Gamer chair (solved-ish)

KurnDerak

I'm currently looking to replace my current computer chair, and so I come to you, H&A, to help me out. I've tried bestbuy, circuit city, office depot, office max, american furniture warehouse, staples, walmart, samsclub and target (at least their websites that is) and not really finding much in the price range of about $200 or less.

I've noticed that a lot of chairs, as in pretty much all of them, that I am finding are considered light - medium use recommended. Or in other words, designed I guess for anywhere from 0-6 hours of use. I need something that is designed for a lot more use then that, as I can regularly spend up to at least 8+ hours daily sitting in front of the computer.
I'm also looking for a chair that would stay relatively cooler or have some sort of air flow on the seat for one reason. I don't like butt sweat.
I noticed at BestBuy.com that they had two chairs considered 'gamer chairs', and seemed reasonably priced. However, I don't want to buy any chairs without at least trying them out first, and not really interesting to make a real trip just to get to the only bestbuy in Colorado that seems to have them. And I'm also not sure if they are just sort of a gimmick to get gamers to buy them or not.

So, are there any stores that would be a really good place to look for the kind of chair I'm wanting, or am I going to need to go ahead and make a trip for some chair testing?

Thanks in advance.

saggio

You are going to have to spend a fair chunk of change to get a decent chair that you will find comfortable to sit in for extended periods of time.

I recommend the Aeron chair. It's expensive, but it's comfortable as fuck. Comes in three sizes, A, B, and C, corresponding to small, medium, and large. It's not leather, but instead is this kind of mesh stuff, which has great airflow, which will prevent most issues of swass you were talking about.

You can probably find one on eBay, but you don't want to be paying more than $500 - you can get one new for that.

DrFrylock

It's amazing just how many chairs are complete shit to sit in.

I have an Aeron at work, and I love it dearly. I got it off eBay a long time ago for maybe $550. I don't know where saggio thinks you can get a new Aeron for $500, but I'd love to hear. In addition to the sizes, they make two versions: a basic and a deluxe version. The deluxe version adjusts in a few more ways and has a forward-tilt mode for drafting. They also have a "PostureFit" model, but I believe this is just the deluxe model with a special lumbar accessory. You do want to get the appropriate size (A, B, or C) for you.

I had one problem with my chair a few months ago: after four years of use, the seatpan cracked right in half while I was sitting in it. Apparently this is a semi-common problem with the Size C chairs, see here. I think it's a design issue, the seat is basically a big cantilever and there's a lot of torque on it. One thing I found out about the Aerons: the 12-year warranty applies to original owners only. eBay purchasers like me were out of luck. New seatpans from Herman-Miller are $250 (more than most chairs!) but I got one off eBay for half that and considered it a deal. The good thing about the Aeron is they're very user-repairable, and I was able to install the seatpan myself with a couple Allen wrenches and a pair of pliers.

Other than the Aeron, I have some sort of chair I got at Staples at home. It is a (faux?) leather highback office chair and, other than the Aeron, is the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in. It was $199. I just looked but I don't see a make/model on it. The way I found it was to go to Staples and sit in every chair they had for a minute or two and feel them out. Yes, I looked like a dork. However, what I found is that 80% of the chairs were completely uncomfortable, 20% were comfortable, and there were noticeable differences between those. I picked the one I found the most comfy and never regretted it. What was interesting is that there were other chairs that looked nicer or more comfortable, but in fact they were not. I suggest this strategy for your own chair hunt.

unilateral

Yeah, if you're looking to spend about $200, I would do as Frylock suggested and go sit in all the chairs at a Staples or OfficeMax or something. I did that, and it took me three stores, but I now have a pretty damn comfortable chair. It has survived four years of college and two kittens and it still is fine to sit in. I think I payed like $140 for it 5 years ago. So, just go to a store and try out chairs until you find one you like, thats my suggestion.

KurnDerak

Yea, $500+ is a bit more then I think I can currently really shell out for a chair at this point. I did the whole sitting in chairs at Office Depot, Office Max and Staples. I think the problem with this is that the two chairs that I found I like the best are This chair and This chair

The problem with the first is it looks like a lot of use would end up tearing it apart from some of the reviews, while the second chair is so damn comfy plus looks to be good for a lot of use. The second one would be about the limit I could really spend right now for a chair. Any one really have any sort of experience with either of these at all?

Dog

Man 500$ for a chair? Get out of town.

I have this chair, I bought the in-store model (slightly scratched) for 100 bucks. It is the most comfortable chair I have ever sat in.

KurnDerak

Yea, after a second trip, I ended up getting an entirely different chair.

Thanks for the help all.