I got an Aeron on craigslist for $150. Shit luck, but it does happen. The seller wanted a white one to match his office redesign :)
Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
41–47 of 47 posts
Re: Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
#42I can't recommend the Steelcase Leap enough. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I found the Aeron chairs to be somewhat uncomfortable. The Steelcase Leap, on the otherhand... I've had it for a year and couldn't imagine working without one. I found mine for $100 on Craiglist, so maybe try there.
Second the steelcase leap. It has a nice "recline mode" which I make copious use of. Make sure you get the version 2.
Re: Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
#43I have had an Aeron chair almost since it came out. The same one have been traveling with me across continents for 12 years or so.
Don't get the nock off get the real thing.
Re: Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
#44I'll actually even go to my school's computer lab for extended periods of time if I have a lot of work to do since their chairs are so comfortable to sit in while working.
So what chairs do they have? Probably not Aerons? If those work fine for you, why not buy just that.
Re: Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
#45Previously on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=585693 Ergohuman is the closest I can find to the Aeron, but I haven't tried one yet. They're also pretty close to Aeron in price, around $600: http://ergohuman.com/index.html Realspace Pro 9000 is close too: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/690690/Realspace-PRO-9... A Slate article looking for the 'best desk chair': http://www.slate.com/id/2131646/ Some othe…
I have the Zody chair and I have to say it's pretty fantastic. I was going to buy an Aeron, but even with the size C chair, the lip of the seat dug into my thighs. The Zody on the other hand has an adjustable seat pan so I can move it out so the edge is under my knees.
The adjustable arm rests are also pretty cool and nearly worth the price of admission by themselves. They adjust up/down, forward/backward, left/right and rotate around the vertical axis.
Re: Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
#46If you have tried the Aeron and it is working for you then my advice is... buy an Aeron. Why are you trying to save nickels and dimes on a problem that is interfering with your work? You will spend more time searching and auditioning an alternative chair -- which will end up costing plenty, itself -- than the money you save will be worth. My Aeron is nearly ten years old. A new Aeron costs $850 up front from Amazon;…
If anything, the chair is worth it because of the warranty - imagine buying a 100$ POS chair every year and compare it with the cost of an Aeron over 12 years (at least twelve, but it's likely to last more). However, the 12-year warranty is only for structural parts. If I recall correctly, the mesh had only a 5-year warranty.
This chair discussion and zed shaw's recent RSI discussion led me to looking at buying a new chair since my current one is giving me problems. I've settled on the Mirra, since I prefer it to an Aeron and I've found some reasonable deals for various colors of lightly used Mirra chairs on sites like ebay, craigslist, etc.
I'm sure a lot of others here looking to buy a chair are thinking of going the same route I am. Be aware that there is one major caveat emptor to buying a secondhand chair: Herman Miller's 12 year warranty only applies to the original purchaser that obtained the product from HM or an authorized reseller. Humanscale, Steelcase, Knoll, HON, and pretty much every other major task chair manufacturer has a similar warranty, and none of them will let you transfer the warranty AFAIK. Experiences with obtaining warranty service for secondhand Aerons and other chairs seems to vary, but please factor in the possibility that you may not be able to obtain service into the long-term cost of buying a used chair. If a trivial-over-12-years cost difference will give you peace of mind, go for it. Research a reseller before you buy anything from them. And so on.
If you weren't aware of this already, well, you can use it now to negotiate a lower price ;)
(Speaking of warranties, Costco sells some Herman Miller chairs as a legitimate authorized reseller. You can get the HM warranty and Costco's legendary return policy together that way, should anything with your chair go horribly wrong.)
Re: Ask HN: Good Aeron knock-off/alternative?
#47I own an Aeron, and I used to have a Mirra at work. If I had my money back, I'd go for the Mirra instead. It's still in the luxury price range, but a bit cheaper, and to me it felt better. I used to spend more time sitting in the 'proper' position in the Mirra, while in the Aeron I'll often slouch, cross legs, and otherwise change posture. Maybe I never managed to adjust the Aeron just right. Mirra is less configurable, but it just worked for me, so I count that as a plus.
Even cheaper chairs are a significant investment, so I suggest just try sitting on as many as you can, and don't buy one that you couldn't try.