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I am in need of a new computer chair, and I didn't see an appropriate thread or forum. Since some of us spend 4 hours or longer each day sitting in a chair in front of the computer, I figure it would be worthwhile to ask. Here is what I am looking for: - Adjustable height, pretty standard on almost any office chair. - Comfortable, given here. - Metal arm rests? I have had a cheap leather chair from Office Depot in the past that have had the plastic arms eventually break off. It might have just been the chair itself, but if metal covered with faux leather or fabric doesn't add much to the price - Good price. Not so much a budget, but nothing overpriced, gimmicky, etc. I'd like a chair for cheap, but a sturdy one. - Leans forward as well as back. I don't see this too often, so I guess this is optional. I guess the standard offerings in this category as far as online dealers go include Staples, Office Depot, Costco, Ikea. Any others? How about sites with frequent sales/coupons/other good deals? Maybe we need a Furniture Funhouse sub forum.
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Jan 21, 2011 07:03
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In my experience most office chairs from retail stores tend to wear out in a couple years. In contrast I've heard that some of the really fancy expensive chairs (Aeron, etc) can last decades. If that's true then it may be worth the "investment", particularly if the chair is more comfortable. Anyone have any experience with really long lasting chairs?
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Jan 21, 2011 07:20
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Here's 80% of the probable answers in this thread: Aeron, Steelcase Leap (although I'm a fan of the Steelcase Criteron myself). Try to find them used locally, they'll last forever.
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Jan 21, 2011 07:23
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My personal experience with the Aeron chairs at work is that they must take a bit of getting used to. That weird mesh feels funky... maybe I just didn't give it enough time, but I switched back to a regular cloth+padding office chair. Just my 2 cents.
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Jan 21, 2011 07:45
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ragzilla posted:Here's 80% of the probable answers in this thread: Aeron, Steelcase Leap (although I'm a fan of the Steelcase Criteron myself). There's also Humanscale.
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Jan 21, 2011 07:49
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ragzilla posted:Here's 80% of the probable answers in this thread: Aeron, Steelcase Leap (although I'm a fan of the Steelcase Criteron myself). Those chairs look amazing, but too rich for what I am looking to spend right now, at least as far as the new price goes. Do these show up on Craigslist often? Or with huge (30, 40, 50%) price breaks or sales?
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Jan 21, 2011 07:59
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This thread couldn't have come at a better time since my office depot throw away chair is finally collapsing under my (non-fat) goon body. Definitely looking for quality, but nothing as expensive as what's been introduced in this thread so far. Is there anything worth buying in the $200-$300 range or am I just going to end up with a repeat of what I have already?
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Jan 21, 2011 08:27
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For $200-$300, your best bet is to look for a used Aeron, Steelcase Leap, or Humanscale chair on Craigslist. Buying a new chair for that money will either get you a high-end Office Depot chair (which is still crap), or a low-end Aeron/Steelcase/Humanscale chair (which is a lot better, but won't be very comfortable). Finding a chair on Craigslist may take a while though. The way I look at it: you spend 8-9 hours a day for most of the year in your office chair, so spend the extra money to get something REALLY good. The investment will pay off in the chair's longevity, overall comfort, and in fewer medical problems down the line. If you do decide to invest more money, the sweet spot seems to be about $700-$900. Below that and the chairs aren't as comfy (although some of them may work for you), above that and you start getting into gimmicks that don't affect your comfort as much (only exception are some Humanscale chairs which retail for $1000+ but are comfy as hell). Pendragon fucked around with this message at 14:06 on Jan 21, 2011 |
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Jan 21, 2011 14:02
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I'm considering going no-chair for a standing office solution. I say this because I spend 8 hours at my computer while at work, and anywhere from 3-4 hours on my computer at home. Regardless of how much exercise you get, your muscles are not being supported properly while sitting, and this leads to the posture problems, etc. because chairs are not "normal" when considering human evolution. Might be something you'd want to look into as an alternative, though it will require some shifting of your desk. You can also sort of use books/boxes to stack monitors and keyboard to a standing height if you don't want to fork over a bunch of money for an IKEA standing workstation. This is a good read: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/standing-at-work/
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Jan 21, 2011 18:34
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LLJKSiLk posted:I'm considering going no-chair for a standing office solution. I say this because I spend 8 hours at my computer while at work, and anywhere from 3-4 hours on my computer at home. Our shop is primarily standing only. We have a couple stools that rotate around for the fat and lazy to use. My biggest recommendation is to make whatever surface you're working at tall enough that you don't have to hunch over it. Otherwise you end up doing even more damage to your body.
