A certain type of office chair

October 23, 2008 4:00 PM

I'm looking for a rather specific kind of office chair--one that can recline & has a footrest, has a fabric covering, has a headrest, and can stand up to heavy home-office use. Anyone know of such a chair?

I've found plenty of other office-chair related questions on askme but haven't found one that really matched what I'm looking for.

A leather seating surface is a deal-breaker. Vinyl is acceptable, with cloth/fabric much preferred.

I tried out this chair at my local OD, but it felt pretty flimsy, plus there's no headrest. And "Designed for casual use" doesn't inspire confidence.

I've toyed with the idea of buying a medical-style chair such as this but would, obviously, prefer a similar chair that's less reminiscent of hospitals and is cheaper. I don't have medical or back problems--I just happened to sit in this style of chair while visiting someone at a local hospital and found it to be quite comfortable. They even make a headrest for them.

Any ideas? I'll be using this chair about 35 hours a week. I'm 6ft3, 220lbs. I'm flexible as far as price goes.

posted by aerotive to Shopping (4 answers total)

We had a guy at the last place I worked who used a recliner. It was a proper lay-z-boy. If I recall, the keyboard and mouse were on a tray of some sort, possibly hanging beneath the desk or on a laptop board. You might want to check that out as a possible option.

For what it's worth, we called him "Chair guy".

No, my nickname has nothing to do with him.
posted by chairface at 5:12 PM on October 23, 2008

Not necessarily exactly what you're looking for, but take a gander at the Steelcase catalog. I'm fortunate enough to work for an organization that only purchases from Michigan companies...which means we've got sweet deals on both Steelcase and Herman Miller. I've tried most of their chairs, gone on factory tours at both places, and the Think (http://www.steelcase.com/na/think_products.aspx?f=11871) is absolutely the best. Lots of configurations (cloth, headrests, etc) though I don't know about an integrated ottoman. After three years of 40 hr/wk use, it's still practically new. IMO, WAY better than the HM Aerons, etc.

They ain't cheap, but in my 30 person office where everyone gets to choose their own chair, they totally pwn the HM stuff, 28 to 2.
posted by paanta at 5:20 PM on October 23, 2008

Get a Gravity Balans. I lust for this chair. In reclined position I fall asleep (in somone elses office!) in about 8 minutes. Here is a pic showing some of the 5 or 6 positions.
posted by Iteki at 9:49 AM on October 24, 2008

I have that Office Depot chair. It is flimsy, but it works for me (female, 5'5"), but I only use it for an hour or so at a time, watching video on my 24" monitor. Beats leaning back in a regular office chair and putting my feet up on the desk.
posted by Joleta at 8:59 PM on October 24, 2008