit as nice, even when more
| adjustable.
|
| But maybe the biggest reason for me to not have back pains
| might not be this or a specific other chair, but the fact that
| I don't need to sit in my car seat 2 hours a day, 5 days a
| week. You can do a lot with good posture and regular breaks
| when you're in an office chair, but in the car you are just
| stuck there for the entire ride.
| underseacables wrote:
| I have had a terrible time finding a good desk chair. The center
| post for office chairs over time warps and bends. I'm 210 pounds
| so I'm a bit hefty I understand, but after a while, usually about
| three months, the chair starts to lean and become terribly
| uncomfortable. I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on these
| chairs and the only thing that seems to stand up is a hardback
| chair on wheels
| TranquilMarmot wrote:
| After looking at Steelcase and Herman Miller I had some sticker
| shock and ended up going with an Autonomous ErgoChair Core
|
| https://www.autonomous.ai/
|
| Only $250 and it's really nice.
| flyinglizard wrote:
| Aeron Remastered here, but it gets used maybe 20% of the time -
| the rest is spent standing. Any prolonged sitting just puts a ton
| of undue pressure on my lower body and makes me hot and miserable
| (being 250 lbs or so does that).
| jspash wrote:
| Herman Miller Sayl. Verdict: Nope!
|
| I thought I'd splurge a bit (on a name) without trying it out. I
| only paid PS250 used and have had it for about 3 years now.It's
| ok, but not great. It squeaks a LOT and I can't figure out for
| the life of me where to lubricate it to stop the noise. The seat
| is too hard. The lumbar is too shallow. Adjustability is great
| though. Everything can be moved to accommodate.
|
| Overall it's just a bit meh.
|
| That said, it's head and shoulders above anything I've sat on
| from Ikea. But I'm going to keep looking.
| culopatin wrote:
| Everyone is different. If I were you I'd look up "used office
| furniture" near you and go sit on a few. The idea behind of a
| used furniture place is that it won't have just one brand, it
| will have whatever comes through.
|
| I took a Steelcase Amia for 200. I used it like 3 times because
| my girlfriend loved it so much she took it. Her back problems are
| much worse than mine (barely any) so I let her have it. A couple
| weeks back I found another one on FB marketplace and I got it for
| 100. This one with some kind of meshier fabric (not see through
| and not hard) on the back so it's a bit breezier.
|
| What this comes down to is: you need to sit on them to figure it
| out. Sit on a few different ones to see what you like and what
| you don't.
|
| People claim the Aeron is great, but we have them at work and my
| legs always go numb and the lumbar support is painful in any
| position. I hate it with passion, I rather sit on a stool. But
| others love it.
| RobertRoberts wrote:
| I have had Herman Miller v1 of Mirra and it was awesome for well
| over a decade. (I still use it in one of my offices, it's
| probably 17 years old and still in decent condition, but the
| latest model is built a lot cheaper, don't get it)
|
| I moved to a new office and they gave me a "very expensive"
| Steelcase leather chair, and it gave me back pain.
|
| I then invested in a Herman Miller Aeron (newest model as of
| 2021) and it's the greatest chair I have ever had. But keep in
| mind, I intentionally use it for doing work. Work chairs suck to
| watch movies and relax in. If you have good posture and you want
| your chair to help you with your posture they are pure gold.
|
| I have spent over 22 years in a chair, and I have spent 22+ hours
| a day in my Mirra and 10+ in my Aeron (I am older and wiser now,
| ha!) and I wouldn't go back to anything less ever again.
|
| NOTE: Do NOT get the Herman Miller Cosm, it is a conference chair
| NOT a task chair. Go to a show room if you can and try them out,
| it was worth the time to drive there and do this for me.
| vtbassmatt wrote:
| I'm pretty happy with a refurbished Steelcase Amia from
| https://www.crandalloffice.com/. I want to say it was around $400
| and came in a variety of custom fabrics and designs.
| lawik wrote:
| I had an Ullman Niteflite at a previous job. Everyone did. Best
| chair I've used.
|
| So after realizing both IKEA Markus and a gaming chair were just
| murder on my back I ended up getting one as I was improving my
| office.
|
| Works great. High thin back that suit me as a tall person, good
| support but shoulders can move back. Armrests removed I can get
| close to the desk.
|
| Very happy with it.
| rgacote wrote:
| I've been using the SecretLabs Titan chair for a few months and
| am very happy with it. May be larger than you're looking for.
| https://secretlab.co/collections/titan-series
| mech422 wrote:
| We have a couple of secret labs titans here as well...
|
| Awesome chairs, and have held up perfectly for 3 years now.
| People complain the cushions are 'hard' but that's because they
| actually support you rather then just compressing to nothing.
| The one thing I did do was add some slip on cushions to the
| plain plastic arm rests.
| goshx wrote:
| The hard cushion was causing me circulation issues. The
| problem was solved when I bought a foot rest to avoid the
| back on my knee touching the sharp end of the cushion. I
| bought one of those footrests that look like a foam cylinder
| cut in half. Very comfortable.
| TruthWillHurt wrote:
| I have one and it's a terrible chair.
|
| The seat is too high, even at lowest setting. I had to raise my
| desk on blocks so I could cross my legs under it, which is just
| wrong because tables and chairs have standard heights so this
| shouldn't happen.
|
| I'm 175cm and my feet barely reach the floor. had to add a
| foot-stool.
|
| The arm rests are too far apart, I need to spread my arms wide
| to use them.
|
| The seat cushion is hard and rises up near the front, cutting
| off circulation to the legs.
|
| Posture is all wrong, my back and bottom start hurting after a
| while and I'm constantly shifting positions to relieve the
| stress.
|
| A terrible, terrible chair.
| snicker7 wrote:
| How about investing in a split keyboard? Uaing one promotes good
| posture if both halves are kept at shoulder-width.
| binkHN wrote:
| Bought a Steelcase Leap for my home office almost 10 years ago
| and the chair looks just as good as the day I got it.
|
| How did I make the decision to buy it? I went to a store that
| specialized in ergonomic office furniture and asked them if I
| could work from the store for a day while trying out different
| chairs. They said sure and that day I tried four different high-
| end chairs from Steelcase and Herman Miller while sitting on each
| one for about two hours. This trial helped make my decision easy
| and I readily went with the Leap with confidence. Interestingly
| enough, I strongly remember, after that day, leaving with the
| impression that the Aeron felt like sitting on cement for two
| hours.
| stephc_int13 wrote:
| I found a very nice desk chair about twenty years ago at Ikea.
|
| It is unusually large, robust, fake leather, very comfortable,
| but they stopped producing them at some point, more than ten
| years ago.
|
| This chair followed me in five cities and three different
| countries, it doesn't look brand new, but still in a pretty good
| shape.
|
| And it was quite cheap, about 90 euros.
| iKnowKungFoo wrote:
| At a previous job, I had an Ergohuman chair for 8 years.
| https://ergohuman.com/ergohuman-high-back-chair-le9erg-w-hea...
| They are expensive at ~$800, but worth it if you can find one.
| About three years ago, I managed to get one for home via
| CraigsList for $75. Had to replace the casters and the arm rests,
| but the additional $85 (+ tax) was an easy spend. If you can find
| one with the leather seat, even better.
| stunt wrote:
| I have an Ergohuman (mesh version) too and I'm quite satisfied
| with it. It has all the adjustments and supports that I need
| and the size is just right for me.
| quacker wrote:
| I've been using a Haworth Zody for 7 years, and I like it pretty
| well.
|
| Nothing wrong with the Aeron, but I find the Zody is (1) a better
| price ($200 used for mine, or $650 new[1]), (2) more attractive,
| and (3) the adjustment mechanisms are smoother (armrests in
| particular).
