I've worked remotely for 16 years, and I've had the same Aeron chair the entire time. It has been comfortable, and I like how the mesh is breathable. My only complaint is that the mesh allows dust through to the pod below the chair (where the adjustment stuff lives), and it is very difficult to clean because its hard to access.
Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
101–110 of 140 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#102Steelcase Leap is an amazing chair, but more than $500 (or at least it was when I bought mine). I tried a bunch when I finally decided to upgrade from the $200 Staples chairs that wear out in a year and found this one the most comfortable by far. Have used it for a few years now with absolutely no complaints.
For a while I preferred Herman Millers. But after spending a year with Steelcase chairs I discovered that Leap is the most comfortable and least fatigue inducing chair for me. I even liked that its seat holds its angle - unlike swivelling seats of HM chairs. Fortunately, Madison Seating sells used Leaps for less than $300 in perfect condition so I got one for home too instead of a previous favourite from Herman Mille…
One caveat with Madison Seating (and similar shops) is that they refurbish the chairs and they typically do not use OE parts.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#103I'll go against the conventional wisdom and stress on not trusting recommendations; instead, test chairs on your on as much as you can. Bodies vary too wildly to work on the basis of other people's experience. Also, the price is not an indicator of quality at all . I have experience with a "famous high-priced high-recommended" model mentioned here, and the experience was bad (sadly, the first 10 minutes of testing fe…
In Silicon Valley, BT Liquidators usually has a good number of choices to test. One thing to beware of is that all sales are absolutely final there, so make sure you know how to thoroughly test a chair for problems or strange squeaks.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#104Did anyone ever figure out a way to work laid back? I read a while ago some research concluding that semi laying on your back is better than this typical ergonomic bolt upright position, but you would probably have to mount your screen at an angle and attach your keyboard to some tilted surface. If I remember correctly, a 135 degree angle was mentioned, but it's been a while. I'm wondering if anyone tried it and what their experience is.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#105I’ve used an Aeron the past several years, and it has been fine; however, I’ve found it quite deficient for meditation sits (~1hour at a time): my legs sort of buckle inward, and the mesh doesn’t give enough support for the alert and upright posture I want to avoid dullness during sits.
Has anyone tried the Gokhale chair, designed by the woman who wrote “8 steps to a pain free back”? (https://shop.gokhalemethod.com/products/gokhale-pain-free-ch...)
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#106It’s not in your budget but the best office chair i have ever used is the Hag Capisco https://www.fully.com/hag-capisco-chair.html They have a cheaper version called the capisco puls but I wouldn’t sit in it for 10 hours that one is meant to be for sitting for shorter stints between standing.
I agree - the capisco is the best chair I’ve ever sat in. However I find the cheaper capisco puls comfortable enough to sit in for 10 hours when I work from home. Much more comfortable than the steelcase gesture I use at work, or the Aeron and Sayl chairs from Herman Miller I’ve used at past jobs.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#107> Looking to spend under $500 if possible but I am open to suggestions.
That's a small budget for purchasing a new chair. Around $800 is where you start finding a better durability and a fuller complement of adjustments than a mediocre $200 Office Depot chair. If you avoid chairs with foam-cushioned seat pans it's reasonable to expect a Big Name $800+ chair to effectively last forever (usually they have 10+ year warranties). I sold my Aeron after at least 40,000 hours use and after a thorough cleaning it was indistinguishable from new.
As others have said, try to find an office furniture supply company that will let you trial a few chairs. Avoid foam if you don't want to be replacing / refurbishing seat pans every 1-3 years.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#108Steelcase Leap is an amazing chair, but more than $500 (or at least it was when I bought mine). I tried a bunch when I finally decided to upgrade from the $200 Staples chairs that wear out in a year and found this one the most comfortable by far. Have used it for a few years now with absolutely no complaints.
After trying a number of chairs I settled on the first-gen Leap. It was far more comfortable for me than the Aeron or others I tested.
I'm still using it today, almost 18 years later. It's held up incredibly well. The fabric shows only the faintest signs of wear. A few years ago, the gas height-adjusting strut failed, and the Steelcase tech drove an hour to my house and replaced it. He also replaced the armrest caps as well - all for free.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#109Let me throw this out there: When I switched to working from home, I found that I sat a lot longer at a time than when I was in an office. No trips for lunch or the "water cooler" or meetings for that matter. It started to affect my body negatively.
I invested a few hundred dollars in a monitor arm that could allow me to sit and stand, and then just got an old bed table I could set on my desk when I was in standing mode. It made a world of difference. Now I can switch around during the day so I'm not in one position too long.
A good chair is important, but so it standing and walking around.
Re: Ask HN: Best office chair for home office work?
#110I recommend going somewhere where you can try them out. You're probably going to have to go second hand with your budget anyway. I found that I did not like the popular chairs.