> The importance of extremely comfy and ergonomically dazzling chairs is exaggerated. There is simply no such thing as a perfect chair: your body isn’t comfortable with any position for hours at a time. The problem isn’t the position that your body is in, but the lack of motion, exertion, and variety of stimulation, and no chair can solve that.
> The best chair might just be two or three simple-but-different chairs used in rotation, including or used in conjunction with an destabilizing cushion, such as a Disc-O-Sit or Sissel Sit, or a fitness ball.
> In my office, I have a standard office chair and a stool, both of which I use in combination with a Disc-O-Sit for plenty of variety.
> And, if you still want a good chair, and if you’ve got the cash, by all means — get yourself a fancy chair! I did. I worried about the cost until I sat in it. I’ve now been sitting in it without buyer’s remorse for about 12 years.
(The chair he bought and is referring to is the popular Aeron chair)
I came here to write this. My back issues went away after I started using a convertible standing desk (ergotron arm holding my monitor mouse and keyboard) so I can stand on sit and change position anytime I want.
Also, fidget while standing! One of the harmful parts of computer work is the body freezing.
I've had to do lots of physical therapy for the problems developed from sitting in a chair at the computer. The kneeling chair has been a huge improvement.
I have a classic "Stokke" kneeling chair (now apparently called "Variable balans", http://www.varierfurniture.com/en_us/Movement-Chairs) and I like it, but only for temporary use, not as a full-time chair. Two reasons:
First, your back has to be in quite good shape to avoid dropping your posture after an hour or two. If you can't stay in good form, you need to strengthen your back and work up to it.
Second, the pressure on my kneecaps causes a certain amount of knee pain after using it for extended periods.
I've used a Stokke/Varier Wing Balans for about 15 years on and off. I find that it allows for a variety of sitting positions.
If you are experiencing knee pain, you may want to adjust so the top of your shin is against the pad, not the knee itself, and keep the majority of your weight through your core and seat.
I started using one when I bruised my coccyx (snowboarding accident) and found it to help with lower back pain YMMV
[edit] I prefer the Wing Balans because it is height adjustable with a gas ram, so it can be used in more positions, with a variety of desk heights. I would often use it very low in more of a kneeling position, or at the upper edge of its height range more like a stool
In the late 80's and early 90's kneeling chairs were all the rage as personal computing went main stream in the US. The big box office supply stores would have one as part of their basic $60 chair+desk computer furniture combos. I remember being confronted with them when trying to fix friends and family computers -- by 'confronted' I just mean that they never worked for me and that when sitting down to fix something it was not my first choice chair. I know they work for some people.
They seem to work for some people...I am not one of those people. But I've had a lot of conventional chairs become less comfortable after several hours, too.
I bought Autonomous' ErgoChair[1] couple of months ago but it got delivered in December 2016. I like it and It's lot cheaper than other options in the market.
Warning: KickStarter suspended their campaign [2] because they were reselling the product. You may also want to check this Reddit thread [3] before you make your mind.
I just got my ErgoChair in the first week of January after ordering it sometime around the end of October - right after it got removed from Kickstarter.
It's not as comfortable (less cushion) as my old $140 generic "manager" chair from amazon, but the finer grained adjustments and improved back support are a welcome upgrade. After about two weeks in the chair, I'm pretty happy with it. I never thought I'd appreciate a headrest, but it's great when watching longer videos. I wish the seat raised about 3-4 inches higher (I'm 6'6"). That old "manager" chair allowed a slightly higher seat, which I definitely preferred.
I also bought one of their sit/stand desks last year. I absolutely love it. I plan to get two more after I move next month.
I've always wanted to try one of the fancier adjustable chairs out there, but I can't seem to bring myself to spend that much on a chair. Both the desk and the chair are far less expensive than their respective competitors and are of better-than good-enough quality that I'm very happy with both purchases.
The only annoyance I've had with both have been exceptionally long shipping times (multiple months). When I emailed them about it, they were quick to respond with the approximate timeframe for shipping. That said, I recommended the desk to my mother a few months ago (a couple months after I got mine) and she got hers within a couple weeks.
I've got an Aeron. I've been through a few others far cheaper and near enough as good for sitting in but they broke so quickly with effectively zero customer service about that the 10 year guarantee was worth it.
I've had it about 5 years now, no issues with it whatsoever, but if there ever are past the guarantee period the parts market is pretty robust for them.
I bought my Aeron used in 2003. It's only now starting to wear out, and that's only in the places on the seat where I sit with me feet in the chair. My shoes have worn some of the cross webbing.
I'm typing from an Ikea Marcus which is my home office chair.
While I agree that the Aeron is great (and have one at work that I use regularly), the Marcus fit in my budget ($200 for the Marcus vs $800+ for a new Aeron) and is perfectly reasonable. I usually leave it in the locked forward typing position.
For twelve hour stints, I stand for part of the time (my desk will move up to standing height).
Another vote for the Markus here - I've had an adult lifetime of back problems due to being attacked when I was 19 (I'm 45), and this is the first chair I've found in years that I can sit in and work for more than half an hour without problems - in fact, I bought it the weekend before I needed to do several straight 12 hour days working on a project with a tight deadline and instead of being crippled at the end of it I felt OK. The seat-to-floor height is just right for me, and it offers just the right amount of support. Hopefully I won't stain it like the other poster here!
I liked my Marcus a lot, and I thought it looked great, too. Unfortunately I stained the fabric and found it impossible to get it out, so I'm not sure if I'd buy one again.
I've used everything from an Aeron to a Staples branded chair... and I've found that as long as it's sufficiently adjustable (height, back angle, seat tilt, arm rests, and lumbar) and feels comfortable, it will probably work. One of my long time favorites was actually a Tempurpedic chair I got from staples. Quite comfortable over long periods of time.
