Computer chairs: the backbone of a good sit up.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > Computer chairs: the backbone of a good sit up.

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Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

FWIW I have a Steelcase Think with their softish plastic arms and don't have any complaints

# ? Jul 2, 2019 11:40

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 11:29

HalloKitty: Sep 30, 2005; Adjust the bass and let the Alpine blast

I don't have a fancy expensive chair, but I do have an armrest comfort improvement suggestion: buy a pair of pure cotton arm sweatbands and slide them on your armrests. Works nicely, and can trivially be washed.

# ? Jul 2, 2019 14:16

Nova69: Jul 12, 2012

Nova88 posted:

My new software dev job which I'll be starting soon involves working from from home the majority of the days of the week, so I've been thinking about upgrading my current chair (IKEA Flintan/Nominell with a �30 seat cushion) to something a bit more ergonomic, as I've been finding it gets a bit uncomfortable on weekends when I'm in the chair for longer periods of time.

One factor which doesn't help the situation is that my overall desk/computer setup probably isn't the best for my posture.

As you can see, I have quite a small desk (to match the small room, blame the UK rental market), and the lack of space means that I don't have enough space for a standard desktop setup with a separate tower/keyboard/monitor etc. so I less space-hungry laptop instead.

Because the keyboard and monitor are at the same height though, with my current non adjustable arm rests, and because I'm just over 6ft, I can either have my head in line with the screen and the arm rests quite far below my arms, or be able to use the arm rests but have my neck tilted downwards to look at the screen.

In the future, my housing situation might change in a way that allows me to start using a proper desk and desktop, but at least for the next year, I'm locked into this house, so I'd like to try improve my comfort with the restrictions I currently have.

At this stage, wouldn't really want to be spending any more than �250-�300, and ideally it wouldn't be leather (which seems to be what a lot of the chairs in the sub �200 range are made of). So if you have any recommendations for stuff that fits that criteria available in the UK it would be much appreciated.

As a followup to this, I've got myself a riser and a separate keyboard, and it's a lot more comfortable so far.

# ? Jul 7, 2019 11:39

LLSix: Jan 20, 2010; The real power behind countless overlords

Steelcase dealer (in Houston) says it will take a month+ to deliver a Leap. Is this typical? Seems a bit ridiculous after having gotten used to 2 day shipping from Amazon.

# ? Jul 8, 2019 17:16

Paul Proteus: Dec 6, 2007; Zombina says "si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes!"

LLSix posted:

Steelcase dealer (in Houston) says it will take a month+ to deliver a Leap. Is this typical? Seems a bit ridiculous after having gotten used to 2 day shipping from Amazon.

If it's not a standard color set (black on black) for example, and the local dealer doesn't have stock, then yes. Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Haworth all take 4-6 weeks to produce product outside of the basic standards, since they only make a lot of this on demand/when they have production for that spec scheduled.

# ? Jul 8, 2019 17:27

Sininu: Jan 8, 2014

LLSix posted:

Steelcase dealer (in Houston) says it will take a month+ to deliver a Leap. Is this typical? Seems a bit ridiculous after having gotten used to 2 day shipping from Amazon.

Yes, mine took almost exactly a month to be built and reach me.

# ? Jul 8, 2019 17:34

Proud Christian Mom: Dec 20, 2006; READING COMPREHENSION IS HARD

Anyone ever converted a Leap V2 chair into a stool? I've reached out to my closest dealer on getting parts but so far I haven't heard anything back.

# ? Jul 8, 2019 20:56

buglord: Jul 31, 2010; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!; Buglord

I was in the market for a computer chair but one thing I realized is that no chair is going to help me out if I have bad posture when gaming. By bad posture I mean sitting with legs crossed hunched forward, leaning back feet up on the side of the desk, sitting but legs bent below chin. How do you guys maintain constant proper posture when gaming?

