Need some chair recomendations.

[lam47]

Hey.
I need a new office chair and am looking to spend around £100 to get something that will be comfortable for long sessions of work and play.

I like old fashioned styling and would prefer green or brown to the more common black.

Any recommendations would be great as I am not sure how to look for the right thing online as you cant have a sit.

I would like to have a head rest too if possible as my current chair has a rather low back on it.

Thanks for any advice offered.

laurie.

edit

This is the one I like a lot but the price comes to £158 with VAT (grr)
Is it worth the extra?
http://cheapofficefurniture.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1178&language=en&cPath=195#googlebase

[bigpook]

While way over your budget price of 100 pounds, I really like the herman miller mirra chair.
No headrest though. But the hard plastic back is very comfortable. I sit in that chair for hours with no pain.

[lam47]

Thanks.
£350 is the cheapest I can find it.
Mind if I ask why it is so very expensive?

[bigpook]

Thanks.
£350 is the cheapest I can find it.
Mind if I ask why it is so very expensive?

I have no idea. : )


Why are Topre keyboards so expensive?

[lam47]

quality parts and design
The chair looks quite standard though? Im not seeing the money thats gone into it.

[bigpook]

quality parts and design
The chair looks quite standard though? Im not seeing the money thats gone into it.

While I think it is a quality chair and I believe it has a 10 year warranty, it is way overpriced. But it is the most comfortable chair I have yet to sit in. YMMV.

[wheel83]

herman miller = money

back in the dot com days, offices left and right bought herman miller chairs by the boatload at about $1,000 USD a pop.

[bigpook]

herman miller = money

back in the dot com days, offices left and right bought herman miller chairs by the boatload at about $1,000 USD a pop.

And quite a few of those dot com companies are no longer here. I remember reading in the newspaper after the bust when all of that stuff went to auction. The hot items that stood out for me were the herman miller aeron chairs and 20" crt monitors. People were scoring those for pennies on the dollars.

[wumpyr]

Well, I have a Herman Miller Aeron chair, it's about 5 years old.  It gets used every day for many hours, just like a bed does.  It helps with my posture, reduces the overall strain of sitting for long periods and for me is just so much better than the vast array of chairs I've tried over the years.  I'm quite particular about chairs, I don't have a great back.

I couldn't care less that people think it's expensive.  To me, it's dirt cheap (even when imported here) given the lifetime of the chair and the reduced pain and overall benefit I get from it.  I was a true sceptic.  How could a chair possibly cost that much be worth it?  Well what a waste of time asking that question - I'm converted.  So much so I am interested to see how the new embody chair they recently brought out could be any better.

[lam47]

How about those of us who cannot spend so much on a chair?

[bigpook]

I am not sure what to recommend. Through the years I have had the misfortune of sitting on all kinds of substandard office chairs. Some were truly awful. There are other vendors besides herman-miller.  There is also steelcase.
Check this out just for reference:
http://www.bizrate.com/officechairs/brand--steelcase/products__att259--615095-.html

There are some there that may be in your price range. Like anything else, it would be nice to be able to go to a store and actually sit in one to test drive it, before you buy it.

Like keyboards,mice and monitors; the chair you sit in for hours on end is not a frivolous purchase.


ps: I found these at Amazon, it may be useful.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_k?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=office+chairs&x=0&y=0

[bigpook]

This is the one I like a lot but the price comes to £158 with VAT (grr)
Is it worth the extra?
http://cheapofficefurniture.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1178&language=en&cPath=195#googlebase[/QUOTE]

Is there a local store to go to where you can check it out? Its pretty risky buying a chair without sitting in it first.

Oddly, I have bought expensive keyboards blindly....so maybe take my advise with a grain of salt : )

[MANISH7]

Why is it so expensive? (1) So to increase Herman Miller's profit margin. They profited 1.5 billion dollars from the Aeron alone. (2) Nominally higher price tag since the chair is trendy and considered luxury (3) Millions of dollars went into research.  (4) Design is good.

