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[–]MonsieurOblongSenior Systems Engineer - Unix 12 points13 points ago

I had an aeron at my last job and loved it, the only problem is there's airflow behind the mesh and you get cold easily. I never realized how important foam padding was to keeping me warm when sitting.

But, I've never had a single office chair break on me in 12 years.

I'm not sayin'.

I'm just sayin'.

[–]veruusgood at computers 12 points13 points ago

A cold keister is better than swamp-ass.

[–]MonsieurOblongSenior Systems Engineer - Unix 0 points1 point ago

More than a cold keister though. My entire body was cold, CONSTANTLY. I sat somewhat near a vent, but not enough to even feel a breeze. Brought a thermometer in, well, turned out it was 69-70, so temp was not a problem at all. I drink a lot of water, so that cools me off, but man, that aeron just killed me.
I'm sure we've all had those days at home where you sit in your underwear and nothing else, at your home computer, for half the day... heat off... and somehow don't get cold. Been there, done that.

But using the aeron, warm office, fully clothed, I'd FREEZE.

[–]Maddgnome 2 points3 points ago

Another vote for Aeron chairs. I've had mine for about 12 years now. Still as rock-solid as the day I got it. And I was pretty big when I first got it - 320 pounds. I'm down about 100 now and it still feels great, the material is still tight, 'mechanisms' are still in great shape.

When my wife developed some back issues due to an injury at the gym, she replaced her old office chair with an Aeron to help posture and have something more comfortable in general. She likes it after a few months.

They're exceptionally well built chairs, feel great, have three different sizes for you to choose from, and have a bajillion adjustments. Excellent chairs.

Even if you don't go with Aeron, keep in mind you're not going to get a quality chair at Office Depot or Staples. Do research, go to an office furniture store to see what they suggest, and find what's affordable. It'll probably be at least a couple hundred (Aerons are 700 and up, depending where you buy one). Shop online to see if you can find any deals.

[–]alex-van-01 2 points3 points ago

Aerons also have an incredible warranty service.

I got mine in 2003 and after 7 years of using it in a carpeted room, the chair was not going up and down as effortlessly as before. Called Herman-Miller, got local guy's number, sent him an email. Next day got a fedex with a packing box, packed the chair up, got it picked up by Fedex, sit on another chair for 2 days and then got mine fedex back in re-minted condition. Turn-around time - 3 days, time spent on dealing with it - under 30 minutes, zero cost. It was damn impressive.

[–]BirdsTheWurd 0 points1 point ago

Someone gave up one of these when I started my job. Haven't complained once since!

[–]ccmmcc 0 points1 point ago

The mesh is also abrasive, so it wears out your clothes. And jinking around with the controls everytime you want to move gets old fast.

[–]deimiosWindows Admin 0 points1 point ago

Wish I had an aeron. Used one for a few weeks when I was at another location on business and I loved it.

[–]bandman614Standalone SysAdmin 8 points9 points ago

Don't sit - get a standing desk. They're far better for you, and after the first week, you'll love it more than you can imagine.

Unless you have some kind of muscular/skeletal problem, in which case you probably want an aeron.

[–]jaded_admin 15 points16 points ago

Relevant flair.

[–]bandman614Standalone SysAdmin 1 point2 points ago

?

[–]nallarlawyer'd 3 points4 points ago

*WHOOSH*

Standalone SysAdmin

[–]bandman614Standalone SysAdmin 2 points3 points ago

hah. Yeah, for some reason my brain didn't...connect the word "flair" to my flair. Thanks for the explanation. I have no excuse for myself. :)

[–]angrymonkeyz 1 point2 points ago

Another round, then!

[–]jaded_admin 0 points1 point ago

Stand alone SysAdmin

[–]bandman614Standalone SysAdmin 0 points1 point ago

Riiiiiight...yeah, I missed it completely :-) Thanks for explaining.

[–]steeef 2 points3 points ago

I did this about 6 months ago and I wouldn't go back. I still have a chair, but it's a tall drafting chair (random one from Staples) that I use to take breaks from standing.

[–]Rikim4ru 3 points4 points ago

Maybe you should look for something more strong and solid, like this

[–]UnoriginalGuyKVM: like typing through treacle[S] 3 points4 points ago

Maybe, but something tells me the "mechanism" can break fairly easily on that one!

