recommend your office chair

[doggielover]

I WFH and have been for the past almost 8 years.  When we closed our office we were given the option to take our chair with us to use from home or let the place we were renting from have it back.  I choose to keep it because of the comfort and it was no cost to me.  However I've had this chair now for 10 years and it's time to replace.  I don't want to spend $600+ which is what this would cost to replace (it's Herman Miller).  I need something that has wheels, lumbar support is a requirement and is fully adjustable (arms, height, tilt), I don't care if there's a headrest.  Ideally I'd like to stay around $100-$200 if possible.  I don't want a cloth seat or leather and tend to like the look/comfort of the mesh type seat (https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/office-chairs/aeron-chairs/specs/#materials).

Any particular band I should look at that meets what I'm looking for (price is a big thing for me).  

[ellipses84]

You might not like my advice! I don’t think a $200 or less new chair is going to compare to your Hermann Miller if you sit in it for 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. I think it’s worth it to invest in a quality chair when you compare cost vs. time using it.

I’d consider spending $200 for a like new condition used commercial grade chair. There’s an office furniture supply store near me that sells used chairs. I bought my Sayl chair from FB marketplace for about that. There’s always offices that close, downsize, renovate or buy new chairs and sell their barely used chairs.

[Jalapeñomel]

DH has a Secret Lab gaming chair he loves.

[Whitecaps]

Jan 9, 2024 16:59:20 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

You might not like my advice! I don’t think a $200 or less new chair is going to compare to your Hermann Miller if you sit in it for 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. I think it’s worth it to invest in a quality chair when you compare cost vs. time using it.

I’d consider spending $200 for a like new condition used commercial grade chair. There’s an office furniture supply store near me that sells used chairs. I bought my Sayl chair from FB marketplace for about that. There’s always offices that close, downsize, renovate or buy new chairs and sell their barely used chairs.

I agree with all of this! My Aeron has saved my back. H and I both have high-end home office chairs that we bought barely used from an arts org that was going out of business and I think it's worth it to pursue something like that if possible. 

[thebreakfastclub]

I WFH Monday & Friday. I have a $100 office chair, and I added something called the 'pressure relief seat cushion' from the company Cushion Lab.
My chair is not fully adjustable and is certainly not as fancy as what is being described, but the seat cushion really works well and vastly improved the comfort level of my cheaper chair.

[k3am]

Jan 9, 2024 17:07:10 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

DH has a Secret Lab gaming chair he loves.

We have a Secret Lab gaming chair. It's a nice chair, but out of OP's price point, and I'm not sure it comes in a mesh option. They're also HUGE chairs and ruin the virtual background if you're on a lot of zoom calls, which may or may not bother people. 

[supertrooper1]

I've had the La-Z Boy office chair from Costco for about 6 months and like it. It's online at $219 but it might still be on sale at the store.

www.costco.com/la-z-boy-manager's-office-chair-with-adjustable-headrest.product.100849066.html

ETA:  I missed the part where you said you didn't want leather.  But Costco still seems to have good deals on other styles.

[Aloe Vera]

Same scenario as you. My office closed and I was given the option to take my chair or get a new one on my own. I chose to get a new one as I wanted something more compact and lightweight. I got a $70 chair from Wayfair and it is really comfortable.

www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/inbox-zero-kortnie-ergonomic-task-chair-inbx3001.html?piid=86550990

[pumpkin]

doggielover, you’re not in the greater Seattle area are you?

I have an aeron chair that I can’t get to tilt forward at quite the right angle so it drives me crazy and I’m planning to get rid of it.

If not, also check out office surplus stores or business going out of business because they will often have sales on their furniture.

[CloudBee]

What's wrong with your Herman Miller? DH has one and we recently performed some surgery on it to repair the leather. It doesn't look as good as it did when my old firm gifted it to us, but boy has it been the best chair for his aging back! If yours is beyond repair, I would look at FB Marketplace or post in local community groups to see if anyone is looking to offload old conference room or home office furniture.

[doggielover]

Jan 9, 2024 18:50:15 GMT -5 pumpkin said:

doggielover , you’re not in the greater Seattle area are you?

