I’m Looking for a good office chair.
Thanks! Found a good price for a Steelcase Amia.
My husband and I both have been using Tempur-Pedic office chairs for about 15 years. Starting in 2004, we both worked desk jobs from home (he still does, I only recently shifted careers) and both play video games so we have used the shit out of our chairs, and they are still good. I like that the seat is wide enough so I can fold my legs up under me if I want to.
I’m a fan of the Alera ALEEL42ME10B Elusion Series Mesh Mid-Back Multifunction Chair ($180 at time of posting). I use it both at home and work
I bought it in November 2021 and it’s still going strong
The one at work has been there since before i was hired (5 1/2 years ago)Kneeling chairs. They take some getting used to and you won’t be able to use it for extended periods of time at first. But they allow you to engage core muscles that would otherwise become atrophied and eliminates a lot of the health issues associated with sitting for long periods of time. I have found that using mine makes me less hungry for snacks while sitting at the desk as well.
I’ve lobbied for standing desks since I got mine and not about to stop ! If you’re able, consider getting one. Mine changed my life. I alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day. And it’s not just a matter of comfort or back pain (which btw is completely gone): I’m generally more awake, active and productive now. Before that I worked standing up for about a year and a half, and while the change was good, that was excessive, and my knees started to hurt after some time. That’s when I understood that what really matters for long-term comfort and health at a desk job is movement. All the best,
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Going to go a bit against the grain on this one and recommend SecretLab. It does have that “gaming chair” aesthetic, but it is a great chair IMO.
I work from home, sit on my ass for 8 hours straight, and occasionally game right after work into the evening. I can park my ass in that thing and sit for 16 hours no problem (obviously getting up to take short breaks etc). It is super comfortable. I own the mesh one, instead of the leather/pleather, and I think it’s the way to go.
Furthermore, the customer service is excellent. I needed to replace the armrest after 4 years as it was beginning to crack. My model didn’t come with the snap on/snap off armrests, so I had to send an email to customer support to see if there was something they could do. Not only did they inform me it was actually easily replaceable, they sent me instructions, and gave me 50% of the replacement cost, which was only $20CAD, as I was just over the warranty at that point. It might be a 3 year warranty, but I can’t quite remember, possibly 4.
My circle of friends largely work from home as well, and many of them have SecretLab chairs, and they also love them. No back problems, super comfy, breathable.
The only downside I can really think of is that it is a fairly heavy chair, as the base uses a large amount of metal, and the price tag can be expensive, at around $500-$700CAD if you purchase new.
They are also sized to fit your height and weight. I own the Titan 2020 model, and I love it.
Hope this helps!
I’d recommend against this. I have a 2020 Titan XL and it’s been nothing but headache. It’s finally in an OK state after two years.
The QA is poor beyond belief and the support team is nearly useless. The chair shipped with defects resulting in very loud creaking in the backrest when you make any movement (enough to be heard on Zoom or across your home). What’s worse is they KNEW about the defect and only sent you a small email about it after the item arrived. Returning the chair requires you to cover shipping, so they banked on people keeping a defective product.
It took them 6 months to replace the chair back and the replacement was even worse. It took them a month to replace THAT one and I had to call twice to get them to schedule a pickup for the first defective replacement they sent.
Finally, the seat bottom was replaced about 4 months ago because some metal wire started poking out of it.
Each interaction with support was awful, it doesn’t matter how much detail or how many photos and videos of the problem you provide, it’s ignored and you get put on a script.
In hindsight, I should have charged the stupid chair back. You couldn’t pay me enough to have next chair be Secretlab.
It does look nice though.
Comfort wise I have to say it saved me. That said, for their price they lack any real durability on the aesthetic parts. The functional parts are amazing (save for the mis-manufactured back I got originally. The warranty process was involved but they delivered a new back).
So it’s expensive, wears quickly, has QA issues, and they slow play warranty claims? Glad you ended up with a chair you like, but this is not inspiring confidence. :-)
Seconded this, if you’re a bigger guy or like sitting on your legs like I do then the Titan is the right choice, that wide flat platform is ideal
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Going to second this. I have a Titan XL from 2019 and it’s still going strong. Only issue has been a small crack in the side of 1 of the armrests. I haven’t bothered replacing it because it doesn’t affect functionality, just aesthetics. The cushion is firm as a chair cushion should be for proper support. It supports my tall, heavy ass no problem. I work from home half the week and I’m pretty comfortable. I cannot speak to newer versions of the chair though. I know about 3 or 4 people that have the Titan XL as well and haven’t heard any negatives from them.
I just want to say, I’m in my 40’s and most of my friends are late 30’s/early 40’s, and those chairs are starting to cause some of them some serious issues. If they’re the ones that have the ‘racing car’ style seats, where the left and right are forward of the back, that design is to combat G-forces while driving. When you’re stationary though, they can cause your shoulders to bend forward. Over a year or so, no big deal. Over 5-10, it starts to cause issues.
Aeron chairs are grossly overrated. They have been clever in both making a durable kind of chair and marketing like Apple. They aren’t that comfortable and are designed to keep you “upright” but not much else. Originally there wasn’t much like the Aeron, but now you have many, many choices for a much better price and comfort. It’s personal taste, but I prefer a chair with a headrest. Also, your desk is equally as important for long sessions. Size, leg room, height etc. I built my own custom workstation to suit my needs. I ended up using a cheap Corsair gaming chair and my neck and mouse shoulder has never been happier.