|
| The Zody has pretty much all the same kind of ergonomic options
| as the Aeron. Although, the backstop and forward tilt option is
| not standard on all Zody chairs for all time (mine has neither)
|
| 1: https://store.haworth.com/products/zody-office-chair
| dyingkneepad wrote:
| I think the Steelcase Leap one is pretty universally considered
| good. The only problem is the price...
|
| My employer sent me a Steelcase Series 1 to use at home and it's
| total crap compared to the Leap. The back adjustment is either 89
| degrees (totally upright) or like 10 degrees (basically laying
| down), nothing in the middle. Those numbers may be approximations
| based on my feelings.
|
| I have a $40 chair I bought on Amazon and it's almost as good as
| the Steelcase Series 1.
|
| But let me tell you something: I recently bought a split keyboard
| (Dygma Raise) and it allowed me to change my posture
| significantly and adjust the chair height, and it made me much
| more comfortable. Chair height is such a changing factor, and
| pretty much every one supports it.
|
| I am also considering buying a keyboard tray to attach under the
| table (just search for Keyboard Tray on your favorite sales
| website) so I can lower the chair even more.
|
| I am also considering a foot rest.
|
| So, to conclude: comfort is not only the chair, but everything
| else around you, which makes you sit differently.
| coldpie wrote:
| I've had a Steelcase Leap for more than a decade (maybe getting
| on 15 years?), still very happy with it. I was lucky enough to
| get it from a used office supply store for like $600 if I
| remember right. But I think it'd be worth it for even full
| price after all this time.
| bilal4hmed wrote:
| I have the Steelcase Leap as well for over 15 years at work
| and the Steelcase Gesture. Both are great chairs.
|
| As another poster suggested, the most comfortable chair is
| the one you find comfortable. Definitely go and sit on a few,
| then see which one feels the best.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| wenc wrote:
| I have a Steelcase Leap V2 ($300 refurb) and it has two
| advantages over the Aeron in my opinion.
|
| 1. It's much more adjustable so you don't need to be carefully
| about buying the exact right size (unlike the Aeron which has
| sizes A, B and C)
|
| 2. It has a fabric seat with no protruding edges. If you sit
| cross legged on an Aeron, you're going to grind against the
| seat's edges. Aerons aren't good for folks who sometimes sit
| cross legged.
| technofiend wrote:
| A fabric seat Aeron would be ideal, too bad they don't make
| them. I'm just average height: 5'11" but I guess my leg to
| torso ratio is weird because the hard ridge that suspends the
| Aero's mesh seat puts my legs to sleep. I suppose sitting so
| low to the ground that my knees rise above the seat might
| help but at that point typing may be a chore based on the
| angle to the desk.
|
| For return to the office we're going to new offices with only
| Aeron chairs, so I'm just planning to pack in a seat cushion
| every day unless I can find another solution.
| ghaff wrote:
| You might like the Embody if you like HM chairs but not the
| web designs.
| cillian64 wrote:
| I had the same problem with the Herman Miller Mira 2, which
| has the same mesh seat. There's an optional adjustable
| front seat angle which seems like it would help with this.
| It's disappointing that they don't have adjustable seat
| depth though (which my current cheapish office chair does).
| seego wrote:
| 3. it comes with a headrest (optionally?)
| mattcdrake wrote:
| You can purchase used Steelcase chairs from office liquidation
| companies for a reasonable price (although "reasonable" might
| be in the eye of the beholder). I purchased a V2 for around
| $400 and have been using it daily for 1.5 years. It's in great
| condition and it's easily the most comfortable office chair
| I've sat it.
| mgkimsal wrote:
| If you _can_ , find an office liquidation sale as it happens.
| Oct 2019 - prepandemic - 2 regional banks merged, and one
| office was put in to "sale" mode. A local company came in to
| manage selling everything (or.... they may have just bought
| it all themselves up front for a song then resold?)
|
| I picked up 16 Steelcase Amia chairs (plus 2 others). Had
| them delivered to my office. They took away 10 old crappy
| chairs we had to the dump. Total price was $635. For 18
| chairs.
|
| It was a bargain, to be sure. I'm not sure what effect covid
| will have had on the whole 'office furniture liquidation'
| process, but there's likely bargains to be had _before_
| things get to the 'office liquidation company' warehouse.
| mattcdrake wrote:
| Wow, that is an incredible deal. How did you hear about the
| sale?
| chadash wrote:
| This, 100%. My current company moved offices and bought new
| chairs that the interior designer thought looked better in
| the new space, so ~50 perfectly good aerons found their way
| to one of these liquidators.
|
| Many of these liquidation companies with steam clean the
| chairs for you too, at least in my experience, so the chair
| will look almost new even if it's fairly old. And a high
| quality office chair is something that really lasts for quite
| a while. My used Leap that I got for $150 3 years ago from a
| liquidation company was manufactured in the mid 90s and I
| find it every bit as comfortable as the brand new aerons and
| other chairs that I've used in offices.
| hardwaregeek wrote:
| Desk chair is only half of it. I bought an Aeron a few years ago
| and was never totally satisfied with it. Then I bought a standing
| desk and was slightly more satisfied but still something was
| wrong. Then I bought a monitor arm. Boom, suddenly everything
| clicked.
|
| Ergonomics depends on the right distance from seat to floor, from
| arms to floor and from eyes to floor. A good chair solves the
| first, a good adjustable desk solves the second and a good
| monitor arm solves the third. If you only solve one, you won't be
| comfortable. Especially if you're tall, you'll realize that most
| default setups are not built for people above 6 feet. Without my
| monitor arm, I was always craning downward to look at my screen.
| Without my desk my legs wouldn't fit underneath and my wrists
| were always angled downwards.
| matsemann wrote:
| If you get pains from just sitting 10 minutes, I would look
| further than just a chair. Working out or moving more in the
| daily. Fix tight hips, lower back. Etc.
| curtishowell wrote:
| Check out the Branch Ergonomic chair for a great blend of price,
| comfort, quality, and customer service. Has been a great place to
| park my :peach: through COVID.
| https://www.branchfurniture.com/collections/office-chairs/pr...
| tnorthcutt wrote:
| I'm very happy with my Steelcase Think. I've had it for about
| three years now.
|
| As others mentioned I'd also suggest optimizing other parts of
| your setup: desk height, keyboard height/angle, keyboard itself
| (I love my Keyboard.io Model 01, monitor height, etc.
| derac wrote:
| You can find a steelcase leap 2 in my area for 300 or less on
| craigslist. It's my favorite chair in that pricerange by far.
| Some prefer the aeron, but I'm not a fan and it's usually hardsr
| to fjnd deals in my area.
| xenophon wrote:
| I'm one of the founders of Branch Furniture (venture backed DTC
| office furniture startup based in nyc). We founded the business
| to help growing companies (think WeWork graduates) furnish their
| office space with ergonomic office furniture without an Aeron
| level budget. Our enterprise business basically disappeared
| during the pandemic, so we've been selling to consumers for the
| past year and have learned a TON about what makes a great home
| office.
|
| You definitely should check out our seating line if you'd like an
| option that offers a fair amount of adjustability and (though
| this is subjective) a home office friendly aesthetic at a sub
| $300 price point. If you've got a higher budget ($400-500) and
| willing to work the liquidator / Craigslist home office grind I'd
| honestly endorse the used Aeron approach as well -- they're rock
| solid chairs, extremely adjustable and buying used is objectively
| better for the environment (we have a trade in program for our
| enterprise clients and working on one for consumers).
