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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: Chojo31 on Tue, 05 July 2011, 12:43:07
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I really like the Leap chair by Steelcase, but I need to try it first.
Dunno if you guyz know a good website where I can get that chair or steelcase products for a better price than the regular?
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The site isn't much to look at, but I've had nothing but good luck with these guys: http://www.sit4less.com/
I first bought a Herman Miller Aeron in 2001 from them. Sent it back (twice) for service as recently as last year. (HM warranties are the best!) Bought my current chair, a Herman Miller Embody from them recently. Very good service, and 365 day return policy.
Not sure their Steelcase selection, but I did see one on the homepage, so I guess they carry some.
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The Leap is a great chair, highly recommended. I believe Sit4Less has a 30 day return policy on it as well, so it's hard to go wrong with them.
Also have a look at the Haworth Zody if the Leap doesn't do it for you.
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Yeah, I think it says Steelcase that were ordered with custom colors (direct from factory) have 30 day. (You pay for shipping back.) Though, perhaps if you get one they have in stock, their standard 365 policy is valid.
BTW, I meant to say... the Leap is a great chair. I actually thought about getting it instead of the Embody, but I've had a good run with Herman Miller. It would be hard not to like it. (Though, every chair takes a little time to get used to... so 30 days isn't enough to truly judge anything but the obvious stuff.)
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Chojo, if you don't live in a remote area, you might be able to find a dealer showroom that carries Steelcase products. Here in the Silicon Valley area there are various companies that supply companies with furniture or interior design services that also double as local area representatives for certain companies.
I have a Hawworth Zody that I love to death and I was able to get an appointment to just go hang out in one of the conference rooms of their local distributor for a couple of hours and do an afternoon of work in one of their Zody chairs. I similarly got a chance to try out an Aeron chair from a Herman Miller affiliated interior designer.
Those places can also have the best prices too. Don't assume that the online sources are the cheapest. Sometimes these distribution centers will charge you close to the price they'd charge their larger clients.
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Chojo, if you don't live in a remote area, you might be able to find a dealer showroom that carries Steelcase products. Here in the Silicon Valley area there are various companies that supply companies with furniture or interior design services that also double as local area representatives for certain companies.
I have a Hawworth Zody that I love to death and I was able to get an appointment to just go hang out in one of the conference rooms of their local distributor for a couple of hours and do an afternoon of work in one of their Zody chairs. I similarly got a chance to try out an Aeron chair from a Herman Miller affiliated interior designer.
Those places can also have the best prices too. Don't assume that the online sources are the cheapest. Sometimes these distribution centers will charge you close to the price they'd charge their larger clients.
Alright, thanks for the quick answer guy and sorry for my poor english :)
I live near Montreal (1 dealer is there) I will go try it when I will get free time. But so far I remember, the dealer have the same price that the steelcase website. I'm just in search of a good deal because Im a student!
Sit4less have the same exact price (879$), no deal at all :(
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If you get the Leap2 ( I think it's called that) it's a little less than a hundred dollars cheaper. But you don't get any color choices, just the black and grey. It's the same chair, but they mass produced one color to make it a little cheaper.
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I live near Montreal (1 dealer is there) I will go try it when I will get free time.
Ah, but with a dealer, you can always try to ask if they can cut you a deal. Go try out the chair, be really friendly, ask the price, and then ask if they can go lower for you.
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Try the Steelcase Amia as well. I really like mine and it costs almost $300 less than the Leap.
"Steelcase... for Americans."
(http://pet-portraits.net/Clint_Eastwood_Portrait.jpg)
(Trademark Ripster)
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And push that student card. A lot of places have student discounts, but often don't mention them until asked.
One of these days, I'll get a good chair. I'm mostly happy with my Office Depot mesh chair (RealSpace 9000 -- yes, stupid name), but it definitely lacks in areas. I absolutely love the Aeron, but nearly $1000 for a chair is not something I can justify at the moment (or in the foreseeable future). I really need to get out of school and get a job...
