I need to buy a new office chair, I need your suggestions

J

JimmyJohns

Joined
Jan 16, 2017
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Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well with everything thats going on.

So here is why I brought you here today, I have been searching relentlessly for a quality chair within my budget of $350. I have 2 contenders, each with their flaws, and I am open to more suggestions by all means. I'm looking for well rounded adjustments, some form of adjustable lumbar support, and a head rest. I know, thats a pretty tall order for the budget. I've looked locally for some Herman Miller Aerons but I can't find any in a reasonable distance, but I will continue to hunt.

The first chair, that I am most interested in is this chair, it's called the Pursuit Ergonomic Chair.:

There is pretty limited information on this chair in terms of user experience, I've looked long and hard. From what I have gathered is that this chair is the most comfortable chair people have experienced coming from cheap office chairs, and some people say the opposite. One criticism I have seen commonly, is that the arm rests are hard as frozen bologna, so they just need some pad covers. I'm more concerned about the seat cushion, it looks like it could be pretty comfortable, but it also looks a little on the scarce side in terms of foam denseness.

The other chair that interested me is the Autonomous Ergo Chair 2:

I'm not gonna lie, Jayztwocents made a video about his and it got me pretty interested. Theres a fair bit more information available about this chair, evidently there was a bit of trouble with a kick starter campaign, over them being a reseller.
I just care about if my butt will be happy. From what I gathered, this chair is pretty crazy in terms of adjust-ability, pretty much every single thing can be adjusted, and it looks pretty good too.
Here are my concerns: People have said the seat cushion leaves a lot to be desired, some saying it leaves them sore. Others have said that the arms will eventually break, and that the lumbar support is too hard.


I know you can't expect perfection, but I just want to make a well informed decision and spend my money wisely.

I look forward to any suggestions or personal experiences with either of these chairs
 
After going through many chairs over the years in your price range I broke down and ordered an X-Chair 6 months ago that is still rock solid and comfy, IMO it is worth extra cost it as it should last twice as long as the "quality" brands i had before.
 
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The only hope you have of finding something that fits your body and seating position is to try it in a store, and to pick something that feels a bit overpadded (unless it's been a store display model for a long time to break in) so it settles down to the right padding level.

I suppose if it has a hassle free trial and return shipping, that's worth something.
 
The only chair I've never had a comfort issue is the Hermen Miller Aeron. The one I'm sitting on now in my office is from 1999; other than the arm rests showing cracks (just cosmetically, I can't feel it) it's a solid chair. 99% of our chairs in the office are Aerons too. The aeron's left arm rest in my office also doesn't want to stay up at max height no matter how much I hand-tighten it; it will slide down after a few days.

One of my clients has the Ergochair you linked and I'm not a fan of it. Maybe it's because the cushion isn't formed to my butt, but it just doesn't feel "right" after sitting in the Aeron and I feel like I desperately want to go back and sit on my Aeron.
 
I bought a used Aeron off craigslist for ~$300. My home office is under conditioned in the summer so the mesh is much appreciated. However I freeze my arse off in the winter.
 
There are many reviews for office chairs with everyone WFH. Check out WIRECUTTER and REVIEWGEEKS. I would trust they reviews.

I am in the looking phase for a new chair. I have a "Staples Basics" that is probably 10 years old. Feels like no padding left.

I did like the "managers" chair at BJs for $199.
 
Disclaimer, I work for Herman Miller.

I'm currently working from home in my wife's 10+ year old Herman Miller Mirra chair. It is pretty comfy. I sat in an Aeron chair at work for about 18 years and just this last year switched to their new Cosm chair, I love it. My son came to my work and tried all the different chairs and fell in love with the Cosm chair as well. He is a college chair, so between online classes (during COVID-19) and computer gaming, he lives in it and still loves it. He has had it since October. It was his graduation gift. He picked it over all the other high end Herman Miller chairs. My own home office chair (I don't normally work from home) is a 20 yr old Herman Miller Equa chair. I like it, but not for all day. I bought it used 10 years ago and got a good deal. All Herman Miller product comes with a 12 year (7 days a week 3 shifts) warranty. They are built to last. They are pricey.

No matter what, you have to sit in it to know if you like it. Even at work where we can pretty much have any chair we want, not everyone likes the same one. You have to try it. A good chair is the difference between pain and comfort if you spend a lot of time in it. And a good chair will last a LONG time. Get a good chair, not a gimmicky chair.

Good luck!
 
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I don't like chairs with screen mesh. As it cannot conform to my shape. All it does is sag into a U shape that fails to fit me.
 
I got my chair at home from an office equipment place that also sold used stuff, it was a $300 chair at Staples and I think it was $60 and looked like new. I've got to imagine even the $500+ chairs get pretty cheap after they are used.
 
Office chairs in the control room setting where I work can have an arse in them 24/7/365 (I use that term loosely LOL).

$1000 Steelcase made to order chairs were the only ones that held up 5-6yrs. One of our newer managers just 'treated' us with some scatch-n-dent outlet heavy duty no-namers that are breaking down after a few months.

Anything in that ~$300 and under crowd is the same. You just have to test them to see what's comfortable for you.
 
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Originally Posted by Kawiguy454
After going through many chairs over the years in your price range I broke down and ordered an X-Chair 6 months ago that is still rock solid and comfy, IMO it is worth extra cost it as it should last twice as long as the "quality" brands i had before.

My wife loves the X-Chair I got her. She has an open office setting and pretty much all of her co-workers have snuck over to try her chair while she is out. Everyone has approved.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
I don't like chairs with screen mesh. As it cannot conform to my shape. All it does is sag into a U shape that fails to fit me.


Just a FYI..The Herman Miller Aeron fabric seat won't do that.

However fabric chairs obviously don't absorb flatulence and can cause the user to feel cold. Figured i'd inform you of these two important attributes princess ! *joking*
 
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We have two Herman Miller chairs and they are great chairs. I researched office chairs 5 years ago and came to the conclusion that a good chair is a must. I was replacing other chairs every 3 years and they were uncomfortable. You can sit in the Herman Miller chairs for hours with no problems.
 
I've tried the Aeron and found it a bit too hard and purposeful for me. Considering trying to find a used Steelcase Think, which is still supportive, but more comfortable to me.

The Ergo 2 looks interesting, but I'm hesitant with anything that can't be tried in person first, even though they offer a trial period.

Although the cheapy chair I'm using now has held up surprisingly well, I'm looking to get a "real" chair next time.
 
Just so you know, you can try the chair and return it, but you're responsible for return shipping.
 
We have 1k steelcase chairs at the office. Can't remember the model. They are great if you sit in them with the correct posture, I mean really great. Start to slump and they are terrible. I guess it's that way with most chairs but I notice it way more with theses.

Anyway I kept mine and actually purchased one for the house. It makes me use correct posture and if I start to slump I know it's time to take a break.
 
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