Where do I put my ass

August 24, 2006 11:06 PM

What's a good office chair I can get for less then $200? Preferably one I can order off amazon.com

I need it for sitting in front of the computer all day.

posted by Paris Hilton to Shopping (8 answers total)

I've gone shopping for a good one lately; tried some out at staples. I dont know about specific chairs, but you should be able to find a decent one around 100 bucks or less.
A lot depends on what you are looking for:
-high back, medium back, low back?
-arm rests or no?
-in how many ways do you want to be able to adjust it? some of the more advanced chairs have amazing adjustment options.
-thick cushions or thin?
-lightweight modern design or old school heavy design?

I wound up with a lovely thick cushion, high back that looks like it belongs behind a mahogany desk (which, sadly, i dont have). But its comfortable because of the thick cushions and high back and wide armrests. On sale it was only 80 bucks.

I'd recommend visiting a store and sitting in a few, since you want to be able to sit in it all day in front of the computer, your best bet is to spend some time trying them out.
posted by jak68 at 11:14 PM on August 24, 2006

I am sitting in this chair as I type this. I've had it for about 5 years and it's been a good fit.

But I agree, it's really best to sit in a chair that you plan to spend any amount of time in.
posted by FlamingBore at 11:27 PM on August 24, 2006

I found that this chair helped my posture immensely. If I don't sit in it for a long period of time, I find that my posture problems tend to come back. I'm not sure if that would be a selling point for you or not, but I found mine for about $50 at my local OfficeMax.
posted by gregschoen at 1:04 AM on August 25, 2006

The chair that fits you will need to have your ass in it at some point prior to purchase. Seriously, we're all built differently enough that nobody likes a similar chair. Example: I absolutely HATE areon chairs. Most uncomfortable things ever. The GF loves them. I absolutely love 60's laminate wood chairs with an ass groove bent into them. The GF (and most other people, it seems) hates them.

As an example, I've sat in a similar chair to what FlamingBore linked, and it is positively horrid for me.

Really, I would never buy a chair I planned to sit in for any length of time without sitting in it myself for a few minutes first. Now, chairs for the dining room table... that I'd do online.
posted by shepd at 6:35 AM on August 25, 2006

I spent about 200 bucks at Staples on a chair that felt good in the store, but after about an hour of seat time is terribly uncomfortable. I'd agree about try-before-you-buy, but don't take a comfortable 30 seconds in the store for a real world 30 minutes at home. At least save the reciept.

Of course, my roomate had a Herman Miller. I would give my first born for that. If you're going to be spending _all day_ in it, I would suggest spending as much as you can afford to, up to a reasonable amount (kind of like a monitor, or a mattress, etc.).
posted by kableh at 7:13 AM on August 25, 2006

Ditto the Herman Miller. I have an Aeron at work and I love it. We are lucky to have our choice of chairs at the office and overwhelmingly I see Aerons at desks.
posted by MeetMegan at 8:47 AM on August 25, 2006

I agree with the other posters that say you should SIT in the chair before you buy it. Seriously! We have these office chairs from Ikea. They're reasonably cheap and pretty comfy.
posted by theantikitty at 8:59 AM on August 25, 2006

I don't have a recommendation for you (my work posture/slouch induces horrors to some) but you might want to look here

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/office/office-chairs/reviews

It's a summary of web-reviews of office chairs.

And here's a googlcache [free, of course] of the Wall Street Journal's recent review of office chairs.
posted by Jos Bleau at 11:46 AM on August 25, 2006 [1 favorite]