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Jan 21, 2011 18:41
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I like using my stand-up setup, but I am finding that I lock my knees way too much for it to not be painful after a 9 hour workday.
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Jan 21, 2011 18:49
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ShadowHawk posted:In my experience most office chairs from retail stores tend to wear out in a couple years. In contrast I've heard that some of the really fancy expensive chairs (Aeron, etc) can last decades. If that's true then it may be worth the "investment", particularly if the chair is more comfortable. I have my father's Hag Signet chair that he purchased in the 80's. I'm still using it after he got himself a new chair, and there's nothing wrong with it at all. It even still looks new. I am not quite sure how much it cost, but I'd imagine it would definitely be more than if you bought a chair at office depot.
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Jan 21, 2011 18:50
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Get any rolling and swiveling desk chair with a hardwood seat and back. Cushions are for fatties.
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Jan 21, 2011 19:11
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Pendragon posted:For $200-$300, your best bet is to look for a used Aeron, Steelcase Leap, or Humanscale chair on Craigslist. I picked up a second-hand Aeron at a local office liquidator store for $500. I'm tempted to pick up another one for use at work.
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Jan 21, 2011 20:11
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Pendragon posted:The way I look at it: you spend 8-9 hours a day for most of the year in your office chair, Jesus christ you guys are depressing me.
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Jan 21, 2011 20:16
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Where the hell do guys find $300 Aerons?
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Jan 21, 2011 21:01
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Tab8715 posted:Where the hell do guys find $300 Aerons? http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/fuo/2168087220.html Getting close in my area.
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Jan 21, 2011 21:15
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As everyone mentioned, you should really try to find a chair from a professional office furniture company (Steelcase, Herman Miller, etc.) instead of a big box retailer. The retail chairs are cheap, but they are flimsy and will not hold up to regular use, even the $300 ones. They might be plush and comfortable for the 5 minutes that you're in the store, but they are rarely supportive for a full work day. On the other hand, the most basic professional chairs may not be the most comfortable at first, but they can be very supportive and get through a 10 hour day just fine. Some of the things to look for: dense padding or another cushioning mechanism (Aeron), steel construction (the cheaper retail chairs will be almost entirely molded plastic bases attached to a steel shock, and a cardboard seat base), multiple adjustments. I recommend buying a nice chair used if you're trying to save cash. You can find some deals on Craigslist, but in my experience it's been best to find a local office liquidator. Here in Austin there's a warehouse on the east side of town where they buy up the furniture of companies that went under for pennies on the dollar. Then they might do minor repairs like replacing casters and cleaning them. Then they'll sell them for roughly 40% of the new retail price. You can get an especially good deal if they have an odd number of chairs or one that's a different color than 10 others which match. I snagged a Steelcase Criterion for $20, albeit in purple and I had to spend 10 minutes cleaning and tweaking it myself. Best $20 I ever spent. Plus, if you pay cash at these types of places and you want just a single chair, you can probably swing a deal. I'm convinced the guy I talked to just pocketed my cash and hurried me out the door.
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Jan 21, 2011 21:44
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Does anyone know a good office liquidation place in the Twin cities?
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Jan 21, 2011 21:47
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Just to add to the chorus, can't go wrong with HM/Steelcase/Humanscale. However a word of warning, there's a lot of Aeron copies out there but you shouldn't consider them. Generally the achilles heel is the mesh; instead of being long lasting and low maintenance they'll often tear and accumulate weird gunk. Some okay 'second tier' brands include: Allseating Boss Office/Office Star (very utilitarian) HON (same) TheErgoOffice (Their Aeron copy is actually okay but not great) ZUO (these just look cool and are pretty good build quality) Another thing you'll probably want to look for is either 'Commercial use' or '24/7 chair'. A 24/7 chair is meant to be occupied at all times, due to shift work and so on. You obviously won't be using it 24 hours, but they are generally of higher build quality. A commercial use chair will usually have a much better warranty. Lastly (not knowing your dimensions) some people swear by Big and Tall chairs, even if they're not big and tall. The average use chair is rated at 250 lbs though most of them can easily sustain more. Big and tall are usually just built that little bit stronger, though you might have trouble with head/arm rest adjustment if you're really short. (If you can't tell that I used to work in office furniture oops I guess I gave that away) I did a quick google and came up with these guys. They're probably not super competitive (I was involved in logistics not pricing so I wouldn't know) but it should give you an idea of what's out there: http://www.moreofficechairs.com/Office-Chairs--C292.htm You won't notice HM/Steelcase/etc there because those guys only have 3-4 online sellers at most. I think Steelcase might be exclusively through them only I'm not sure.
