Help me buy a desk chair for around $500 or less

November 3, 2023 1:22 PM

I am overdue for a new desk chair. Please help me pick one out.

Relevant info:
* I’d like the total cost to be $500 or less, but I have some wiggle room.
* I am about 5 feet, 8 inches, tall and weigh about 175 pounds.
* I am at my desk and on my computer about 40 hours a week.
* My back is often not in contact with the chair back. That's OK.
* I need a receipt, to get reimbursed by my company.
* The desk is 30 inches tall and not adjustable.
* I have no problems with my back or knees, etc.
* I do have a bony bottom that needs cushioning.
* I am in Albuquerque, NM.
* I need to buy it in 2023.

posted by NotLost to Shopping (15 answers total)

Will your company reimburse refurb purchases through a furniture company? I have bought several refurb Aeron chairs for my wife and I through office furniture liquidators at around this price point. Some folks also love the Steelcase Leap chair (different manufacturer, same market, similar price point), so try both and see which one you prefer.
posted by Alterscape at 1:34 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

I am working under similar conditions (my desk is a little lower and I have less need of chair padding but still like to have some) and have been happy with my Branch Ergonomic chair.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:49 PM on November 3, 2023

Used Aeron as long as isn’t not first-gen (the mesh got more forgiving, much better on my sit bones). After getting used to it I started getting a little irrationally skeeved out by foam cushions people are sitting on in one spot for 40 hours a week.
posted by supercres at 2:02 PM on November 3, 2023

Secret Labs chairs are on sale bringing them just under $500.
I hate the branding, but after trying a borrowed one for a week or so I had to concede that it worked pretty well for an office chair and I've been happy with mine for about a year now.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 2:11 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you don't have a refurb place close to you, Crandall has a bunch of refurbs on sale. I love my Steelcase Amia and with the Black Friday code you'd get that down under $500
posted by advicepig at 2:12 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Stetch the budget a bit and you have Herman Miller Verus Task Chair is currently on sale for $564 and the slightly odd looking but comfy Sayl for $588. Shipping extra.
posted by zenon at 3:09 PM on November 3, 2023

If you're getting reimbursed, maybe also ask around if you have a corporate discount. I can get a Steelcase Gesture for $970 that's $1,371 on their website (and more on amazon.com).

If you want something cheaper, and refurbished, apparently our ergo team likes Madison Seating, which has many amazing options in what appear to be "open box" condition. Never used it but seeing those prices has me seriously considering replacing a personal desk chair now...
posted by pwnguin at 3:16 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

When the first covid lockdown started I bought the same chair I had at the office - a Herman Miller Mirra. No regrets.
Looks like they're available around $500 (dunno how legit that reseller is but it seems like there's others).

I'd focus on something marketed as ergonomic commercial office furniture, as that will prioritize long term comfort and durability. Maybe you can find a local store where you can try out different ones.
posted by davidest at 3:35 PM on November 3, 2023

Assuming ABQ has an office furniture liquidator, (maybe even more than one) go there before you buy anything online. They’ll probably have Aeron and Leap chairs and maybe a random assortment of other models. You can sit in everything and figure out what you like. The guy at the place we bought my wife’s chair a couple years ago offered to swap parts around if we found something we liked that needed a little love. I think we paid $350 for a Leap, and by the time I cleaned it up it looked better than the one I bought new (office grime comes out but hairball stains are forever, it seems).

If you can’t find something you like at a liquidator, then sure, order something online. But it’s totally worth checking local liquidators first.
posted by fedward at 6:00 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Haworth also does good office chairs that are around that cost through a corporate account.
posted by sepviva at 6:09 PM on November 3, 2023

Get yourself to a used office furniture store! Test out a bunch of different chairs. Buy your favorite.
posted by oceano at 8:18 PM on November 3, 2023

My husband has this Serta computer chair and I love it. It is so comfortable, sometimes I get out of my recliner to sit in it to watch TV. He is big and tall (6' tall, 230 lbs) but I am only 5'4" and we both think it's super comfy. The only reason I don't have one of my own is because it is a little too big for the cramped space I work in.

We got it at Office Depot, I think. They have a bunch of chairs on the sales floor that you can try out before you buy.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 8:06 AM on November 4, 2023

Adding to the chorus recommending Steelcase Leap chairs. Mine cost about $800 new (with a discount thru my company), but you can find them used for a lot less. They're built like tanks, so even if it's got some surface wear and tear, the underlying mechanicals may be in great condition. I've had mine for a decade, and it functions like new. It's the most comfortable chair of any kind I've ever owned, period. I spend more time in this chair than in any other piece of furniture (including my bed), so the investment has been worth it.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 3:16 PM on November 4, 2023

FWIW Aeron and Leap chairs AND buying used come up a lot on the chair recommendation threads around here. There are multiple models of good chairs made by Herman Miller and Steelcase, not just those two, but those two particularly show up on the used market more than anything else (and as I said in a previous thread, the place we went had about three Aerons for every other chair, although my wife ended up picking a Leap). Later in that same thread I also talked about why I personally bought a Leap (new, many years ago) and why it's best if you shop in person. But in the year 2023 if you haven't already learned from experience that you hate Aeron chairs, there's a decent chance you won't hate them and buying a used one is probably a pretty good bet, especially if you can inspect it first.
posted by fedward at 2:22 PM on November 5, 2023

I often half cross my legs while seated in an office chair, with my left ankle under my right thigh. This is painful in an Aeron, which is why I have a Leap at the office and a Steelcase Amia at home. I don't know if I would say the Leap is all that much more comfortable than the Amia. Adjustability is about the same too.
posted by advicepig at 11:17 AM on November 6, 2023