|
| But beyond the chair you pick, three big lessons to keep in mind:
|
| 1) For most folks in tech, it's not the chair that's the problem.
| Adjusting it to your body and needs is critical to maximizing its
| ergonomic benefit for your body. Something like 80% of office
| workers only adjust the height and tilt of their chair. Would
| strongly recommend giving the user manual for the chair you buy a
| read (download it online if used). We offer an ergonomic
| consultation to every buyer and are working on a few cool tools
| to guide folks who use our furniture in making the most of it.
|
| 2) The rest of your setup is equally as impactful to your
| comfort. Get a monitor arm or put your monitor on a stack of
| books. If you're short or petite, get a footstool so you upper
| and lower legs are at a 90 degree angle to each other and your
| backs of your knees don't press against the chair seat. A
| standing desk makes a difference, if not for standing than to
| adjust the height of your work surface to your own height.
|
| 3) Take breaks. Seriously. There are no chairs I know of that
| will support you adequately over 10 or even 8 hours of work,
| summed over weeks and years.
|
| I'm so glad to see this question being discussed! Figuring out
| the most supportive setup for your needs is like flossing; you
| don't always see the benefit immediately, but you'll be glad to
| have done the research after a decade of desk work (and perhaps
| before). Feel free to reach out -- email in bio -- if you have
| any questions about ergonomics. We also released a cool guide to
| basic ergonomics that might be worth a read. [0]
|
| [0] ergonomics.branchfurniture.com
| failwhaleshark wrote:
| Used Aeron Size C. I suggest getting a larger one than you need.
| Be careful about which vendor if buying online. Try to get one
| from a local office interior repo reseller, which are typically
| located in commercial or industrial areas near airports. Test the
| cartridge before buying by sitting in it for an hour or so to see
| if it sinks.
| fileeditview wrote:
| People will tell you all kinds of models but in the end it
| totally depends on you. You just have to try some. I needed years
| to finally find the right chair. I did so at work. We can take an
| "ergonomics course" where we learn how sit and can try different
| chairs. I now have the exact same one at home because I love it.
|
| Another thing is: you most likely need to move more. Find a sport
| and do it regularly. You don't have to be especially good at it.
| Key is to have fun and do it regularly. I also had problems with
| sore legs over a long time. Not so much with a good chair but it
| still was there sometimes. This is often a circulation issue.
|
| - Sit correctly (adjust height of seat, keyboard, monitor etc =>
| Youtube has guides for sure) - Stand up regularly and walk
| somewhere (fetch tea, coffee, water). You can even go outside for
| 5 minutes.. This will also benefit your eyes. - Do sports. You
| can even just do a stroll every day.. it will help.
|
| edit: spelling
| Zolomon wrote:
| In Sweden, the supreme office chair ruler is the ergonomically
| benevolent Kinnarps 8000 [1]. It is a good litmus test for tech
| companies. If they have these chairs, it's a good sign.
|
| [1]:
| https://www.kinnarps.se/produkter/sittmobler/kontorsstolar/8...
| bushido wrote:
| Herman Miller Embody. Had an Aeron before and loved it, move
| countries and left it behind.
|
| The Embody beats the Aeron for my preference - the "pixels"
| aren't a gimmick, and it was more adjustable to my needs.
|
| Pro tip: Lookup the corporate dealers/authorized resellers and
| give them a call. It's not uncommon to get one new for 30-50% off
| the retail price. You may even be able to find people who're
| making group purchases on some local forums.
| tailspin2019 wrote:
| After years of crappy chairs, I finally invested in a Herman
| Miller Aeron at the start of lockdown.
|
| Due to lockdown restrictions I took a risk and ordered one
| without trying it first (knowing I had the return policy to fall
| back on).
|
| I was immediately disappointed with the comfort when it first
| arrived, and almost sent it back. But I stuck with it for a few
| more days and found that once I'd adjusted to the chair, I now
| find it the most comfortable thing I've ever sat in. I've since
| read that it's quite common to take a few days to adjust to a
| chair like this, where the ergonomics are very different (better)
| than cheaper chairs.
|
| I used to get various aches and pains after sitting in my cheap
| office chairs for a few hours (even with breaks in between), now
| I find that there is almost no upper limit for how long I can
| comfortably work in this chair.
|
| So yes it's f*king expensive, but I do highly recommend it. A
| year on, I think it was a very good investment.
|
| BTW I highly recommend the Atlas Headrest for the Aeron - it
| looks 100% like a genuine original part and it really makes a big
| different to comfort (in my opinion). The only downside is the
| headrest alone costs about the same as what I used to spend on
| "upper-range" office chairs from Staples.
| sneak wrote:
| I also use Aerons exclusively. Used they are only around
| $600-700, and they do last a very long time. I have worn out
| some of the arm rests but there are replacement parts available
| cheaply on ebay, which is nice.
|
| The warranty is only for the original purchaser and is
| nontransferrable, AIUI.
| webreac wrote:
| When you pay a lot of money for something, there is a
| psychological bias to give it qualities to justify the expense.
| BrissyCoder wrote:
| Sounds like something a non-aeron owning peasant would say to
| me.
| stu2b50 wrote:
| That's true for OP's case, but many people get their taste of
| Aerons for free, supplied by their employer in their office.
| The generally ecstatic response to them is genuine.
| pfooti wrote:
| Yeah, I have an Aeron chair i purchased in 2006. It is still
| great. It just recently started to misbehave a little when
| raising or lowering it (my spouse sits a bit higher in the
| chair) - still works, but is a little sticky. But this is the
| vimes boots theory of chairs
| (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/72745-the-reason-that-
| the-r...), and totally worth it if you can afford it.
| MisterBastahrd wrote:
| I've owned one for 10 years now and it's still as solid as it
| was on day 1.
|
| I would routinely break XL weight and sized chairs, probably
| because of odd sitting positions although I'm around 260 right
| now and the chairs were rated for 375.
|
| This thing? Rock solid.
|
| My advice if you are looking for a chair? Buy one. You don't
| have to buy a new one either. One of the first thing a lot of
| companies do when they're flush with VC money is to upgrade the
| offices, and that often means name-brand chairs. There are TONS
| of Aerons floating around for a few hundred bucks.
| weaksauce wrote:
| yeah after a dot com bust a long time ago I got the aeron for
| something like 400 bucks and it's still basically the same
| quality it was then still and I use it all day work at home. if
| you amortize it out the quality per year is great 40 bucks a
| year so far with no real end in sight. I was buying a somewhat
| cheap staples chair every year or two and they were only really
| comfortable for a bit and were always too hot in summer months
| anyway.
| paul_manias wrote:
| I've had my Aeron for 15 years (second hand, so it's probably
| 20 years old by now!). It's still as good as the day I bought
| it. The gas lift is going strong too, but I've had to replace
| the front pad every 5 years as they flatten over time.
|
| Before I had the Aeron I'd replace my office chairs every 4
| years or so. Not only have I saved money long term, their
| longevity makes them the better choice for the environment.
|
| Enjoy your chair, you'll get a lifetime of use out of it.
| TacticalCoder wrote:
| > ... but I've had to replace the front pad every 5 years as
| they flatten over time.
|
| Would that be the pad behind your (upper) back? I never
| replaced anything on mine in 10/11 years but I may have not
| been paying attention. I'll definitely check for any
| flattened pad when I get back from vacation (they seem super
| cheap to replace moreoever).
| paul_manias wrote:
| It's right at the front near your knee. The level of
| discomfort would vary between people, but I find it to be
| very noticeable once the padding's worn out.
