I went and sat in a bunch of high end office chairs including the Herman Miller Aeron, Herman Miller Embody, and Steelcase Gesture. I feel like the HM chairs are a lot more "opinionated" about how you sit, and sitting wrong will be punished with pain (e.g. back of the legs for folding your legs under the chair). I have heard that shorter people find them more comfortable though (6'1" here).

The Steelcase Gesture is a good chair too, but the arms on the Leap are leaps and bounds better (fixed Vs. semi-lock on the Gesture). I just feel like for computer/mouse users, having fixed arms makes a lot more sense than infinitely moveable ones that don't lock as well.

It was absolutely the right decision to spend almost $1K on a chair. I've already owned it longer than any other chair and it remains comfortable after a few initial weeks of tweaking.

I have two and spent 350 each on them.

I did not have the luxury of trying other high end chairs, though, so I couldn't offer any comparisons. I bought it secondhand for ~$350 sight unseen.

I can agree, it's probably the better of these 3 I have. It's a tank and Steelcase told me it doesn't come apart and it's shipped assembled. My favorite part is that it reclines instead of rocking.

Then we went WFH due to the pandemic and I took a trip to the office and brought home mine from there.

Great chairs!

If you're not budget conscious, look at the Herman Miller Aeron, Steelcase Leap V2, Steelcase Gesture, or Humanscale Freedom. Budget, seems to be a serious crapshoot. Lots of people like the top end Ikea chairs and those will cost 1/4 as much, but depends on if they fit your body and if you're ok with rigid arms.

Steelcase Leap V2 seems like the winner to me. Most adjustable, with a soft seat (Aeron has hard edged bottom mesh... and looks like an insect). Humanscale Freedom with headrest looks best IMO but not as comfortable and couldn't find good remanufactured ones.

Lots of refurbished/second hand options.

I ended up going with a remanufactured (starts with refurbished, gets cleaned up nicely, reupholstered and rebuilt). Half price for a chair that I hope feels like new.

BTOD (https://www.btod.com/) and Crandall (https://www.crandalloffice.com/) look like they sell the same product (and Crandall is the "factory" for both). If you go this route, see what price works better for you after promo codes and tax are factored in.

I went with this BTOD Leap V2: https://www.btod.com/steelcase-leap-v2. Ordered yesterday. Fingers crossed that it feels like new.

I can't believe a great $300 or $400 (new) chair that's fully adjustable doesn't exist.

$450 for separate lumbar support: https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/9518879/WorkPro-12000...

How long have you had it and how do you like it?

I'm surprised there isn't a modern/stylish chair that can compete with HM/Steelcase and hit the $400ish range. Maybe I just don't understand enough about the materials and manufacturing costs necessary, but seems like this should be doable -- and the deeper I research brands who try this (like Autonomous.ai), the more I read about the chairs being creaky, poppy, and sometimes uncomfortable.

A Casper/Purple/Saatva for office chairs seems ripe for this climate (WFH).

I get them from Madison Seating used, with very little (if any) visible wear. $250-350 that way.

https://store.flokk.com/us/en-gb/products/hag-capisco?store=...

- First week: Oh, interesting chair

- Week 2-4: I can’t really find a comfortable position, constantly fidgeting with table height and chair settings

- Week 4-8: Mild pain in back, rather stand than use the chair

Then I moved office to a super normal supportive chair, which was a relief and all pain disappeared immediately.

I think of it almost like barefoot running/standing desk, you’ll have to gradually get used to it and especially if you have a weak core (I’m guessing), it might provide to little support for you for quite a while.

HAG Capisco is not cheap, it is an investment (that will hopefully last for at least 10 years). It fixed my chronic neck pain using regular office chairs.

Before buying it, I suggest you go to a retail shop / showroom to try it.

If you do try to return the chair, note that it's a PITA to disassemble.

So the price of the chair isn't the full price, since you need some additional hardware too. But, that said, it has been a transformative change for myself and when I was grinding 12-14 hours every day for months on end this chair ended up fixing my back pain. (I'd been using pretty "meh" chairs for the first few weeks)

The price may feel high but the price of physical therapy for fixing your back muscles is much more expensive. And, in our profession, your only expenses are : Chair, desk, and computer setup.

Do yourself a favor and make a conscious decision to better your health. ;)

The only imperfection is that I bought the additional headrest later, but was unable to adjust its height for some reason, so I returned it. But I think using the chair without the headrest actually fits its philosophy more, since it's easier to sit in all directions without the obstruction.

What is the price?

I also like the fact that it's a good looking minimalist chair which is nice when you care about your interior design and not having a bulky black office chair in your house

I also hear you can get Aerons and other similar chairs for around $300 on Craigslist/FB marketplace when companies are trying to offload them en masse.

They also have fantastic warranties, I had it maybe 12 years when the gas strut failed, the tech drove up from 2 towns away to replace it the next day in my home office.