Edit: Anyone have any comment on the Zody?
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Edit: Anyone have any comment on the Zody?
I have one and I love it. The best thing about it is how easy it is to adjust. Most chairs have a series of knobs and levers that require an instruction manual to figure out and are often difficult enough to operate that people tend to find a good setting and leave it there. The Zody is so easy to adjust I constantly fiddle around with different aspects to change my support needs throughout the day.
For most of the day, the armrests are dropped away down low. As it gets later into the day and I'm really getting tired, they come up and I use them for support. The seatback tension is controlled by a rotating handle which is a revelation if you're used to having to crawl under your chair and adjust the seat back tension with two hands.
It's also especially good if you have torsion in your pelvis that causes you pain. It's the only chair that I know of that has stabilizers around the area of your sacrum to put leveling pressure on both sides of your pelvis to get it straightened out when you sit all the way back in the chair.
The lumbar support system is very gentle, but so gentle that I find it questionable in effectiveness. It's not an issue for me though because I find it so comfortable to sit straight upright in the chair that I don't often ever lean back enough into the lumbar support.
The only drawbacks that I can find is that for some reason the armrests are too easy to move laterally. I've noticed on numerous Zody chairs that it only takes a light push to move the armrests east and west. It's supposed to take more force than that.
It's also a chair that you need to understand in order to get the best use of. People tend to think of their chairs like braces and are disappointed when there's some flex in it or it doesn't hold them up like an exoskeleton or isn't plush like a big sofa. This is the wrong way to think about your chair if you're a healthy person. The Zody has a flexible back that's meant to flex a bit when you lean back into it. It supports your movement, but doesn't stop it. I find that the slight flex makes it less likely for me to slouch when I'm really really tired.
In comparison to most other chairs, there is very little padding, but the seat pan is sculpted in a way that it really seems to feel comfortable with that minimal amount of padding. I tried the gel filled seats and I found that I liked the regular seat padding better. I also prefer regular mesh to leather seats on this chair.
Overall the best thing about it is what I mentioned first. It is such an easy chair to adjust that you'll find yourself unconsciously adjusting it all the time and that is a really smart way to use your chair to keep good posture as your fatigue increases throughout the day.
I've tried chairs that feel better for short periods of time, but I've yet to find a chair that feels as right at hour 15 as it does at hour 1.
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Thanks for all those answer, I will try the Amia as well. I will visit them soon and will let you know if I'm able to get something good cheaper
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If you are going to spend the money on the Leap, you really should also try to find a Herman Miller dealer nearby and sit in an embody. Similar in price. I've got this config and really like it:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]20284[/ATTACH]
(red may bit a *bit* loud for most people I guess...)
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If you are going to spend the money on the Leap, you really should also try to find a Herman Miller dealer nearby and sit in an embody.
I've never sat in an Embody before, but from the looks of the chair, it seems remarkably similiar in key ways to the Zody. Does an Embody have a similar feel to a Leap or were you just throwing out another chair recommendation?
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I just bought a Leap chair today and I absolutely love it.
I sat in everything and it was far away the best *for me*.
I went to a local HealthyBack store..
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I absolutely love the Aeron, but nearly $1000 for a chair is not something I can justify at the moment (or in the foreseeable future). I really need to get out of school and get a job...
Off-topic but my brand new Aeron will be here in a few days :rofl:
After advices I got from here (not everyone likes the Aeron but I had one in the U.S. and I do definitely love it) I decided to bite the bullet and buy one, brand new (so I get the non-transferrable 12 years on-site warranty). It goes in my expenses before taxes so that's a good thing but it's still a super expensive chair, especially in Europe (I got a rebate but it's still expensive).
I'll post pics once it gets here : )
Even-more-off-topic: Will still create a thread or PM you about your Un*x shortcuts / modifier-only-for-window-managing / same-under-Linux-and-OS-X thing one of these days because it really would be convenient for me too :)
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I really like the Leap chair by Steelcase, but I need to try it first.