| blacksmith_tb wrote:
| Yes, I got my Aeron secondhand too, about 5yr ago, and it's
| been great this last year. I did replace the stock wheels
| with rollerblade casters[1] which are made by a bunch of
| companies (it seemed like OfficeOasis was one of the
| originals, so I went with them, though it looks like some of
| the more recent ones use sealed bearings for the swivel along
| with the wheel, which might be cool).
|
| 1: https://theofficeoasis.com/products/rollerblade-office-
| chair...
| geoduck14 wrote:
| Oh how cool!
|
| I never thought I could get excited about office
| accessories, yet here I am.
| randcraw wrote:
| My circumstance exactly. My Aeron was used when I first
| started using it 15 years ago. I've always liked it a lot,
| and just bought another (used) that I could return to my
| employer so I could keep mine (which I took home a year ago).
|
| I found mine (large) preferable to the newer one I bought
| (medium). The depth of the seat pan on the medium was just
| too shallow. (I'm 6' 1").
|
| It's amazing how well this 15+ year old chair has held up. No
| signs of wear to the seat or back, nor visible scratches on
| the frame. It does need a new pneumatic cylinder post though
| ($45).
| cashewchoo wrote:
| Maybe I'll change my tune when I hit 30, but we had Aerons at
| my $lastjob and while I liked it well enough, I now work from
| home in what is essentially a Lazy Boy welded onto rolling
| wheels, and it cost rather less.
|
| I do have a sit/stand desk now too though, so whenever I feel
| like I've been sitting for too long I switch to standing for
| about 30 minutes. Maybe that helps too?
| gnicholas wrote:
| I'm surprised all of the responses to this comment are so
| positive. I worked in a law firm and got an Aeron that was
| orphaned by a departing lawyer. I found it to be fine, but not
| amazingly comfortable.
|
| During COVID I bought a desk chair off Craigslist for $60 (MSRP
| $200, IIRC) and it's been roughly as good for me as the Aeron
| was. I'm glad to hear others enjoy their Aerons, but I wanted
| to share my experience since not everyone finds them to be so
| amazing.
| throw0101a wrote:
| > _So yes it 's f*king expensive, but I do highly recommend it.
| A year on, I think it was a very good investment._
|
| It's worth noting that it comes with a 12 year warranty:
|
| * https://www.hermanmiller.com/customer-service/warranty-
| and-s...
|
| So if you keep it for (at least) that long, the initial price
| may be high, but if you amortize it over more than a decade,
| the annual or monthly cost isn't as crazy. You probably spend
| more on buying lunch or coffee.
|
| (The arm rests may not be included IIRC, so those may have to
| be replaced at some point.)
| varenc wrote:
| Any idea how the warranty works if you bought the chair
| slightly used from someone else? I know it was originally
| bought from an authorized reseller, but I'm not the original
| purchaser. Their warranty support page is a bit cryptic on
| this topic.
| bushido wrote:
| The warranty is based on a label at the bottom of the seat.
| If yours still has it you should be able to get warranty,
| using a serial number that's on the label.
|
| Source: previously owned a used aeron. currently have an
| embody. Never had to use the warranty, but looked up this
| info when purchasing a previously owned chair.
| [deleted]
| rufus_foreman wrote:
| I got an Aeron about a year ago. I had a desk chair from Ikea
| before that. I guess I'm in the minority here but I don't
| notice a huge difference. I don't dislike it but I don't find
| it to be any more comfortable than the Ikea chair. I switch
| back and forth between them and don't really prefer one over
| the other.
|
| I guess the wheels are quieter on the hardwood floors, my
| office is above a bedroom so that is much appreciated. And the
| armrests on the Ikea chair are getting torn up after only a few
| years so hopefully the Aeron is more durable.
|
| But for $1600 or whatever it was I could invest the money and
| replace the Ikea chair every two years for the rest of my life.
| doomslice wrote:
| You're talking about this one right?
| https://atlasheadrest.com/products/headrest-for-remastered-a...
| tailspin2019 wrote:
| Yep that's the one.
| TacticalCoder wrote:
| That's for the "remastered" Aeron (kinda the Aeron "2.0"). I
| don't know if the headrest is compatible with the previous
| model so buyer beware in case you don't have/don't plan to
| buy the remastered.
| throwanem wrote:
| They are not cross-compatible, so do double-check which
| kind of chair you're buying for.
| gnfargbl wrote:
| Dissenting voice: I worked for a full decade for an employer
| which exclusively provided Aeron chairs. They gave me terrible
| back and neck problems, even after spending substantial effort
| selecting the correct size and setting the lumbar support
| correctly. It was like sitting on a trampoline for me, and I
| grew to hate them.
|
| Conversely I have, for the last four years, sat in a cheap IKEA
| MILLBERGET swivel chair. It has been excellent, and all my back
| issues have completely disappeared.
| omnicognate wrote:
| Same. 15+ years of continuous Aeron use in various offices.
| Lockdown came, I spent PS75 on an Ikea Markus and it's the
| best office chair I've sat in. YMMV.
| ghaff wrote:
| Aerons are designed to have individuals dial them in. My 18
| year old or so Aeron finally gave up near the start of the
| pandemic and I really wasn't sure what to do. There were newer
| HM models, including the Cosm which was billed as basically a
| self-adjusting Aeron. However, I couldn't try anything.
|
| But it was just for me. So I just ordered another Aeron with
| the new back support system and I couldn't be happier. Right
| call. Mirra 2's are OK--we have them at least one of our
| company offices--but they're not Aerons. (And I prefer the web
| style to something like an Leap of Embody.)
| TacticalCoder wrote:
| > A year on, I think it was a very good investment.
|
| Ten or eleven years on here: have I think a bit more than a
| year left on the 12-years warranty. Looks brand new. Nothing
| has moved. When it came, there was a booklet (or a PDF?)
| explaining how to set it up: took me 30 minutes to set it up
| and since then, I never had to change the settings once.
|
| It's not suitable for people used to cross their legs then and
| kinda sit on their legs (I had a roommate doing that).
|
| The most common complain with the Aeron is that the frame
| pushes too hard on the back of the thighs but I don't get it:
| too me it's an improperly set up chain as I'm only in contact
| with the (amazing) pellicle mesh.
|
| I love that chair. In the US it's very easy to find refurbished
| ones as good as new at a big discount. In Europe it's doable
| but not at easy.
|
| If that chair dies before me, I'll immediately rebuy one.
|
| EDIT: a "trick", I think explained in the official doc: the
| recommended setting (but you do what you want) is that the
| chair has to lean back if you put both your arms behind your
| head and then lean forward again when you extend your hand in
| front of you (for example reaching for your keyboard).
| DizzyDoo wrote:
| About the headrest: how tall are you, and does the Atlas
| headrest raise up to support your head proper? I'm tall and I
| like a headrest on my chair, but I would prefer not to have a
| headrest if it only came up to the top of my neck when I'm
| sitting up straight.
| burnte wrote:
| I'm tall, 6'4". I ordered an Aeron a few years ago, even
| ordered teh large variant. I was incredibly disappointed.
| Uncomfotable, short, and while very adjustable, not in some of
| the ways I wanted. I tried it for a month before giving up and
| gave it to my wife.
|
| I ahve a Titan from SecretLab, most amazing chair I've ever
| had. I now have three, one at my home office, one at work, and
| one in a box for a location I haven't decided upon yet.
