Web Worker Daily

Dale Cruse says: December 31st, 2007 7:33am

I bought the same Humanscale Freedom chair that Jason bought. What a mistake. I used to have an Aeron chair and I’m sorry I ever switched. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to get rid of my Humanscale chair and buy another Aeron. I strongly prefer it.

Mike Gunderloy says: December 31st, 2007 8:03am

I bought a Steelcase Think earlier this month. One of the things that got me to try them – after spending about two days reading about high-end chairs on the web – is that they will let you test-sit the chair for a month before they charge your credit card. I didn’t go for the absolute high end, so I only (only?) spent about $700 on it.

It is not the most comfortable chair I have ever used in terms of lulling me to sleep; indeed, being on the ectomorph end of the scale I often feel that the rather stiff spring to the chair back is trying to fling me right out and over my desk. But I’ve noticed something interesting: since switching, my nightly bout of back pain is gone. That’s enough to make me keep it; I’ll swap cushy comfort for pain-free nights any time.

The arms on the Think retract when you butt up against the keyboard tray or desk, by the way.

Alex G says: December 31st, 2007 8:52am

I’ve been sitting on the same Aeron for the last 7 years. Worth every penny.

Dave Mozealous says: December 31st, 2007 10:07am

I at one time worked for a company that bought everyone there choice of either the Mirra or the Aeron. I ended up choosing the Mirra because it was a more flexible chair. I had that chair for about a year before I quit the company, and honestly, it was difficult to leave that chair, as I knew I would never be willing to pay that much money for a chair at my new company where I work from home.

You will not be disappointed with the Mirra if you decide to buy it. Yes, the price is outrageous, but if you work from home it is worth spoiling yourself here.

I strongly recommend the Mirra.

Michael R. Bernstein says: December 31st, 2007 10:11am

AlexG: Me too! In that time I’ve had to use the warranty twice to replace the lumbar support. Five more years to go before the warranty runs out…

keith bohanna says: December 31st, 2007 10:53am

I have the Aeron for a couple of years and very happy to recommend it. However cannot test it to anything comparable!

keith

Jon Moss says: December 31st, 2007 1:25pm

Aeron for me too – very comfy and a design classic :)

Davey Moyers says: January 1st, 2008 8:45am

Go with the Levenger Sprezzatura, but get the armrest. Order the lapdesk if you do a lot of work on the laptop. This is a good combination, very comfortable. Levenger quality, as you know, is hard to beat. Oh yea, get the lapdesk stand, very convenient.

MarkS says: January 1st, 2008 10:55am

I was in an office that provided your typical $80 chairs from Staples or Ikea… Crap. My back and neck bothered me… a lot.

Bought the Steelcase Leap, tuned all the adjustments on it, back problems completely gone.

You’re going to sit in a chair to do work for > 40 hours a week, then it’s ridiculous to complain about the price of a chair. Do your back a favor. It deserves to be taken good care of.

If you need some rational for spending $700-800 on a chair, think of it differently… it’s a one-time purchase, and it will last you many years… Let’s say 8 years… Is it worth spending $100 a year to keep your spine happy and healthy? I think so.

Amongst other ergonomic choices that are no-brainers… make sure you have a good quality monitor. Spend the extra $100 or so to make sure that it’s sharp… My business partner had a CRT that was “fuzzy”. He complained about it, constantly tried to tune it to get a sharper image and he complained for months of eye-strain and headaches. He ignored my constant nagging that he spend $259 on a decent LCD display. Eventually, one day I just bought the damn thing without him knowing it. We replaced his monitor. He got more screen real estate with the new monitor. It was sharp. His eye strain and headaches disappeared.

It’s amazing to me how sometimes cheap can completely override common sense.

cmv says: January 1st, 2008 1:08pm

I’ve been eyeballing the Air Grid Space Chair by Office Star. Looks like it’s on sale today and tomorrow from Cosco ( link to sale ).
Office Star Air Grid Series

Jacqueline says: January 1st, 2008 8:39pm

I’ve been thinking about investing a good chair (right now I have the choice between your basic Staples special or the couch) – like MarkS said, your health should be a priority.

That said, both the Humanscale and the Aeron chairs seem to be equally highly regarded (they both made it to 3Luxe’s top three, for instance, although the Humanscale is more popular with voters – http://www.3luxe.com/category/Home_Office/Office_Chairs).