Dunno if you guyz know a good website where I can get that chair or steelcase products for a better price than the regular?
The Leap is designed to be adjusted by a professional ergonomicist. If this doesn't strike you as a good idea, then the Humanscale Freedom may be the best bet:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.07/chairs.html?pg=3&topic=&topic_set=
The Aeron is a design icon, but compared to a Humanscale or correctly adjusted Leapchair it probaby isn't quite as ergonomic.
The Humanscale is freaky, btw - it works with far fewer adjustments than the Leap because it uses curved surfaces that mimic the spine and weird high tech foam. The overall feel is more like a very technical running shoe than a chair.
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I just went back from the montreal steelcase retailer. 1048$ shipped for a leap chair, kinda outch! But WOW! I can easily sleep in it :P I tried the others steelcase chair, and some global chair, and the leap is far ahead the other.
Like I said... 1000 bucks is kinda outch, if this chair were 800$, I would have buy it right now. I think I need to search a bit more!
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Any opinions on Herman Miller's Eames Aluminum Chair (http://www.amazon.com/Eames-Aluminum-Group-Executive-Casters/dp/B004GFVEBY)?
There are many replicas that sells for less than $200 (rather than the original's of $1800)
I tried Mirra, Aeron, Think, Embody, Amia, Liberty, Leap, Freedom and Eames Aluminum for extended periods of time.
For me, I like the Leap, Freedom, and Eames Aluminum (Eames Aluminum was surprising IMO; it doesn't look very curved to the spine like the other chairs).
I had been eyeing them for the past 5 years and I still haven't bought one yet...:sad:
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I like it, and it's comfortable. (I'm a sucker for the classic Eames stuff though... I'm currently saving for the lounge and ottoman (http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Eames-Lounge-Chair-and-Ottoman).)
But to work in every day? Hmm... it's not really an ergonomic chair. I guess if you didn't have a job that required you to be seated all day every day it would be good. Initial comfort isn't always a good tell. I found the Aeron somewhat uncomfortable when first getting used to it, but 10 years of my butt parked in it then moving to a "comfortable" padded chair... my back told me quickly the truth.
You're saying you tried the Embody and Leap for extended period of times... it's hard to beat either of those for comfort or ergonomics. Style? Perhaps. :)
Edit: I meant to address the "replica" thing. Quality means a lot more than you think with a chair. 11 years in an Aeron with full warranty, but you likely won't have to use it. Same with Steelcase chairs. Well built stuff isn't cheap. We bought some Herman Miller replica Aeron-style chairs for our office a few years back. They were around $200-300 I think... looked to be quality. After a year or so they started falling appart. Get what you pay for *really* applies to chairs in my experience.
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Thanks for the response.
I too had been looking at the Eames Lounge chair but would probably not get it until I retire. It is unbelievably comfortable even though no adjustments can be made.
I sat in an Eames Aluminium clone at the Cosmopolitan hotel at Las Vegas. Sat on it for an hour or so. It interested me that it feels similar to the Herman Miller one from the demo stores. It is true that some clones are much inferior. There was an Eames Lounge chair clone at a shopping mall and it didn't have much of the lumbar cushion.
As for the clone from the hotel, I regrettably forgot the name. The brand was someone's name and was made in China. It feels very nice even after sitting there for an hour:
(http://i.imgur.com/5pfdJ.jpg)
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I like it, and it's comfortable. (I'm a sucker for the classic Eames stuff though... I'm currently saving for the lounge and ottoman (http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Eames-Lounge-Chair-and-Ottoman).)
But to work in every day? Hmm... it's not really an ergonomic chair. I guess if you didn't have a job that required you to be seated all day every day it would be good. Initial comfort isn't always a good tell. I found the Aeron somewhat uncomfortable when first getting used to it, but 10 years of my butt parked in it then moving to a "comfortable" padded chair... my back told me quickly the truth.