| erhserhdfd wrote:
| I 100% agree with all of this. A few tips:
|
| 1. This chair comes in sizes. Make sure you are actually
| getting the right size for your body. 2. I was able to find
| several of them used on Craigslist locally with a few small
| minor defects such as worn armrests, gas cylinders, etc.. I was
| able to buy my chair used with a bad gas piston, buy a
| replacement for $40 on Amazon and easily install it. I was able
| to do all of this for a few hours of work and under $300. 3. I
| would recommend taking a few minutes to read the website on how
| to properly configure this chair. 4. Even if you have the best
| desk chair, if your desk, monitors and keyboards are not also
| ergonomically aligned, you will not be getting the majority of
| the benefit. 5. There are a number of great accessories for
| this chair. I also have an Atlas headrest that I really like.
| fossuser wrote:
| I love this chair - I've tried a lot of fancy office chairs and
| think this one is the best.
|
| Pro tip for bay area people - company liquidation events happen
| all of the time and lots of companies buy these.
|
| That means you can get a like-new chair on craigslist from
| someone who bought a bunch of them at a liquidation sale for
| ~$350-400 which is a great deal.
|
| If you're worried about fakes, check for bumps behind the top
| back of the chair - the number of bumps is the size. Small,
| Medium, Large -> 1, 2, 3, bumps.
|
| I'm 6'1" and ~200lbs, I'm comfortable in a medium and a large.
| I got the medium via craigslist because they're more available,
| but have a large at work.
| mips_avatar wrote:
| There's often great deals on used Aerons. The one I got on ebay
| for $500 was fully loaded (retail $1600) and unused as far as I
| could tell. And it wasn't a one off, companies will replace
| their office furniture and sell tons of them.
| BrissyCoder wrote:
| I got three for $50 each when my last company moved to a
| bigger office. They spent millions fitting out this new
| swanky 3 level space but skimped on chairs. Left a couple of
| months later and now WFH full time in my comfy Aeron.
| rattray wrote:
| Agreed. Cost was a concern for me so I spent weeks refreshing
| Craigslist every few hours. Snagged an Aeron in good shape
| for closer to $400. I have a hard time working without it;
| I've tried many office chairs.
|
| For anyone earning a high wage, though, I'd say a new Aeron
| at full price is easily worth it.
| mbesto wrote:
| Highly recommend buying an Aeron on craigslist. Lots of office
| buildings buy them (they're $1k/pop) and then just get rid of
| them in fire sales. You can usually get for $200~$400 used.
| etrautmann wrote:
| I did exactly this at the start of the pandemic - like new
| Aeron for $400 and it's amazing.
| moneywoes wrote:
| Any risk of fakes?
| mbesto wrote:
| Not really. Go check a real one in person and I think you'd
| see the difference pretty quickly. BUT I would check for
| that there aren't any issues with the mechanics of them.
| ivraatiems wrote:
| I had a similar experience with the Aeron. I got one used a few
| months ago (it was still like $500 for a used Aeron in good
| condition), and for the first couple weeks I hated it. Now that
| I'm used to it, I barely notice it's there. It's much more
| comfy than any other office chairs I've used. I still wish
| conformed to my slightly-weird lower back a little better, but
| it isn't a big deal.
| Legion wrote:
| The killer feature of the Aeron is its ubiquity.
|
| I have bought three used Aerons, and refurbished them with
| replacement parts.
|
| Because Aerons are everywhere, replacement parts (both OEM and
| aftermarket) are incredibly easy to find.
|
| Some of these Aeron chairs are 10 years old, and I can find
| parts for them now. 10 years from now, I will still be able to
| find parts for them.
|
| Between their overall durability and the availability of
| replacement parts, I expect that I will be able to keep these
| chairs going for a very long time. And frankly, that's more
| valuable to me than any tiny incremental improvements some
| alternatives to the Aeron might be able to offer.
| porter wrote:
| Herman miller embody is great. The steelcase gesture is almost as
| good and it is less expensive. I have both. If I could buy only
| one I'd probably get the steelcase.
| porter wrote:
| You might also consider upgrading your keyboard. The Leopold
| FC660C with topre silent keys is pretty great.
| jd4242 wrote:
| 4 legged stool like the one pianists use. Large enough to be
| comfortable but no backrest. Height is adjustable.
| sgt wrote:
| Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I don't think there's such a
| thing as an ergonomic chair. The problem is likely to be your
| poor physiology. Fit people can sit on a wooden chair and be
| happy.
| theptip wrote:
| I had bad back issues for a while, and my employer got an
| ergonomic assessment for me - they used this company to build a
| personalized chair:
|
| https://somaergo.com/products/somacustom-chairs/somacomfort/...
|
| There are loads of options but that chair in particular has a
| design I've not seen elsewhere, which has a narrow back so your
| shoulders can be free to move/retract. I find normal chairs to be
| quite uncomfortable in comparison now that I'm used to this one.
| einrealist wrote:
| I am really comfortable with Malmstolen - a Swedish manufacturer.
| healsdata wrote:
| I'm a big fan of the HON Wave Mesh Big and Tall Executive Chair.
| I've purchased four of them for at home and one for my last work
| office. Thick padding, wide seat.
|
| https://www.hon.com/chairs/wave/hvl705vm10
|
| I do often accidentally smack the foam arm rests into my desk and
| they end up cracking after a few years of abuse. But you can get
| replacements pretty readily and they're easy to change (two
| screws).
| dpcx wrote:
| A previous job had several Herman Miller Embody's and several
| Sayl's. The Embody was honestly an amazing chair. Plenty of
| adjustments, and the back would "move" with you if you twisted
| against it. I miss that chair.
| andyxor wrote:
| the best chair I've ever owned, if you like laid-back posture
| https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/304556/Serta-Smart-La...
|
| it's only $220 and much more comfortable than $1400 Aeron that
| kind of forces you to sit in a certain way, plus you can fold and
| seat on your leg if you're into that kinda thing
| halotrope wrote:
| Just get the Vitra AM-Chair. Solid performance on a shoestring
| budget.
| 9ecf3 wrote:
| I love my Branch Furniture Ergonomic Chair! So comfortable and
| offers great support:
| https://www.branchfurniture.com/products/ergonomic-chair
| comprambler wrote:
| Herman Miller Mirra 2, it keeps your back straight. It is
| comfortable, but not relaxing.
| dirtyid wrote:
| Maybe placebo, but I don't find Embody the most "comfortable"
| chair among HM lineup, but a properly adjusted Embody also
| doesn't aggravate any pains and niggles I've accumulated
| powerlifting over the years. I frequently find myself
| healing/feeling better after long sessions on Embody.
|
| Steep but worthwhile investment. Sometimes what feels best
| doesn't perform best.
| xvector wrote:
| ALWAYS try a chair in person first, whether Herman Miller or
| Steelcase. DO NOT order blind and try to "tough it out" to see if
| a chair is for you.
|
| The thing is, high end chairs differ radically in comfort. I
| thought the Embody was a great chair but the Aeron outdid it. I
| thought the Aeron was great but the Mira was better. For me, of
| course.
|
| If I ordered online I wouldn't have known this. At the most I'd
| have returned the Embody for an Aeron but not found the chair
| that suits me best - the Steelcase Gesture ;)
|
| To answer your question, I would recommend going to a furniture
| store and trying chairs from Herman Miller and Steelcase.
| brokencode wrote:
| Counterpoint - I've had multiple experiences in furniture
| buying where I think a chair or couch is comfortable in the
| store, only to dislike it once I take it home and sit on it for
| a long time.
|
| Meanwhile, when I got my Aeron, I didn't like it for the first
| few days, and even thought about sending it back. But now that
| I've adjusted to it, I love it, and I can confidently say it's
| the most comfortable office chair I've ever tried.
|
| It's hard to evaluate comfort in a short period. Ergonomics is
| all about support, and I personally find that something that is
| more firm and maybe less comfortable on my first try is
| actually more comfortable in the long haul.
