Best office chair?
Discussion
I’m happy to spend £500 for something genuinely good and great quality.
I’ve had a fancy chair before a decade or so ago that was utter crap, so really fancying something with a money back guarantee or that I can try etc?
I find my body is just not happy with my current 20yr old £200 jobby, no adjustable arms, fixed back etc.
A week or two of solid office hours and my back aches.
My left arm goes tingly now as soon as my left wrist is on the desk.
My physio says all is fine musculoskeletal wise. It’d not been hence the physio as my left arm was aching after a few mins at the desk… but I think all the exercises and massaging the ball into my shoulder blade area each night for a month, combined with working solid, has just pushed my body over the edge and my nerve is needing a break!
Pressure on the backs of my legs, pressure on back a bit, and finding myself slumping, often head looking to right (2nd screen, now moved to left), pressure on arm, arm rests too high… in hindsight it’s now all just utterly wrong.
Anyone else been a long-time desk jockey doing PC work like graphics etc, hit early mid 40s and body said no more?!
Cheers for any advice!
I’ve had a fancy chair before a decade or so ago that was utter crap, so really fancying something with a money back guarantee or that I can try etc?
I find my body is just not happy with my current 20yr old £200 jobby, no adjustable arms, fixed back etc.
A week or two of solid office hours and my back aches.
My left arm goes tingly now as soon as my left wrist is on the desk.
My physio says all is fine musculoskeletal wise. It’d not been hence the physio as my left arm was aching after a few mins at the desk… but I think all the exercises and massaging the ball into my shoulder blade area each night for a month, combined with working solid, has just pushed my body over the edge and my nerve is needing a break!
Pressure on the backs of my legs, pressure on back a bit, and finding myself slumping, often head looking to right (2nd screen, now moved to left), pressure on arm, arm rests too high… in hindsight it’s now all just utterly wrong.
Anyone else been a long-time desk jockey doing PC work like graphics etc, hit early mid 40s and body said no more?!
Cheers for any advice!
Go to an ergonomic office furniture shop and try a few, chat to the people inside about desk / chair / computer monitor settings.
I ended up with a height adjustable electric desk, RH Logic 400 chair and Ergotron monitor arm. Best £2k I ever spent.
Been working from home since Covid, pulled 14 hour days for two weeks straight before a work deadline once, felt nothing aches, pains and twinge wise.
The stuff also lasts ages. My RH Logic 400 is getting on 17 years old, I just replace the seat pad and arm rest tops as required. The whole chair is literally built like a tank.
Anyway, you have to get something that works for you, a decent shop can advise, they will look at you sitting, pretending to type, adjust all the gubbins etc.
Everyone seems to talk about Herman Miller but they don’t fit my body properly, I can never get comfortable in them. My office has Mirra’s and Aeron’s. For my body, RH and Hag fitted the best when I tried them in the ergonomic furniture shop.
I ended up with a height adjustable electric desk, RH Logic 400 chair and Ergotron monitor arm. Best £2k I ever spent.
Been working from home since Covid, pulled 14 hour days for two weeks straight before a work deadline once, felt nothing aches, pains and twinge wise.
The stuff also lasts ages. My RH Logic 400 is getting on 17 years old, I just replace the seat pad and arm rest tops as required. The whole chair is literally built like a tank.
Anyway, you have to get something that works for you, a decent shop can advise, they will look at you sitting, pretending to type, adjust all the gubbins etc.
Everyone seems to talk about Herman Miller but they don’t fit my body properly, I can never get comfortable in them. My office has Mirra’s and Aeron’s. For my body, RH and Hag fitted the best when I tried them in the ergonomic furniture shop.
Edited by wyson on Wednesday 11th October 18:28
The Herman Miller Aeron looks suspiciously like the fancy one I tried in 2014 ish and wasn’t impressed.
I bought it from a place that sold used office equipment… think it was about £200 or so?!
Thinking something a bit more plush and cushioned?!
Or yes a standing desk.
I find I can be on my feet doing tasks without issues for hours on end.
I was tempted to try bung my current desk on some temporary struts to see how I get on as it’s not too much higher…?
I bought it from a place that sold used office equipment… think it was about £200 or so?!
Thinking something a bit more plush and cushioned?!
Or yes a standing desk.
I find I can be on my feet doing tasks without issues for hours on end.
I was tempted to try bung my current desk on some temporary struts to see how I get on as it’s not too much higher…?
Edited by Mr Whippy on Wednesday 11th October 18:29
My RH Logic 400 isn’t plush and cushioned at all. Infact, it never feels comfortable in the sense your muscles never relax off, which is what stops the pains. The body isn’t meant to be stationary for long periods of time. The chair pivots and makes your body make small adjustments all the time.
I only know it works, because in cheap chairs at the library for instance, I get dead legs, stiff shoulders etc within a couple of hours when I’m trying to get work done away from the little terrors.
I only know it works, because in cheap chairs at the library for instance, I get dead legs, stiff shoulders etc within a couple of hours when I’m trying to get work done away from the little terrors.
Edited by wyson on Wednesday 11th October 18:33
Make sure you buy the right size Aeron chair. I have the large and my wife has the medium. When I sit in hers it feels very uncomfortable.
