# Computer chairs. What do you recommend?



## MannDude (Jul 20, 2014)

I'm trying to make my work space more comfortable by getting items that are designed for frequent/heavy use. Recently I have updated my keyboard to an ergonomic one, and I feel less strain in my fingers after a long day at work which is great. The next item on the list for replacement would be more computer chair.

Currently I am using some fake leather $70 computer chair I purchased from Staples about a year ago. It's falling apart, literally. (Partially due to me stretching backwards in it and partially due to a kitten I had that liked to scratch it up). I'm looking for a chair that can be comfortable while sitting in it for hours on end, something with proper back support that is designed for people who have to sit down all day.

What do you guys suggest?  My budget is around $200, and ideally would like something that can be found on Amazon and is Prime eligible.


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## Schultz (Jul 20, 2014)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BX3EIA/ref=twister_B007ZT3XOY

Great ass & back support. Only $185. Will probably last for 12-24 months or so under heavy use.

I paid $400 for an Italian chair on eBay only to read that it was intended for lite-use & not heavy use, have used the chair for about 6 months now and its already worn out. Be careful when selecting as some chairs are not intended for heavy-use and will wear out after a few months.

Best of luck with chair hunting


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## Coastercraze (Jul 20, 2014)

Give Serta a look? Sat in one at Office Max and they were nice. Far too much than I would spend on a chair, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Serta-44103-Health-Wellness-Mid-Back/dp/B00EUU5GLE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405846136&sr=8-3&keywords=Serta+office+chair


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## MartinD (Jul 20, 2014)

Herman Miller - try getting a second hand one. There really isn't anything better out there.


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## William (Jul 20, 2014)

MartinD said:


> Herman Miller - try getting a second hand one. There really isn't anything better out there.


This. New price is sky high though...


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## rmlhhd (Jul 20, 2014)

It's useful if you can test the chair, I've found that some chairs have amazing reviews and look really good but just make your ass numb after long periods of sitting.


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## Leyton (Jul 20, 2014)

I'm not sure if this is the exact one - but it looks like the one in my office, which is one of the best chairs I've had to date:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eliza-Tinsley-Executive-Armchair-Adjustable/dp/B004OR13NS


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## tonyg (Jul 20, 2014)

Here you go, this one will help with proper posture:

http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/332146


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## AMDbuilder (Jul 20, 2014)

I'll second @MartinD's recommendation of a Herman Miller chair.  They are expensive, but using the Embody with the matching Envelop desk... I'm spoiled and can't do the cheap stuff most places buy it's just not comfortable.

 

You might try looking for the Aeron or Mirra/Mirra 2 chair, there is a good chance you can find them cheaper/used than the Embody/Envelop combo.

 

Oh, and the warranty is very nice on them!  The long term cost might work out better for you?


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## Aldryic C'boas (Jul 20, 2014)

I can understand paying for quality... but some of this is just ridiculous.  I just looked up the 'Envelop' desk... 970$ for two jackstands and a slab of wood?  I could almost understand if we were talking about a full-suite office desk (one of those unique designed/built ones)... but I cannot fathom why someone would pay that much for a tiny run of the mill desk.


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## MartinD (Jul 20, 2014)

Agreed on the desk but the chairs really are something else. Nothing comes close.


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## WSWD (Jul 21, 2014)

http://www.amazon.com/Aeron-Chair-Herman-Miller-Adjustable/dp/B000I30NYW/ref=sr_1_14?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1405927521&sr=1-14&keywords=Herman+Miller

This!  I have an older model, and I can tell you that it's very comfortable, and the mesh keeps you very cool...perhaps too cool in the winter and such.  The only issue is the tab to raise and lower the chair is cheap plastic.  WTF?  This is a $1000 chair and they use cheap plastic on the "knob"?  On 3 of these chairs I have seen (mine is still in good shape), that plastic knob has snapped off, and the chairs will no longer raise/lower. 

