Advice on buying Office chair?

[Dimitri_P]

Hi,

I'm looking top buy a very good and comfy office chair.

Can anybody give me an advice what would be the best/good one?

I've sat in Herman Miller chair, very comfy. Is that the ultimate one?
Any others you can suggest?

D.

[mybellyisempty]

I'll take an Herman Miller Aeron over any other office chair.

I <3 mine

[dsigma6]

I used to research RFP's that businesses had for these chairs. There is a chair identical to the one linked above available from another manufacturer...Hon maybe?

mybellyisempty- At my last job they gave me an e1705 (which I think is what you have, or e1505) on my second day of work. I quit on the third day.

[mybellyisempty]

ha.


The E1705 is just there to do multimedia stuff. I'll take the T43 I'm typing on now over it any day of the year.



Hon makes some nice chairs, but the open mesh [censored]-hammock that is the Aeron just felt better over a long period of time. I have to readjust my sitting position on normal chairs, but I'm always fine on the Aeron.

Your butt may vary though

[Dimitri_P]

I'm reading their options list and it is huge.

You can put so much on your chair; then the price tag will go up as a rocket.

I think it will be almost impossible to find a used chair at a good price, with the options that I want

[Orevin]

I bought this one at a local Target store and love it.

[christopher_wolf]

Steel Case has some pretty good office chairs as does Office Star. At either one of their sites, you can pick and choose what kind of office furniture you would like.

[Dimitri_P]

I have it, but since I sat in a Herman Miller Aero, i can't go back.

Same thing with ThinkPads... can't use other laptops

[BillMorrow]

I bought this one at a local Target store and love it.

herman miller aeron will be my next chair, after the move from florida to georgia..

i have the same el cheapo chair Orevin likes and the only thing i like about it is the head rest..

if i were in the san jose area i think i would wait for a ross dove auction and pick up an aeron chair..

reason i did not get one when i was "flush" was too many selections and sizes and no head rest..

[Dimitri_P]

Ross Dove auction?

qu'es que c'est?

[BillMorrow]

ross dove is an auctioneer..
he has (or had) an office in foster city..
(just up 101 from your new digs, dimitri)

his web site: http://www.dovebid.com/

looking at the ross dove website i see a few local SF bay area auctions, but nothing with office stuff, only HDD stuff from maxtor..

a good aeron chair will be about $500 more or less..
or was last time i looked at them..

[AssPenny]

Herman Miller all the way. Thats what i use at work and all i buy for my employees.

[asiafish]

I bought a Girsberger Trilax about a decade ago and anything else, including the Aeron, pales in comparison. It was very expensive (about $900 in 1996 money), but has held up extremely well and remains an ergonomic delight.

[Dimitri_P]

Herman Miller all the way. Thats what i use at work and all i buy for my employees.

1K per chair... Hmm, what company do you run?

[Dimitri_P]

I bought a Girsberger Trilax about a decade ago and anything else, including the Aeron, pales in comparison. It was very expensive (about $900 in 1996 money), but has held up extremely well and remains an ergonomic delight.

Here's the list of their chairs.
Trilax is in the middle.

Gilsberger website

I wonder which one is better from the top three.

D.

[asiafish]

Well a decade ago the Trilax was the only articulated chair I could find, today I see many copies, but I've yet to find one I like more. I'm sure their newer designs are terrific as well.

[Dimitri_P]

Well a decade ago the Trilax was the only articulated chair I could find, today I see many copies, but I've yet to find one I like more. I'm sure their newer designs are terrific as well.

From your point of view which one of teh to 3 Gilsberger's looks/feels the based (judging by pictures)?

D.

[asiafish]

I'd lean toward the Contact, but I've never seen one in person. If I were buying a new chair today, however, I'd just order another Trilax and be done with it.

[Dead1nside]

Aeron chair, all the way. Don't have one, but definitely want one.

[ronbo613]

I've got back spasms and a pinched nerve in my back and I'm pretty sure it's from sitting in the chair in front of my computer. It's no joke, when I wake up in the morning, I feel like I've been stabbed in the back. The pinched nerve is a super sharp pain that sometimes goes all the way to my knee.
I don't know if I can afford a $500 chair, but I've got to do something. I was thinking of getting one of those back massager cushions you plug in.
That $100 Target chair looked good at a reasonable price.

