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Interesting article. I'm personanly struggling to find a home office chair, without being able to try them in store. unfortunately, all the reccomendations are
by boromi 6y ago
Interesting article. I'm personanly struggling to find a home office chair, without being able to try them in store. unfortunately, all the reccomendations are in the 500$+ range that I simply cannot afford.
- aclavelle 6y agoI have this one for $370: https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair?option20=56 https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair?opti... The cushion is nice and thick and it has lots of adjustments. If you work from home, ask if your company will reimburse you. This is a business expense.
- ghaff 6y agoI'm guessing that's unlikely. Some are giving a small no-strings-attached stipend for WFH expenses but I'd be surprised if there was any widespread reimbursement for outfitting home offices. (Which is TBH less of a big deal in a world where most people are using laptops.)
- ponker 6y agoMy boss at a FAANG told his org (100 people) to spend whatever it took on home office equipment and that he'd figure it out on the backend. Asked us to run anything by him if we were planning on more than $2000.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- ghaff 6y agoI'd guess that's pretty atypical.
- ponker 6y agoWe are in a team that saw increased demand during COVID. I expect that he thought it would be a lot easier to ask his management to come up with $200K in expense than have the core services start to fall over under load if people weren't working effectively.
- ghaff 6y agoUnfortunately my (more than $500 and 15 yo) chair finally gave out when things were ramping up. I'm grateful that my other decent office chair is OK for now. But, yeah, you really want to try out chairs even (especially) the really expensive ones. For example, even though I'm a big Aeron fan--said deceased chair is one--a lot of people don't like mesh chairs at all.
- kmanlives 6y agoIf you're in the US, I've had good luck buying Aeron chairs used on craigslist (in the $200-$250 range). I would also say check FaceBook marketplace (I've found some good things there - though not chairs). Finally, as someone else also mentioned, I have the ErgoChair 2 ( https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair ). I don't care about color, so I bought the green one which was $20 cheaper.
- mturmon 6y agoThis price for an Aeron is very good -- but in my metro (LA), this kind of price is not attainable, so don't wait for it. I paid around $450 about 10 years ago.
- toyg 6y agoThe Aeron was a big disappointment for me. I've been using it for about 4 years now and I have to admit I preferred my previous Mirrah.
- derekp7 6y agoI've just went through this, after working from home for the last few months, my back is in extreme discomfort. Trying them out in the store really doesn't help much. You can have a chair that feels very comfortable to sit in, but after a whole day working it starts to cause pain. You can also have a chair that isn't that comfortable, but you end up with no pain at the end of the day. Now, the chair that I use at work I didn't have any input in -- the company provides the same model to all employees. One key is that it is the various adjustments, so you can get it to work for you. The other key item is that it is designed as an ergonomic chair, and as such I never had much pain sitting in it all day (now compare this to the chairs they have in the large meeting hall, even though they are padded I can't get through a 2 hour presentation without discomfort). So with that conclusion, I decided to just drop a large chunk of money on a well established brand (in my case I settled for one of the Steelcase chairs). I figured that even though I really can't afford 700 on a chair, if it lasts 10 years that is $70 a year. That, and there is a 30-day return policy.
- toyg 6y ago> if it lasts 10 years that is $70 a year. You should really compare it with the cost of getting specialist help to treat a bad back after you're 40. It's unlikely to be less than $70 a year, and it will likely go on for more than a decade.
- boring_twenties 6y agoThis is exactly how I justified my Embody purchase
- boring_twenties 6y agoThis is exactly how I justified my Embody purchase. *I couldn't really afford it. But I can afford back problems even less.
- chiph 6y agoI've had my Embody for just over 10 years now. It's been great, but the back doesn't go vertical enough for me (it's fantastic for slouching though). The plastic "springs" are starting to squeak with age. If I had it to do over, I'd have gotten an Aeron.
- LeoPanthera 6y agoI have the Ikea Markus and can recommend it. Ikea chairs in general are pretty good, plus, 10 year warranty.
