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Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

#13

Post by ngneer »

Took me a while to figure it out, but Varier balans by Peter Opsvik is the best for me. It is a bit pricey, at $400 or so, but well worth it in my mind. Already I have purchased three, one for home, one for the office, and one for my father who enjoys it a lot. I am in a chair in front of the computer for most of the day, too. As a dancer, body positioning is important to me, and the varier balans forces me to use good form, one simply cannot slouch in it.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

#14

Post by brootstrap »

pcunite wrote: post #3

In 2011, I went on a search for the "perfect" chair. Want to know what it is? :-) There is not one! Of course I bought the Aeron because the internet told me to. In less than 8 hours I was really hurting and had to return it. Today, I use something from neutralposture.com. However, what is "best" for you depends on your body type. The most correct answer is "change your chair, sit and stand, move around" throughout t…

Recently went on the chair search, of course people said get the Aeron. One co-worker said he got one for 50 bucks off craiglist. I wasnt getting that lucky. Ended up just going to local staples/office depot and sitting in a bunch of chairs. Found one for two hundo that adjusts and is quite comfortable. It's a beautyrest chair (mattress company).

Others are right it's about the measurements and angles. I measured up my desk , keyboard level etc and made sure my chair fit those measurements. Also have an old varidesk from 2014 that still works. So i spent about an hour standing during morning & afternoon sessions. This really helps me , avoiding the sitting for 8+ hours which really sucks.

Depending on your situation, when i was in office i would take a 5-10 min walk in morning and afternoon to stretch, close browser tabs, and collect thoughts. Take breaks & walks if you can!

Re: Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

#15

Post by anbop »

smacktoward wrote: post #5

Anecdata: I have had good results with the Steelcase Leap. It's not cheap, but as you note, you're going to be spending a lot of time in it so this is probably not the place to economize. I do wish there were more comparative literature on this subject, as it's difficult to find good objective ways to compare chairs. Here are the Wirecutter's recommendations: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-office-chair/

+1 on Steelcase Leap, bought mine used for $400.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

#16

Post by dmackerman »

I've used an Aeron for close to 10 years, and it's the most comfortable and flexible chair for me. That being said, sitting down for 10 hours in any chair is not healthy.

I added a standing desk to my arsenal, and the routine of moving up and down every 40 minutes or so. Taking brisk 10-15 minute walks at least every 1.5-2 hours is crucial as well.

Core strength and flexibility have become so important to my fitness routine that if I go several days without exercising or stretching properly, I get pretty severe lower back pain.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

#17

Post by abakker »

ngneer wrote: post #13

Took me a while to figure it out, but Varier balans by Peter Opsvik is the best for me. It is a bit pricey, at $400 or so, but well worth it in my mind. Already I have purchased three, one for home, one for the office, and one for my father who enjoys it a lot. I am in a chair in front of the computer for most of the day, too. As a dancer, body positioning is important to me, and the varier balans forces me to use go…

FWIW, I find these good for playing guitar, too. Downside in that case is you can't always tap your foot, but it lets you play with the instrument hanging from the strap which is good for when you play standing up.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best chair for developers?

#18

Post by JonathonW »

smacktoward wrote: post #5

Anecdata: I have had good results with the Steelcase Leap. It's not cheap, but as you note, you're going to be spending a lot of time in it so this is probably not the place to economize. I do wish there were more comparative literature on this subject, as it's difficult to find good objective ways to compare chairs. Here are the Wirecutter's recommendations: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-office-chair/

Comparative literature? Meh.

I wish there were someplace where I could go and actually try high-end office chairs. Chair preference is going to vary from person to person (which makes written reviews and comparisons kind of useless), but office supply stores like Staples or Office Depot only stock the low end (which may work for some, but don't have the adjustability or durability of higher-end chairs). I'd like someplace I can go to actually try out and compare a few models of, say, Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Humanscale chairs before I commit to spending the $800+ on one.

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