Used aeron

Fizban140

I found a used aeron on craigslist, I have been in the market for a good desk chair for a while now. Is it worth buying something like this for my computer? I spend a lot of time in it when not at school, so I figure if it lasts 10 years it is definitely worth it. Anyways how do I tell if it is good and if it is a real aeron? What do I look for, obviously I will run it through its full range of motions and operations, up and down, but what else?

pacbowl

I guess it depends on how you treat it. Back during the .com bubble my employer had Aerons for everybody. I used them for several years and IMHO they are overpriced. Sure, they're comfy but more often than not the back supports would give out and break, or one of the several adjustment arms would break. I couldn't help but notice the cubicle we had dedicated to stashing your broken Aeron was always full. Obviously even if they are real Aerons, they don't sit very high in my book.

Fizban140

That is disapointing, just go with a lower priced mesh chair I guess?

ceres

I love my desk chair. I found it by going to all the office supply stores in my area and sitting in every chair they had. The one I ended up with is perfect for me and wasn't even close to being the most expensive. I recommend that approach; it lets you balance comfort and cost without having to guess at either.

pacbowl

The ones we used would definitely not have lasted 10 years, even if you were careful around it and treated it like it was gold plated. The adjustable back supports were always the first to go, of course this was a decade ago. They may have gotten better. I'd get any comfortable mesh chair really. Aerons are like the Monster cables of furniture IMHO.

kaliyama

I got a broken aeron for $5 at a yard sale and fixed it for maybe another $100. I've had it for 2 years without a problem. I love it. Way better than any other chair I could use. I just wish I could justify dropping the $ to have one at home...

illig

The best thing about an aeron is the fact that all the parts are replaceable. It's designed with maintenance in mind.

So if the lumbar support wears out, or a caster breaks, you just buy a replacement and you have a fully functional chair again. Any of the cheap office chairs become garbage as soon as anything breaks bc you can't find replacement parts.

I have an aeron at home that I saved from a dumpster. I replaced the seat mesh, and the casters and its been working great ever since.

Darkewolfe

Aerons are overpriced, but they're the best chairs on the market overpriced. Just like everything else, the absolute top of the line item gets marked up a bit more, in part to just set it as "the best" in people's minds. If the price is decent, definitely consider it.

Fizban140

Is $375 a decent deal for a used aeron? I could try and drop it too.

Disco11

I sell office furniture/chairs for a living. you are paying a lot for the name when you are getting an Aeron. You can get an equivalent chair new for 400-500$ that's not a huge name like Herman-miller. Go to a dedicated office furniture store (not staples) and test drive a few. that way you are getting a new chair with a warranty so that if anything breaks, your covered. Depending of your height/weight an Aeron might be too big or small.

Artereis

I bought a used HM Mirra chair for $450 from a factory outlet, and it's the best chair I've ever owned. If you get a chance to sit in the Aeron, I'd try for it. They're well built, but they're not for everybody. I had an advantage going into it because my business had a 2 day session at a nearby hotel, and I got to use one for 6 hours each day so I knew it was going to work for me.

Disco11

If your a bigger person you might want to avoid a mesh seat.

DrFrylock

I have a used Aeron and have used it for the last 6 years. It is a great chair. The seat pan on mine did break about a year ago but I think it was exacerbated by a time I stood up, slipped, and sat back down in it...hard. Sadly as a used owner I get no warranty but that's the risk you take. Got a new seatpan off EBay and a few turns of an Allen wrench later I was back in business.

Also make sure to get the right size for you. It matters. A is the smallest and C the largest.

Whatever chair you get, sit down in a bunch and find one that is comfortable to you. I have a $199 Office Depot special at home I like very much - sat in about 60 chairs there and it was the best of them when I bought it. Likewise I have sat in many expensive Steelcase chairs I can't stand.

MichaelLC

Definitely a personal preference thing.

If you go shopping, be sure to write down your desk height so you can get a feel for where your arms will be and whether it will fit under the desk.

schuss

I love aerons. I've had one at work the past 5 years or so, and it's awesome. Definitely make sure you get the right size (B is good for most people), as otherwise you'll max out the adjustments in some way and it won't be comfortable.
One of the reasons Aerons are so good is because they adjust in 7 ways, so other than mesh resistance, everything is completely changeable.