# ? Jul 8, 2019 21:47

Futaba Anzu: May 6, 2011; GROSS BOY

every time you die instead of slamming your desk and crushing your zero ultra monster lean back and do a shoulder crunch and stretch your neck

# ? Jul 8, 2019 23:12

Yaoi Gagarin: Feb 20, 2014

When I feel the need to prop my feet up and lean back a lot and all that I take it as a sign that I need a break and a stretch

Sitting with proper posture while gaming will make you a better gamer, you will be alert and more able to manuever your elbows to get sick 360 noscopes

# ? Jul 8, 2019 23:23

isndl: May 2, 2012; I WON A CONTEST IN TG AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS CUSTOM TITLE

buglord posted:

I was in the market for a computer chair but one thing I realized is that no chair is going to help me out if I have bad posture when gaming. By bad posture I mean sitting with legs crossed hunched forward, leaning back feet up on the side of the desk, sitting but legs bent below chin. How do you guys maintain constant proper posture when gaming?

Hard to say because the 'why' of your behavior isn't apparent. You're sitting in different postures because it's more comfortable, so think about why the standard posture is less comfortable. Maybe you need a different seat cushion shape, maybe you need a foot rest, maybe certain muscle groups are tiring and you could use some exercises for those groups.

In some respects it's not an awful thing to be using different postures since it means you're moving around instead of settling into one bad posture. And a good chair can still help, at some point earlier in the thread someone talked about how their new chair (a Gesture I think?) was great because it accommodated their occasional bad posture behavior.

# ? Jul 9, 2019 02:02

SnatchRabbit: Feb 23, 2006; by sebmojo

My $100 mass production "gaming" chair has finally wore out and my lower back is starting to hurt. I'm looking at Aeron or Steelcase but Ideally I'd like to stay in the mid three digits if possible. When folks say to look local which retailers should I be checking? I am in norcal and the only shop I can think if is Wayfair in the area.

# ? Jul 9, 2019 17:17

foutre: Sep 4, 2011; RIP ZEEZ

If you're in the bay area there's a ton of warehouses with used office chairs around San Jose. You can look on Craigslist to find larger dealers.

I got my Aeron here : http://www.tekbenches.info/. They had v solid prices, a good selection of Aeron/Steelcase and the like, and so far have fixed things for free.

# ? Jul 9, 2019 17:31

SnatchRabbit: Feb 23, 2006; by sebmojo

Thanks, do you know of any places in the East Bay? Or is there a particular keyword I should type into google maps?

# ? Jul 9, 2019 17:53

LLSix: Jan 20, 2010; The real power behind countless overlords

SnatchRabbit posted:

Thanks, do you know of any places in the East Bay? Or is there a particular keyword I should type into google maps?

Try office surplus in Google maps.

# ? Jul 10, 2019 01:53

SnatchRabbit: Feb 23, 2006; by sebmojo

Went past a local office surplus place and the owner was talking up Haworth chairs, specifically the Fern and the Zody task which he had for $799 and $540 respectively. Anyone vouch for these models?

http://store.haworth.com/hs/seating/desk-chairs

# ? Jul 10, 2019 22:09

wdarkk: Oct 26, 2007; Friends: Protected
World: Saved
Crablettes: Eaten

I'm having problems with my old Aeron. No matter how I adjust it, I feel like I'm being pulled forward towards my keyboard. I feel like there's something I can do to fix this, but I don't know what it is.

# ? Jul 10, 2019 22:53

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Any reputable liquidators in the Boston area? This place looks pretty decent: https://www.oflsave.com/ but I wanted to double check. I need to get a real desk chair.

Is there anything in the $200~$300 range worth getting? Willing to go higher if it will last.

# ? Jul 11, 2019 21:19

Zarin: Nov 11, 2008; I SEE YOU

buglord posted:

I was in the market for a computer chair but one thing I realized is that no chair is going to help me out if I have bad posture when gaming. By bad posture I mean sitting with legs crossed hunched forward, leaning back feet up on the side of the desk, sitting but legs bent below chin. How do you guys maintain constant proper posture when gaming?

