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Ask HN: I need to buy a new office chair, any tips/recommendations?

11 points by jordanwallwork ↗ HN
My office chair just broke so I need to get a new one. Does anyone have any chairs that they recommend, or tips for selecting? There's such a lot of chairs out there and I want to be sure to pick well since I'll spend such a large portion of my life sitting in the damn thing!

9 comments

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teslabox
Get an inflatable ball chair; alternate with standing. Office chairs cultivate poor posture, and should be avoided.
jordanwallwork
Oh wow I hadn't considered that, I remember those from years ago but had forgotten all about them! Cheers I'll definitely look into them
saluki
you can use an exercise ball part of the day, I'm 6'1" and use a 75cm one . . . you can pick one up at Target.

Ikea has some decent chairs, go in and test them out. The one I liked best was one of their least expensive ones.

jonah
My best advice is to spend some time sitting in a variety of chairs.

I needed a chair 15 years ago when the Aeron was the hot thing. I tried one out and didn't like it. After testing half-a-dozen different chairs I ended up with a Steelcase Leap. I'm still using it today and it's held up really well. After about 12 years daily use the gas cylinder finally failed. It was still under warranty so a service person came to my office and replaced it for free.

ponyous
A few months ago I purchased used Steelcase Leap v2[0] and am happy with it. It offers lots of customization and my back never hurts me after a long day. I wouldn't be happy if I had to pay the full price (~$1000?) as I tried some other chairs in the past such as Spinalis[1] and my mind was blown away.

I don't know exactly the reason I felt so good on Spinalis as it was several years ago. But I do know it was "different" than any other chair I tried (haven't tried many).

Hope it helps.

[0]: http://store.steelcase.com/seating/office-chairs/leap

[1]: http://www.spinalischairs.co.uk/

exlurker
Don't get a chair, get a standing desk. Has worked wonders for my back the last two years. I do have a bar-stool that I use at times.
zerr
But what about knees?
wesbos
If you can afford it, the aeron or leap are amazing. Many people make the mistake of sittin in a coworkers or trying it and a store and saying they don't like it. It takes lots of adjustment to get it just right for your body so make sure to spend sometime in a showroom.

I've had the aeron for over a year and I absolutely love it