Best office chair?
Author
Discussion

Mr Whippy

Original Poster:

32,453 posts

270 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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I’m happy to spend £500 for something genuinely good and great quality.
I’ve had a fancy chair before a decade or so ago that was utter crap, so really fancying something with a money back guarantee or that I can try etc?

I find my body is just not happy with my current 20yr old £200 jobby, no adjustable arms, fixed back etc.

A week or two of solid office hours and my back aches.

My left arm goes tingly now as soon as my left wrist is on the desk.

My physio says all is fine musculoskeletal wise. It’d not been hence the physio as my left arm was aching after a few mins at the desk… but I think all the exercises and massaging the ball into my shoulder blade area each night for a month, combined with working solid, has just pushed my body over the edge and my nerve is needing a break!


Pressure on the backs of my legs, pressure on back a bit, and finding myself slumping, often head looking to right (2nd screen, now moved to left), pressure on arm, arm rests too high… in hindsight it’s now all just utterly wrong.


Anyone else been a long-time desk jockey doing PC work like graphics etc, hit early mid 40s and body said no more?!


Cheers for any advice!

Dave.

7,895 posts

282 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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Used Herman Miller Aeron for about £250-300.

If you don’t get on with it you can punt it on for zero loss.

gregs656

12,357 posts

210 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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You need to try a couple. I don't find Herman Miller fit me, much prefer Steel Case.

Mr Whippy

Original Poster:

32,453 posts

270 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
quotequote all
The Herman Miller Aeron looks suspiciously like the fancy one I tried in 2014 ish and wasn’t impressed.

I bought it from a place that sold used office equipment… think it was about £200 or so?!

Thinking something a bit more plush and cushioned?!


Or yes a standing desk.

I find I can be on my feet doing tasks without issues for hours on end.

I was tempted to try bung my current desk on some temporary struts to see how I get on as it’s not too much higher…?

Edited by Mr Whippy on Wednesday 11th October 18:29

h0b0

9,070 posts

225 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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Make sure you buy the right size Aeron chair. I have the large and my wife has the medium. When I sit in hers it feels very uncomfortable.


To the standing desk point. I have the following set up for about $500 posted in 2021. It changed the way I worked instantly in a way I did not expect. I now stand for all meetings as it feels much more natural to be standing when talking. It means I can be standing 6-8 hours in a day but do not feel any fatigue.

h0b0 said:
This is my butcher's block counter top turned into a standing desk. It is 6ft wide and 2ft deep. The legs are from Amazon and cost about $150. The top was from home depot and was about $350.

anonymous-user

83 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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Don’t know if you have to endure boring ass meetings? A standing desk is great for those. I got some resistance bands, and do some exercise with the desk in the standing position. Alleviates the boredom somewhat when someone is droning on and on with a powerpoint presentation. Lol.

arfur

4,015 posts

243 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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You need one of these :

https://www.backinaction.co.uk/variable-kneeling-c...

I used to work in various places, sitting in various chairs, including the damn expensive ones and ended up with back pain.

In the end I bought one of the above about 15 years ago

It actually travelled to offices with me (if I was there for a period of time)

I still sit on the same one daily

Zero back pain

hth

TheThing

960 posts

163 months

Wednesday 11th October 2023
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I find standing instead of sitting helps. I also see alot of people sitting on those large inflatable gym balls, I've not tried it myself though. Get up and walk around at regular Intervals to keep your step count up.


the-photographer

5,131 posts

205 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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We use Humanscale Diffrient World chairs which the majority of people like

durbster

12,096 posts

251 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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It seems to be a really difficult thing to buy on recommendation and reviews alone. I think the only way is to find a way to go and sit on as many of them as you can because it is so incredibly subjective.

When we were all in lockdown and working from home looked to be long-term, I decided I'd invest a good chunk of money on a fancy chair. I read a load of reviews and ended up with the Herman Miller Mirra 2.

