Ergonomic Task chair

[mullidan]

I don't know about you guys, but I can easily sit in front of my computer 10+ hours a day and the POS cheap office depot chair just doesn't cut it anymore. At my office I have a very nice AllSteel chair with adjustments for pretty much everything. I've come across some potential candidates and would like to get everyone's feedback who has owned, or currently owns any chair in this list. What are your thoughts? Pros/Cons?

Also, if you think I should consider a chair not currently on the list that would be helpful too.

Herman Miller Aeron
  Pros:
   -- Can replace every part of the chair as needed.
  Cons:
   -- No headrest
   -- Mesh is easily torn

- Herman Miller Embody
  Pros:
  -- best chair ever?
  Cons:
   -- PRICE!! baseline price is somewhere around $1100 US.
   
- Haworth Zody
  Pros:
   --
  Cons:
  --

Humanscale Freedom
  Pros:
  --
  Cons:
  -- Cheap armrests can easily crack under pressure.
  -- The seat does not tilt with the back.
  -- Have to buy a gel seat insert

Humanscale Liberty/Different/Smart
  Pros:
  --
  Cons:
  --

Ikea Markus
  Pros:
  -- Price, for ~$200 USD its a pretty nice chair with an amazing price point.
  -- Seat still great after 3yrs of use ( 1 vote )
 Cons:
  - Seat padding wears out after 1yr ( 1 vote )

Although I would never consider any chair like this. When I say ergonomic, I'm thinking... a sitting chair with a moderate amount of ergonomics vs a truly 100% ergonomic chair. Or standing for that matter...

The Saddle chair
 Pros:
 --
 Cons:
  -- Apparently there are cases of ball sack abuse although the sources cannot be confirmed or denied.

[bcredbottle]

I thought about getting a saddle chair but I heard it causes problems with your balls.

I have no idea whether that came from a rigorously researched or verified source.

[njbair]

I've never sat in an Aeron or similarly-priced chair. But I went to my local office center and picked up a really nice chair with 7 adjustment points and a "waterfall" front edge. It was under $300 and I can't imagine anything feeling any better now that I've got it perfectly adjusted.

[1swt2gs]

I'm looking at getting a Herman Aeron too. Local craigslist posts are selling for ~300 , but still not sold on whether its really worth it.

[bubbedi]

I have the humanscale "freedom" chair - It's not on your list though (not sure if typo since it's normally a chair discussed in the ergonomic topic).

I found a used one here in denmark which was in very nice condition and with a decent pricetag ~400USD

The chair itself is quite amazing but I sort of had to "learn" how to sit in it. Some people have developed lower back pain simply by using the chair(go check amazon customer reviews).
I think the reclining has too little resistance to the likes of most users, and they find themselves reclined when they don't want to.
I don't experience the lack of "reclining-control" but also I'm quite skinny. Also from what I've read the armrests should be terribly weak and easily cracked off if you lift yourself from the chair using the armrests as support. I have not experienced this either, but I've been extremely careful with them(almost 200USD for a replacement shipped to denmark, since I do not have warranty).

Construction apart from the armrests is super solid and the look of the chair admires most who see it. If you could adjust all the mechanics, and not just all the pads(headrest, back, seat) this would be a dream chair. I learned to love the way it moves with me and also it kinda makes me "want" to switch from one position to another more frequently than others chairs I've used. But I assure you the chair does not appeal to everyone - and the price for a new one is rather risky if it's not ideal.

I have also tested the HM Aeron (for about an hour only, and the wrong size) - extremely solid build quality! Alot of adjustments to the mechanics which is quite accessible while sitting also. You can also tell by the look of the chair, that it's top quality. A more traditional look than the freedom chair tho, but definitely one of the prettiest I have ever seen in that category.

To sum up the above I think that the Aeron is for the user who appreciates quality and a design that won't play tricks on you.
The freedom chair is for the user who wants to try something entirely different and is not afraid to adjust the normal sitting behavior.

Remember to checkout the brand SteelCase also - I could not find anything in denmark but that's actually what I went for in my ergo-chair-quest.
It is also expensive but I think they have a few more solutions you should checkout/read up on.

[keshley]

OK, I have two ergonomic desk chairs on completely different sides of the scale, both are mentioned in the thread.

Herman Miller Aeron: Fantastic chair with a few faults. Great if you're a bit warm blooded, and tend to sweat in most chairs. The mesh really allows your body to breathe. Can sit it in for hours. If you're shorter, like me, don't need to get a new center cylinder, as the Aeron has a pretty impressive height adjustment range. Not perfect though: no headrest. Doesn't bother when I'm actively typing, but when I want to sit back and watch a youtube video, or read a long article, I miss it. The mesh can snag on break on things. Not easily, but I've had to replace both my seat pan and back. But, its a fully modular chair, the Camaro or Jeep of chairs so to speak. You can build one from scratch with the parts catalog without actually owning any part of the chair.

