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A question before my own story: What does everyone do as far as trying out chairs? It's crazy to me to base my buying decision on 10 minutes of sitting in a sto

A question before my own story: What does everyone do as far as trying out chairs? It's crazy to me to base my buying decision on 10 minutes of sitting in a store. Are there stores out there that allow for in-home trials of these products? One of the thing that always amuses me about "best chair" recommendations is that it's an entirely personal choice. I am 6' 2" and 200lbs. Understanding even more than that about the size of a person is critical to understanding their needs in a chair. No matter how adjustable a chair is, it's simply not going to be best for everyone. At home, I own a size-C Aeron chair that I purchased in 2007. I love it and the only thing I've ever considered is upgrading to one with the highest-end back support rather than the standard lumbar cushion. At work, I sit in a Steelcase Leap. It's certainly a fine chair and I have no real problems with it. I find it very comfortable and I'm able to sit for much of the day in this chair without any issues. My gut tells me that I prefer my Aeron; that said, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I've never questioned that assumption. The one thing I know is that I do prefer the breathable material on the Aeron.

modoc 10y ago
I'm 6'2" and a bit heavier than you. I have never found a chair nearly as comfortable/ergonomically good for me as the C size Aeron. Their LONG warranty, longer life, and loaner chair program makes them a worthwhile investment for me. My current Aeron is ~15 years old, had one warranty repair 7 years ago to replace the cylinder and lumbar pad, and has been perfect otherwise.
- seanp2k2 10y ago
  Yeah, that's the thing about a $150 chair from BigBoxCo vs a close-to-$1k-new chair. The expensive one will always be comfortable, but the cheap one never will. You can get parts to keep the expensive one in top condition, but the cheap one require replacement every couple of years. You can get a used nice one for about 2x the cost of a new cheapie and it'll probably last 4x as long before needing anything replaced, and it'll be more comfortable and much nicer the entire time.
doughj3 10y ago
I don't know if all or most stores will let you do this, but I went to a Design Within Reach store in Cambridge, MA and they let me bring in my laptop and work off their wifi for a full day. I'm sure they wold have let me spend a couple days there if I needed. I doubt you'd be able to get an in home trial, though.
- bcrescimanno 10y ago
  > I doubt you'd be able to get an in home trial, though. It seems odd that every decent mattress store will allow you an in-home trial--some as many as 4 months. Maybe because the return rate on chairs would be a lot higher?
  - geoelectric 10y ago
    Probably. I imagine the sheer hassle of returning a mattress is friction for a lot of people, and that they don't get many returns.
- jbpetersen 10y ago
  Now I want a coworking space with QR codes on various partnered products so you can easily buy them if you like them.
- closeparen 10y ago
  > Design Within Reach I walked into a Design Within Reach store in my neighborhood thinking the "Within Reach" part had something to do with affordability. It did not.
ydant 10y ago
Healthy Back Store sells Herman Miller and has a 100? day satisfaction/return policy designed for that purpose.
tszyn 10y ago
FWIW, I've done in-home trials of several chairs. Many dealers of high-end chairs will let you do that (at least here in Poland). Sometimes I've had to leave a deposit. I'm amazed how often a chair that feels great in the store turns out to be a complete dud once you place it in your workspace and sit on it for 2 days.

modoc 10y ago

I'm 6'2" and a bit heavier than you. I have never found a chair nearly as comfortable/ergonomically good for me as the C size Aeron. Their LONG warranty, longer life, and loaner chair program makes them a worthwhile investment for me. My current Aeron is ~15 years old, had one warranty repair 7 years ago to replace the cylinder and lumbar pad, and has been perfect otherwise.

seanp2k2 10y ago
Yeah, that's the thing about a $150 chair from BigBoxCo vs a close-to-$1k-new chair. The expensive one will always be comfortable, but the cheap one never will. You can get parts to keep the expensive one in top condition, but the cheap one require replacement every couple of years. You can get a used nice one for about 2x the cost of a new cheapie and it'll probably last 4x as long before needing anything replaced, and it'll be more comfortable and much nicer the entire time.

doughj3 10y ago

I don't know if all or most stores will let you do this, but I went to a Design Within Reach store in Cambridge, MA and they let me bring in my laptop and work off their wifi for a full day. I'm sure they wold have let me spend a couple days there if I needed. I doubt you'd be able to get an in home trial, though.

bcrescimanno 10y ago
> I doubt you'd be able to get an in home trial, though. It seems odd that every decent mattress store will allow you an in-home trial--some as many as 4 months. Maybe because the return rate on chairs would be a lot higher?
- geoelectric 10y ago
  Probably. I imagine the sheer hassle of returning a mattress is friction for a lot of people, and that they don't get many returns.
jbpetersen 10y ago
Now I want a coworking space with QR codes on various partnered products so you can easily buy them if you like them.
closeparen 10y ago
> Design Within Reach I walked into a Design Within Reach store in my neighborhood thinking the "Within Reach" part had something to do with affordability. It did not.

ydant 10y ago

Healthy Back Store sells Herman Miller and has a 100? day satisfaction/return policy designed for that purpose.

tszyn 10y ago

FWIW, I've done in-home trials of several chairs. Many dealers of high-end chairs will let you do that (at least here in Poland). Sometimes I've had to leave a deposit. I'm amazed how often a chair that feels great in the store turns out to be a complete dud once you place it in your workspace and sit on it for 2 days.