Yeah, another vote for the Aeron. I have a couple that I've owned for well over ten years. I definitely consider it more of a "durable good" than the store-brand chairs.
Only complaint is that, apart from replacing the wheels, they're difficult to repair yourself. The seat broke on one a couple of years ago. I bought a replacement seat only to discover that it's held on by a couple of strange custom bolts that you can easily destroy if you try to wrangle 'em out yourself. Thankfully there was a Herman Miller place in town, and they were able to install the seat for me.
Yeah, I have an aeron and have had it for many years. Got it used for 400 I think and it's been a much better chair than the 100-150$ ones that you buy at staples every few years once the padding goes out. Mine is still going very solid and I use it every day and work from home.
The ergonomics expert I work with tells me "the best position is your next position". They ensure we have both good comfortable chairs, and a sit or stand workstation so we can vary our position often.
I'm constantly changing. Up, down, up, down, cross legged on my chain, up . Long compile - pace back and forth for a few minutes. It drives my co-workers nuts at times, but it is much better for the body.
Follow-up question: Aeron or Mirra 2? I'm in the market for a new chair and Herman Miller seems like a solid brand. I was considering the Aeron but the Mirra seems interesting as well.
Do what I did: Find a store that carries Herman Miller (and others) and go in and spend an hour sitting in various chairs. Everyone's body is different and there's no substitute for personal experience.
Note that I said an hour. At least. You can't really tell how it's going to feel after an extended period from just sitting down for a minute. Bring a paper or two. :)
Ditto, I was able to get a Leap from an office surplus store for my home office and I enjoy its adjustability better than the Aeron I had at my last job. The breathability of the Aeron is nice, but I don't have issues with standard cloth chairs anyway.
I've used the Herman Miller Aeron for 3 years at various San Francisco startups, and got to really appreciate it. Its best features for me were the ability to forget I'm sitting in a chair or that it even exists, I could just focus on my work. I ended up getting one for my current office. It was the new 2016 refreshed model, which is slightly nicer. I like it a lot.
It's also unbeatable if you tend to run warm, because of the mesh that has great air circulation. In a normal chair, you'd be sweating otherwise.
That said, I also got a standing desk and I think it's fantastic to be able to stand half the day, and sit the other half.
I have a LEAP chair which is broken. It is much better than the overhyped Aeron. In theory the LEAP has a lifetime warrantee but practically the nearest Steelcase dealer who is 60 miles away won't return my phone calls.
Exercise ball and standing. I had a motorcycle accident 8yrs ago that chipped some of the nubs off my coccyx and lower spine. Sitting in a chair hurts after an hour or 2. No pain with the ball. Plus its cheap.
I bought a used medium Herman Miller Aeron. It was the best chair I'd ever owned, but I ended up switching to a standing desk setup a few months later, and I'm very happy with it.
I am using an Ikea Vollmar ($250) currently (for up to 14h per day) and I like it. The back adjusting mechanism could be more fine grained. A few years ago I used a Vitra office chair, which was better and I might one day buy one. However, the price of ~1500$ is a bit hard to swallow and as long as I don't get back pain I will stay with my Volmar.
I had previously tried both the Aeron as well as the Steelcase Leap 2 for an extended period (+1w) and found I preferred the Steelcase. I purchased one for myself and one for my wife.
It's common to find these gently used on Craigslist for around $200 if you live in a populated area. That's where I got mine. I was able to pick any two from a lot of 20+.
I've had the Herman Miller Mirra chair since December 2011 and could not be happier with it. Much better than the SteelCase Leap Chair it replaced and in my personal opinion it's more comfortable than the Aeron chair.
I too have a Herman Miller Mirra. It would be the perfect chair if only it had a headrest. Aftermarket headrests exist for the Aeron, but I could not find any for the Mirra.
Beyond the adjustability that comes with the Mirra, I like this chair because the seat is actually a flexible mesh, rather than a traditional soft cushion. This is best for me, because it allows me to sit longer. By comparison, traditional soft cushions eventually become not-so-soft, and this will lead to pain in my tailbone. Mirra helps me avoid that pain, so I can sit longer.
I have a IKEA MARKUS too. It is perhaps even more comfortable due to it's height and headrest, but because it lacks a mesh seat like the Mirra, it's not great for long periods of sitting. (IMO)
After trying both, I went with the Aeron. But before that, I used a Leap for many years and I was quite happy with that one, too. You just have to try them and see what works for you.
Standing desk has been the best for me. I don't like chairs because I'm always at a whiteboard writing things. If possible I would recommend you try going chairless.
I have a Herman Miller Celle at work and love it. They're a bit cheaper than the Aeron, and as far as I can tell offer a couple more adjustments not available on the Aeron. (Lumbar support, seat depth, and seat angle(separate from the back).
There are also some Steelcase Leaps laying around which are also great.
Relevant excerpts:
> The importance of extremely comfy and ergonomically dazzling chairs is exaggerated. There is simply no such thing as a perfect chair: your body isn’t comfortable with any position for hours at a time. The problem isn’t the position that your body is in, but the lack of motion, exertion, and variety of stimulation, and no chair can solve that.
> The best chair might just be two or three simple-but-different chairs used in rotation, including or used in conjunction with an destabilizing cushion, such as a Disc-O-Sit or Sissel Sit, or a fitness ball.
> In my office, I have a standard office chair and a stool, both of which I use in combination with a Disc-O-Sit for plenty of variety.
> And, if you still want a good chair, and if you’ve got the cash, by all means — get yourself a fancy chair! I did. I worried about the cost until I sat in it. I’ve now been sitting in it without buyer’s remorse for about 12 years.
(The chair he bought and is referring to is the popular Aeron chair)