- gattr 6y agoI second that (I've been using a Markus for >10 years). I only wish it had larger/adjustable armrests; though it's easy to replace them with something home-made (and reuse the mount points).
- nogabebop23 6y agonot as great right now, but their service is pretty good too. I'd also shop online then check Costco for supply as they know how to do delivery/returns in this environment
- SamWhited 6y agoI got an old solid wood chair from the 20s or 30s that was US Airforce surplus for free (I got lucky and had connections, but they can also be picked up dirt cheap at surplus places, don't look at antique shops, they'll overcharge you) and it's nicer to sit in than any fancy expensive $1000 chair I've had at fancy office buildings before. My lower back starts killing me in most chairs, but something about these old chairs really helps it despite having none of the fancy features of modern chairs. It looks awesome too, although it weighs about a ton.
- floren 6y agoCan you link a photo? I love good old simple furniture and will try to keep my eyes out for one.
- scottlocklin 6y agoCan you post a photo? I despise all the fancy aeron chairs (they appear to be classic cargo cult science) and favor a couple of old Eames and Corbusier chairs. Just curious what works for others in the "chair that grandparents would recognize as chair" category.
- mrslave 6y agoI feel the need to move around a lot, typically alternating between standing and sitting. At home I also have several normal chairs I borrow from around the house and a yoga ball. About every 2 hours I'll take a break and change chair or stand. My new job has Aeron chairs and it is the first time I have felt comfortable in a chair at work. This doesn't mean I can sit in one all day. I've been at many places with "expensive renovations" (i.e. conversions to trendy open plan) and the seemingly valuable chairs are always terrible.
- thefounder 6y agoA chair with great back support is the best, cheapest investment you can make. Back pain is more expensive that you might think.
- scott_s 6y agoOn the advice of Wirecutter, I got a HON Exposure: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-office-chair/ https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-office-chair.... I got it for $200 in the before-times. It's worked out pretty well, but if I had known it was going to be my every-day chair for the rest of the year, I would have gotten a Steelcase.
- 0xCMP 6y agoI got one for home since I didn't want to buy another Gesture from Steelcase, but with Covid I went to the office and took it home. The back of the chair is weird to me.
- jbullock35 6y agoWhat was wrong with the Gesture?
- 0xCMP 6y agoI love my Gesture, just not the price. I bought the cheaper option so I could have a "nice chair" at home too without paying the same price, but it really isn't that great. I found better chairs at Office Depot (when I got desperate for a new one until I brought the Gesture home)
- walrus01 6y agoI know people still using Aeron chairs that they purchased in 2001 era dotcom bankruptcy auctions. In terms of quality and longevity, something that costs $800-1200 might be worth it.
- ben1040 6y agoI’ve got two Aerons (one for my home office and one for my wife’s). One I bought new in 2012, and another I bought a year later for $300 from a used office furniture store. I found a manufacture date code sticker on the used chair and it was made in 1998. You couldn’t possibly have convinced me it was a 15 year old chair, it has held up ridiculously well. They’re also really easy to repair; a metric Allen wrench set is pretty much all you need.
- theIV 6y agoI know this doesn’t solve the “try them” aspect but I’ve used https://www.madisonseating.com/ https://www.madisonseating.com/. They’re second hand, in good condition. While some are still > $500, there are a handful under that. I’m using the Steelcase Leap v2 which I quite like.
- rootusrootus 6y agoThe trade-off with Madison Seating is they refurbish the chairs with aftermarket parts, and not more expensive ones. I'd want to replace the pneumatic bit with a factory part.
- theIV 6y agoThanks for that, I wasn't aware that was the case. Have you noticed this being an issue? I haven't, but I'm only ~6mo-1yr in to my purchase.
- annamargot 6y agoI‘ve gone through many chairs. They all create issues if you are sitting long hours. My new thing is to move the ottoman from the living room into my office. I switch between sitting cross-legged and legs forward like a normal chair. I’m digging the change up fwiw
- akeck 6y agoI've been using a bungie chair from Container Store. It's not super fancy, but, surprisingly, hasn't been causing much pain.