|
| It's hard to turn this into concrete advice, other than that
| you probably want to just make sure there is a good return
| policy for whatever you buy, and to make sure you buy a product
| with a good reputation.
| xvector wrote:
| I agree that it takes time to properly evaluate a chair, but
| doing so in a showroom as opposed to repeatedly ordering and
| returning from an online store will save you a lot of time
| and effort.
| systemvoltage wrote:
| I love Aeron but sometimes like I like fold my leg and lay it
| on the edge of the base. I know it's not ergo but I sometimes
| do it when laying back. It's hard plastic unlike Steelcase
| Leap.
|
| It bothered me so much, had to return the chair which was a
| huge hassle.
|
| So even if you try to sit on it in a showroom, you gotta
| actually use it for a few days.
| davidsawyer wrote:
| I could never find a good place or time to go try them out, so
| I just ordered a Steelcase Gesture from Amazon. It helped me
| get over the analysis paralysis, it's very comfortable, and I'm
| sitting in the chair while writing this.
| ethbr0 wrote:
| This, 100%.
|
| 1) Familiarize yourself with basic chair adjustments. Every
| high-end chair will have some combination of these.
|
| 2) Go to a furniture store (or used furniture store) and try
| out every chair. Don't forget to tinker with the adjustments.
|
| I tried a variety of Herman Miller & Steelcase chairs, and
| somewhat surprisingly landed on an Amia. Not the most expensive
| chair they had in inventory, but it felt the best when dialed
| in. (And even better than the Leap V2s we had at an old job)
| manuelisimo wrote:
| I second this. I was sold on the Embody and went to try it and
| I thought it wasn't for me almost as soon as I sat on it. I
| ended up getting a Cosm which surprise me personally, because I
| sort of liked all the knobs in all the other chairs, but I
| really liked how it adjusted to my body. Try all the chairs
| with an open mind and listen to your body
| failwhaleshark wrote:
| 6'5 / 240 and I have an Aeron Size B that just baaarely fits.
| Size C for most people > 5'9" / 175 cm.
| spfzero wrote:
| I guess I lucked out... I bought an Aeron on-line (on-sale)
| directly from the factory in Medium (because I'm medium). Most
| comfortable, adjustable chair I've ever had. It has two kinds
| of castors, for hard or carpeted floors. I have hard, so I
| ordered those castors. I roll back and forth between my desk
| and my workbench constantly, fast, and it brings a smile to my
| face.
|
| Also, this is the only chair I've had whose height adjustment
| is rock solid. All the others, which were not as comfortable to
| begin with, started to leak after a few years.
| failwhaleshark wrote:
| For carpeted floors, good lard get a thick, extra large floor
| mat. Hard floor casters always.
|
| Leaks are related to worn-out cylinders. They're easy to
| change. There's nothing wrong with the chair itself unless
| it's physically-damaged.
| deeblering4 wrote:
| I was so happy with my Ikea MARCUS that I bought another for my
| hobby desk. $200 bucks, mesh back, comfy seat and reclines/locks.
| The armrests are removable which is great since I prefer them
| removed.
|
| I have been sitting on these chairs daily for 8-16 hours a day
| for ~8 years now with no pain and no complaints. They hold up
| quite well too.
|
| With the money saved vs an aeron between the two I could buy a
| laptop.
| haswell wrote:
| I've been using one of these chairs for about ~8 years now, and
| while it's starting to show its age (the faux leather head and
| armrests are deteriorating), I'm still impressed by how well it
| has held up and even more surprised by how comfortable it is.
|
| It's reaching the end of its useful life, and now I'm in the
| market for a new chair. I've wanted to try one of the "top"
| ergonomic chairs for awhile, but I also know I can just keep
| coasting for another $200...I just might get another one.
| ska wrote:
| I think chairs is all pretty individual, but for what it's
| worth I replaced an Aeron with one of these, happily. The Aeron
| was only ever "pretty good" for me, no matter the adjustments I
| made.
| Babylonian_2021 wrote:
| I have had the same chair since 2015, and recently bought one
| for a friend and for my younger brother who have been very
| satisfied with it. To me it really is a chair that is sort of
| an end-of-the-line, as I have never felt any need for a better
| chair. One of my favorite "upgrades" is indeed removing the
| armrests to be able to sit high from the ground, but right
| under the desk. Major kudos for the engineer/designer who made
| the IKEA Markus, especially for a relatively low price of
| EUR150.
| hourislate wrote:
| Most chairs in office settings are task chairs. They are not made
| to be comfortable for long periods of sitting time. All the major
| brands like HM, Steelcase, Humanscale, etc are task chairs. If
| you want a comfortable chair then I would suggest a 24 hour
| Chair. These are used in settings where someone will be sitting
| in it 24/7/360 days a week (911 Operator, Etc). They are about as
| expensive as the higher end (office) task chairs and what they
| lack in fashion they make up for in comfort.
|
| https://www.911chair.com/#247
| throayobviousl wrote:
| I have two Aerons. They are great and really comfortable. I think
| in general I hate office style chairs though and I prefer to move
| around a lot, lounge, or stand up. Its hard to sit for a while.
|
| You can get good refurbs on ebay just avoid madison seating. They
| are a scam (got sued by HM). They list chairs NEW on ebay that
| are literally refurbs.
| bitexploder wrote:
| Not a lot of love for the Embody on this thread. It has been my
| only chair for the last 10 years and it is amazing. I'll never
| use anything else. Aeron just isn't good enough and I have spent
| several weeks trying to use the one I have. I know Aeron works
| for a lot of people, but I could not get it right. As a general
| compliment to Herman Miller, I had some issues with the arm pads
| and the arm adjustment at about 9.5 years in. Herman Miller sent
| someone to my house, redid all the fabric, replaced the pads and
| chair arm adjustment gear. No charge. They really do stand by
| their warranties. It's still going strong. I can't recommend it
| enough. I know these chairs are expensive, but if you are going
| to sit, get the best chair you can. A good one lasts over a
| decade. You could easily replace a crappy 200-300 chair every few
| years and have no where near the comfort of this chair.
| andrewl wrote:
| I just started looking, too. There's a lot of information in the
| Office Chairs subReddit:
|
| https://www.reddit.com/r/OfficeChairs/
|
| I can't vouch for how _good_ the information is, but there is a
| lot of discussion.
| sunir wrote:
| How is your posture? You may go further by strengthening your
| back, hips, neck, shoulders. If every chair is uncomfortable it
| could mean the issue is more in your own physical state. You
| could invest some money in a physiotherapist to check you out.
| grbi wrote:
| I use a "gym ball" :)
| geoelectric wrote:
| This comes up a lot, actually, if you search "chair hacker news,"
| maybe include Aeron or Steelcase in there to seed the engine a
| bit.
|
| Think you have a couple of comments recommending the Embody. This
| is a copypaste of a comment I wrote a couple of years back:
|
| I have an Embody. They are fantastic chairs. Couple of quick
| things you should know:
|
| * They're heavy as hell. Probably the Aeron is too, but I was
| shocked just how heavy the chair was when I was bringing it up
| stairs.
|
| * They aren't very adjustable--kind of. The whole thing about the
| Embody is that it, in theory, adjusts to you by itself. The
| tradeoff is you have quite a few less axes of manual adjustment
| than you do on most ergo chairs. In particular, there's no lumbar
| support setting--instead it has a back curvature knob, but I've
| heard from people who couldn't find a good fit. Test it before
| buying.
|
| * They don't use cushions.