Personally, I prefer the design of the Aeron – but this is one arena where I am willing to sacrifice a few style points for comfort.

Owen M says: January 2nd, 2008 7:00am

Probably worth noting that the Zody http://www.sit4less.com/products/haworth/zody-chair/19 manufactured by Haworth http://www.haworth.com in Michigan is the newest entrant into the High End seating market. We have 3 in my office and it is the first chair that everyone actually fights for.

Jacqueline says: January 2nd, 2008 10:50am

@Owen M – that looks like a great chair too (and they are from my home state of Michigan, which pleases me for some reason).

felix says: January 4th, 2008 11:38am

I suggest talking to the people at http://www.officedesigns.com I bought a Aeron and then a Mirra from them and they have the most knowledgable people peroid! I researched for 6 months before I spent that kind of money and am very happy with both chairs after I took their advice. Got $50 off to boot!

Office Chair UK says: January 5th, 2008 4:59pm

I often hear people say that chairs like the Aeron and Freedom Chair are highly over-rated. I strongly disagree – I say that they are just very successfully marketed. I run a business in the UK that sells some of the less well known ergonomic chairs like Global’s OBUSForme, Tract’s Corrigo and Office Chairman’s Physio 24/7. These chairs are arguably just as good as the Aeron and Freedom Chair, and heck they cost just as much. But the primary reason they are less well known is because they are not marketed as heavily. Still, the few people who stumble across these chairs from companies like ours reap the ergonomic benefits.

DuncanM says: January 8th, 2008 5:46am

I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with the Sprezzatura, it certainly looks ideal for use in a tight space like a home office.

I’d be a bit concerned about its lack of adjustability if you’re going to be sat in it for long periods of time.

You might care to read this article http://www.officechairadvice.com/ergonomic/best/what_to_look_for_buying_ergonomic_chair.html on the key points to consider when buying an office chair

Web Worker Daily » Archive Are You Ready to Stand While You Work? « says: April 30th, 2008 11:00am

[...] 30th, 2008 (11:00am) Mike Gunderloy No Comments We’ve covered picking the ideal office chair, fixing up your workstation with a treadmill, and choosing the right office desk. But there’s [...]

designerchairbargains says: August 2nd, 2008 10:14pm

I find my office chair to be adequate. However a few years ago on a visit to an art store, I sat in an Aeron chair and fell in love. I have asked my boss to buy me this chair when I needed a chair for my desk. He took one look at the price and laughed in my face and said, “yeah right, dream on!”. Yeah, the Aeron is my dream chair…one day I will get one.

WebWorkerDaily » Archive Creating Your Own Web Working Space « says: October 8th, 2008 10:00am

[...] time looking for a great chair. One thing we have in common with office-bound workers is the need for a good chair.  Without it, we’re prone to back aches and hours of working in pain or [...]

Dan says: October 9th, 2008 8:10am

Here’s one which you all might consider The Verte chair from RFM.
This is a chair where the back adjusts to conform to the spine. The rep brought it by some weeks ago and I found it one of the most comfortable I’ve ever sat in (and I’ve been through ‘em all). My floor sample is supposed to get here today (yay! We’ll see if it ever makes it to the floor!). Expensive, but if you have back problems, worth it!

Also try the CXO chair … VERY comfortable and adjustable. Priced about the same as the HM and HS chairs.

It’s not the glamour name of Herman Miller or Humanscale (although I do like the Freedom), but if you really want something great and willing to spend the money on it….

Sorry, not trying to do blatent plugs, but these really are alternatives to Herman Miller et al.

james says: October 10th, 2008 11:13am

Aeron chair DEFINITELY! I know they can be kind of expensive, but if you go to preownedaerons.com you can find a really nice chair for really cheap. Great service too.

Joe N. says: January 15th, 2009 2:30pm

I don’t think the Aeron chair is over rated at all! I bought mine at Herman Miller Seating. They had a great customer service staff and talked me through the entire buying process. I went with the fully loaded version, but the basic chair isn’t too expensive at $679. Happy hunting!

Jim M says: February 25th, 2009 6:24am

After doing some research and testing various chairs I went with the Freedom Chair. The best deal I found was at The Human Solution. See this Freedom Chair link. I called them and they gave me $150 off their website price.