What do I look for when buying an ergonomic office chair?
What do I look for when buying an ergonomic office chair?
I am looking to replace my old office chair and would appreciate advice or recommendations.
Personally there's two key factors I look for: mesh seating and a back that reclines independently of the seat.
For the former, I get overheated on leather or cloth. Being suspended on mesh helps regulate temperature during an 8 hour workday.
For the latter, I once had an office chair that the seat tilted when the back was reclined. It dug into my under-knees and made my feet go numb.
I picked up a mesh chair at Office Max 10+ years ago and have been using it for 8+ hours a day since then. Zero issues or back pain.
Years back I bought a used Herman Miller Aeron, it was way out of warranty but also way cheaper vs buying new. Totally worth it, I do like mesh chairs and the Aeron is one of the best in its class. Plus it has a ton of adjustable levers if that's your thing.
The only thing I screwed up was the sizing, those chairs come in different sizes and I probably should have gone for one size smaller but it's not a big deal. Sizing is something to keep in mind when chair shopping, they're not all one size fits all and you may want something specific to your height/weight for better support.
Can you replace the meshing on those things or is that thing just trash after some mild wear?
Doubt it, kind of assumed once the mesh breaks the chair is done. Maybe someone handy with that stuff can rig up something to fix a chair like that?
To be fair the mesh seems pretty strong, mines hasn't broken thus far.
One of the the things you’re paying for is durability. I haven’t had mine enough ears to really demonstrate that but so far it’s holding up very well
I had a chair with an extra sturdy (allegedly) textile for the seat and that still tore over the years from the friction. At least I can still sit on it but on a mesh chair that would be impossible. I'm just wondering if those ridiculously expensive ones have at least modularity & replacement parts, but if that's not the case then I see even less the point in them. Not that I could afford them either way, but at least then they would've made sense as something to possibly save up to, even if used.
I have an Aeron that I bought over 10? years ago and it’s still in great condition with daily usage. The only issue with it is that the fake leather type material on the arm rests has scrunched up and the texture is not so nice anymore. I could replace those if I wanted to though.
This guy has a ton of good videos about a bunch of chairs. He buys them, or is clear when he's been given a chair to review.
Lumbar support, height/back/armrest adjustment, headrest, right fit for your body. In other words, features that promote good posture, instead of slouching. Nowadays I find most ergonomic chairs have pretty much the same features, and what differentiates one from the other the most is quality. Aeron and Steelcase are basically BIFL chairs, whereas a cheap chair from Staples or Amazon may last you a year or two before things start falling off.
I bought a Herman Miller Aeron for $500 from an office closing auction. Super worth it.
I have a Leap v1 from a surplus store, and a Mirra from when our company let the lease go on the building nobody went to anymore. Very much worth it on both fronts. A huge thing with "nicer" chairs is that they allow you to shift as you move throughout the day. A lot of people fixate on the "S" part of RSI and try to make sure everything is situated just so, but it's also important to work on the "R" and to move around, standing of course, but even just being able to move around and have multiple comfortable seating positions can be helpful.
I got a used Herman Miller Aereon that had the arms all fucked so I replaced them and it will last another 10+ years.
Steelcase leap V2 is my suggestion, go sit in one whatever your choice get a bit of time in the chair make sure it's for you, is a investment and not a cheap purchase etc etc
These are what we have at work and they're fucking incredible. We work 12 hour shifts in a 24/7 operation and they've held up to this for over 10 years. I bet OP would never need to buy another office chair again. I think you can find them used for a more reasonable price from those places that sell used office furniture.
Can I please suggest gaming chairs should be a key player here? SecretLabs makes amazing chairs and I sit on one everyday. One of my female employees isn't too enthused about her's but she's the outlier. I also fully support/love the Hag Capisco. Have it as well and it is very very comfortable albeit a little tall on its shortest setting.
Gaming chairs are the absolute worst, when you compare it to real office chairs.
It's like comparing a tuned Honda Civic to a Mercedes Benz.
Man-child chair vs. ergonomic seat.
My secretlabs chair has a headrest, adjustable lumbar, height, lockable recline, armrest height and width and side to side. It might even have a forward and backward seat cushion but I haven't messed with that in awhile so I don't remember. I was very specific about this brand as an example and I think it competes very effectively with other quality office chairs. Your hyperbole is lost on me.
Just keep in mind that the scratchier the office chair, the more productive the worker... Up to a point, then you'll go mad.
I went for a used chair from https://www.crandalloffice.com/
They completely replace the foam seat, so its really only the frame that was used. Significantly cheaper than buying new and safer than buying used from eBay/garage sale/etc.
The seller on amazon swapped out my chair, so it's not available anymore, but is perfect to me because:
- Mesh bottom (and back) doesn't wear out easily, get hot, or get smelly (yup, I said it)
- Adjustable bottom goes back and forth so you can align it to your knees
- Arm rests go up down and back and forth, which allow for better adjustments based on desk height
- Back tapers in so you dont look like a child sitting in a giant seat when on video calls
- Adjustable back height and lumbar support allow you to get the contour just right
Personally, I'd find an affordable chair with as many adjustments as possible, like the one described. Fit is soooo important.