Humanscale Freedom: Also a fantastic chair, but instead of having a myriad of adjustments, it has 6. Headrest height. Back height. Chair height. Armrest height. Armrest angle. And seatpan location (slides forwards/backwards). The rest of the moving parts adjust completely by themselves, depending on where your body puts pressure on the chair. I don't like the leaning mechanism as much compared to the Aeron, as the entire seat in the Aeron tilts, whereas the Freedom's back is the only part that tilts. But the auto-adjusting headrest is fantastic. Hell, the auto-adjust everything works really well on this chair. However, I had to hammer out the main cylinder to replace it with a shorter one. Which scraped my hardwood floors (they're not entirely even, sigh), so I had to replace the casters after that. Which meant taking apart the ENTIRE chair. PITA. Also, it uses circlips which I think are the most retarded mechanism useable to hold something together. EDIT - had to take apart almost the entire chair for the main cylinder, not the casters

I don't think you can go wrong with either chair, I like them both. I use an Aeron at work, so I tend to use the Freedom at home most of the time. I do advise getting the gel seatpan in the Humanscale if you go that route. I didn't and I regret it. I'll eventually replace it with the gel, but I have one of the spendier leather Freedoms which jacks the price up noticeably, so not exactly high on my list.

Both of my chairs are over 5 years old (the Aeron is about 9), so they're long lasting as well.

[Frizer]

I have the Herman Miller Sayl chairs at home. Very comfortable and well worth checking out. We have a few Aerons at work and I like them once you get them setup but I find them bit too fancy for home.

[steve.v]

Those are some very nice chairs. I have a herman aeron chair. I love it. I recommend a small thin cushion on the mesh seat to provide perfect longterm comfort. Love the embody but its too expensive. Have you looked at the steelcase leap 2?

[katushkin]

We've got Humanscale Tasks at work, and I really don't rate them. I much prefer the Mirra

[SamirD]

I have the Ikea Markus and it's possibly one you should put on your list.  It's probably one of the cheapest chairs, but still has a great design and solid build quality.  I'm going on year 3 sitting on mine and it's still great.

[Kola93]

I went from Ikea Markus to Herman Miller Embody.

Embody is the best investment I have made, and it has corrected my poor body posture, and I no longer slouch.

I cannot recommend a better one. Aeron is outdated. Markus's cushioning becomes flat over a few months (less than a year). Embody is a lot more ventilated as well, and feels better than the Aeron's mesh.

[mullidan]

I went from Ikea Markus to Herman Miller Embody.

Embody is the best investment I have made, and it has corrected my poor body posture, and I no longer slouch.

I cannot recommend a better one. Aeron is outdated. Markus's cushioning becomes flat over a few months (less than a year). Embody is a lot more ventilated as well, and feels better than the Aeron's mesh.

Rythm or Balance fabric?

[weehooherod]

I was able to get a brand new Herman Miller Embody for $750 on craigslist in Silicon Valley. Depending on the area you live in, you may be able to find cheap chairs on CL from shut down businesses. Steel case leaps are commonly ~$200 on CL if you're looking to spend less.

[bjb39]

Remember to checkout the brand SteelCase also - I could not find anything in denmark but that's actually what I went for in my ergo-chair-quest.
It is also expensive but I think they have a few more solutions you should checkout/read up on.

+1 for SteelCase. I picked up a used SteelCase Leap



and it's the most comfortable chair I've ever owned. Pricey, but I highly recommend it.

[treefinger]

For those that have had the opportunity to use both the Leap and the Aeron or Embody, which of the three do you prefer? I have a chance to buy a slightly used Aeron for a good price, but I am hesitant to pull the trigger.

[wackottl]

I tired a lot of different chairs and all of them broke down after about 2.5 years.  Finally I had enough and built my own out of a car seat.



I still have to change the seat cover every year or so, but it's way more comfortable and durable.

[weehooherod]

For those that have had the opportunity to use both the Leap and the Aeron or Embody, which of the three do you prefer? I have a chance to buy a slightly used Aeron for a good price, but I am hesitant to pull the trigger.

I use an Embody at home and a Leap at work. I prefer the embody as it is a lot more comfortable. However, I really dislike how you can't lock the seat of the Embody in a leaning back position. I like to have my chair angled back and stay in place if I lean forward. The embody will clunk down into a flat position when I do this. The steelcase leap seat doesn't lean at all so it isn't a problem.

[1swt2gs]

I tired a lot of different chairs and all of them broke down after about 2.5 years.  Finally I had enough and built my own out of a car seat.