You're saying you tried the Embody and Leap for extended period of times... it's hard to beat either of those for comfort or ergonomics. Style? Perhaps. :)
Edit: I meant to address the "replica" thing. Quality means a lot more than you think with a chair. 11 years in an Aeron with full warranty, but you likely won't have to use it. Same with Steelcase chairs. Well built stuff isn't cheap. We bought some Herman Miller replica Aeron-style chairs for our office a few years back. They were around $200-300 I think... looked to be quality. After a year or so they started falling appart. Get what you pay for *really* applies to chairs in my experience.
I had the lounge and ottoman, absolutely awesome. In the future, when I have my compound, another set will be in my life.
I agree with the replica thing. Have not had success with cheap chairs, unfortunately. For an item that can be so important to your comfort, health, productivity, and happiness, that's where you should spend your money. It becomes affordable or even cheaper in the long run, PLUS you're getting the improvement over that period of time.
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I use a Herman Miller Aeron and couldn't be happier. You can find them on eBay for good prices. They last forever as well.
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Any opinions on Herman Miller's Eames Aluminum Chair (http://www.amazon.com/Eames-Aluminum-Group-Executive-Casters/dp/B004GFVEBY)?
There are many replicas that sells for less than $200 (rather than the original's of $1800)
I tried Mirra, Aeron, Think, Embody, Amia, Liberty, Leap, Freedom and Eames Aluminum for extended periods of time.
For me, I like the Leap, Freedom, and Eames Aluminum (Eames Aluminum was surprising IMO; it doesn't look very curved to the spine like the other chairs).
I had been eyeing them for the past 5 years and I still haven't bought one yet...:sad:
I'd been looking at the Eames as well after a friend recommended it (The "real" one. 30-year warranty, wowza), but it doesn't have enough 'presence' at the office as a boss chair. I need something that I can convincingly stroke a cat in. I use a HAG H09 at the moment which is looking very tired, so I'm looking at the Interstuhl Silver as a potential - but I'm not sure how much sitting comfort that offers.
I've never really thought that much of Herman Miller's wares. I have a bunch of Aerons I dragged from a dot-bomb at the office, but they've never struck me as ergonomic at all - I think too many people decide what's good in terms of whether it looks good, and the Aeron certainly brings out the 'School of Apple' sheep in people. A similar design philosophy as well - design to make people who don't know what they're buying have certain assumptions in terms of what they see.
Having said that, I have an Embody at home which I got mainly for the fact that it fits in well into my home decor. I didn't at first expect to be sitting in it as often as I am now and I must say once again, these things are not that ergonomic. Vaguely thinking about swapping it for a Freedom Task.
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...and the Aeron certainly brings out the 'School of Apple' sheep in people.
Uncalled for for both for Aeron and Mac owners.
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum. I personally don't like sitting on anything else than the Aeron's pellicle mesh (which is why I ruled the Embody out even though I love the back support the Embody provides).
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Invasion of the School of Apple Sheep People!!!!
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The Aeron is a *very* good chair ergonomically, it's not just hype. I can sit on it much longer before discomfort comes along than other chairs I've tried. It also comes in 3 sizes.
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The Aeron is a *very* good chair ergonomically, it's not just hype. I can sit on it much longer before discomfort comes along than other chairs I've tried. It also comes in 3 sizes.
Another member of the Invasion of the School of Apple Sheep People!! We need Quentin Tarantino and Richard Rodriguez to write and direct. It will be slick :)
I like my Aeron, there are a couple equals, but I want even better.
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Uncalled for for both for Aeron and Mac owners.
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.
Not when it's that homogenous. (and I count myself as a Mac owner). The majority of Aeron users wouldn't know ergonomic if it came and kicked them in the back - all they know is it looks nice. That it does undoubtedly - it's an objet, but I would think that the same majority of people who rave about it haven't actually purchased any other decent chair, and drawing parallels with many a Mac raver's system history, has either come from some bottom-range piece of crap, or maybe even an actually ergonomic chair that they never could work out how to adjust.