I have an aeron chair that I can’t get to tilt forward at quite the right angle so it drives me crazy and I’m planning to get rid of it.

If not, also check out office surplus stores or business going out of business because they will often have sales on their furniture.

I'm in Virginia.  I came to realize last might while looking online that my desired price range isn't really going to be possible for what I'm looking for.  I might just bite the bullet and get another herman miller chair like I have since I like their products and their quality.  

[doggielover]

Jan 9, 2024 20:18:04 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

What's wrong with your Herman Miller? DH has one and we recently performed some surgery on it to repair the leather. It doesn't look as good as it did when my old firm gifted it to us, but boy has it been the best chair for his aging back! If yours is beyond repair, I would look at FB Marketplace or post in local community groups to see if anyone is looking to offload old conference room or home office furniture.

After the 10+ years of having it the chair has seen better days.  The arms don't stay locked anymore and neither does the tilt.  The lumbar support piece on the back is also starting to come apart.  I'm not saying it's a quality issue considering I've used this chair 5 days a week for 10+ years.  
For getting a new chair Herman Miller is on the top of my list - I just wasn't wanting to spend $600+ to replace it.  

[gottadobe]

I hated my Secret Lab and my husband is too proud to admit he hates his.
I traded it for an Aeron and have no regrets.
Craigslist had a ton with all the office closures; you may look there and be able to pick up another in your budget.

[Susie]

Full range adjustability may be tough at the $100-200 price point.  I am 5'2" and need lots of adjustability to fit and properly support my frame.  I got a Haworth Zody for home during the pandemic, and then had my firm buy me one for the office when we came back.  It's > $200 though.

[missva]

I got this one from Staples that is on sale and meets your budget and it has been great. I went from back pain with a cute office chair to no back pain with a not so cute chair :-).

www.staples.com/union-scale-flexfit-hyken-ergonomic-mesh-swivel-task-chair-charcoal-gray-un59464/product_24328579?GAB2081=true

[litasail]

Jan 10, 2024 9:32:55 GMT -5 doggielover said:

Jan 9, 2024 18:50:15 GMT -5 pumpkin said:

doggielover , you’re not in the greater Seattle area are you?

I have an aeron chair that I can’t get to tilt forward at quite the right angle so it drives me crazy and I’m planning to get rid of it.

If not, also check out office surplus stores or business going out of business because they will often have sales on their furniture.

I'm in Virginia.  I came to realize last might while looking online that my desired price range isn't really going to be possible for what I'm looking for.  I might just bite the bullet and get another herman miller chair like I have since I like their products and their quality.  

I'm not sure where you are in VA, but I have a barely used Steelcase Gesture chair that I'm looking to sell. I'm in MD, just on the other side of DC.

It's a great chair - Wirecutter's pick for the best: www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/steelcase-gesture-review/. I just have found that I'm much more likely to work from a spot like the couch than my dining room table office set-up.

[mcsangel2]

Do any of these chairs also tilt back that you can lock in that position? Ever since I started working from home in March 2020, I'm having SUCH a hard time getting comfortable. Part of that is because I work from the kitchen table which is higher than my office desk, but the office chair I brought home doesn't lock in the tilt position and I can't get the rest of it right.

[lessel]

I'd check out Costco for that price range. I've had good luck with the chairs we've bought there.

[daisyduck]

Madisonseating.com has high end office chairs for very good prices. I got a Steelcase Leap V2 for about half of retail. I'm not sure how they have lower prices, but I know several people who have ordered from there and had no problems.

In my opinion, high end office chairs should last much longer than 10 years. Every chair in my office building is a Steelcase Leap V2 (hence why I wanted one at home), most of them are close to 10 years old (when they opened the building) and they all still feel brand new. If your chair is having issues, I'd look at Steelcase or another brand.

[midwestmama]

This post has reminded me that I need to ask my neighbor, who works at Steelcase, if they do a friends & family sale or discount... I would like to get a different chair. I bought a gaming chair about a year ago, but it doesn't fit me right - the chair doesn't elevate as high as I need it to (and my desk is not adjustable, so the height is off).