Desk Chair on a budget

August 21, 2009 1:31 PM

Best modern/ contemporary office furniture maker on a budget?

I'm specifically interested in the hive's thoughts on best desk chairs for someone that would like something of contemporary/ modern fashion, European or American made. Budget is for under $200... am I wasting my time?

If you know of a good place to go to purchase, please also let me know. I'm in Southwest VA so online might be only option.

posted by priested to home & garden (4 comments total)

IKEA?
posted by mattbucher at 1:34 PM on August 21

Rather than buying cheap quality new, I would look at used options on Craigslist, or used office furniture suppliers or vintage stores in a nearby city.
posted by applemeat at 1:42 PM on August 21

Bungie Chairs are pretty comfortable. Also, I have one of these from Office Depot which I like, but according the reviews, they fall apart after about a year and a half. I haven't had mine that long, so I don't know. But those reviews weren't up there when I bought mine. You might be able to find a used Aeron or Mirra for around $200 if you look hard enough. Both of those are quite nice, but very expensive new. Sit4Less has a few in your price range, so that would be worth taking a look. I think you can return it for free to them if you don't like it, but you should check the site for details before ordering.
posted by spilon at 1:49 PM on August 21

Budget is for under $200... am I wasting my time?

I think it depends on what you want to optimize for . . . looks, comfort, durability, price?

In my experience, a <>
If this desk chair is something that will be in heavy use then I'd strongly recommend that you look for a chair that is designed with the ergonomics of desk work in mind. I say this as someone who's developed RSI from years of using crappy chair/desk/computer setups.

In this class of chairs you're going to see list prices far above $200, but you can also keep your eyes out for a craigslist bargain, an office liquidation sale, or just a sale. I managed to pickup a fantastic chair from HumanScale for <>2X your budget, it's a chair that will last for a long long time and won't screw up your back, neck, arms . . .
posted by donovan at 1:57 PM on August 21