Swapping an Aeron with a Corsair gaming chair is insane to me to think about. At least you feel comfortable I guess.
The breathable mesh material of the Aeron alone makes it head and shoulders above most other chairs, for anyone who ever gets sweaty while sitting. It’s interesting to me how basically no one seems to notice this but me…
Also, buying a $200 chair every 2 years costs more than buying a $1300 chair for life.
Who would buy a $200 chair every two years(!?). There are so many other breathable mesh chairs out there that have more articulation/adjustment. and aren’t $850-1300. Aeron’s just aren’t comfortable after 3-4 hours let alone a marathon work day. They are designed to keep you upright and facing a monitor, not for comfort. I think they get away with it because they have become a corporate status symbol. Especially new production offices/agencies/startups love to populate their workspaces with aerons or mira (another terrible chair). Like the eames lounge chair: Gorgeous and futurist to look at, but nigh impractical and uncomfortable.
This is either a very uninformed statement or a random opinion stated as fact. People buy these chairs because they like them. I spend 50 hours a week in one and I disagree with you heartily.
As far as who would buy a chair every couple of years, people who buy cheap chairs. I used to be one of them and know people who also were. Even a particularly cheap person I know ended up buying a used Aeron, got a great deal, and loves it. It’s not that hard to find them used because they are heavy to move cross country and offices upgrade all the time so they are out there.
But sure, your opinion is gospel, they’re objectively shit and all their popularity is unearned. /s
The Aeron and similar chairs are comfortable if you read the manual and take the time to set them up properly for your body. And way less expensive than what you’ll end up spending on chiropractors or orthopedists if you don’t have an adequate chair and use it properly.
They are sitting machines, and need to be treated as such for them to work as intended.
The Eames Lounge Chair, while a wonderful piece of art and a nice chair to, well, lounge in while enjoying a nice book or record, is a completely different kind of beast, and definitely not intended for prolonged use or for work (same for stuff like the Aluminium or Plastic chairs). (Also, it’s almost fifty years old, so not exactly futuristic…)
Preach!
Herman miller aeron. they are outrageously expensive but totally worth it. You can get them used from resellers but honestly just get one new from the store. I got a used one and have no complaints other than I didnt get a brand new one to my specifications.
I’ll also recommend the type c.
I didn’t find it comfortable at all.
Come back after sitting in one for a literal decade and report.
Agreed they are crazy overrated
This is the only answer. All office chair purchases eventually converge towards an Aeron because it’s the only thing that’ll last a decade and fix your posture while doing it. I bought one just after the start of covid and is easily the least regret i’ve ever had spending almost a grand.
Get an office chair and not one of those “gaming chairs”
Source: I use a “gaming chair” and it sucks ass
That’s cool! Does it mean you don’t need to stand up when you need to use the toilet during a WoW raid?
EDIT: Ummm… I was just joking about literally sucking ass. And referring to the South Park episode with World of Warcraft. Sorry if it didn’t come through as funny.
Nevermind the philistines, it was funny. Could make it sexual too, would be even better.
Secret lab is used but a lot of at home workers without issues but you gotta spring for it
I have a secret labs chair and use it a lot for working at home. I often sit for more than 14 hours on it, never had any back pain ir felt uncomfortable. Unfortunately I have one of the older generations and the arm rests are slowly deteriorating and falling apart, otherwise it’s pretty good.
Yoga ball office chair. They’re silly looking, but it’s more convenient than a giant yoga ball.
Maybe not for everyone, but I really enjoy my Swopper stool. Mostly because I can’t sit still and it allows me to bounce around all day. It takes some time to get used to, but it’s great for keeping your core active during the day.
One downside is that I caused sea sickness with a colleague during a conference call due to all the bouncing :)
I’ve been working from home about 90% of the time since the pandemic lockdown era. I had a cheap office chair and had noticed my back starting to hurt after a few hours in it per day. I eventually wound up getting a Humanscale Freedom headrest chair, which has been awesome. These chairs are stupid expensive, but I bought mine used, and reeking of the previous owner’s perfume. It took months for the smell to completely go away, but I saved about $1,000 over buying one new, and it is otherwise in mint condition.
humanscale makes lovely stuff. I have some of their monitor arms and cable management and they’re top notch.
When the pandemic started I went to Staples and bought a new chair for home. I spent around $120 and 3 months later I was looking for a new chair. I asked some friends and the top recommendation was SecretLab chairs. I ordered one for around $550 and it’s pretty good, however sitting in it for 8 hours is a bit much (it’s wonderful for a few hours of gaming though). Then last year I started a new job that required me to be in-office and the chair I have is an Affirm series by Om (https://www.omseating.com/series/affirm-series/). I can sit in this chair all day without any issues.
Surprisingly this chair has come out highly in reviews when compared to 4 figure chairs. I have it and can say it is very comfortable. It’s not going to be the best of the best, however if your budget doesn’t stretch to more than mid-3 figures this could be a good alternative.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/markus-office-chair-vissle-dark-grey-30261152/
Markus is good for 2 hours max due to the non adjustable poor lumbar support. Also, the non adjustable arm rests are a deal breaker.
I was going to recommend this chair. I have it as well and can confirm it is very comfortable.
This is the one