I took a careful look at the positions I find the most comfortable, and adjusted my setup around that.

For me, that meant that I like having my feet up. So, I found an ottoman on Craigslist that was long enough to support the entire length of my legs (to take stress off the entire leg when it's up) and added some wood to the bottom to bring it up to the height of my chair. Is this frankencontraption ugly as hell? Yes. Am I too lazy to make it pretty? Also yes. But it's comfortable!

Another key piece of this was getting a sit/stand desk, so I could 1). Precisely adjust the height of the desk to be comfortable at the correct chair height and 2). have the option to stand, which I sometimes do when I realize I'm getting restless from sitting too long. (Desk was about 400 on sale at Office Max, but I think hand-crank ones can be had for cheaper)

So, yeah, sometimes I sit up straight, but most of the time I'm leaned back with my feet up. The way I see it, it's less about "correct" posture than it is making sure you are adequately supported in the positions you find yourself sitting in.

# ? Jul 12, 2019 22:56

Kilazar: Mar 23, 2010

New chair time.

Anyone bought from here? They have leaps for 200!

https://nationalofficeinteriors.com/product/steelcase-think-used-task-chair-black-6/

# ? Jul 16, 2019 23:41

LLSix: Jan 20, 2010; The real power behind countless overlords

I ordered 2 Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desks from Fully and finished setting them up today. Since there's no desk thread and a good chair is only half an ergonomic workstation I want to share my first day experience. Over all, I'm happy with my purchase so far.

The 48" wide desks have plenty of space for a single monitor and tower but are cramped with two. If I order another desk I will probably order something wider. Maybe in the 60 inch range.

The good:

The desks look good. My wife thinks they look good too.
They are very sturdy. They are sturdier than any desk I saw in store, and that includes the Steelcase Migration and Ology desks. The Steelcase desks are wobbly at maximum height but the Jarvis is almost completely stable at the same height. It's hard to explain how disconcerting a wobbling desk supporting three to five thousand dollars of electronics is unless you've tested other standing desks and seen just how unstable they are. The sturdiness and stability are really big positives for me.
The range of heights supported is larger than most competitors.
It comes with 10 wire control widgets you can stick onto the desk or leg surfaces. These are amazingly helpful in keeping all the wires headed in the right direction. A fantastic addition to the package that I can't praise enough. They make life so much better and neater.
I ordered one of their Topo anti-fatigue mats. I haven't used it much yet, but I already like it better than either of the mats I've used at work. It's larger and lighter than my previous mats which means I'm much more likely to actually go get it. You can get these same mats from Amazon, but they're a little cheaper if you bundle them with your desk purchase.
The price. A 48 inch desk costs about $600. Most of the other desks I looked at were at least $100 more. Steelcase desks were a cool thousand each.

The Bad

The desks don't go as low as specs claim. The specs claim that the desks lower to 23.75 inches but the height controller reports a minimum height of 24.1 inches. The controller also adjusts by 0.1 increments so a minimum height of x.75 doesn't even make sense. Fortunately the desk can go as low as I need it to with my current chair so this isn't a deal breaker for me.
I ordered a desk drawer accessory with my desk. The screws that came with it did not stay embedded in the desk but instead drilled big holes in it. I stopped after trying to get the second screw in before I completely ruined my desk. Do not, under any circumstance, order any accessories that attach to the desk.
No collision detection. If you try to lower the desk while something is under it, something is going to get broken. Considering your legs are often under the desk this is a little worrying. Most quality adjustable desks have collision detection now.

