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.
Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
41–50 of 54 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#42Doesn't matter, you'll use the 10 year old chair with the broken lift that your employer provided you and you'll like it.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#43I really like the Steelcase Leap I use at work. I find it much nicer than the Aeron I was using before.
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.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#44I use a piano bench. It is comfortable. This also forces me to stand up and walk around a bit whenever I need to lean back for rest.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#45I'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.
Just can't go wrong with the Aeron.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#46I 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. [1] - https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chair [2] - https://thetechreviewer.com/tech-news/kick…
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.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#47I 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+.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#48Consider mix any you chosen with a standing desk setup. Before I sit all day (I work form home). Then I change, use only a fatigue mat and DIY "standing desk" made by my large speakers and flat wood. Now, I can't stay sit for more than 1 hour and feel good! This way, I must alternate between the 2 modes, and feel better. BTW, To easy the change, I use a bar char alike: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Adjustable-Synthet…
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.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#49I really like my swiss kneeling chair. I got this one: https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Furniture-WL-SB-210-GG-Ergonomi... 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.
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.
Re: Ask HN: Best Chair for Programming
#50I really like my swiss kneeling chair. I got this one: https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Furniture-WL-SB-210-GG-Ergonomi... 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 can't imagine how this would be comfortable after 8 hours.
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.