HN Explorer

Ask HN: What kind of chair do you have?

10 points by massarog ↗ HN
I'm looking to upgrade from my old crappy leather chair which offers no support and causes me to become quite uncomfortable just minutes after sitting down. I'm at the computer 10-12 hours a day so I need to invest in a good chair.

I've heard steelcase chairs and the HM Embody chairs are good, although quite expensive.

So HN, what chair do you have or recommend?

15 comments

[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 48.3 ms ] thread
djahng
I have a Herman Miller Aeron with PostureFit. I used to sit on one of my wooden kitchen table chairs all the time and always had lower back pain. A good chair is expensive but well worth the cost.
mrlase
Do you feel it warrants the full price tag? I've been looking into them however just unsure if I really want to spend almost $1k on a chair.
freshrap6
I enjoy mine. It's solid and comfortable. I got it on Craigslist for $300. A company was going out of business and had a bunch of them to get ride of. You might get lucky like I did.

At my office we have the Human Scale Freedom's which are also comfortable, but not as adjustable. We've had 2 break (1 arm rest, one handle on the back) recently, but other than that they are great chairs.

thenomad
I bought the Herman Millar Mirra - the version down from the Aeron - about 4 years ago.

Was it worth the cost? Yeah, yeah it was.

Ignoring the ergonomic benefits, it's just a damn good chair. It's very comfortable. The tilt options are particularly good. I've been known to drag it into the living room to watch TV on if I'm having a bad posture day.

And the lifetime guarantee is really nice, and appears to Really Mean Lifetime. The seat started going about three months ago - I phoned HM up, and a new seat turned up in a truck about a week later.

I can imagine not buying another chair for 10-15 years or more, and at that sort of timescale, it's a bargain.

(See also: the Captain Vimes "Boots" theory.)

diolpah
My Aeron is the best investment I've ever made, bar none.
djahng
Definitely. Take care of it and it'll last, probably got mine 7 years ago now. If it were to break on me today I'd get another one.
ptbello
I'm doing well with the IKEA Markus, which is also reasonably priced. http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70178863
revorad
I have the same one, although in a respectable black :-P. Bought second hand from the returns counter. Been using it for more than a year now and I like it. I'm also experimenting with standing while working now, so the chair will see less use.
Mithril
I purchased a HM Embody a while ago and don't regret it. I grew tired of constantly replacing the $200 chairs from the office stores.

Find some where local that will let you sit in the chairs... figure out what is best for you.

apowell
I'll throw in my endorsement for the Steelcase Leap. I've had mine for three years and I'm very happy with it. Well worth the price.
robriggen
I have implemented a standing workstation. I've heard that sitting for long hours is detrimental to one's health. Some of the people at my wife's workplace have been standing for some time now and no one who changed to a standing work station has changed back. Many have lost weight, too. Here is a link to an interesting article about building a standing work station: http://gigaom.com/collaboration/how-i-made-a-standing-workst... and the health risks of sitting: http://www.geekosystem.com/sitting-health-dangers/
dudemeister
I owned a lot of different chair: the aeron, the vitra headline http://www.vitra.com/en-us/office/products/headline/overview... and quite a few grahl duo backs http://www.backinaction.co.uk/grahl-duo-back-chairs but the very best office chair I've owned and use daily is the "loeffler ergo hocker" http://www.ergowebshop.eu/Loeffler-Ergo-EF-9150 it's an amazing stool (I actually bought three of them, office, home and an older version I gave my brother) it's the only stool I've used you can actually sit on all day long (I'm a coder) without noticing it, the design makes sure that you keep moving without it becoming annoying. And it's cheap! (relatively ;))
4midori
The Steelcase Leap has been great, you should check one out in person. It has many different little adjustable elements to fit your torso. I chose it over the Aeron because of its adjustability.

Make sure to get up and move, stretch, walk every hour or two, it will help save your back.