Office Chairs

[fiveworlds]

I want to buy a good chair as I spend most of the day sitting for work and had some pain in my arm because my current chair is just a wooden one from the kitchen. I have no idea what is a good chair to buy and there is so many brands I have never even heard of. The local furniture store has one that looks like this for 160.

One person I know has a secret labs chair and he says it is very comfortable but they are very pricey so am not sure about it.

Work uses IKEA chairs but am not sure whether I would be more comfortable in something that wasn't mesh. https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/jaervfjaellet-office-chair-gunnared-dark-grey-80363596/

[Phi for All]

I look at most things as tools. If you use a tool a LOT, or if it matters a LOT that it does certain things very well, you'll never be sorry for getting the best you can afford.

Some tools are fairly universal, such as beds and shoes, and I ALWAYS recommend getting the best available. Getting good sleep and being able to walk/stand comfortably really improve the quality of life. I would add an office chair to that list if you spend a great deal of time at your desk. In that regard, it's like a good bed because you use it for so much of the day.

I would spend the extra for the gaming chair. It's only 2X the price of the one at the local furniture store, but I'll bet it'll last 3X longer and be 10X more comfortable. 

 

[swansont]

I have an Aeron at work. (Herman Miller)

Pricey but worth it if you’re sitting a lot.

[MigL]

Don't get a reclining chair like our work chairs ( look like your 1st image, but $800 a pop ).
Temptation in is always there to recline, and catch a few zzzs.

Edited January 1, 2021 by MigL

[iNow]

23 minutes ago, swansont said:

I have an Aeron at work. (Herman Miller)

Pricey but worth it if you’re sitting a lot.

^This

[fiveworlds]

Quote

I have an Aeron at work. (Herman Miller)

They are hard to get a hold of over here and are usually over 1000 pounds. Twice the price of the gaming chair plus I am not sure if I am getting the value out of it. An office would make use of the adjustability of it for many people but I can get the gaming chair specific for my size?

[swansont]

11 minutes ago, fiveworlds said:

They are hard to get a hold of over here and are usually over 1000 pounds. Twice the price of the gaming chair plus I am not sure if I am getting the value out of it. An office would make use of the adjustability of it for many people but I can get the gaming chair specific for my size?

It’s up to you, of course, but the Aeron comes in three different sizes. On this side of the pond they run about $500, so that’s more reasonable.

I recall looking at chairs at an office store and they were labeled with a time rating, of how long one could expect to sit comfortably at one stretch. Price generally went up with the time rating.

[Phi for All]

9 minutes ago, fiveworlds said:

Twice the price of the gaming chair plus I am not sure if I am getting the value out of it. An office would make use of the adjustability of it for many people 

I feel this way about all the adjustable stuff in cars that only I am going to drive. If I'm going to adjust it once and then leave it, it seems like an expensive waste of mechanics.

13 minutes ago, fiveworlds said:

but I can get the gaming chair specific for my size?

Pretty sure the gaming chair is the same way, completely adjustable so you can customize it to your size. I don't think anyone is making chairs with specific configurations you can't change. For one, when you spend that kind of money, the chair is going to last and your body may change over time. For two, our desk/chair arrangements are rarely as static as our cars, and you may need to adjust your chair for many reasons. 

 

[CharonY]

I think I have read that many gaming chairs try to emulate racing seats and are not necessarily that ergonomic for their price. I have been eyeing the Herman Miller and Steelcase chairs. However, I am actually using Markus (Ikea) plus sit/stand desk at home and I never really felt the need to upgrade.

I might change my mind if I actually was able to test one, but until then I have a hard time justifying the price hike when I actually do not have any complaints.

[Sensei]

7 hours ago, fiveworlds said:

Work uses IKEA chairs but am not sure whether I would be more comfortable in something that wasn't mesh. https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/jaervfjaellet-office-chair-gunnared-dark-grey-80363596/

I would instantly dismiss idea of getting chair without armrest..

BTW, when we are at things which increase the comfort of programmer's work and life, one of the first things in my top ten would be blackout curtains. When you work at night (as it is almost 4:00 pm in Europe now. Summer would be sunrise) and you sleep during the day, you need blackout curtains to have a good rest. Daylight does not enter the bedroom and does not interrupt sleep.

[Danijel Gorupec]

8 hours ago, Sensei said:

I would instantly dismiss idea of getting chair without armrest..

I actually prefer chairs without armrest - so I guess it is individual (It is because I tend to pull my legs up, sit on a leg and perform other unsightly poses - armrests limit this. Another unhappy thing about armrests is that I sometimes like to pull myself and the chair almost under the desk, and armrests prevent this. In any case, I am a person who constantly wiggles on his seat.)

Fiveworlds, I wouldn't dare to buy an expensive chair without testing it. It is one thing that you should not choose by just surfing the web (and/or asking other people - chairs are individual). But if something (corona?) prevents you from going out and testing chairs, I am  pretty sure that whatever you choose it will be much better for you than a kitchen chair. So, go for it in any case.

[CharonY]

12 hours ago, Sensei said:

I would instantly dismiss idea of getting chair without armrest..

BTW, when we are at things which increase the comfort of programmer's work and life, one of the first things in my top ten would be blackout curtains. When you work at night (as it is almost 4:00 pm in Europe now. Summer would be sunrise) and you sleep during the day, you need blackout curtains to have a good rest. Daylight does not enter the bedroom and does not interrupt sleep.

The Ikea chairs (Markus and the on in op) have optional arm rests, but they are not adjustable.