|
| I can't remember if the Aeron is like this too, but the Embody
| seat uses [several layers of] plastic webbing as a spring layer
| and then a lightly padded fabric sling on top that rolls under in
| the front (it's extendable by essentially unrolling it). The back
| is the articulated skeleton and a frame with lightly padded
| fabric over it.
|
| It is quite comfortable, but you will notice the webbing causing
| the fabric to wear a little in its pattern after a few months,
| particularly in the seat. You don't feel it at all, though. Just
| keep in mind it's very much a firm support ergo chair, not a
| comfy exec chair.
|
| That said, I love being able to swing my arms backwards to
| stretch my shoulders and chest and absolutely adore being able to
| lean back and arch my back to stretch with the chair following my
| back curve and arching with me. It even twists with you some.
|
| When you do get it dialed in right, it's like sitting on a super-
| articulated back brace with a butt hammock and wheels.
|
| Edit: also, be careful how you buy them. If you expect the Herman
| Miller warranty, make sure you get it somewhere authorized. Most
| of the really cheap offers aren't. Your employer might help. I
| went through my then-employer's furniture distributor as part of
| a larger shipment, so I got it for about 50% retail.
|
| Gizmodo actually did a pretty nice review with pictures of the
| construction I mention: http://gizmodo.com/5071571/herman-miller-
| embody-review-the-b...
| anthony_romeo wrote:
| I bought a kneeling chair during the pandemic. I've used and
| enjoyed them in the past, so I already knew what I was getting
| into. They are pretty hard to adjust to, and IMO one ought not
| stay on one for several hours at a time, but after several months
| of using it I feel like my posture is dramatically improved from
| my past slouchiness.
| scrumbledober wrote:
| I recently bought an Amazon Commercial office chair and am pretty
| impressed by it actually.
| petecooper wrote:
| Herman Miller Mirra from ~2006. I am not light or gentle, and
| it's going strong after ~8hrs a day since then. Replaced the gas
| lift (~50GBP) this year, had the back replaced under warranty
| after a decade, and the only regret I have is buying rollerblade
| style wheels which were just awkward.
| kissgyorgy wrote:
| Allegedly Hermann Miller chairs are very good, but on a
| horrendous price. Whoever tried them, still claims they worth it.
| jryb wrote:
| Every ergonomic chair I've ever tried was wrong. I just don't
| understand it. I decided to just learn every skill required to
| make my own.
| throwaway1239Mx wrote:
| I have finally settled with a standing desk and an Ikea Ingolf
| bar stool - basic flat wood seat, no padding. As a 6'4" person,
| many chairs are awful, create pain, etc., but I love this setup.
|
| The idea that having a slightly less comfortable chair would lead
| to more movement has proven true. It's also relaxing enough to
| sit in when I'm tired of standing up, but not super comfortable
| to slouch in, so it encourages better sitting posture.
| branon wrote:
| I see other comments mentioning Autonomous.ai's ErgoChair, a
| slightly more unconventional option from them is the ErgoStool
| which I use daily and absolutely adore:
| https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-stool
|
| It's not a "chair" per se but paired with a sit/stand desk, it's
| comfortable and encourages good posture. I have owned it for the
| past year and have put it through its paces, it works equally
| well when transitioning between sitting and standing, and also
| while sitting full-time.
|
| It moves up and down, and it's got a heavy base so you can sit
| down solidly, or stand up and just lean into it when you want
| some weight off your feet. The top is very plushy and you can
| even sit with your leg/foot underneath your butt and it doesn't
| dig into you or anything.
|
| As a caveat I am 6' 1" and don't weigh very much (165-175) so
| depending on body type, using a stool instead of a chair might
| not be a good idea.
|
| However if you are the type who kinda thinks this might work for
| you, it probably will. I was skeptical at first but it's paid off
| for sure. At $99 ($89 if you find a promo code, look for reviews
| on YouTube) it's cheaper than most terrible chairs from Amazon.
| hmrtn wrote:
| I actually do not use a chair, or if I do, it is for short
| periods of time. I recommend a standing desk. A standing desk has
| really been great for my back, and fatigue for long periods of
| working.
| technocratius wrote:
| From what I understand it's also not necessarily good to stand
| for prolonged periods of time. I believe frequently switching
| between sitting/standing is key
| mattacular wrote:
| Aeron. Find a gently used one in good shape from an office
| liquidator for less than 500$
| dybber wrote:
| HAG Capisco 8106. Have it both at the office and at home.
|
| Its design somehow encourages you to change positions regularly,
| which is important to avoid getting sore.
| allanrbo wrote:
| Yeah, the Hag Capisco is really good.
| codq wrote:
| _command-F capisco_
|
| Sitting on one right now, and--this is wild to say--it makes me
| feel human. I feel like I'm sitting in a tree, full-freedom,
| and am able to work in whatever position I want, in real-time.
|
| It's not the kind of chair to sit back and watch a movie in.
| But for getting work done, it's really something special.
| innocentoldguy wrote:
| I have this chair with the optional foot ring and head rest. I
| also replaced the plastic wheels with some roller-blade style
| wheels. It's the best chair I've ever owned.
| brodo wrote:
| I did the same. I gave a rug pretty close to my desk and
| getting up and down carpers with the regular wheels was just
| imposdible.
| xyzzy_plugh wrote:
| Do you have a link to the wheels? I bought a set but they
| changed the height enough to not work well with my desk.
| Sholmesy wrote:
| Same.
|
| One of those chairs that looks like it'd be uncomfortable, but
| is actually very nice.
| brodo wrote:
| For me it's different. It's not a chair to relax in. It
| encourages good posture, but I would not call it comfortable.
| I still think it helped my back pain. It's comfortable enough
| to sit on it during work days but I feel the need to stand up
| quite regularly. But that's a good thing. A note for tall
| people: This chair can be extended higher then any I've seen
| before, even if you don't get the extra high version.
| pmullins wrote:
| I bought a Herman Miller Embody for my home office and I love it.
| Yeah, it's insanely expensive, but it's worth it.
| hellotherehn wrote:
| Humanscale Diffrient World Task Office Chair
| ibiza wrote:
| Seconded. I like how simple and light they are. The chair uses
| your body weight as a counter-lever to reclining. It's a well-
| designed piece.
| analog31 wrote:
| I've been extremely lucky with a wooden "bankers" chair from
| probably the 1930s. Possibly this chair, though a lot of similar
| chairs were made during that time period:
|
| https://www.ebay.com/itm/124317815232
|
| I removed the tiny, useless swivel wheels and covered the bottoms
| of the feet with felt padding.
|
| Also, I do not sit for prolonged periods. Right now by
| happenstance, my home office / lab has three computer stations,
| one with this chair, the other are makeshift standing desks --
| plywood on top of boxes.
| geenat wrote:
| Here's an underrated alternative for people who stand: LEANRITE.
| Love mine, been using it for 4 months so far. Next level standing
| desk.
|
| Having used many office chairs for extended periods over my
| career here's my ranking. (I have a long torso, and use it for
| productivity, not lounging).
|
| * Herman Miller Embody (current main).
|
| * Ikea Jarvfjallet
|
| * Ikea Karsten (discontinued but great and cheap. Ikea Volmar and
| Flintan are similar).
|
| * Ikea Markus (non-adjustable lumbar sucks for long torsos).
|
| * Clutch gaming chairs. (all gaming chairs sweat hard).
|
| * DX Racer gaming chairs. (built for short people).
|
| * Generic $100-300 office chairs (uline, source office, etc.
| Horribly uncomfortable after 4+ hours)
|
| * All other cheap office or cheap gaming chairs.
| Crono wrote:
| Also love the Ikea Markus chair. Even upgraded it with new wheels
| (they are ball-bearing rollerblade wheels which run smoothly,
| quietly and are good for hard floors). Its simple in design
| (which i prefer over most other office and gaming chairs) does
| have a nice ammount of things to adjust and it does not cost a
| lot of money.