[–]Rikim4ru 2 points3 points ago

Depends if its Russian or not

[–]aterlumen 0 points1 point ago

Then it might take a couple rounds from a shotgun to work properly in the first place.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points ago

I'm really happy with my HÅG Capisco.

I was the third inhabitant of my previous nasty-ol' standard-issue chair, and I was having back pains from how brokedown it was. I started sitting on an exercise ball for part of the day which helped a lot - but when my office relocated my chair didn't make the move.

I was offered an even nastier, even more brokedown one, with tears in the arm rests and a hardware store bolt sticking out the back, but I declined. Spent my own money on the HÅG, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[–]petra303 0 points1 point ago

I second for the hag. Hurt my butt for a week, but now I don't even notice it. It's hard to find them used.

[–]UnoriginalGuyKVM: like typing through treacle[S] 2 points3 points ago

I almost want to get a chair without any kind of mechanism at all. But I cannot find one which is heigh enough for a desk. Also with a head-rest. Why does nobody make these?!

[–]ccmmcc 0 points1 point ago

The Humanscale Freedom lets you set it up and then just moves with you, and there's a version with a headrest. It does require you to be sitting back, however, which may or may not work for your "high enough for a desk" requirement, depending, of course, on the desk.

[–]myairblasterrm -rf /life/ 1 point2 points ago

I`m a big fan of This One from Ikea. I also sit on an exercise ball an hour or so a day to keep my posture from going to shit.

[–]obviousboyTotal Idiot 0 points1 point ago

how the ball working for you, do you get fatigued sitting on it?.

[–]myairblasterrm -rf /life/ 0 points1 point ago

I like it but like I said I only use it about an hour or so a day. Helps keep posture and makes me feel like less of a piece of melting crap.

Sitting on the ball basically activates the muscles in your back and that can be a bit much if you do it all day so yeah it is fatiguing if you aren't used to it.

[–]MonsieurOblongSenior Systems Engineer - Unix 1 point2 points ago

Its not bad unless you're totally out of shape I guess. I got one and had problem going straight to using it all day long.

Speaking of which, I never inflated it after I switched jobs.. i gotta get around to that.

[–]YargainBargainGive me half a day. 0 points1 point ago

I have a ball as my only chair. I like it, and I definitely have better posture. The only problem I have is my legs hurt. I'm a tall guy and I'm my legs are always crossed which strains something I guess.

[–]SuperOstrichJack of All Trades 0 points1 point ago

Ikea has some surprisingly decent office chairs. I picked up a Markus a while back for my home office, and it's fantastic. I like it so much I think I'm going to grab one of the cheaper cloth ones and bring it to work.

[–]essjay24 2 points3 points ago

I've been scouting out Steelcase chairs from companies going out of business. They go fast when they are available.

[–]BrokeRegistration 1 point2 points ago

Bingo. I have a couple Steelcase Rallys. (The chair situation is so bad at work, I bought a second and took it in.) After many years of service, I had to replace the pneumatic cylinder in the one at home. Other than that, they're still fantastic. Are they as good at an Aeron? No. I had one for a couple of years at a previous employer to compare that to. Those things ARE the bomb. But you can get a Rally for $150, compared to ~$600 for an Aeron.

[–]ChrisF79 2 points3 points ago

I have the Steelcase Leap chair at work and just bought one for home (today in fact). It's expensive, but my work one I've had for nearly 4 years and it looks like the day I bought it. It's incredibly sturdy, has a lot of adjustments you can make, and just feels solid.

As for the price, I think it's stupid to pay $200 every few years for a shitty Office Depot chair when you can buy one that you can have for years and years to come.

[–]MageMojo_Magento_Hos 1 point2 points ago

[–]UnoriginalGuyKVM: like typing through treacle[S] 0 points1 point ago

Wow, those Ironhorse chairs are hugely impressive even without the weight thing. Plus if they can hold 400 pounds you know they're going to last when you stick someone weighting less than 1/3 of that in there...

[–]MageMojo_Magento_Hos 1 point2 points ago

Yeah no doubt! They are made for "intensive use" environments. Like 911 call centers, air traffic controllers, etc., where someone is sitting in them 24/7. Most people only think of the herman millers, steelcase, humanscale, when thinking of high end chairs. But there's a whole market of 24/7 intensive use makers who put those brands to shame in terms of not only durability but also in adjustments and ultimately comfort.

