My new position is about 50% work from home and I need to get a better chair for the home office. I have heard that most gaming chairs are actually better ergonomically than high-end office chairs, which can be expensive but still uncomfortable. Does anyone have a recommendation for a decent gaming/office chair? Budget is about $500 or so. Thanks!
If you find a chair you like, spend an extra $30 and get a heavy-duty lift. Don’t use the cheap ones that come with the chair. Nothing more frustrating than to have the chair start sinking in the middle of a Zoom call—and those things are a bear to swap out.
Gaming chairs are bad. Get a high end office chair. I like the Steelcase Leap V2. I tried a Herman Miller Embody and did not like it. Other's like the Herman Miller Aeron. I like to sit on my legs at home so I prefer cushioned seats. Aerons are mesh and Embody is a thin fabric over plastic so they were not comfortable to sit on my legs. A Leap V2 can be found for $200-$400 easily on the used market. I waited to buy mine for $100.
There's another thread about this from a couple of years ago from what I recall. I have a Herman Miller Embody and it's lasted for about 6.5 years now. The seat pan has gotten a bit stiffer, so I may see if I can get that replaced with their 11 or 12 or whatever year warranty they have. Looking back, in a sense I'm glad I got it instead of the usual Office Depot/Staples chair that falls apart after about 2 years. It's still solid after tons of use during the day. They make a "gaming" version now, too - I think they partnered with Logitech to make it. You may want to check into reviews of chairs by SteelCase like the Leap and Gesture as well as Herman Miller's Aeron. But try them out in person if you want to be sure. All these chairs are probably outside of your budget unless you buy them used. The Embody, even used may be outside of your budget, but the Aeron may be do-able. Just check around. Also note that I don't think you get the multi-year warranty when buying used Herman Miller products, but I don't recall how that works. Lastly, go check out Reddit. There's an r/OfficeChairs forum you can look for info (as well as probably other subreddits - I know Herman Miller has one).
Probably worth browsing your nextdoor/facebook posts for your community to see if people are selling. some people might have bought chairs during the pandemic thats being sold...
Yeah, even before or during the pandemic there were people getting chairs at a discount from companies going out of business or just office furniture places just having a lot of inventory of chairs that businesses wanted to replace for whatever reason. There are also online dealers that sell higher-end used office chairs (but not all are "authorized").
I bought a few gently used Aerons and some headrests for them. Plus Uplift desks. And Pro displays/Studio displays. Quite pleased with that setup.
It's hard to make recommendations because everyone has their sticking points. For me my chair must have: - height and depth adjustable arm rests - tilt/lean controls - no head/neck supports (I think they just get in the way) - the backpiece must not extend above my shoulderblades (this is usually called "midback" vs "highback") - no faux leather (tends to wear out and have too much cushioning) Nice to have would be vertically adjustable lumbar support, really nice to have would be horizontal lumbar adjustment too. After I get a chair I usually put on arm and seat covers that are removable and washable just to extend its life, plus it lets you customize the cushioning/feel. I'm terrified of my chair breaking because I cannot find a suitable replacement.
Sitting at your desk is something you’ll be doing a significant amount of your time. Why limit yourself to $500 if there’s a solution that is perfect for you for more? It’s like a good mattress. It’s quality of life. There’s also your desk ergonomics to consider when buying a chair. It all ties together and is very important. I personally have had a Humanscale chair for 8 years. Its rock solid and has a great warranty. I would find chairs that you can use for a few weeks and return if you don’t like them. Most mattresses have a 90 day test period but I think you’ll know after a few days with a chair.
Like others have said it’s hard to go wrong with Herman Miller or Steelcase. You can occasionally find open box deals but unfortunately it seems the prices have all gone up the past few years. I went the opposite approach of everything adjustable with a Herman Miller Cosm and like it much more than my Steelcase Gesture I have at the office. Like others have said I’d find a showroom and try out a bunch.