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Jan 21, 2011 22:05
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Anybody used kneeling chairs before? The concept seem intriguing if nothing else.
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Jan 22, 2011 02:23
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Actually Amazon.com has Herman Miller/Aeron and Steelcase too so maybe check that out. Mostly new but some used (none for Aeron though).
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Jan 22, 2011 02:35
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Cosmo Clock 21 posted:Anybody used kneeling chairs before? The concept seem intriguing if nothing else. I have a friend who swears by them, but if you don't have a very close thigh/calf ratio, they can be grueling. I have terrible knees and could never use them. Also, if you already have a slouch, they aren't very good, as you can easily pitch forward and make it worse, not better.
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Jan 22, 2011 02:56
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Took the plunge and purchased an Aeron off craigslist today and I can feel the difference already, thanks for the heads up!
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Jan 22, 2011 03:09
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Jonny 290 posted:I like using my stand-up setup, but I am finding that I lock my knees way too much for it to not be painful after a 9 hour workday. You could look into a drafting style setup. The tables can be adjusted pretty high easily to accommodate standing, and you can get a bar stool or drafting chair to fit the desk. I used this to find a good height range for standing desks at my height: http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/305/language/en-US/default.aspx Then I just checked around for a table at that height and a chair to fit. Edit: You could even get an Aeron stool and be all  http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Aeron-StoolEdit2: There's a $400 stool that is also supposedly designed to strengthen your core by making you fight to stay upright. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/wigli-stool-has-your-back/ It's made by the Dutch, whose milkmaids know a thing or two about stools. Hexaemeron fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Jan 22, 2011 |
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Jan 22, 2011 03:21
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I know the Aeron is like the gold standard of chairs, but I'm quite taken with the Herman Miller Embody (I think that spine-like structure on the back looks awesome). I've heard it billed in some places as superior to the Aeron- and it's also a bit more expensive. Has anyone here had any experience with the Embody and/or have an opinion on it?
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Jan 22, 2011 05:02
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ignore
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Jan 22, 2011 05:12
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Electric Bugaloo posted:I know the Aeron is like the gold standard of chairs, but I'm quite taken with the Herman Miller Embody (I think that spine-like structure on the back looks awesome). I've heard it billed in some places as superior to the Aeron- and it's also a bit more expensive. I just purchased an embody, and I use it for work. I can say that it is a little different compared to the aeron (which I sat in briefly). Right off the bat the Embody seems a little less stiff, and, since it doesn't have the mesh, it is a warmer seat (which may be a positive or a negative, for me I liked it more, because my office has the AC going on during the winter). It's so hard to explain without sitting your butt down in them, but they are both great chairs. The embody is a little narrower at the top, which makes reaching for things to your left and right a little better, and the arm rests are a lot more moveable than the aerons. The embody's armrests move out (to the left and right), as well as up and down. I like the embody because I naturally want to lean back in my chair - the embody allows me to do this pretty well, and it's very comfortable for extended periods of time. In all honesty, if you can find a herman miller retailer where you live, go down there and sit in some seats.
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Jan 22, 2011 06:05
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Any comments, experiences, or warnings about this chair: http://www.officedepot.ca/a/products/510830/Realspace-PRO-Quantum-60percent-Recycled-Mesh/ I need to confirm but I believe one person at my office has one. If this is indeed the chair he has than at least from my occasional dalliances with it I'm tempted to get one, especially at that price since getting a Hermain-Miller or Steelcase in Canada used seems practically impossible (at a decent used price).
