I need a new office chair. Any recommendations?

July 5, 2010 2:09 PM

I need a new office chair. Any recommendations?

I just threw out my 5+ year old office chair and I'm looking to buy one. I most definitely want one with a high back since I'm 6'4". The only real requirement is that the chair have arms.

Anyone have any recommendations? I'd appreciate it.

So far, all I've looked at were these 2 from Ikea:

Allak
Markus
A fellow Ikea shopper told me not to get the Allak since it falls apart and tears very easily. Also, the Markus chair was just a lot of money so I wanted to look elsewhere first.

posted by decrescendo to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

I splurged on a Verksam chair from Ikea, and couldn't be happier. It's really solid, got rid of my back pain, and has something like a 15 year warranty.
posted by stereo at 3:22 PM on July 5, 2010

This one from office depot is comfy for the money, often on sale, and they seem to have fixed the falling apart problem. I'm tall like you, and I have two of them.
posted by spilon at 4:15 PM on July 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm 6'7" and I managed to snag a large size Aeron off craigslist for $300. It's worth keeping an eye on an rss feed for a Craigslist search.

We used a couple of Allaks in the studio. They aren't bad for what they are (cheap), but I wouldn't want to sit in one all day!
posted by subclub at 4:34 PM on July 5, 2010

As much as I love shopping around IKEA, most of their stuff just isn't made to last. Even if you have to pay retail for something like the Aeron, go for it-- if you're like me, you spend most of your day in your chair. I heard a good piece of advice over at the art of manliness website once, something along the lines of "Never skimp on a good mattress or good shoes; if you're not in one, you're in the other." I would also extend this to office chairs.
posted by holterbarbour at 4:43 PM on July 5, 2010

Yeah I'm with holterbarbour, that $300 was the best $300 I've ever spent. I've been in the Aeron for about 12 hours a day for 3 years now. It has totally paid for itself.

There are plenty of failed businesses out there that have to sell off all their office furniture, why not take it off their hands? I guarantee you it will be a lot more comfortable than a wacky $200 Ikea office chair.
posted by subclub at 5:11 PM on July 5, 2010

I definitely recommend the Steelcase Leap. You can do a search to read some of the glowing reviews in other threads here. And here's some more info on Stepcase Lifehack.

The chair sells for $850 on Amazon, but I've seen new/like new ones on eBay for $400 to $500 with free shipping. I recently bought an armless version for $250 from the eBay seller goodcompany92.

Good luck with your search.
posted by flomo at 5:18 PM on July 5, 2010

I second the recommendation for the Steelcase Leap. I put an automated search on Craigslist and just waited until one came along. I ended up paying $300. I believe there is a V1 and a V2, and the V2 back height is not as adjustable as the V1. So you might want to seek out the older style.
posted by chummie26 at 6:13 PM on July 5, 2010

I got a chair very similar to this at Costco for $99 and have found it to be very comfortable. I would agree with those that recommend something like the Leap as well, but for cheapskates like me, this one works pretty well.
posted by Edward L at 8:04 PM on July 5, 2010

Anything Herman Miller. I have a Mirra (similar to the ubiquitous Aeron) and the reason I got it was because it comes with a twelve (12) year warranty. On anything that goes wrong with the chair, including operator stupidity.

Life is too fucking short to be worrying about damned office chairs. I just want a chair that is comfortable, that will continue to remain comfortable for years without any maintenance, and should anything go wrong, I get it fixed immediately for free—well, not for free. That's what you're paying the premium for: peace of mind.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:23 AM on July 6, 2010

I suffered from horrible RSI for years sitting on crappy office chairs. The day I bought my Aeron was the day my life changed for the better. If you're sitting in it for 10 hours a day, it's work investing.
posted by mooza at 6:47 AM on July 6, 2010