It is certainly not the end all of chairs. You can get something that works for you that doesn't cost so much. However, if are willing to spend the money and care for ergonomics, you cannot go wrong with the HM Aeron chair. If you do go that avenue, don't buy it used because warranty is available only to the original owner. This chair is susceptible to breaking down and the individual parts are very expensive!

Is this chair worth it? Well, sure, it does give you something that's hard to put a price on. At the same time, milk also gives you something that's hard to put a price on. If someone increased the price of milk to $12 / gallon, I'd still buy it. It is true that HM has artificially inflated the Aeron's price (and in return profited immensely).

[MANISH7]

Chairs are one of those things were you are strongly advised to try in person before buying. There's a lot of variety in lumbar shape for people and chairs aren't really one size fits all. You buy a chair that has nice features but if its lumbar support isn't aligned to yours than it won't be particularly comfortable for long periods of sitting. I would also try to find a chair that has armrests easy to move out of the way. Good for computing.

[zwmalone]

IIRC the aeron has a 12 year warranty.  At $700 it's only $0.15 a  day, your body will thank you...

[bigpook]

IIRC the aeron has a 12 year warranty.  At $700 it's only $0.15 a  day, your body will thank you...

I think my warranty is for 10 years. I kind of laughed when I read it since I find it hard to believe that any chair would last that long. My mirra is going on 3 years now and shows no sign of failing. Granted, I am not one to abuse my equipment, I would think you would have to get all gorilla on it to damage it anyways.

I think its hard for a lot of people to lay out that much cash for a chair. I know I felt that way initially. But the cost has been well worth it. I don't feel crippled after sitting in it for hours, and sometimes its many, many hours of sitting.

My mirra is the lower end one, that is, the one that is not uber adjustable. My wife has the aeron with all the bells and whistles. Its amazing how adjustable that chair really is. You can really dial it in.

It may help to amortize the cost over 5 years. A quality chair will last many years and I fully expect the mirra to go the full 10 if not longer.
Over time the cost works itself out. Hope that helps.

[MANISH7]

All Herman Miller furniture comes with 12 year warranty. Your Mirra does have 12 years. The Aeron is priced at 879 for the highly adjustable version. The basic version of the Aeron is a complete waste of money. That's like selling a Model M keyboard without buckling springs. I've had my Aeron for 3 months now. I like it but I realize that other can find other chairs that work great for them.

Edit: by the way, "only 10 years" is no laughing matter for me. I guess I'm stingy. I'm OK with spending the money but in return I want ever bit I can get. I'd be laughing more if the chair came with a lifetime warranty. Of course that's not possible due to the nature of chairs. That's one thing I like about the Model M. Buy it once, it'll last you for the entirety of keyboards.

[bigpook]

I am a bit more jaded. There are very few things that I own that last 10 years. Something always breaks, bends or tears. Always. Except for my model m's : )

My mirra is not fully adjustable but thankfully it works very well for me. In hindsight, I should have sprung the extra money to get the extra functionality. If only because I am a geek and it would give me something to play with : )

[ed_]

I just bought an Embody, and it really can be adjusted to match the exact shape of my spine.  It's flexible, too; I can lean back or to the side and still feel like the chair is providing all the support.  I previously had the best task chair that was offered at the local office store, rated for 8 hours of use, but now even a few minutes in it and I can feel how it forces my spine into a slightly unnatural curve that puts a lot of pressure on it, when before I couldn't.

Most people will spend at least nine years sitting in a work chair.  Every moment that your spine isn't being perfectly supported is a moment that it is receiving extra wear.  A bad back is worse than RSI.

[wumpyr]

I just bought an Embody, and it really can be adjusted to match the exact shape of my spine.  It's flexible, too; I can lean back or to the side and still feel like the chair is providing all the support.  I previously had the best task chair that was offered at the local office store, rated for 8 hours of use, but now even a few minutes in it and I can feel how it forces my spine into a slightly unnatural curve that puts a lot of pressure on it, when before I couldn't.

Most people will spend at least nine years sitting in a work chair.  Every moment that your spine isn't being perfectly supported is a moment that it is receiving extra wear.  A bad back is worse than RSI.

out of interest, have you had much experience with the Aeron? I am interested, as I'm sure are others, how it compares...