[–]cramsey86 1 point2 points ago

Funny you should mention this... I work IT for a furniture manufacturer and we still get all the crappy hand me down chairs. Luckily we have a place called "returned goods" where I was able to purchase an amazing chair at about 80% off. I saw the one you linked and do not know if I could go with one without an wheels on it, or that could lean back a little.

[–]MeIsMyName 1 point2 points ago

My chair is comfortable and nice, but it has broken on me WAY too many times. I got it for free though, and I've been able to fix all the problems I've had with it so far... First problem was that this bolt for the arm snapped and then the chair looked like this... Then later the spring that kept the chair from leaning back wouldn't stay in, and it kept reclining REALLY far back, always. I was able to fix that problem with a bolt and a few washers. Only downside is that I need a wrench to adjust the tension for leaning back.

[–]fishy007 0 points1 point ago

I've had this chair at my office for 11 years and I still love it:

http://www.officechairscanada.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=435&category_id=2

I'm probably going to get one for my home office too :)

[–]dahimi 0 points1 point ago

Here's a second vote for the aeron. I sat in one during an interview years ago and liked it so much I bought one for my home office. Later I bought a second one for my work office.

I've had the one in my home office for 10 years. Still works perfect after years of me playing WoW and other assorted games in it (think lots of hours with my butt planted in it).

My work one is about 6 years old and also works great.

[–]Qurtys_Lyn 0 points1 point ago

I keep pushing for these, but I haven't gotten anywhere yet. http://www.ergonomicofficechairs.com/ErgoSport.asp?categoryID=59&grID=239

[–]randumnumber 1 point2 points ago

[–]xero91Sr. Sysadmin 0 points1 point ago

I currently have in my possesion two high-end ergonomic chairs. The Embody Chair by Herman Miller and the Leap Chair by Steelcase. They're both great chairs but I think I prefer the Herman Miller Embody after adjusting to it's recommended sitting style (working recline). I would recommend checking out the online reviews and then sit in both chairs but keep in mind that each has a myriad of adjustments so you should sit in each and play with all adjustments. If you order from smartfurniture.com you have a free 30-day trial period and they take returns up to 365 days from the date of purchase. Smartfurniture is one of the best companies I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with (no, I don't work for them). I've learned a lot of peoples likes/dislikes with chairs has a lot to do with height and weight and not fitting into a chair properly so just to let you know I'm about 5'6 and 270lbs..

[–]ccmmcc 0 points1 point ago

I have a Humanscale Freedom chair and it also pretty much requires you to do the reclining thing. Which is fine if you're really settled in, but hard if you have to keep jumping up and down or referring to notes or books.

[–]Scott555 0 points1 point ago

Yes! It's called "Stand Up Desk."

Your body did not evolve to sit all day. Get a waist-height desk and stay on your feet. Takes a week or two to get used to it. I've been standing up at my desk for years, and wish I would have thought to do it years before.

If your back gets tired, do some yoga.

[–]gmksInfrastructure Architect, Trainer (ITIL, VMware, Microsoft) 0 points1 point ago

Seems like Steelcase Leap or Aeron is pretty much the best you'll get.

I've sat in both, and haven't used them for longer than a few hours, but I like the Leap.

I've got an Obusforme chair (not the stupid pad) at home and it's good.

[–]nwatson 0 points1 point ago

I have some mid-back HON office chair I bought from a surplus store for $35 or so. The thing is rock solid. I wholeheartedly endorse this method of furniture acquisition, unless someone else is paying for it and you can buy whatever you want. It beats the hell out of my $200 chair from Costco, which has fallen apart and was never comfortable anyway.

[–]abswle webhosting. 0 points1 point ago

We have steelcase thinks, they are /lovely/. Expensive, but worth it if you spend all day sitting down! Ours were £225 each off ebay, but I think they retail for around £700 each normally..

[–]code45manInformation Security 0 points1 point ago

Aeron as well as many other commentors, I just started at my current Info Security gig and had the same chairs from my last place still like them. Think they swing between 900 and 1200 per so goooood luckkk!

[–]ccmmcc 0 points1 point ago

Design Within Reach stores have a nice selection of the higher-end chairs (Herman-Miller, Humanscale, Knoll). It's nice to be able to sit in a bunch of different chairs and compare them.

[–]jimicus 0 points1 point ago

I've found that cheaper chairs are almost invariably a false economy.

You're sitting in it all day, so it has to be comfortable. You can (and in fact probably should) spend £2-300 on a half-decent office chair. Get one rated for 24-hour use in something like a call-centre environment.