[JaneL]

I was thinking of getting one of those back massager cushions you plug in.

Office Depot has a memory foam seat cushion and back rest that works pretty good.

[underclocker]

I have tried the Aeron chair two times over the past 7 years, for extended periods of times, several months.

I am 6' 2" and long in the torso. I have swapped them out for standard, typical office chairs after both periods of use.

I personally do not find them comfortable. They actually make my back hurt! I must be a small minority with this issue because most people love them. I wanted to like them, so I tried twice. I'm considering another try, because I just can't believe they're not great. My back and legs actually started to hurt and I do not have any back or leg problems at all.

My current (and past) employers offer them by default.

On the plus side, they are very attractive and have many adjustments. One other issue is that the fiberglass back frame can damage wooden desks. It is very hard and not protected by fabric, like most other chairs. Herman Miller now offers a piece of fabric that sticks to the back frame to prevent damage to furniture.

My suggestion, try before you buy, for as long as possible.

[ronbo613]

Office Depot has a memory foam seat cushion and back rest that works pretty good.

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. My back is killing me and I'm 90% sure it's from long computer sessions.
It's hard to justify a $500 chair, but one more week and I might spend $1000.

[JHEM]

I have tried the Aeron chair two times over the past 7 years, for extended periods of times, several months.

I'm 6'6" and like you I've tried the Aeron chair on several occasions.

Unlike you I do have back problems and the Aeron definitely exacerbated them.

James

[Dimitri_P]

So what shall we sub-conclude - Gilsberger versus Henry Miller?

Try both, see which one you like.

D.

[underclocker]

I guess we should sub-conclude what marketer's already know, not all people are alike!

Just check the return policy before you purchase...

[BruisedQuasar]

I bought this one at a local Target store and love it.


I have that chair. Bought it through SAM's CLUB. Loved it for about a year. Then it got very uncomfortable on thighs near the knee as the spring weakens and the chair gives way just enough to put pressure on your lower thighs. I still have and use it but cannot sit in it more than 20 minutes at a time.

I think alot depends on your size and weight. If you are medium to short height and weigh under 170lbs, just about any office chair is O.K. But if you are 6' 4' 230lbs like me only the best chair will do.

[BruisedQuasar]

I've got back spasms and a pinched nerve in my back and I'm pretty sure it's from sitting in the chair in front of my computer. It's no joke, when I wake up in the morning, I feel like I've been stabbed in the back. The pinched nerve is a super sharp pain that sometimes goes all the way to my knee.

Rather than buy a very expensive chair, have you considered standing up every 20 minutes and doing a few minutes of easy exercise? That is what I do. No matter how expensive the chair, it cannot do anything about blood pooling in your feet & lower leg. In addition, looking at a PC display for more than 30 minutes without break affects the eyes. People should have a spot across the room they focus on every 20 minutes of so to exercise the eyes. I find getting up and walking about every 20 minutes does the trick for circulation and eyes.

Pooling for over an hour at a time is not a good thing, which is why heart patients are frequently advised against prolonged airline flights.

When such persons must fly, they should extend their legs and flex about every 15 minutes and stand up and walk whenever possible.

[BioHazard]

My best advice is this: Go to your local office furniture retailer (not Office Max but "real office furniture") to buy your chair. Assuming you are willing to spend $300+ there is nothing at Office Max /Depot that compares.

Try all the chairs - and when you find one you like, ask if they have a demo they want to sell. This is a great way to get a first class office chair at a pretty good discount.

Demos are typically chairs that they have loaned out to a company for a 2 - 3 week period for a manager to try before they decide to buy one for all the employees.

In most instances, the only difference between that and a new chair is that the demo may have some scuff marks on the caster arms - something you'll do in the first month anyway.

In addition, if you buy a Herman Miller (or any other chair) from a retailer like this - get it home and absolutely hate it - they are more likely to take it back or swap it out for something else.

Finally - the biggest advantage to buying a "real" chair is that almost everything on it is available for parts purchase and replacement. So if you break a caster, tear a seatback, snag an arm rest etc., you can go back to that retailer and order a replacement. Something you'll never be able to do from OD or OM.

That's been my experience anyway.

[Toine]

My housemates (studenthouse thingy here) all have the most expensive leather seat of IKEA. I have it too (first one by the way) and it rocks! High end leather, nice sitting position. Perfect, check it out.