[wheel83]

you guys are making me thinking about buying an aeron now.  dammit.

btw unrelated.  i thought tempurpedic's were overpriced.  however i own a classic ($1200).  i've had it 3 years and it's one of the best things i have ever bought. the model m being in my top 25 as well haha.

[lam47]

Well you have all been very helpful! bigpook and his wonderful sloth like thing in particular.
I am going to find a shop to try the chairs in and happily go up to £150 if the comfort and quality warrant it.

Thanks everyone.

+

[lam47]

Just looking at the amazon link and the prices are so much better than over here.
A lot of stuff has been going up by pounds a day!

[wumpyr]

perhaps you can convince the airline you "have your own seat" for the journey back and you know, good way to test too. bring your own life vest though! the chair isn't that good!

[lam47]

All good points.
I am going to have to do some serious sitting on this one.

[cchan]

If they would be driving all day for a living, would they buy the cheapest Chinese or Indian car?

Hmm... Indian autorickshaw drivers driving Tata Nanos... scary ^^

[MANISH7]

I tried the Aeron, and I think it is a very nice chair, but also overrated. The design is rather old, the front plastic rim suspect, and I don't think seating depth can be adjusted.

The chair comes in 3 different sizes to cater to variety of people. If you are sitting in the correct size, the front plastic and seat depth shouldn't be a problem. I know this first hand because my first chair was a size C and it didn't work out. Size B is just right for me. I do agree with you - the Aeron is way overpriced. Nevertheless, I personally chose it over the Steelcase because Posturefit is indeed the better back support IMO. Also, Steelcase does not have forward tilt. I do like their lifetime warranty however (wonder if it is a full warranty or a very limited one).

i thought tempurpedic's were overpriced.

If you are referring to the tempurpedic chair than I agree with you completely. No 800+ chair should have only a "1 year warranty". Completely unacceptable. Should have at least 10 years of *full* warranty. If you are referring to the mattress - I am also looking into memory foam. Of course, I hear Tempurpedics wear out fast so I'll look for a different brand.

[wheel83]

i am talking about the beds.  the beds have a 10 year warranty, i believe.  mine is 3 years old, and shows no signs of wear.  i'm not super fat though. even if it only lasts 2 more years, it was well well worth it.

i wouldnt get any other memory foam.  temrpurpedic knows what they are doing haha.

[iMav]

Memory foam is great.  I've slept on a few beds that had it and it was great.  Still got to get around to puchasing one for myself though.

(what I don't get is those that buy the "sleep number" beds.  It's a glorified air mattress.  I've got one on my closet that I bought for $15.)  

[itlnstln]

(what I don't get is those that buy the "sleep number" beds.  It's a glorified air mattress.  I've got one on my closet that I bought for $15.)  

That's exactly right.  I didn't find them too comfortable in the store.  I sleep in different positions, and I found that I had to change the firmness depending on the position I was in.  I quickly figured out that I wouldn't have to do that with a memory foam matress, and I was right when I tried one out.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to get one yet.  I saw a "generic" memory foam mattress for $200 on Overstock.com, but I am not sure how the "generic" memory foam beds stack up to the Tempurpedic.

[lam47]

No way the model M mini is sex. I would not have 2 of them if it were not
Welcome to geekhack!

[itlnstln]

http://www.i4u.com/full-review-200.html

Do they have any pics of one of the gadget models on the chair?  You know, so I can get a better, uh, look at how the chair might fit a person.

[dougy]

I tried out some Herman Millers and some Steelcase today. All the chairs were nice, the Embody easily the most comfortable. Problem is they are all built for people and workspaces much wider than my requirements. Even pulling in the arms on the Embody to their minimum left me feeling like a 2 year old sitting on dad's recliner. A chair 4 or 5 inches narrower would be a much better fit. Sigh, I don't think anyone cares about tall skinny people.

[tamasrepus]

I've a Herman-Miller Caper XR that I bought from Craigslist NYC for $170. MSRP it is around $350. Cheap fellow's Aeron.

[adamrice]

Oddly enough, my wife and I were shopping for used task chairs over the weekend. My wife's petite, and has a hard time finding a chair she can be comfortable in (she is not happy with her current chair, and just started working from home). My chair is just really old and clapped-out.

