where to try ergonomic chairs?

[planet36]

Are there stores to try ergonomic chairs (by well-known brands like Herman Miller, Humanscale, Steelcase, etc.)?

In office supply stores I visit, I only find non-ergonomic chairs.

[gak1234]

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[typo]

I would be concerned. Depending on how much you sit. The Staples chair may be comfortable now but could cause serious injury. The Embody is a fantastic chair and should fit someone very small. That is why it is one size unlike the Aeron. It can go from 4'6" 90# to myself at over 7 feet and nearly 400#. Of course the warranty is only 300# but I have no doubt it will hold 600#. That person would run into a problem with the armrests though. I barely make it, but I do even though it is not supposed to be. It just goes to show it is very flexible in size. I had to fit a 27" gas cylinder from another brand for myself. I use a sit/stand raised to where I sit. The Embody is fantastic but it is not for everyone. I would just be weary of the Staples chair if you sit more than 2hours/day.

[gak1234]

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[davkol]

comfortable != healthy

[gak1234]

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[cmc]

Last time I bought a chair (Humanscale Freedom), I went to Design Within Reach, which also had most of the Herman Miller and Steelcase chairs, as well as Knoll and some others. If you’re in the SF Bay area or Portland, Oregon, Fully (which used to be ErgoDepot, but apparently thought that name was too confusing) has showrooms where you can try out several brands of chairs (notably Varier).

Another brand to consider is the Ekornes Stressless chairs.  We have a couch and some lounge chairs, and they’re some of the most comfortable furniture I’ve ever sat on. We happened to find some of their office chairs when we were in the UK, and they are just as amazingly comfortable.

A good chair is a good investment; it’s a shame that you can’t rent them for a couple of weeks or months so you can try them out and really figure out if they work for you.

[gak1234]

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[davkol]

pain, headaches, stiff muscles, circulation issues, etc caused by an uncomfortable chair != healthy... and for that matter, healthy != uncomfortable.

<insert a rant about logic>

Let me put it this way: a comfortable chair is great and stuff, but it doesn't prevent (in fact, when used too much, then it does cause) muscle weakening/shortening. That's also the problem with horizontally oriented setups: weakening of the cardiovascular system.

That's why there's a whole segment of ergonomic chairs that are slightly uncomfortable in the sense that they prevent sitting still for longer periods of time.

Although, I'm not saying it applies in this case, if you got pain, headaches, stiff muscles and circulation issues among other things from sitting in a chair for only 10 minutes. O_o

[gak1234]

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[seva1385]

Google for "ergonomic furniture near me"
Also, consider user office furniture stores; you can get an almost new chair for a fraction of the price.

[Findecanor]

I have never had so much back pain as when I was forced to use a Kinnarps chair with umpteen different knobs and dials. I had it adjusted by their representative "expert" and it didn't do much difference either. My back improved only after I had quit that job.

Either you sit comfortably in a chair that allows you to slouch, or you use a backless "kneeling chair".

[templanet]

Either you sit comfortably in a chair that allows you to slouch, or you use a backless "kneeling chair".

Kneeling chairs will wreck your knee joints so I hear. My parents bought me one when I was a teenager and I do remember it gave me sore knees. I use a saddle chair now, but I've found with a saddle chair if I don't have a body pocket cutout to rest my forearms on, my back gets tired and I want to return to a normal chair.

[BettyBallard]

Yes, there are a number of stores available today through which you can choose the required ergonomic chair. I would rather advise you to go with the store who can provide you the chair with high quality that too at an affordable rate. Last week, a friend of mine purchased an ergonomic chair from the store of [Redacted]. If you want you can click [redacted] for more info regarding the quality of chair they provide along with the price too. Hope this can help you in finding the best chair for yourself. Or else you can choose to go with some other options too.

Mod Edit: Removed promotional links

[xack]

Also was on the hunt for an ergo chair, but they are all quiet expansive... and most of them did not feel right to me. I ended up buying an IKEA MARKUS, which is not very customizable (and not avertised as an ergo chair) but I guess I just had the body shape it was made for. So far I'm very happy with it, but that might very from person to person.

[topretoucher]

I know you’re asking about stores specifically, but one thing I’ve done is to try out chairs I’ve been thinking about purchasing by using craigslist and finding people who are selling them. Bonus: gives you the option to buy right then and there if the price is right and you’re cool with used

[MHayden]

Last time I bought a chair (Humanscale Freedom), I went to Design Within Reach, which also had most of the Herman Miller and Steelcase chairs, as well as Knoll and some others. If you’re in the SF Bay area or Portland, Oregon, Fully (which used to be ErgoDepot, but apparently thought that name was too confusing) has showrooms where you can try out several brands of chairs (notably Varier).

Another brand to consider is the Ekornes Stressless chairs.  We have a couch and some lounge chairs, and they’re some of the most comfortable furniture I’ve ever sat on. We happened to find some of their office chairs when we were in the UK, and they are just as amazingly comfortable.

A good chair is a good investment; it’s a shame that you can’t rent them for a couple of weeks or months so you can try them out and really figure out if they work for you.

I want to second all of this.

I went through *several* ****ty office outlet chairs before getting my Embody. The Embody is *way* healthier; I can work longer days and *still* feel better than I did before. (Lower back pain, etc.) My one complaint is that it doesn't do the "tilt forward" thing that the Aeron did.

Furthermore, given the warranty you get, and the typical life span I saw with the cheap chairs, the high end chairs are a substantially better deal in terms of NPV.

If I had people on my staff who sat for long periods of time, they'd all get the expensive ergo chairs. The finances make doing otherwise crazy. Plus, offering them is a nice work place perk that I could give people. So even if it was only break-even, it would still be a net-win to do it.

There are some promising internet only brands, but I'd be hesitant to try them because which ergo chair works for you is very much a matter of your unique physiology. I can't see any option other than just trying them.

My general thought is that the Embody is the chair that works best for the bulk of the population in most situations. Others are good for specific people in specific situations. (The Embody takes a lot of work to tune for a specific individual, so if you are in an office where people don't "own" a particular chair, it wouldn't work. Its arm rests have limited adjustability, so if you need the more advanced adjustments other chairs offer, then you go with them, etc.)