But the damn thing is sturdy.  Probably weighs 50 pounds, and every part (except that pesky knob) is very solid metal.  I bet the thing would survive a nuclear blast.  The only thing that would be broken is the knob and rubber armrests.  LOL!


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## MannDude (Jul 21, 2014)

While I'm sure that the Herman Miller chairs are nice, I just can't justify the cost... plus I have a cat in the house. While she doesn't _usually_ scratch furniture I don't want to risk having her claw something that pricey. 

I'll probably order this and see how it goes.

http://www.amazon.com/VIVA-OFFICE%C2%AE-Ergonomic-Multifunction-Adjustable/dp/B00DQKJIP4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1405931126&sr=8-5&keywords=ergonomic+chair


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## AMDbuilder (Jul 22, 2014)

The best solution for scratch happy cats - shipping/duck tape reversed (sticky side out).  Generally 2-3 encounters with the tape is all the cat needs to avoid it for good.

I've had the best luck with duck tape, while the cat might have shorter than normal hair in a few spots they aren't harmed otherwise.  Let us know how the chair works out


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## drmike (Jul 22, 2014)

I am a fan of the Herman Miller chairs...  Overpriced yes, but it's proportional to other spendy things people throw cash at.  A good chair is the difference between you being handicapped and perhaps being functional.

A good chair like the Aeron line should last you for many years. http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/performance-work-chairs/aeron-chairs.html

I've bought those for more than a decade at this point.

Trick is to find them on special, to find them lightly used by fashionable startups who spent stupid, etc.

Animals don't belong in work environments (unless you are running a farm or vet clinic) and surely any mesh chair isn't going to mix well with fur and cat claws. Mandatory to get a leather chair when such is part of your environment or resort to all wood or other harder materials, skipping the fancy fabric crap of many of these chairs.

All that said, my home offices do not include a Miller chair, or any other more common office chair.  I use flat, hard wood, high modern "stools"...  They have a flat seating area - wood and a wood back support about 10 inches high.  There are no arm rests.    I prefer these at home, as a desk isn't a place to live (although I too often do)....   Without the supports, you are quickly aware of lousy posture, laying on your arms and other clinically stupid things desk folks do.  These chairs equire you to self support so you abs aren't masses of jello flab (like is way too common around here).


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## Serve By Design (Jul 22, 2014)

While this is technically not a chair, I would still recommend it. 

http://www.ergotron.com/ProductsDetails/tabid/65/PRDID/561/language/en-US/Default.aspx


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## drmike (Jul 22, 2014)

I like stand up desks and big picture people should be working with both if they are desk bound ape.  Switching in the day from one to the other.

Sitting is just horrendous and takes time off your life and health. I can usually tell who is a desk ape from 50 feet away....  They have that big jello mid section, junk in the trunk and huge undefined upper legs. Big simple picture, sitting impacts digestion negatively.  It also limits blood flow from beneath the lungs to your feet.  Prolonged blood restriction leads to many weird problems.

My current configuration for desk is a standup workstation with a sit down high wood chair workstation off to the left of it...  Yes two or more computer setup 

Regardless of which desk style you are rocking, your desk needs to be adjusted to you current pains, fitness, comfort on a daily basis.  Includes adjusting contrast and brightness on monitors as well as positioning of input devices and of course your chair (these multi-adjust chairs "sink" from your weight and adjust from set points).   Fabrics on nicer stuff is tension strapped and such does a similar sag.   The tension fabrics can be problematic for people with back related joint and disc degeneration.  Those folks need a real calcium supplment with complimentary nutrients to help rebuild such physical decay and depletion.

You also need to take regular breaks....   I go 30-45 minutes in a working position and then I go walk around and do something else for 5-10 minutes routinely.  In the winter time, when more likely to stay working in longer stints, I see the physical, ugly transformation I described above from 50 ft.


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## devonblzx (Jul 22, 2014)

I found an Avis black leather chair on sale at Staples for about $90 2 years ago and it's still in great condition and comfortable.  I'd prefer to be able to sit in a chair before I bought it.  Most things I buy online but furniture isn't one.