And as a result it's clearly no coincidence that for a certain type of person who clearly doesn't have a clue what they're buying but has slightly more than your average guy's money to spend, you'll find the inevitable pairing of Mac + Aeron.
I'm not in particular disparaging the products you understand (although I think they're not immune from it), more the mentality behind the purchase decision, and the justification thereof as 'better'.
FWIW I find the Balance fabric disperses my farts pretty much as well as the Aeron, although the underside of the chair is much busier. That, to me, is the main advantage of the Aeron seating arrangement.
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I just have to brag... I was on the fence about a high quality office chair until I got my Aeron and I will never go back. Oh, right, bragging. I found mine at a thrift store down the street for 250 bucks good as new. Technically, its a modern used furniture store, but for some reason they still felt that this chair didn't warrant a full price. Their loss! The only flaw I could find was that it was really dusty.
my one complaint is that every few days I have to reset the height of the arms. Apparently I put a lot of pressure on them, but they are only held in place by friction so this is understandable.
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Dude, that's AWESOME! :) Anyone that would sell even a broken Aeron for $250 is out of touch. Even sans warranty, you can easily order parts to replace any bit of that chair. Speaking of which, if the arms are a problem, note that they switched to a level lock a few years back from the earlier sprocket thing. (I assume you have the later) So if you felt the urge, you could always replace them. On second thought, that may cost you close to what you bought the chair for... so perhaps just enjoy it. :)
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My Aeron is the oh-so-standard graphity-graphite color with graphite trim and graphite parts. I have noticed the chrome job with the cobalt blue...now THAT is an impressive looking seating machine! You can get a speeding ticket riding that thing! I think it's boo-ti-ful. :)
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Has anyone gotten the headrest for the Aeron? I meant to get it a year ago, but forgot. There are 2 sellers on ebay, I don't know if they are the same product or not.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AeronHQ-Headrest-Herman-Miller-Aeron-Chair-New-/300571046578?pt=US_Chairs&hash=item45fb6e32b2#ht_1616wt_1398
(http://cgi.ebay.com/AeronHQ-Headrest-Herman-Miller-Aeron-Chair-New-/300571046578?pt=US_Chairs&hash=item45fb6e32b2#ht_1616wt_1398)http://cgi.ebay.com/HEADREST-Herman-Miller-Aeron-Chair-NEW-/120764376804?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1e1e26e4#ht_2281wt_1398
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$80 for a headrest sounds a bit too much, considering you can find entire office chairs for cheaper (see post #30 (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?19527-Computer-Chair&p=398831&viewfull=1#post398831))
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Disproportionate cost is why I put it on a back burner and forgot about it. $50 sounds like a full-retail sweet spot, before the mandatory 20% discount.
I sure miss a high back chair/headrest though...I'm getting weak...must not press "Buy It Now"....oh so weeeeaakkk....
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Oh, right, bragging. I found mine at a thrift store down the street for 250 bucks good as new.
I got two Steelcase Leaps for $25 the pair. Had to replace the tatty fabric, though.
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Has anyone gotten the headrest for the Aeron? I meant to get it a year ago, but forgot. There are 2 sellers on ebay, I don't know if they are the same product or not.
I believe these are all after-market products. HM doesn't believe in headrests according to this (http://www.hermanmiller.com/discover/elevating-health-through-motion/).
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I screwed the local Steelcase Leap rep and she was so grateful she gave me the chair and $100. That's cheap in our town.
My hero. We must have been separated at birth.
Yes, they are all aftermarket. Good ergo advice especially for long term office workers.
I still want a headrest, how else can I recline, but my feet up and make unreasonable demands and look the part? :)
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I have the most comfy computer chair ever made (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?11857-Computer-Chairs).
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I have the most comfy computer chair ever made (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?11857-Computer-Chairs).
No headrest!!!!!