I need a new chair.

rts

I need a new chair for my desk, something sturdy. My budget is $100-800

I am not really up to date on cutting edge chair technology, so even just information on things I should think about while purchasing a chair that I haven't considered would be really awesome.

Any advice is really appreciated!

TychoCelchuuu

When I needed a new chair I trolled craigslist until I saw someone selling a nice leather chair. That's a nice method because you can get good deals and also sit in the chair before you buy it, which of course you should always do.

Essee

Well, we also need a new chair... not sure we're going to get one yet though. :P But the one piece of advice I do have is to see if you can find one of those office surplus stores (or maybe a generic surplus store, as one of those stores near us has office chairs among its stock). You'll likely find chairs that you know would've gone for a goodly amount going for a TON less. There are a couple of chairs marked around $50 at the store near us that I need to get my fiance to try out 'cause I suspect they're worth... probably three times that much, and might work for us.

Edit: Also yeah, Craigslist or one of those Used[City].com (UsedVictoria, in my case, for example) sites are a great place to look, but on the other hand, the reason we need a new chair is because even though everything seemed fine with the one we got, and we did try it out, and stuff... it totally broke a month or a couple months after we had it. At office surplus stores, you are (I believe) getting a new product, so probably less risk.

rts

Thanks guys, I have gone to a few stores to see what they had and nothing struck me as being both high quality and fitting for me. I hadn't considered watching craigslist...I will check it out.

Artereis

My Herman Miller Mirra is probably the best chair I've ever owned. They retail high, but I got one for $450 as a floor model from a reseller in my area.

Shogun

I have this chair.

First off this chair is expensive no matter what. Mine was $530 shipped, but the median price I saw when I purchased mine was around $450-500. That said this is the best office chair I have ever owned or sat in. It has been mine since 2005 and outside of having to replace a wheel caster (it broke due to my own negligence and la-z-boy replaced them all with brass instead of plastic) the chair has been perfect. Its leather on the important bits, leatherette on all the other crap, and the wood is cherry. The leather has worn fucking beautifully and I have never done anything besides a mild, occasional cleaning with warm soapy water.

I went long (extremely long at the time) on this chair because I had gone through a plethora of cheap, uncomfortable chairs and I wanted this to be the last chair I buy. Its been a great chair, but try to find one for a better price than the link i posted. That was the first thing google popped up.

illig

I bought a used Herman miller aeron. Highly recommended although they've been replaced by the newer mirra line...

rts

What is it about the Herman Millers you guys like so much? Would love to learn a bit more about them from people with experience.

I use my chair for a lot. Playing games at the computer, browsing the internet, doing web/graphics design work, drawing on my cintiq, doing pastel sketches at my desk and even sliding it over to work at my easel sometimes when I am painting. I really need to be sturdy so it can sustain a lot of abuse throughout the day...it gets moved around a lot. I also need it to be easy to raise and lower with a mechanism that looks like it will hold up over times. I definitely need something which you can use to recline if you want but also set it up so the back of the chair stays straight as a board. Preferably something that goes high enough I can support my head with it if my neck starts to get sore. All the while being comfortable and easy to clean...as it will likely get a lot of pastel dust and even oil paint on it. Obviously it won't be easy to clean oil paint no matter what...but it definitely rules out most anything that isn't leather or rubber or some kind of surface which can be wiped down easily.

Do you guys think this Mirra or Aeron meets that? I will definitely drop the cash on one tomorrow if I can get a bit more insight. I can survive with not using it for painting if the Herman Millers are cloth...I can just use two chairs, one for painting and one at my desk. It would just be nice to be able to have one for both to save a bit of space in my studio. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me out!

ED!

If you're on a budget I use this. I'm 5'10 and have no problems lounging in this chair. I'm not sitting at my desk constantly, though I have gone hours in this thing and my back feels great.

Djeet

cakemikz wrote:

What is it about the Herman Millers you guys like so much? Would love to learn a bit more about them from people with experience.

They're nice chairs with a lot of adjustability, and I find the backs to be very comfortable in a way that traditional chairs just cannot compare. Find a place to sit one so you can try it yourself. That said, I don't need any head/neck support. And if you're a real heavy guy I might go with a more traditional chair.

If you're willing to drop a lot of dough on a chair I'd hit a relax the back store and sit everything there. They charge way too much, but if you really like something there you may be able to figure out what you like about the chair and find an alternate/knock-off, or suck it up and pay their premium.

Artereis

Djeet wrote:

cakemikz wrote:

What is it about the Herman Millers you guys like so much? Would love to learn a bit more about them from people with experience.

They're nice chairs with a lot of adjustability, and I find the backs to be very comfortable in a way that traditional chairs just cannot compare. Find a place to sit one so you can try it yourself. That said, I don't need any head/neck support. And if you're a real heavy guy I might go with a more traditional chair.

If you're willing to drop a lot of dough on a chair I'd hit a relax the back store and sit everything there. They charge way too much, but if you really like something there you may be able to figure out what you like about the chair and find an alternate/knock-off, or suck it up and pay their premium.

I have a terrible time with most chairs. I'm rarely comfortable sitting and will constantly adjust to try and get comfortable. I had to sit in a Mirra for 2 days at a business trip where I sat in it for about 8 hours per day. I felt great afterword.

schuss

Steelcase or Herman Miller. Go with the one you like. They're fairly bombproof, endlessly adjustable (the aeron I use has 7 different ways to adjust). For Heavy/Large guys, they make different sizes to accommodate. Good chairs are worth their weight in gold.