By the time we’re talking $600 or so that stuff better be real leather. Which would mean no flaking, of course. No way in hell I could justify spending more than $650 or so absolute max on a chair. And that’s still pushing it.
And I’d have to save up for that. And it better be exact. High back for my head, supportive but super comfy for long periods, flip armrests, tilt lock, waterfall front, real leather/no flaking and sturdy AF in all aspects (my weight, and long term durability)
The Herman Miller ones are good. Their Mirra ones are cheaper than the Aeron ones and actually a bit better for a “task chair” where you are moving about a lot.
Ah, I missed the mesh line somehow. If mesh is out, then cloth and real leather are the only two options. No chair with faux/bonded leather or fixed arms is worth buying.
Agreed. But what’s wrong with faux? I know bonded will be garbage and flake off, but faux seems to be okay from what I know of it since it’s a solid piece, just fake.
It’s pretty unfortunate that you need to spend a few hundred bucks on a chair to get something half decent. I got one at the dump (yep) a few years ago and was probably old when I picked it up but the thick cover is sturdy and inherently can’t flake off. Has a CAD drawing detailing its assembly on the bottom, which is interesting. Before I had a chair that completely flaked off on the whole thing, every time I consider getting a new one I think of that thing and go ‘nope’.
There is only a problem if it isn’t utilized or fabricated properly. You tend to run into that in the low cost chairs though and don’t usually come across good quality fake leather until you are outside your price range. Usually those are cheaper alternatives to the high end leather chairs and they have their reputation to think about when they do make them.
Okay, so what price range do I need to be in for a quality product, then, without getting ridiculous (thousands plural), and what would that product be? Faux? Real? Still only cloth?
I definitely don’t want a flakey piece of shit. Had one of those, hated it. I also don’t want some crap that’ll fall apart, tear at the seams, etc. What I’m saying is, my price range now was reflected by what I can afford now, but I’m definitely willing to save for a better product, just as I did for my PC itself.
Like I said, though, I do have a hard limit where things become ridiculous. I see it as ignorant and outrageous to pay multiple thousands of dollars for a fricking CHAIR of all things just due to the covering material, let alone desired adjustments. I mean, if one is expected to shell out like that, it kinda needs to do everything the other super costly chairs do, too.
But I’ve already hashed out all my desires by now, so I won’t reiterate again. I’ll probably end up making a new thread when I’m actually ready to purchase. Once I figure out how much I need to save.
Markus is so good I bought 2, 1 for home the other for work.
Broke my old chair today and had to buy a new one. Sitting in chairs in person gave me a better perspective. I preferred adjustable arm rests to flip up ones, but preferred a headrest to those.
All in all, the chair I got from office depot is good so far. Assembly was simple, and the chair is comfortable. The height adjustment is miniscule, but it gets high enough at max height to work at my current desk as well as my last chair did, without pinching my legs.
Reclining in this thing is the shit. Truly. Need to get a foot hammock with a new desk. At this point, the only thing I obstinately DON’T like about it is the bonded leather, but only because I KNOW it’ll go bad. $300 was right on the edge of my budget, especially right now, but I needed a chair, and wanted one more or less like this. So yeah.
Anyone wondering, it’s a Realspace Axton Big and Tall
Hiya WyldeCat, found the chair yet? You seem to be particular about what you want. If you ask me, I think the most ideal fits come with a higher price tag attached than you’re planning to shell out for. The Ergohuman LEM4ERG High Back Mesh, for example.
It’s high back, comes with adjustable headrest, adjustable back height, adjustable arm height and adjustable depth. It has tilt lock and a durable leather build that also enhances comfort (with the option of mesh) - basically the ultimate executive-style chair you could wish for.
I’m not too sure about its ability to hold up to 300lbs, but as a 215 pounder myself, I find it quite solid. But this is something you can always inquire about prior to purchase - if you are in the mood to swing it, that is.
You’ll find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ergohuman-LEM4ERG-Executive-Chair-Black/dp/B0019CW3AI
You can also check out more options on this handy guide I came across: http://ergonomictrends.com/best-ergonomic-office-chairs-for-back-pain/
Let me know how it goes!
Yes, I’ve found a chair. At first I liked it, but now I’m not so sure. It’s been a couple months and the air coil whatever the fuck springs seem to have permanently compressed under my weight when I sit on it, putting my butt on the hard bottom aside from a little cushion, otherwise.