- znpy 6y agoI've had a "regular" IKEA office chair for the last eight years at home. I've used first as a student, then on and off because I was working in the office, and now I've been using it "full time" for the last 3+ months due to covid-19 quarantine. It's fine. Unless you have a specific, doctor-diagnosed condition, it's absolutely fine. A regular person doesn't need much more, and doesn't need to spend 500+ $ on an office chair. Expensive office chairs are for companies that can waste money, list that as capital expenditure, and brag with visitors/investors. That chair probably costed 100€ at most. An expensive chair won't make you more productive or a better thinker/programmer/sysadmin/whatever.
- chiph 6y agoI've sat in the various IKEA chairs at my local store, and while they're stylish, I wouldn't want to be in one for more than a couple of hours. There truly is a difference between them and chairs in the $400-800 price range that makes spending the extra money worth it.
- webdood90 6y agoI suspect you don't have much experience with high end chairs. I spend 12+ hrs a day in my chair, so it's 100% worth it to purchase a nice one since a large majority of my life is spent in it. Advice I've always followed: don't cheap out on things that separate you from the ground - shoes, mattress, chairs, tires, etc.
- cma 6y agoHave you tried a better one for an extended period?
- leetrout 6y ago> An expensive chair won't make you more productive or a better thinker/programmer/sysadmin/whatever. It actually does. When you can standup without pain or position in it ways that support you correctly with “high end” features like forward tilt. Specifically to the Aeron - they have a 12 year warranty and are useable and comfortable for as long as 15-20 years. Most Commodity office chairs are Made with filler materials that decompose and don’t hold their shape and particle boards that slowly degrade in the bolt holes compared to an all / mostly metal construction. Also the components like the gas cartridge are better in the nicer chairs and survive moves better based on my experience. To each their own; there are great chairs on the market for $100-200 but don’t disregard all the great things about high quality seating.
- secondcoming 6y agoI splashed out an obscene amount of money on an office chair when this whole thing started (Aeron). It's the second most expensive thing I own (I rent and don't want a lot of physical possessions). I figured that, just like a bed, if I'm going to be spending a lot of time in it that I may as well get a decent one. The amount is somewhat embarrassing but I don't regret it, nor does my arse and back.
- chiph 6y agoI've ordered repair parts for a 1980's Herman Miller from these folks and had a good experience. They also sell reconditioned Aerons and Steelcase chairs. You can get a Leap V1 for $399, or slightly more if you want custom printed fabric. https://www.crandalloffice.com/remanufactured-chairs/ https://www.crandalloffice.com/remanufactured-chairs/ Don't forget that Aerons come in three different sizes. Here's how to know which one to order: https://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hermanmiller/documents/product_literature/other/ap_sizefitref_classic_aeron_chairs.pdf https://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hermanmiller/docume...
- learn_more 6y agoThis is a decent chair. $236.54 currently. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BT2SR8U/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BT2SR8U/ much better than anything at Office Depot or similar stores.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- frenchie14 6y agoMake sure to check Craigslist for high end office chairs, especially if you're in a highly populated area. I got a Steelcase Leap V2 for $300. I've been using it daily for five years
- OJFord 6y agoEveryone recommends Aerons, so I gave in to it. I haven't tried anything between £70 faux leather nothing from Amazon, and this (second-hand for £200, one can pay more or less) Aeron, but yeah, it's bloody good. I warmed to it most after receiving it, when I realised that since it's a single chair that's so popular, you can buy every spare part! You can buy the upgrade parts that distinguish your chair from top of the line! It's simple, repairable, and comfortable. And people that know about such things and dish out awards for it say that it's elegant, too.
- tibbydudeza 6y agoOur company told us to take our office chairs home until next year.
- opan 6y agoYou can sometimes find used Steelcase chairs (very high-end and ergonomic, often $600-$1000+ new) used at auctions for very cheap. I got a Steelcase Think for around $55 from one auction, and later on scored a lot of four Steelcase Criterion chairs for $16 total. Prices on Craigslist looked a bit worse than my local auction sites, but still much cheaper than buying new.