Look at other local sources as well.

Assuming you’ll continue to use it, this really is a “hurts once when you buy it, rather than a little every time you use it” thing.

I use a very uncomfy IKEA wooden step to sit on. I've got a standing desk for years and had a treadmill for a while. But those are loud and take up too much space.

You don't WANT to be comfortable. You need to move your body and be forced to stand up as much as you can. Otherwise your body will wither. Every artificial "support" will tell you body it doesn't need to support that part on it's own.

That's true for all walks of life really. Don't be too comfy. Nature will find a way to fuck you over.

You can be uncomfortable outside of your focus or leisure time and be perfectly healthy.

Firstly, figure out if you want / need a neck rest. This turns out to be important for me, and I would not want a chair that doesn't have one (this point could be expanded with exceptions).

Next, adjustability is key. Some things are standard (backrest angle, height), but many are rarer. For me, being able to adjust the height of the armrest was eye-opening. Without this, you will either slouch in the chair, or hold your elbows in the air, neither of which are ideal.

Lastly, a word about sturdiness and durability. Some chairs start to misbehave as they age, e.g. I once had a cheap office chair which started to "list" slightly. I didn't pay much attention until I noticed frequent cramps on one side of my back, and realised it's because I'm sitting at a few degrees angle to the right.

Overall my advice would be: get the right chair (for you), sit correctly in it, and do plenty of exercise. The best chair in the world doesn't help enough if you sit for 14 hours every day, without any of the latter.

For OP: Personally I don't have a super fancy chair, cost me about 80-100 euro IIRC but don't even know what "brand" it is. Generic office chair :P

I find the Leap more comfortable for sitting long periods of time. The Leap also allows me to sit on one of my legs (I know, not a good idea), while the Aeron makes this impossible. The Leap also has more adjustments for the arms which I move quite often. Regardless of the chair model, take frequent breaks and our back does not made for long sitting!

○ Viasit F1 Move

○ Sedus Swing Up

○ Profim Accis Pro

○ Aeris 3Dee

○ Köhl Anteo Up with AirSeat

○ Rovo .. "Ergo Balance" models

YMMV. Bodies are different etc. I'm very interested in hearing about more options as I haven't ordered just yet.

https://www.agr-ev.de/de/ratgeber-produkte/produkte/2837-akt...

I got bigger cylinder and better casters. Paid around $530 with discount. Could have gotten a used chair off of CraigsList for $350 and taken a chance. To be sure this chair is expensive. My current chair cost $89 and I hate it. This Aeron is hopefully my last chair. I'm old and spend a lot of time contest programming.

Appreciate all the comments people made. Really helped me to make a decision. Shows we are all in this together especially now. Thanks.

The following are somewhat pricey options.

In my opinion the Knoll Regeneration is pretty good.

Hermann Miller chairs are also good, but the Aeron is probably the least ergonomic thing they sell now – and definitely not "minimal". The Setu might fit your criteria.

Just remember, the ideal chair for six hours of sitting doesn't exist; your goal should be to keep changing your body position as much as is feasible.

https://www.painscience.com/articles/chair-trouble.php

The whole design rational is about keeping your legs active while you are sitting. In order to sit on the stool, you need to continually balance yourself using your legs and back. I've had a few friend sit down on it, completely unaware of this, and fall off immediately. It can be tiring but really I've gotten use to it and can sit for hours without problems.

The stool has helped a lot with my back pain and improving my posture. I have two versions, one with and without rollers. The one without rollers is nicer to use, as the rollers don't always _lock_ meaning as one is bouncing around the stool base might shift.

Aeris also make a more traditional desk chair based on the same principle, see https://www.aeris.de/en/3dee/.

The price is about $1K for the Swopper, and for me was totally worth it! Also it's built like a tank and weighs 10kg.

See for instance: https://store.flokk.com/global/en-gb/products?type=office%20...

Years ago I'd tried a Humanscale Freedom. In store it felt great. After a day I was sore. After a week I couldn't sit in it for more than 5 minutes without a fiery pain running up and down my back. Back it went.

I ended up with a Steelcase Think with the mesh back (I liked it was lighter and simpler vs the Leap), and have been using it for 12 years. 7 of those were working from home full time.

In the end what works for me (good chair, fully adjustable thin keyboard tray, height adjustable monitor) may not be right for you. There are no absolutes in ergo. But the guidelines around monitor height, arm angles and positioning, etc are a place to start.

Even with the right chair, take a look at the rest of your setup. Wrist/shoulder pain -- Is your keyboard or mouse position OK? Are you using a wrist rest when you should have none? Shoulder/neck/back pain -- How about your monitor height, do you hunch or lean a lot?