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## Ree (Jul 28, 2014)

I would also recommend standing.  Started with a Standesk 2200 several weeks ago to make sure I'd be able to tolerate it, and will be looking into something adjustable like that Ergotron in the near future.


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## RHServices (Jul 28, 2014)

Has anyone ever seen any that don't have hard plastic wheels?


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## tonyg (Jul 28, 2014)

RHServices said:


> Has anyone ever seen any that don't have hard plastic wheels?


As opposed to what...no wheels?

If it has wheels it would have to be some sort of plastic or rubber, steel/aluminum will chew the flooring.


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## RHServices (Jul 28, 2014)

tonyg said:


> As opposed to what...no wheels?
> 
> If it has wheels it would have to be some sort of plastic or rubber, steel/aluminum will chew the flooring.


Rubber or something like that is what I meant, something other than hard plastic is all


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## TheLinuxBug (Jul 28, 2014)

Well the chair I was going to suggest and that I have seems to no longer be purchasable, but I will still post it here in case your able to find it elsewhere or second hand in good condition:

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/665482/La-Z-Boy-Rudlowe-Bonded-Leather/?cm_mmc=Affiliates-_-CJ-_-2470763-_-11272891

La-z-Boy Rudlowe Leather Executive Chair

They had this thing on sale as low as $128.00 I think.

I got it a while before the sale and spent a bit more, but with the la-z-boy 10 year warranty, and the confort it provides, it wasn't that hard of a choice for me.

Especially for you bigger guys, this is rated to 250lbs and has no problems holding the weight.

Only complaint I have is that I like to lean back and this has put extra strain on the gas piston which holds the back up.  Because of this,  on occasion if you lean back too hard the back will collapse on you slowly.  This is one of the only things I plan to return for warranty at some point.

my 2 cents.

Cheers!


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## MannDude (Aug 31, 2014)

I think I got all the life I can get out of mine. It's going to go in a dumpster when my new chair arrives: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q5XTE8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For $150~, it seems like a good deal. Quite a few verified reviewers comment they spend as much time as I do in it and enjoy it. It's no Herman Miller, but it's something I can actually afford and should be good.

I'll update once it arrives.


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## datarealm (Aug 31, 2014)

I used an exercise ball for a long while as an office chair and it really helped my lower back and shoulder which were both incredibly sore from bad sitting posture....


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## drmike (Sep 1, 2014)

I am about 80% of the time standing (my standup desk) and 20% sitting at such on a flat wood high bar stool style chair with a simple back that is about 12 inches high.

Standing is a bit problematic as I like to be barefoot. My floors are aged hard oak - double layers of oak.   It's not so different than standing on concrete in some ways.  About to bring some anti-fatigue mats into the office again.



tonyg said:


> As opposed to what...no wheels?
> 
> If it has wheels it would have to be some sort of plastic or rubber, steel/aluminum will chew the flooring.


No wheels... ahhh  hmmm.... haven't noticed chairs like these without them in many years.

To prevent the wheel wear on floor, buy a proper mat for the chair to go on.


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## QuadraNet_Adam (Sep 4, 2014)

TheLinuxBug said:


> Well the chair I was going to suggest and that I have seems to no longer be purchasable, but I will still post it here in case your able to find it elsewhere or second hand in good condition:
> 
> http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/665482/La-Z-Boy-Rudlowe-Bonded-Leather/?cm_mmc=Affiliates-_-CJ-_-2470763-_-11272891
> 
> ...


Out of stock  Actually wouldn't mind picking up one of the La-z-Boy's for myself.


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## TekStorm - Walter (Sep 4, 2014)

I would suggest a chair that I have, I have a chair that is comfy as well as gives a back massage when i have sat to long and also has a heating pad that is amazing. It also reclines, i sit and work all day and when the stress gets to me i tell its a gift from god. I paid aroun4450 for it but i am should if you look and an watch you can find one for around 200 or they do go on sale.


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