Question I need a new chair...

[Stg-Flame]

So, I've always just picked up whatever $50 chair Walmart had but I figured since I do most of my free-time at my PC, I might as well get something decent. The obvious answer would be a Herman Miller, but I really don't want to spend $2,000 on a chair. I have a discount to use on a gaming chair at Newegg, but they all look very similar to the one I've been using for 10+ years, except a lot more uncomfortable.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good office chair? Back support is a must since my lower spine is technically broken and sitting for long periods can get pretty painful with the worn-out chair I've been using. I've looked around and I've found very similar-looking chairs at Staples and Amazon and one is $1,500 while the other is $150. I don't care about name brands, I just want something that will last a long time.

Edit: I should mention that I've looked at the mesh chairs and the only hesitation I have towards those is that I have two cats who love to sleep on my chair. Try as hard as I want to, they eventually scratch it and I get the feeling like a mesh chair won't survive very long unless I can cover it with something while I'm at work.

 

[OlyAR15]

I bought a used HM Aeron in 2000 for ~$500. Still going strong, and I’ve sat in it for all-nighters on occasion. Pretty happy with it.

 

[Stg-Flame]

I looked at the Aerons and they are still really expensive. I'll look around to see if I can find one on sale somewhere. In the past, I'd watch for local businesses that are going out of sale and ask if any of their furniture was available to buy. My computer desk is solid oak and I grabbed it for $200 cash but they'd never sell the chairs.

 

[Dranoche]

See if you can find an office furniture supplier near you. Easiest way to find one might be to check authorized dealers for companies like Herman Miller or Steelcase. They usually maintain a stock of used products, and you should also be able to try out the full line-up of any companies they carry products for. Even if you don't buy anything there you at least have a chance to find something you like.

 

[Muadib]

I looked at the Aerons and they are still really expensive. I'll look around to see if I can find one on sale somewhere. In the past, I'd watch for local businesses that are going out of sale and ask if any of their furniture was available to buy. My computer desk is solid oak and I grabbed it for $200 cash but they'd never sell the chairs.

New the Aeron is still expensive. You need to look at the used market. I paid $550 for mine, and couldn't be happier. Like Dranoche said you need to find an office furniture store near you. The one by me has refurbished Aerons, and mine looked new to me. I got a C model and love it.

 

[Stg-Flame]

I live in a small town in the desert. It's an oilfield town so if I need tools, I can get them far cheaper than most people, but office furniture just doesn't really exist in my area. I've called and spoken to a lot of business owners in my area and they all told me they had to outsource their furniture from Denver, Phoenix, or places in Texas ever since our only Office Max closed down.

 

[CP5670]

I picked this one after trying about 20 different chairs from different brands:

Question - Gaming chair

I got a Serta i5000 high back chair for $400 (normally $580) for my gaming setup. I settled on it after trying out numerous $2000-3000 chairs (Aeron, Embody, Leap Worklounge, Freedom), which all had some issue or lacking feature. I wanted one I could sit back and relax in while still being a...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[Stg-Flame]

I just wish I could try them. With my broken spine, it's impossible for me to know whether or not something will be comfortable for me. I guess I'll hold off on the online ordering until I can get some days off and take a trip to Phoenix to look at them in person. Or Texas since my job regularly sends me there.

Thanks for the suggestions. It'll give me some ideas to try out when I find a store that sells them.

 

[CP5670]

I got that one in Office Depot, if you have one near you. I definitely agree that you should try out any of them before buying. I found that many of the "famous" chairs had various little issues that made them not ideal for my purposes.

 

[Fallen Kell]

I think I got my Aeron new for like $800 (but this was also back in like 2004-2006 timeframe (long enough ago that I no longer have the emails from the purchase).

 

[mike8675309]

I have an Aeron currently but I feel my favorite chair, an Allsteel Acuity, is much better than the Aeron. They tend to cost more than the Aeron which has actually been copied quite a bit and what you buy today may not be a "real" one. The Acuity comes with most of the features standard which is optional on an Aeron including the seat base that can move forward or back for shorter or taller people.

 

[boing]

I got a Steelcase Leap Mk2 on e-bay a few years ago with 3D arms, it's pretty good and usefull for tailoring to your body shape, lumbar support is decent but not outstanding though.