The Ugly

One of the desks arrived damaged. The surface had multiple dents and excess resin. One of the legs, which shipped separately, was scratched as well. Many of the screw holes didn't line up completely correctly which made the desk harder to assemble. The desk came with a large number of rubber gaskets for the screws, which is good, but unfortunately they were too squishy and wriggled out from under the screws even when being tightened only by hand. After I noticed the problem I started tightening the screws a lot less and the desk seems sturdy enough for the moment but Fully was concerned enough about it to include instructions to always support the desk by both the surface and the legs when moving it. Attention to detail was about on par with what I'd expect from a $20 walmart desk, not a $600 desk. Workmanship was less polished than I've seen on the two Ikea products I've bought. The defects don't prevent the desk from being used, but are extremely disappointing at this price point.
Half of the wire control grommets that fit into the holes in the back of the desktop arrived destroyed. One was shattered and the other was both cracked in half and had the pin snapped off. I've contacted them to get replacements. We'll see what happens.
I used a stopwatch app to time how long it took me to assemble the desks. The first desk took 2 hours and 40 minutes. The desks arrived in the evening so by the time I was done assembling it, it was time for bed. After a good nights rest I was able to assemble the second desk in 1 hour and 42 minutes. Steelcase will assemble their desk for you and Vert desk advertises their assembly time is only 5 minutes.
The control sometimes continues lowering the desk even after you let go. Combined with the lack of collision detection I'm tempted to view this as a safety issue. However, since the controller has 4 memory presets you'll only rarely be using the down control directly.

Kilazar posted:

New chair time.

Anyone bought from here? They have leaps for 200!

https://nationalofficeinteriors.com/product/steelcase-think-used-task-chair-black-6/

First of all, that's a think, not a leap. What you want is the leap v2, which is $400. A new leap is costing me $1000, but has a list price of $1300 (I'm very happy with the distributor I'm buying from).

They do have leap v1s for $200, but they're really not comparable to the v2s. I can immediately tell the difference after sitting in them for only a few seconds and I only started looking at nice chairs last month. The v2s also have a much greater range of motion, meaning your more likely to be able to customize it to fit you correctly.

They have a warehouse/display room near me so I checked them out last week. Their leap v2s seemed to be in good condition to me. They re-upholster them before selling them. I ultimately went with a new chair because I like the original mesh a little bit better but I think they're reasonably priced. The people I talked to were polite if a little unprofessional (it was lunch time and the guy offered to sell me the chair his coworker was using because his coworker was out of the office. Actually either of his coworker's chairs, they were all using leap v2s).

LLSix fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Jul 20, 2019

# ? Jul 20, 2019 21:02

isndl: May 2, 2012; I WON A CONTEST IN TG AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS CUSTOM TITLE

LLSix posted:

Since there's no desk thread

Post your (actual) desktops!

# ? Jul 21, 2019 12:48

Moey: Oct 22, 2010; I LIKE TO MOVE IT

LLSix posted:

The 48" wide desks have plenty of space for a single monitor and tower but are cramped with two. If I order another desk I will probably order something wider. Maybe in the 60 inch range.

Swing by the SFF thread, they can assist you in freeing up more of that desk space.

# ? Jul 21, 2019 18:40

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

I've been looking into more comfortable seating (currently on an IKEA Markus) and I was wondering if anyone happens to have experience with these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HARA-CHAIR-pressure-intervertebral-circulation/dp/B008EDJUHY

Being in Europe, Steelcase/Aeron are somewhat harder to come by.

# ? Jul 24, 2019 14:59

DoctorTristan: Mar 11, 2006; I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave, like this. Can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?

Incessant Excess posted:

I've been looking into more comfortable seating (currently on an IKEA Markus) and I was wondering if anyone happens to have experience with these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HARA-CHAIR-pressure-intervertebral-circulation/dp/B008EDJUHY

It�s from a brand I�ve never heard of (seems to be a plastics factory in Austria with no real history in ergonomics), doesn�t look particularly adjustable, the product page proudly touts that it is �verified and certificated to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001� (which have nothing to do with chairs) and it is loving ugly to boot.

quote:

Being in Europe, Steelcase/Aeron are somewhat harder to come by.

Aerons are absolutely everywhere in the UK????