| duxup wrote:
| My theory is that chairs are like shoes. Everyone fits a chair
| somewhat differently so it's really hard to find universal good
| choices.
|
| I have a 10 year old old $100 Ikea chair that works for me.
|
| Personally I prefer a standing desk, but admittedly I often kneel
| on a traditional chair on and off.
| pluc wrote:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27265275
| jasonvorhe wrote:
| Based on looks and reviews I almost purchased a Herman Miller
| Sayl until I sat in it and noticed how cheap it looked and felt.
| It also wasn't comfortable and the lumbar support was a joke.
|
| I then tried a Herman Miller Aeron and Leap but didn't like them.
| I went with a Steelcase Gesture that I had at my last employer's
| office and I love it.
| narag wrote:
| I've told this a few times and people seems to think I'm joking.
| The best chair I've had at home --better than one Aeron I had
| once at work-- was a cheap plastic garden chair. They key was
| that it fit perfectly my anatomy. I sat and everything came into
| place. I think the moral is: look for a chair that is adjustable.
| Unless you find a cheap plastic garden chair that perfectly fits
| you, that is.
|
| A couple more personal observations: if the chair can rotate over
| the horizontal plane, I don't really want it to have wheels. I
| can turn away from the screen and stand up, no need to displace
| the chair away from the desk. Actually, the possibility to do
| that is extremely uncomfortable for me, it's like trying to walk
| with skates on.
|
| And of course, consider that the chair isn't the culprit, at
| least not the only one. Squats and dead lift make wonders, can
| confirm.
| scotty79 wrote:
| Ikea Marcus. It's decent, but switch it out after few years (or
| less) for something smaller and less supportive. Being too comfy
| can wreck your spine.
| randomsearch wrote:
| Myself and two colleagues own this and love it.
| DizzyDoo wrote:
| I've been sitting in an Ikea Marcus (not the leather one) every
| work day since 2016 and I find it very uncomfortable. I like
| the mesh back but I'm 6'2 and find it just too rigid for me. I
| went and tried a few cheapo Staples chairs out but didn't love
| them, so I think the Marcus beats those out, but I'm saving up
| for a more expensive chair that gives me more customisation.
| spapas82 wrote:
| I'm using Marcus for like 10 years at work. It's perfect for
| me, I can sit all day on it. I actually want to go to work and
| avoid working from home just to sit on my chair!
|
| I know that there are better chairs that Marcus but nothing
| beats it for the price... It was the best 200 euros I had ever
| spent.
| pantelisk wrote:
| How does the Aeron compare to the Embody? I like chairs that are
| tough and firm on the back (I also prefer sleeping on the floor
| and use no padding) and get constantly disappointed by soft
| furniture.
| bseidensticker wrote:
| I have an Aeron at home and an Embody at work. I much prefer
| the Embody. It's firm but with springiness right where you want
| it (like in the mid back). Definitely try before you buy
| though.
|
| I wouldn't really call either of them soft, but the Aeron
| definitely has more give in certain places. The Embody is
| pretty evenly firm in all places.
| armagon wrote:
| I'm also a 40ish man, about 5'11". I was having back pain, and it
| has stopped. While I haven't found a perfect solution, here's
| what I'm doing.
|
| - Nowadays, I'm mostly using a kneeling chair.
|
| - I've also built a button chair. (See the TED talk at
| https://buttonchairs.org). I use it some of the time, and it is
| okay.
|
| - I also use a fairly plain wooden chair at times.
|
| Additionally, I take regular breaks (every couple of hours) and
| go for a walk around the block. I've also heard that exercising
| your core helps.
| mey wrote:
| Steelcase Gesture. I am 310 lbs, 5'10". I bought one at the start
| of the epidemic when it was on sale, new for ~$1k (directly from
| Steelcase). After a recent change in work plans (going full time
| WFH post COVID), I decided to get a second, but the price had
| increased to ~$2k for the same configuration. Was able to get a
| factory return in pretty much the same configuration and like new
| condition from a US based liquidator, Crandall Office Furniture,
| for $780 shipped. (They do authorized Steelcase factory returns).
|
| I like this chair over Aeron as I don't like floating mesh seats.
| It's fabric so it breaths. Has good options for me to change it's
| configuration quickly/easily through out the day.
| fredcy wrote:
| I have a Herman Miller Aeron that works great, bought at a
| reasonable price off Craigslist.
|
| Along with the Aeron I often use an inflatable cushion, the
| "Gymnic Disc 'o' Sit". Sitting on it keeps me alert and greatly
| improves my sitting posture.
| sails wrote:
| Any recommendations for an actual desk+chair combo? Ie a chair
| with a desk attachement? I need something comfortable but ultra
| mobile. Something like below but ergonomic, arm rests and space
| for keyboard, monitor, mouse. Probably a very long shot.
|
| https://www.anguloconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/...
| chadash wrote:
| I have an Aeron at work. It's pretty good. But I have a steelcase
| Leap at home and I _love_ it. Largely it 's a matter of
| preference though.
|
| My advice: look for something used or refurbished (although this
| is harder than before covid since so many people want good chairs
| now). I got the steelcase leap on craigslist from a used office
| supply store. They basically buy up furniture from companies that
| go out of business. When I went to pick it up they did a
| complimentary steaming for me. And it cost me $150 vs closer to
| 1000 new. The chair is about 15 years old, but Steelcase chairs
| are very well made and it honestly doesn't look more than 1 or 2
| years old.
| failwhaleshark wrote:
| Yeap. Buying durable goods or electronics new is almost always
| an exercise in instant depreciation. Let someone else take that
| hit.
| CitrusFruits wrote:
| Just gonna go ahead and cast my vote for Herman Miller Aeron as
| well. Aside from comfort/support, for me the killer feature is
| the breathability. I'm sure there are others like it somewhere,
| but I haven't found anything that regulates heat while sitting
| like it does.
| electricant wrote:
| IKEA Markus chair. I can't recommend it enough.
| fetus8 wrote:
| I grabbed a Steelcase Leap V2 just before the pandemic started.
| It's greatly customizable, and is absolutely the most comfortable
| desk chair I've used.
|
| I was able to get one at a huge discount via a secondhand office
| supply company, but I know they became harder to acquire as the
| year went on. Good luck!
|
| https://www.steelcase.com/products/office-chairs/leap/
| hogFeast wrote:
| Going to offer a slightly different opinion here...
|
| Used a Herman Miller Aeron, yes...pretty decent. Is it worth
| retail though? No. If you can pick one up cheap, then fine. But I
| had some backpain/shoulder issues with the office chair I had,
| looked for an Aeron. Couldn't find one. So I bought a SIHOO off
| Amazon, as good, back/shoulder pain gone, and can now put in a
| 10-hour shift no problem (iirc, Gamer's Nexus had a review on
| this chair, there are other Chinese clones of it). It is as
| comfortable as any chair is going to be.
| arh68 wrote:
| I think the Four Kings of chairs are the Herman-Miller Aeron, the
| HM Embody, the Steelcase Leap, & the Steelcase Gesture (my
| preference). I've not tried the Embody myself, but I'd bet it's
| good. HM Mirra is a close runner up. I've got maybe 11,000 hours
| in the Leap, it's fantastic. My Gesture is new but I think I like
| it more; the arms truly are great.
|
| It's really hard to guess what you'll prefer; just keep your eye
| out for trying out as many as you can. Also note Aerons come in 3
| sizes, so maybe you like the M better than the L, or vice versa.
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