To the standing desk point. I have the following set up for about $500 posted in 2021. It changed the way I worked instantly in a way I did not expect. I now stand for all meetings as it feels much more natural to be standing when talking. It means I can be standing 6-8 hours in a day but do not feel any fatigue.
To the standing desk point. I have the following set up for about $500 posted in 2021. It changed the way I worked instantly in a way I did not expect. I now stand for all meetings as it feels much more natural to be standing when talking. It means I can be standing 6-8 hours in a day but do not feel any fatigue.
h0b0 said:
This is my butcher's block counter top turned into a standing desk. It is 6ft wide and 2ft deep. The legs are from Amazon and cost about $150. The top was from home depot and was about $350.
You need one of these :
https://www.backinaction.co.uk/variable-kneeling-c...
I used to work in various places, sitting in various chairs, including the damn expensive ones and ended up with back pain.
In the end I bought one of the above about 15 years ago
It actually travelled to offices with me (if I was there for a period of time)
I still sit on the same one daily
Zero back pain
hth
https://www.backinaction.co.uk/variable-kneeling-c...
I used to work in various places, sitting in various chairs, including the damn expensive ones and ended up with back pain.
In the end I bought one of the above about 15 years ago
It actually travelled to offices with me (if I was there for a period of time)
I still sit on the same one daily
Zero back pain
hth
It seems to be a really difficult thing to buy on recommendation and reviews alone. I think the only way is to find a way to go and sit on as many of them as you can because it is so incredibly subjective.
When we were all in lockdown and working from home looked to be long-term, I decided I'd invest a good chunk of money on a fancy chair. I read a load of reviews and ended up with the Herman Miller Mirra 2.
It was the most uncomfortable chair I've ever sat on. The back was like leaning against a hard wall. I went through that weird psychological thing where I was trying to convince myself it was fine just because it cost so much, but the back pain convinced me that it was just bloody uncomfortable for me, and I sent it back.
I ended up with one from John Lewis that cost less than half as much, which isn't amazing but does the job.
When we were all in lockdown and working from home looked to be long-term, I decided I'd invest a good chunk of money on a fancy chair. I read a load of reviews and ended up with the Herman Miller Mirra 2.
It was the most uncomfortable chair I've ever sat on. The back was like leaning against a hard wall. I went through that weird psychological thing where I was trying to convince myself it was fine just because it cost so much, but the back pain convinced me that it was just bloody uncomfortable for me, and I sent it back.
I ended up with one from John Lewis that cost less than half as much, which isn't amazing but does the job.
durbster said:
It seems to be a really difficult thing to buy on recommendation and reviews alone. I think the only way is to find a way to go and sit on as many of them as you can because it is so incredibly subjective.
That.These guys are specialists. There are others.
https://www.backinaction.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsp6p...
Height adjustable desks are well worth it, not only to be able to work standing or sitting, but to be able to change posture in your chair and adjust the desk to match. I went for a Fully Jarvis, which came as a complete desk, but you can buy just the legs from various places and put your own top on.
My wife has the Ikea Marcus chair which is very comfortable but not as adjustable as some, however some of thier other chairs look good too.
My wife has the Ikea Marcus chair which is very comfortable but not as adjustable as some, however some of thier other chairs look good too.
I bought a standing desk about 12 months ago.
Best thing i ever bought.
I stand for about 3/4 of the day.
Previously i had some pretty bad back ache problems, 90% of which are now gone. (The other 10% was solved with daily streches)
It doesn't matter how much you spend on a chair, sitting all day is no good for you and an expensive chair is not going to cure it.
Honestly, standing desk is the way forward!
Best thing i ever bought.
I stand for about 3/4 of the day.
Previously i had some pretty bad back ache problems, 90% of which are now gone. (The other 10% was solved with daily streches)
It doesn't matter how much you spend on a chair, sitting all day is no good for you and an expensive chair is not going to cure it.
Honestly, standing desk is the way forward!
When I worked at JCB the new chairs, which where some of the best I have sat on, came from KAB Seating. round £500 ten years ago.
Interestingly, so did the majority of the seats going into the new diggers! Unless they customer had up-spec'ed to a Grammer seat.
The outgoing old chairs where from the 70s and totally mullered.
Currently I am sat on a 'Stealcase' branded thing, which is fine, but im sure cheaper!
Interestingly, so did the majority of the seats going into the new diggers! Unless they customer had up-spec'ed to a Grammer seat.
The outgoing old chairs where from the 70s and totally mullered.
Currently I am sat on a 'Stealcase' branded thing, which is fine, but im sure cheaper!
BlackWidow13 said:
£20 for a gym ball. Learn how to sit properly; engage your core.
Chairs provide support that means your core doesn’t have to work. In the long term they are bad for you because they relieve you of the need to hold your posture correctly.
I used to work with a guy who'd sit cross legged on one of those balls at his desk Chairs provide support that means your core doesn’t have to work. In the long term they are bad for you because they relieve you of the need to hold your posture correctly.
Some years ago I had a kneeling chair similar to this, that's meant be be very good for your back for the reason, however mean I sat higher than in a standard chair and my desk was too low, you really need a high adjustable desk for those
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff