A Comfortable Desk Chair (For 8+ Hour Shifts)

Professor Snugglesworth

If the fates are kind, I may end up landing a job that has me working at home assisting clients from my desktop. This job will involve 8 hour shifts, including possible overtime. And even beyond that, I am pretty much glued to my desktop most of the day.

So with that, I am considering investing in a chair that will offer me the ideal amount of comfort for sitting for such extended periods of time. The chair I bought from Office Depot is less than a year old, but I'm starting to doubt if it'll make the cut. Lately I've been experiencing both lower back pain and hip pain, which may be related to other personal matters (been doing a lot of running) and nothing to do with the chair.

But either way, I figured I would get some input on some highly recommended chairs ideal for extended periods of sitting down. Just to clarify, I'm a pretty big guy (6'4) and I would also like the back part to reach up to my neck: I'm not a fan of any chairs that only cover half my back.

So, just taking recommendations, and if I find something that sounds really appealing and (hopefully) affordable, I'll strongly consider it.

schuss

Aeron or Steelcase Leap/Think. I personally have an Aeron and love it, but some people hate the rigid front to the seat pan.

Pure Din

Is the chair you are using tall enough for you? That is, you should be able to put your feet flat on the floor with your knees at a 90 degree angle. If you have to tuck your knees up or stretch your legs out, that curves your lower back and could be contributing to the problems you're having. Otherwise, I recommend first looking into some low-cost hacks for the chair you already have, like a seat wedge, or a lumbar support cushion.

I know some people really love their high-end chairs, but as someone who does some ergonomic consulting work on the side, I rarely see chairs as a real life-changer in the way changing someone's desk or keyboard or working habits can be. Ideally you should try to identify some tasks in your work that can be done without sitting and incorporate that into your workflow. Even a few seconds just to stand up, take a few steps around the room, and then sit down again can make a huge difference, and if this job turns out to be a long term thing you might want to build a workstation where you can take some calls while standing up, for example.

kaliyama

Get an Aeron. But Pure Din is right that no chair can keep you moving around, which is hugely important. A lot of my friends have both a standing desk and a regular desk they use for that reason. I found my Aeron at a yard sale. It was broken, so I paid $5 bucks for it. I then spent $80 having one of the aeron maintenance specialists order a replacement part and fix the thing. So deals can be found if you hunt around.

MushroomStick

An Aeron would be nice - but if that's too expensive, I present the IKEA Markus for your consideration. It would be nicer if it had adjustable arm rests, but its still pretty nice for the money.

GnomeTank

Get an Aeron.

It sounds expensive, until you realize you're going to be replacing 100 dollar Office Max specials once a year, and an Aeron will lost you for quite a bit longer. Mines eight years old and with a bit of maintenance, is still going strong.

schuss

MushroomStick wrote: »

An Aeron would be nice - but if that's too expensive, I present the IKEA Markus for your consideration. It would be nicer if it had adjustable arm rests, but its still pretty nice for the money.

Ikeas are garbage. Most uncomfortable shit ever. Also, when it comes to working long hours in 1 chair, you NEED lots of adjustability to make it absolutely perfect, since even little things can build up over time (see - Repetitive stress injuries)

supabeast

These don’t come cheap, but they’re worth every penny:
http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id=188

MushroomStick

schuss wrote: »

MushroomStick wrote: »

An Aeron would be nice - but if that's too expensive, I present the IKEA Markus for your consideration. It would be nicer if it had adjustable arm rests, but its still pretty nice for the money.

Ikeas are garbage. Most uncomfortable shit ever. Also, when it comes to working long hours in 1 chair, you NEED lots of adjustability to make it absolutely perfect, since even little things can build up over time (see - Repetitive stress injuries)

That particular Ikea chair made the top 5 in a most comfortable office chair survey a while back, just behind aerons and such. http://lifehacker.com/5941523/five-best-office-chairs

schuss

When it comes to office chairs, I don't think I really trust random blog polls. Knowing how much work, research and other crap go into these things, as well as how poorly designed every chair I've sat in from Ikea is, I'm bringing the grain of salt.

Knoll is awesome stuff as well though.

Artereis

Herman Miller's 12 year warranty is pretty great. They have a lot more than just the Aeron, too.

Cormac

I bought a Steelcase Leap about a year ago from a local office furnishing and design store, and I urge you to goto a store and sit in any/all/as many as you can chairs to find what it most comfortable for you and how you sit. Having someone go through your options and adjust the chair so it's most comfortable for you is essential when you're dropping at least $500 if not over $1000 on a chair. Most stores will have a section of chairs that are either refurbished, returns, or rejects due to the original customer/business not liking the color. I paid around $650 for my brand new Leap because the business that ordered the chair didn't like the color.

schuss

Cormac wrote: »

I bought a Steelcase Leap about a year ago from a local office furnishing and design store, and I urge you to goto a store and sit in any/all/as many as you can chairs to find what it most comfortable for you and how you sit. Having someone go through your options and adjust the chair so it's most comfortable for you is essential when you're dropping at least $500 if not over $1000 on a chair. Most stores will have a section of chairs that are either refurbished, returns, or rejects due to the original customer/business not liking the color. I paid around $650 for my brand new Leap because the business that ordered the chair didn't like the color.

Yeah, these chairs are tanks. Unless someone else is paying for it, go used. You can also get replacement parts fairly easily, as they're designed to be maintained, not just thrown away.

GnomeTank

My issue with the leap is that it's not mesh. After having a breathable mesh chair, I could never go back. Especially in the summer, it's amazing. I used leather for quite a while, and ugg, so horrible in the summer.

schuss

GnomeTank wrote: »

My issue with the leap is that it's not mesh. After having a breathable mesh chair, I could never go back. Especially in the summer, it's amazing. I used leather for quite a while, and ugg, so horrible in the summer.

I agree, but not all people are sweaty monsters like me.

Cormac

I've never had any issues with the Leap retaining a noticeable amount of body heat in the summer even in a room with no AC. Yeah I'd probably be more comfortable in a mesh chair if I could compare them side to side, but regardless of the room temperature I still found the Leap the most comfortable thing I have ever sat in.

If I ever have a spare $3000 (or $6000 for a matching pair) I would love to get a Leap WorkLounge and ottoman to use in the living room. If you've ever seen the red chairs at TED talks those are WorkLounges.

lazegamer

GnomeTank wrote: »

Get an Aeron.

It sounds expensive, until you realize you're going to be replacing 100 dollar Office Max specials once a year, and an Aeron will lost you for quite a bit longer. Mines eight years old and with a bit of maintenance, is still going strong.

Man, my garbage desk chair from staples is still going strong thirteen years later.