# ? Jul 24, 2019 15:44

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

If you're spending �650 on a chair you can probably get a brand new Mirra 2 from a dealer, not some crap off Amazon, e.g. https://www.wellworking.co.uk/in-stock-c81/herman-miller-mirra-2-chair-graphite-triflex-precision-p27

# ? Jul 24, 2019 16:31

Last Resort: Feb 15, 2015

Incessant Excess posted:

I've been looking into more comfortable seating (currently on an IKEA Markus) and I was wondering if anyone happens to have experience with these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HARA-CHAIR-pressure-intervertebral-circulation/dp/B008EDJUHY

Being in Europe, Steelcase/Aeron are somewhat harder to come by.

Similar situation with the Markus and so I�ve been looking closely at a 24/7 chair. It�s in the ballpark of an Aeron and similar but looks much better value. Has anyone had any experience using or owning this type of chair?

https://www.badbacks.com.au/kab-controller-24-7-ergonomic-chair

# ? Jul 25, 2019 09:06

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

DoctorTristan posted:

It’s from a brand I’ve never heard of (seems to be a plastics factory in Austria with no real history in ergonomics), doesn’t look particularly adjustable, the product page proudly touts that it is ‘verified and certificated to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001’ (which have nothing to do with chairs) and it is loving ugly to boot.

I realize that the one I linked doesn't really seem a great choice. Not being in the UK, prices for Herman Miller chairs are on the high side when I can find them. I was wondering if these might be an alternative:

https://secretlab.eu/collections/neue

It seems pretty new so I doubt anyone is familiar, but apparently secretlab have been in the chair business a while?

# ? Jul 25, 2019 14:40

Digital_Jesus: Feb 10, 2011

As a tall dude (6'4") I just put my rear end in a secretlabs titan and its probably the most comfortable and supportive chair I've ever bought. Its built like a rock too, and the cloth is nice.

Can vouch the chair I got is great quality. Haven't sat in their office line though.

Digital_Jesus fucked around with this message at 03:00 on Jul 28, 2019

# ? Jul 28, 2019 02:57

Moatman: Mar 21, 2014; Because the goof is all mine.

Last Resort posted:

Similar situation with the Markus and so I’ve been looking closely at a 24/7 chair. It’s in the ballpark of an Aeron and similar but looks much better value. Has anyone had any experience using or owning this type of chair?

https://www.badbacks.com.au/kab-controller-24-7-ergonomic-chair

At that point you may as well just shell out the extra couple hundred for an embody https://www.badbacks.com.au/herman-miller-embody-office-chair

# ? Jul 28, 2019 03:22

ufarn: May 30, 2009

With the heatwave and everythin frying our internal organs, what are some fabrics and seat materials you really regret getting for your chair? I've been eyeing a bunch of chairs, but anything that isn't mesh just seems like something that's going to be insufferable to sit on during weather like this.

Even textiles like the Embody's seem problematic, at least when it comes to allergies and cleaning.

# ? Jul 28, 2019 18:55

Duck and Cover: Apr 6, 2007

ufarn posted:

With the heatwave and everythin frying our internal organs, what are some fabrics and seat materials you really regret getting for your chair? I've been eyeing a bunch of chairs, but anything that isn't mesh just seems like something that's going to be insufferable to sit on during weather like this.

Even textiles like the Embody's seem problematic, at least when it comes to allergies and cleaning.

Not what you're looking for but still relevant wool t shirt + synthetic textile = static.

# ? Jul 28, 2019 19:05

Kilazar: Mar 23, 2010

@LLSix thanks for the info!

Also, this thread doesn't have a very informative OP. Can someone explain WHY gamer chairs are so bad?

I tried having a conversation with a co worker about why he should get something like a Think vs a gaming chair, and I just couldn't defend office chairs. I tried "gaming chair ergonomics are poo poo".. but they are just duplicating car seats, and car seats are built for long period comfortability. Or rather the car seats I have ever sat in for multiple 4 hour + drives were. So I could not refute his statement. And I'm just left with, "they come in dumb colors so there!". I'd like to reassess my bias.

As a note, we both sit in Thinks all day at work.