I also really wish the arm rests were adjustable and I didn’t budge on that, as when I get/build a new desk they’re sure to be higher than the typing surface as well as bump into the desk side, itself. Furthermore, the height adjustment on the pnematic only adjusts about 2 inches, and to make matters worse, it’s generally a low chair already, and is made even lower by the strut itself gradually sinking more into the base over time. Add this to the collapsing “spring” cushion or whatever and I’m not at my preferred height, anymore.
Also, since there’s no adjustable seat pan depth, when I tilt back in the chair and scoot my rear all the way back in it, the backs of my knees pinch the front lip of the cushion and it causes a pressure in that area that I don’t like to sit with for a long time.
There are a couple of upsides, though. The chair is robust other than the aforementioned issues with the “spring” seat and pnematic sliding down. I can lean on either arm rest with no fear of breaking them whatsoever and chill with basically whatever weird altered posture I can think of and I don’t feel like I’m sitting in the seat “wrong”.
What gets me about all of these ergo chairs is that it looks like if you’re not sitting in them exactly as designed, you’ll be uncomfortable because some structural part will dig into your body. This is part of the reason why I was adamant about an executive style chair. But none of them seem to have the adjustments I now find that I’m wanting. I also think I’d like a ratio’d tilting action more than the simple rock back tilt this has.
Once again, though, on the plus side, the headrest is awesome. I don’t think I can do without one, now, and I was definitely right about wanting that in my OP. But, back to the negatives, I don’t like how my skin (particularly legs) stick to the bonded leather, and I’ll always be worrying about the day that it starts flaking. I don’t think I’d want mesh, though, as I’d be worried about that tearing like a slashed sail, but I digress.
TL;DR: I learned an expensive lesson about what I really want in a chair. And that is, high back, wide seat, adjustable height headrest, seat pan depth adjustment, adjustable armrests, probably adjustable lumbar support, multi-position tilt lock, NO bonded leather and prefer minimal/no mesh, very sturdy for my occasional gangsta lean and current weight, more adjustability in the strut, high height strut, and I THINK that’s about it.
I’d hope to have it cost less than $600 (Or, damn, even less than half that given this failure), but if it’s guaranteed not to turn out like this chair, I’m willing to save up for something truly high quality.
Next time around, look at office surplus. You’d probably be able to get something high-end for a reasonable price.
Last chair I got is still fantastic and takes all sorts of abuse… I think it’s a steelcase leap, which I got for $60.
You mean as an event not a place, right? Like an office closing down and getting rid of their chairs? Only problems with that right now is I’m short a car and it’d be a crap shoot as far as getting exactly what I wanted. Where would I look for such a closeout, anyway? Craigslist?
It could be a shut-down, some places replace stuff every now and then also. The stuff that’s still decent usually goes to auction or gets liquidated.
Probably the easiest option I know of for finding surplus stuff is just looking for a liquidation store in your area. Stores like that buy up a company’s crap and resell it.
Craigslist sometimes has stuff, but that’s really dependent on the area.
Auctions are oftentimes a crap-chute, some of them draw people willing to spend WAY too much for stuff. But I’ve gotten lucky a few times (furnished half of my brother’s apartment at a college surplus auction). If an auction house handles it, they’ll usually post on their site when/where.
With all of this said, it’s about luck and patience to find something used. Just be sure to do some research and take a good look at something before buying, sometimes pricing and knowledge of an item isn’t always what the seller thinks it is (which isn’t always a bad thing)
If nothing else, it doesn’t hurt looking.
Currently sitting in this chair: https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/4582120/Shaquille-ONeal-Zephyrus-Bonded-Leather-High/
pretty comfortable for long stretches, but it’s a little pricey.
As long as you sit in the chain in a ‘normal’ way, I’d say the Herman Miller Aeron is good for long hours. I like the mesh because I feel like I don’t heat up while sitting in it. And it’s held up extremely well. The piston/shock/whatever in mine is finally starting to go, but the chair is really old and visually doesn’t look like it’s 10+ years old.
I wouldn’t recommend it if you like crossing your leg so that the crossed leg is underneath your other leg. For me my ankle usually ends up resting on the hard plastic frame which is not comfortable.
They are expensive, but you can find good deals on them if you check Craigslist and such. They’re popular in office environments, so you can find them used pretty easily (at least in the US).
I am also looking for something like this. I have scoliosis, my old chair makes me suffer
I started to think about new office chairs when my back started to pain
Better’n’that, right now every corp office in Grand Rapids MI is dumping thedr office shit for new shit cuzza covid. I bet if you look a little bit you’ll find a pile of stellcase U1’s or HON TT’s somewhere out there, GR can’t be the only place.