[1] https://varierchairs.com/product/variable-balans-quickship/

[1] https://varierchairs.com/product/gravity/

When we switched to WFH due to the virus, we were unable to take office equipment home aside from necessary hardware which was securely shipped to us. Because of this and because the switch was too sudden for anyone to really be able to prepare their home environments, we got an allowance to buy some home office equipment and many people opted for chairs. The Wing Balans was a bit expensive for me to justify, so instead I got the Varier Variable Balans. Also a kneeling chair, but no adjustable height. Aside from being much cheaper, one thing I love is that it sits on two rocking rails instead of a wheeled base. I am a fidgeter and it lets me rock back and forth as I work. It lets me have just as much flexibility in my sitting position as the Wing Balans at the same time.

The one negative is that it can be quite fiddly to place properly - the Wing Balans single swivel foot does not get in the way of certain table legs as much as these two rails. I also learned that to take full advantage of this chair a height adjustable desk is recommended (which we have at work, but which I do not have at home). For example, if I want to sit on it by putting one or both feet up on the shin rests, my knees hit the underside of my normal-height desk. I've purchased a height-adjustable laptop stand which should be here this week and look forward to using the chair with that setup.

I have this one with an electric-height desk (custom built) and switch between chair and treadmill. I would recommend it. However, the treadmill, when not used, is taking a lot of place.

But unfortunately AFAIK they're only implemented and deliver in France.

I've been using the Polo model https://www.be-mydesk.com/chaise-de-bureau-professionnelle/1...

And it's just heaven :)

Their chairs are extremely configurable and sturdy but most importantly they are amazingly comfortable.

At $150 I find it comfortable enough to sit in all day without issue, which is rare even among more expensive chairs I’ve tried. One of our employees has ergonomic issues and loves it. I really like having the ability to adjust seat tilt and back tilt separately, as well as initial back height. The only downside is the armrests don’t go low enough to fit under your desk easily, so we generally leave the armrests off when building them

The worst thing is that it's so comfortable I can sit in it for many hours straight, so I don't get up and move around as much.

Although not possible right now, the best way to test chairs is to go to a Design Within Reach (a Herman Miller subsidiary). They employ chair specialists in the showroom who can work with you to find the best chair. People vary a lot and things like seat-pan sizes are not universal. Finding the right chair with the right options takes time.

I went in thinking I would get the Sayl and left with a Mirra 2 due its customizability which enabled full back support and a better seat-pan.

You can spend a whole day their testing the full offering. For instance, the Aeron comes in 3 sizes and without going and testing them you might not know which is best for you!

I'm almost 2m tall so always had back and chair problems so I took the opportunity to switch my desk to a standing one for 4 months with a college who went on a project abroad. It was hell from the first to the last day. Not only was standing problematic, it distracted me so much I got angry and used every opportunity to get away from it and to sit and talk to other colleges in their offices (been told about it at some point because I didn't even realise it).

I'd say if you're not OK with it after 4 months, you probably won't be after 4 years.

I joined a swimming club again. It helped.

I got rid of a chair four years ago, in favour of a large inflatable ball. I got mine from Decathlon (a French sports outlet) for about 10€, I took the XXL size (the largest, maybe it was XL).

I subjectively feel that I have less back pains, I move on the ball all the time (twists, jumps) and when I remember I lay fown with my upper back on the ball and feet on the ground.

One person asked me once to please stop bouncing during a video confrence because he was feeling sea sick. This is to say that one really moves all the time with such a ball.

$240 right now. I prefer it over the tp9000 because of the lumbar support. Great chair at that price--unbeatable in my opinion.

I think adjustable armrests are indespensable for a good office chair.

It is mesh-based, although not super minimalist.

https://www.btod.com/blog/aeron-classic-vs-remastered/

The styling is timeless, the construction indestructable. I have had to replace the castors and one of the arms is missing a piece of plastic, but that's not bad for 60 years of service.

Fwiw I have also tried an Aeron - it wasn’t for me at all.

I worked in one company that had them and the difference is astonishing.

Right now we use Kinnarps; something like this in black, maybe an older model: https://www.kinnarps.com/products/seating/task-chairs/plus/

The adjustment options are meh, they get super warm, I find myself shifting in place a lot.

Before that the company I was working for didn’t put any real value in the chairs they bought, think ASDA/Walmart office chairs, but used for a decade or more.

Office chairs aren’t often invested in by most companies in the UK or Sweden I think.

Anyway, When I was working on an Aeron I could sit comfortably for hours and hours. The only downside is that it “clicks” more than other chairs with a big hollow clunk... maybe the other downside is that I’m seated much longer.

After using one at work I went and bought one even though it cost me >1% of my annual salary at the time. I don’t regret it at all.

They are also not for everyone - some people I know hate it. But, Herman Miller is an amazing company with strong engineering culture - they’ve essentially perfected what an ergonomic chair should comprise of.

Perhaps you should try a different size. Aeron comes in A, B and C sizes. This can make or break your opinion.