Kilazar fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Aug 1, 2019

# ? Aug 1, 2019 18:09

Digital_Jesus: Feb 10, 2011

Most gaming chairs are modeled after race seats specifically.

Race seats are designed to hold your rear end in place while driving a race car, they arent meant to keep your spine from falling apart from sitting 16 hours a day slamming mt. Dew and cheetos during your sick gaming sesh. Ergonomics are not part of the design. The design of race seats is for crash safety and keeping the operator in place taking corners at high speeds.

Digital_Jesus fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Aug 1, 2019

# ? Aug 1, 2019 18:13

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

Digital_Jesus posted:

Most gaming chairs are modeled after race seats specifically.

Race seats are designed to hold your rear end in place while driving a race car, they arent meant to keep your spine from falling apart from sitting 16 hours a day slamming mt. Dew and cheetos during your sick gaming sesh. Ergonomics are not part of the design. The design of race seats is for crash safety.

This is also the reason they all have so much side support, to give you stability when going around corners quickly. The fact that gaming chairs still have this, despite there obviously being no need for it, highlights that they value aesthetics over ergonomics.

# ? Aug 1, 2019 18:16

Wasabi the J: Jan 23, 2008; MOM WAS RIGHT

In my view, It is perfectly designed for a vehicle cockpit, but it's a horrible compromise as a desk chair. A driver seat is designed to hold you in place, and not elevated off the ground.

Changes to both those mechanics means it isn't getting used properly.

A car seat is shaped specifically to hold your body in a single position without moving. It holds your legs up so they stick out to the front so you can touch the pedals.

This position sucks for home use. You move a ton on task chairs. Shifting positions, answering calls, gaming, browsing -- every single one of these tasks are resisted passively by a driving seat. It's not a ton, but over a short time, that gets fatiguing.

Most importantly, they're ugly as gently caress.

Wasabi the J fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Aug 1, 2019

# ? Aug 1, 2019 18:18

Kilazar: Mar 23, 2010

Thanks all. Those are pretty much the points I tried to make, but each time I get met with "well it's really comfortable to me" and I'm wondering how much of it was just purchase justification. I had a friend last year that I tried having the same conversation with to be met with the same responses.

# ? Aug 1, 2019 18:27

LLSix: Jan 20, 2010; The real power behind countless overlords

Kilazar posted:

Thanks all. Those are pretty much the points I tried to make, but each time I get met with "well it's really comfortable to me" and I'm wondering how much of it was just purchase justification. I had a friend last year that I tried having the same conversation with to be met with the same responses.

The other thing to point to is warranty. High end task chairs come with decade long warranties (My Aeron v2 has a 12 year warranty). Gamer chairs usually don't. Because they last so long, task chairs tend to save you money in the long term. $1000/12 = $83 per year vs $200/2 = $100 per year.

FWIW, you're friend may not like Thinks, I did not find them particularly comfortable either. They're not the nicest chairs Steelcase makes.

# ? Aug 1, 2019 19:16

Digital_Jesus: Feb 10, 2011

Thats why the first �gaming� chair Ive ever sat in that I liked was the secretlabs one I mentioned earlier. Its really just a great chair in the $400 range that happens to be trying to cash in on gamerbux.

# ? Aug 1, 2019 20:15

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 11:29

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Digital_Jesus posted:

Thats why the first �gaming� chair Ive ever sat in that I liked was the secretlabs one I mentioned earlier. Its really just a great chair in the $400 range that happens to be trying to cash in on gamerbux.

I have a Secretlab Titan that I've been using working from home at my PC for hours on end and it works great. As you noted also though, as racing seats are meant to keep you in place, the Titan specifically has much lower side "bucket" edges than their other models, and it is really for fatass wideload types like myself that just need something supportive for long duration sitting.

Also, I had a problem with mine and they shipped me parts to fix it just because I showed them a picture of it hosed up. Good service

# ? Aug 2, 2019 06:28

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > Computer chairs: the backbone of a good sit up.

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