She knows she likes the Aeron A size. Apart from being sized to fit her, it requires less weight to move up/down back/forth, unlike other chairs that are adjustable, but are designed for at least ~150 lb sitting on them. The only other chair we found that she liked nearly as well was the Steelcase Leap, which was about $500 used.

My own body is close to the middle of the bell curve, but I've got to admit, none of the chairs I saw are as comfortable or as well put together as the Aeron. Even used, it's $500+, and I have a hard time spending that much on my ass. But I probably will.

for the OP: my old chair is an older model Steelcase. it's actually a fine chair. If you can find a decent used office supply store, they'll probably have an aisle of them. I saw them around here for US$50 or so.

[MANISH7]

Oddly enough, my wife and I were shopping for used task chairs over the weekend. My wife's petite, and has a hard time finding a chair she can be comfortable in (she is not happy with her current chair, and just started working from home). My chair is just really old and clapped-out.

She knows she likes the Aeron A size. Apart from being sized to fit her, it requires less weight to move up/down back/forth, unlike other chairs that are adjustable, but are designed for at least ~150 lb sitting on them. The only other chair we found that she liked nearly as well was the Steelcase Leap, which was about $500 used.

My own body is close to the middle of the bell curve, but I've got to admit, none of the chairs I saw are as comfortable or as well put together as the Aeron. Even used, it's $500+, and I have a hard time spending that much on my ass. But I probably will.

for the OP: my old chair is an older model Steelcase. it's actually a fine chair. If you can find a decent used office supply store, they'll probably have an aisle of them. I saw them around here for US$50 or so.

How does your wife feel about a size B? This way you can both use it? Of course as you probably know, sitting on the wrong size Aeron is a very uncomfortable experience so if she is not just as comfortable in the B as the A in the 30 minutes of sitting at the store then you'll just have to bite the bullet and get a chair just for one person.

Reconsider about getting a used chair. Herman Miller does not honor warranty for used chairs. These chairs are going to break and the individual parts are very expensive and the labor is complicated. A small crack in the seat and it'll run you $279 plus labor. I'd hate to see you spend $500 (which itself is a lot of money) and then 2 years later the seat cracks or something comes up and you end up paying what you "saved" for parts and additional hassle of labor. Either that or you end up with $500 piece of junk. Normally I support the concept of used to save money but not for this chair. Call it a weakness from the Aeron or perhaps the intrinsic nature of how chairs used.

Take a quick browse and see how many people end up in tricky situations by buying used.

http://www.aerons.com/aeron_chair_blog2.php?hs340=topnav_Owner_Comments

[rdjack21]

Oddly enough, my wife and I were shopping for used task chairs over the weekend. My wife's petite, and has a hard time finding a chair she can be comfortable in (she is not happy with her current chair, and just started working from home). My chair is just really old and clapped-out.

She knows she likes the Aeron A size. Apart from being sized to fit her, it requires less weight to move up/down back/forth, unlike other chairs that are adjustable, but are designed for at least ~150 lb sitting on them. The only other chair we found that she liked nearly as well was the Steelcase Leap, which was about $500 used.

My own body is close to the middle of the bell curve, but I've got to admit, none of the chairs I saw are as comfortable or as well put together as the Aeron. Even used, it's $500+, and I have a hard time spending that much on my ass. But I probably will.

for the OP: my old chair is an older model Steelcase. it's actually a fine chair. If you can find a decent used office supply store, they'll probably have an aisle of them. I saw them around here for US$50 or so.

Noticed that you are from Austin where did you go looking? I'm thinking about replacing my current cheap o chair with something better but I have not really  started looking yet so any pointers on where to start would be great.

[itlnstln]

Noticed that you are from Austin where did you go looking? I'm thinking about replacing my current cheap o chair with something better but I have not really  started looking yet so any pointers on where to start would be great.

Has anyone checked out that Relax the Back store on Lamar (I want to say it's on Lamar and 41st-ish near the Central Market, but I could be way off)?  I heard they have some nice chairs, but I would imagine they are quite expensive.