It was the most uncomfortable chair I've ever sat on. The back was like leaning against a hard wall. I went through that weird psychological thing where I was trying to convince myself it was fine just because it cost so much, but the back pain convinced me that it was just bloody uncomfortable for me, and I sent it back.

I ended up with one from John Lewis that cost less than half as much, which isn't amazing but does the job.

Bonefish Blues

36,539 posts

252 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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durbster said:
It seems to be a really difficult thing to buy on recommendation and reviews alone. I think the only way is to find a way to go and sit on as many of them as you can because it is so incredibly subjective.
That.

These guys are specialists. There are others.

https://www.backinaction.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsp6p...

RizzoTheRat

28,922 posts

221 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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Height adjustable desks are well worth it, not only to be able to work standing or sitting, but to be able to change posture in your chair and adjust the desk to match. I went for a Fully Jarvis, which came as a complete desk, but you can buy just the legs from various places and put your own top on.

My wife has the Ikea Marcus chair which is very comfortable but not as adjustable as some, however some of thier other chairs look good too.

wombleh

2,377 posts

151 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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I had a fairly old boggo old office chair and found that making sure to take regular breaks (use a pomodoro timer app) and sorting out posture with a lumbar support cushion alleviated the aches and pains that I'd started getting, wasn't so much the chair itself.

cholo

1,183 posts

264 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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I bought a standing desk about 12 months ago.

Best thing i ever bought.

I stand for about 3/4 of the day.

Previously i had some pretty bad back ache problems, 90% of which are now gone. (The other 10% was solved with daily streches)

It doesn't matter how much you spend on a chair, sitting all day is no good for you and an expensive chair is not going to cure it.

Honestly, standing desk is the way forward!

dhutch

17,801 posts

226 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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When I worked at JCB the new chairs, which where some of the best I have sat on, came from KAB Seating. round £500 ten years ago.

Interestingly, so did the majority of the seats going into the new diggers! Unless they customer had up-spec'ed to a Grammer seat.

The outgoing old chairs where from the 70s and totally mullered.



Currently I am sat on a 'Stealcase' branded thing, which is fine, but im sure cheaper!

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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£20 for a gym ball. Learn how to sit properly; engage your core.

Chairs provide support that means your core doesn’t have to work. In the long term they are bad for you because they relieve you of the need to hold your posture correctly.

RizzoTheRat

28,922 posts

221 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
quotequote all
BlackWidow13 said:
£20 for a gym ball. Learn how to sit properly; engage your core.

Chairs provide support that means your core doesn’t have to work. In the long term they are bad for you because they relieve you of the need to hold your posture correctly.
I used to work with a guy who'd sit cross legged on one of those balls at his desk biggrin

Some years ago I had a kneeling chair similar to this, that's meant be be very good for your back for the reason, however mean I sat higher than in a standard chair and my desk was too low, you really need a high adjustable desk for those

FMOB

1,994 posts

41 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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I have a Herman Miller Aeron, I do find it very comfortable. If you get on with this type of chair they are well worth it.

Red9zero

11,209 posts

86 months

Thursday 12th October 2023
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I have an RH Logic 400, supplied by my employer after I had a disc replaced and they were paranoid about my recovery. I even had to have a man from HR come out to make sure it was adjusted and set up correctly when I got it. Not cheap, and I doubt I`d pay that much myself, but it is very comfortable.

https://www.posturite.co.uk/business/rh-logic-400-...

Mr Whippy

Original Poster:

32,453 posts

270 months

Wednesday 18th October 2023
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Uhhh, been looking for a week and struggling.

Nowhere except London or the South seem to have shops where you can try stuff out.

I like the idea of a Varier Balans. New are £340, used maybe £200… still a lot just to try out.
I like the idea that I’ll be broadly forced to sit up, and if I feel lazy and slump it’ll be obvious, and a good sign to get up and move around, or have a proper break on a comfy sofa.


The internet eh, such a revolution, sadly it’s pretty much done over any opportunity to try such a critical item.

From what I’m reading distance selling regs won’t cover me building it up to try out, as it’ll be clearly ‘used’ by that point?!