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Jan 24, 2011 03:16
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Melraidin posted:Any comments, experiences, or warnings about this chair: http://www.officedepot.ca/a/products/510830/Realspace-PRO-Quantum-60percent-Recycled-Mesh/ I have sat in one before and found it very comfortable, but the reviews on it all complained about the same few parts breaking. They either have an update or wiped the reviews it seems, but everywhere that sold it seemed to have the same complaints.
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Jan 24, 2011 11:59
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I have an Aeron at work, and I find it comforatable. One thing not to do with it though is attempt to take it apart, it is not meant for that, and things jam up, or loosen up, or worse. I'd like to try the standing station but, obviously, I don't have furn for that and nor do I have funding. I could probably craft something out of Cisco boxes though.
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Jan 24, 2011 13:19
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Electric Bugaloo posted:I know the Aeron is like the gold standard of chairs, but I'm quite taken with the Herman Miller Embody (I think that spine-like structure on the back looks awesome). I've heard it billed in some places as superior to the Aeron- and it's also a bit more expensive. I upgraded to an Embody from an Aeron when they first came out. I noticed a pretty big difference, especially with reclining/still having poor posture in the chair. While it is kind of odd to still have poor posture in an ergonimcal chair, I'm getting there haha. The chair really moves with you and there's pretty much no position I can get into and not feel pretty good about. The only downside to the chair is the lack of head rest. If you're not leaning back/sprawling out, or a pretty tall person such as myself you probably wouldn't notice, but it was the one thing about leaps/freedoms that I always wished the aeron/embody had on it. For normal sitting it's definitely not an issue, but again I'm not always in work work work mode while at the PC. The price stings a bit, I paid around $1400 for mine, though I imagine they've went down a bit. If you work at a desk it's well worth the investment though. $1400 for something I'm going to be using 1/3 to 1/2 of every day is a very easy decision for me at least.
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Jan 24, 2011 13:24
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Where do you go to try out an Aeron or an Embody or other high-end chairs? Seems like every place I go only has cheap office chairs.
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Jan 24, 2011 18:56
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Sitting up straight is bad for your spine http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/57654.php
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Jan 25, 2011 02:39
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fleshweasel posted:Jesus christ you guys are depressing me. Wow just wow, sitting 8-9 hours a day, goons are so fat. I'm off to have sex with my girlfriend, later nerds
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Jan 25, 2011 03:03
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NOTinuyasha posted:Wow just wow, sitting 8-9 hours a day, goons are so fat. I'm off to have sex with my girlfriend, later nerds I think it's about his realization of how much time he spends sitting in one spot at work.
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Jan 25, 2011 03:18
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Electric Bugaloo posted:I know the Aeron is like the gold standard of chairs, but I'm quite taken with the Herman Miller Embody (I think that spine-like structure on the back looks awesome). I've heard it billed in some places as superior to the Aeron- and it's also a bit more expensive. I sat in one briefly while looking for a new chair. It sounds nice on paper, and it's nice to sit in, but probably not worth an extra $500-$700 over an Aeron or Leap unless you don't mind spending the extra money. I would look at the office chair continuum like this: Embody, Humanscale Freedom | Aeron, Leap | | Mirra | | | | | | | | High-end big-box chair | | | | | Low-end big-box chair In the end, your best bet is to find a local retailer for high-end office chairs and try them out. Maybe you would think it's worth the money. Pendragon fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Jan 25, 2011 |
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Jan 25, 2011 14:31
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I had a Leap but was disappointed in how hard the seat was and had to return it. Got an Aeron and have been really happy since. I also added a headrest to it that I bought off Ebay.
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Jan 26, 2011 11:35
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This thread reminded me I promised myself a new office chair for Christmas and set some money aside. I had a look around at the generic office chairs at most furniture stores I could find but was mostly unimpressed, this thread inspired me to check Online stores/Ebay and I've found a few potential leads. Probably won't pan out at the price I want but I'm sure I'll eventually end with something of much higher quality than generic PU office chair #4.
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Jan 26, 2011 16:39
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This thread also reminded me that I needed a new chair. Working from home, I probably spend 10+ hours in my chair. I decided to pick up a used Aeron on ebay. I had one at my last job and I loved it, so I knew it was a good choice.
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Jan 26, 2011 21:20
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