[rdjack21]

Has anyone checked out that Relax the Back store on Lamar (I want to say it's on Lamar and 41st-ish near the Central Market, but I could be way off)?  I heard they have some nice chairs, but I would imagine they are quite expensive.

Yea I intend to go there first if for no other reason than I can sit in them first Then come home and see if I can get what I want cheaper over the net

[adamrice]

rdjack: I only shopped used. I went to a place called Office Outlet, way the hell north (probably not too far from you), which had a huge warehouse and hundreds of chairs, Smart Buy Office Supply on Research, which didn't have a lot of chairs, and finally TOPS on E 5th (which everyone in Austin should know about). I wound up buying a used Aeron at Tops, but my wife and I also looked hard at the Steelcase Leap (which, even used, is still expensive).

I haven't been to Relax the Back (38th & Lamar) in years; the last time I went, I got the impression that the only real reason to shop there would be if you had some kind of hard-to-resolve ergonomic problem.

[MANISH7]

You guys in Texas should try Neutral Posture. They are headquartered in Bryan, TX. Texas is a big state so I'm sure they have regional showrooms. Talk to them in letting you try a chair in person before buying.

They do have a lot of variety and depending the chair model you'll get different features, warranty, prices. If I was living in Texas I'd try a NP model with memory foam, forward tilt, high back, and lifetime warranty. How about the Neutral Posture Sahara Chair? Next time I get another chair I'll check it out.

[itlnstln]

Bryan,  TX - Booooo!  They are akin to College Station.  Fail.

<-UT Longhorn (c/o 2000 - B.A. History, Hook 'Em!)

[rdjack21]

rdjack: I only shopped used. I went to a place called Office Outlet, way the hell north (probably not too far from you), which had a huge warehouse and hundreds of chairs, Smart Buy Office Supply on Research, which didn't have a lot of chairs, and finally TOPS on E 5th (which everyone in Austin should know about). I wound up buying a used Aeron at Tops, but my wife and I also looked hard at the Steelcase Leap (which, even used, is still expensive).

I haven't been to Relax the Back (38th & Lamar) in years; the last time I went, I got the impression that the only real reason to shop there would be if you had some kind of hard-to-resolve ergonomic problem.

Thanks allot I will be checking those places out. I haven't been to Relax the Back before but thought I would check it out.  Haven't heard of TOPs before but then again I'm a transplant from Baytown (SE of Houston) But I have been here a good 15 years.

[rdjack21]

Bryan,  TX - Booooo!  They are akin to College Station.  Fail.

<-UT Longhorn (c/o 2000 - B.A. History, Hook 'Em!)

Yea I was thinking the same thing no way some agie could make a good chair But I did look. Not sure I like them but I have not sat in one yet.

[rdjack21]

I mentioned in an earlier thread that the perfect chair would probably look more like a car seat than the Aeron. The disadvantages I can think of are less adjustability and less tilt functions.

You know at one point I was thinking of getting a car seat and putting a pedestal on it to use as a desk chair. But I have not really thought about that in quite a while. I would think you could get a good used car seat at a salvage yard (especially if you could get one out of a sports car) I think the problem would be mounting it. I just don't have the time to invest in such a project.

That leap picture you have is the standard leap with different arm rests and added head rest and as someone else mentioned you can get those used for around $500 which is not too bad.

[adamrice]

I was thinking of getting a car seat and putting a pedestal on it to use as a desk chair.

It's been done.

[FKSSR]

BEAUTY!  Based off the cost of what looks to be a stripped-down version, I bet these chairs are very expensive...

[wheel83]

recaro is the best.  i miss my old red suedo recaros and takata harnesses.

[rdjack21]

It's been done.

Man those are some fine looking chairs. But when a web site refuses to specify the price and instead asks you to request a quote I just know they will be way more than I can afford. I think I will see if I can find a leap and try that.

[bigpook]

Man those are some fine looking chairs. But when a web site refuses to specify the price and instead asks you to request a quote I just know they will be way more than I can afford. I think I will see if I can find a leap and try that.

The old saying is if you have to ask what it costs then you most likely can't afford it : (

Its still a nice looking chair though.