(Attachment Link)

I still have to change the seat cover every year or so, but it's way more comfortable and durable.

Looks super comfortable! Does it lean back and forwards as well?

Any plans to make the base smaller?

[wackottl]

I tired a lot of different chairs and all of them broke down after about 2.5 years.  Finally I had enough and built my own out of a car seat.

(Attachment Link)

I still have to change the seat cover every year or so, but it's way more comfortable and durable.

Looks super comfortable! Does it lean back and forwards as well?

Any plans to make the base smaller?

It's adjustable all the way forward and ridiculously far back with a lever on the side, that's why the base is so long so it won't topple backwards.  I could adjust the height with a wrench but I don't need to, it's set perfectly for me and I have not once wanted it any other way.

I built this chair with the theory that adjustments were overrated and prone to failure and I've been right about it so far.

I documented the build process if you are really interested.

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p1/

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p2/

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p3/

[1swt2gs]

I tired a lot of different chairs and all of them broke down after about 2.5 years.  Finally I had enough and built my own out of a car seat.

(Attachment Link)

I still have to change the seat cover every year or so, but it's way more comfortable and durable.

Looks super comfortable! Does it lean back and forwards as well?

Any plans to make the base smaller?

It's adjustable all the way forward and ridiculously far back with a lever on the side, that's why the base is so long so it won't topple backwards.  I could adjust the height with a wrench but I don't need to, it's set perfectly for me and I have not once wanted it any other way.

I built this chair with the theory that adjustments were overrated and prone to failure and I've been right about it so far.

I documented the build process if you are really interested.

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p1/

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p2/

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p3/

I'll check it out! The base is a little too big for my tastes but its very functional considering you wan't it to be able to lean all the way back without toppling!

[SamirD]

I tired a lot of different chairs and all of them broke down after about 2.5 years.  Finally I had enough and built my own out of a car seat.

(Attachment Link)

I still have to change the seat cover every year or so, but it's way more comfortable and durable.

Looks super comfortable! Does it lean back and forwards as well?

Any plans to make the base smaller?

It's adjustable all the way forward and ridiculously far back with a lever on the side, that's why the base is so long so it won't topple backwards.  I could adjust the height with a wrench but I don't need to, it's set perfectly for me and I have not once wanted it any other way.

I built this chair with the theory that adjustments were overrated and prone to failure and I've been right about it so far.

I documented the build process if you are really interested.

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p1/

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p2/

http://wackomedia.com/custom-computer-chair-p3/

Very cool!  Very cool web site too.

[1swt2gs]

After checking out this thread, I looked up Herman Miller Aeron to attempt to get a chair off craigslist. Is there such thing as fake Hermans?

[steve.v]

After checking out this thread, I looked up Herman Miller Aeron to attempt to get a chair off craigslist. Is there such thing as fake Hermans?

Yes, fake parts. Hard to fake the base though.

[1swt2gs]

After checking out this thread, I looked up Herman Miller Aeron to attempt to get a chair off craigslist. Is there such thing as fake Hermans?

Yes, fake parts. Hard to fake the base though.

Any way to spot a real vs fake?

[Steezus]

I have the Herman Miller Aeron and a DXRacer F series. For a long day of sitting at the computer I love to use the Aeron, the mesh seems to just have the perfect amount of tension to make it really comfortable. I like to sit in my DXRacer when I'm just browsing the forums, watching some streams/netflix, or just relaxing. I really like the almost 180 degree tilt on the DXRacer.

[umeboshi]

Have both Aeron and a Leap.  The Aeron back support is firmer and the mesh feels better if sitting for a long duration.  The Leap has more, and easier to make adjustments - I really like that you can slide the seat forwards to get more leg support.

[shibataken]

I am fan of the Aeron, I used to be the type that bought cheap chairs that lasted 12 months and would just re buy them thinking it would save money in the long run.  Instead as I got older with lower back pains I decided to splurge on a Herman Miller for their 12 year warranties.  The upfront cost was a little hard to swallow but my butt thanks me.

[Glod]

ive had my HM embody for over 5 years now, its still great, i probably could get some parts replaced if i wanted to get it more "like new" but its fine the way it is, and Im a 300lb+ dude, big people tend to make chairs that are usually said to be durable break after just a couple years.

The chair is really unique, you sit differently in it, you can be sitting on it for 10+ hours, which i do, and not feel like you have been sitting that long. It is not a relaxing chair though and neither are other task chairs like the leap, these types of chairs put you in a constant alert working position, or at least they should.

I am considering going to standing desk though, just because i am worried about the fact i sit at a computer 10+ hours a day 6 days a week for the past 7 years.