Comfortable office chair?

[gailrmv]

We are shopping for a comfortable office chair for the home office. Ours is just awful!

I know the Herman Miller Aeron chair is fabulous. I had one at a prior job and loved it. Unfortunately, it''s well over $600. Does anyone know of something comfortable and durable but less expensive?

 

[iheartscience]

Well I was actually going to suggest the Herman Miller Aeron! It is crazy expensive but might be worth it if you'll use it a lot. I have one at my office and it is the first office chair I've ever found comfortable. I didn't have to pay for it myself though!

I have seen other Herman Miller office chairs at Costco for around $200. They were comfortable when I sat on them at Costco. I would imagine any Herman Milker chair is going to be high quality and comfortable. I'll see if I can find the one at Costco online in a few minutes and post it here.

Good luck on the search!

ETA I think it was the Equa or Equa 2 chair at Costco...it looks like they're about $200 online but there a few used ones on some websites
for less if you just search Herman Miller Equa.

 

[asscher_girl]

Hi TDM, I''m in the commerical furniture industry (herman miller actually)

but if the Aeron is a little tooo pricey, how about the Mirra? They are about $100 less. Or another company called Sit on It has a chair called the Focus that I really like. http://www.sitonit.net/home/product-overview.asp?product=focus You can get it in a mesh back or a plastic back and it has an upholstered seat (I prefer the mesh back). I believe the Focus is in the $400 range - depending on the options you get. Hope that helps

 

[iheartscience]

Ha, that''s so funny you work for Herman Miller, asscher_girl! I bet you get a lot of requests for employee discount hook ups! Speaking of which...can you get me a deal on an Aeron?

 

[gailrmv]

Oh, cool that so many people like the Aeron! I think we may end up splurging and getting it. We've resisted for so long (after all this is just for home) but DH and I both noticed that we spend a lot of time at the computer for better or worse - so we need to be comfy while doing it. I bet it will be the kind of thing that once we buy it we'll wish we bought it years ago.

Thing2of2, Thanks for suggesting the one from costco! I saw it there too. I thought it was comfy when I sat in it - but I also thought it was not nearly as nice as the aeron. I should give it another look next time I'm there.

Asscher girl (LOVE your ring in your avatar!!) Thank you for those suggestions! I will definitely check them out. I bet your job is fun!! Do you think the Aeron is worth the price premium over the others? Also, what do you think about the one made for Costco?

 

[asscher_girl]

Yeah I do Thing2of2! hehe, but yeah if you can figure out a way to get in touch w/ me I can get you a deal

Hi TanDogMom, awwww, thanks you''re too sweet!

I do like the Aeron but my fav fav fav chair is our new Embody. It is expensive though (around $1100) but it is amazing. If you have a HMI dealer around you I''d go test one out. It''s a little funky looking when you first see it but the comfort, OMG it feels so good! It flexs with your body which is really cool and the front seat edge is smooth/soft and doesn''t press into the back of your leg like the Aeron can. For some, the Aeron is the most amazing chair in the world but for some body types the Mirra (which I also really like) can be awesome too. As for the Costo chair, that''s the Equa 2 and we sell that as well, it wasn''t made to sell at Costco. It''s a great chair too, not as state of the art as our mesh chairs but built really well and has some great ergo features. Hope that helps, good luck w/ your search

 

[rainwood]

I''m sitting in my Herman Miller Equa chair I bought at Costco. Very comfy, very well made, and way less than $600. My only complaint is that the fabric is a little uncomfortable if I''m wearing shorts and I''m sitting in the chair most of the day (I telecommute 4 days a week). I have very sensitive skin and there''s a little too much nub in the fabric for me if I don''t have on long pants. Other than that, I''m thrilled. I think it was about $350 if I remember correctly. I got it 4 or 5 months ago.

 

[gailrmv]

Cool! Thanks Rainwood! I need to go to costco again because the one online looks different than what I thought I saw there. The price was different too. I'm glad you like your chair!!

Good to know that the Equa 2 is a real Herman Miller chair and not just made for Costco!

Asscher_girl, thanks! I will check out the Mirra too. The prices are pretty high for Herman Miller in general. I know you work there, so I hope I'm not putting you on the spot, but do you think they are THAT MUCH better than the basic chairs at Staples to command the higher price? I don't mind paying the higher price if it's really worth it for comfort and durability. If it's just style I'd rather save the $.

I saw a site, aeron4less.com that seems to discount a little bit for returns or refurbed chairs. Still it's over $500 for the basic! Yikes. I am surprised that there is only ONE Herman Miller dealer in my area. I hope they have some on display - I hate to order something like that without sitting in it first!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/29/2009 11:42:51 PM
Author: TanDogMom
Cool! Thanks Rainwood! I need to go to costco again because the one online looks different than what I thought I saw there. The price was different too. I''m glad you like your chair!!

Good to know that the Equa 2 is a real Herman Miller chair and not just made for Costco!

Asscher_girl, thanks! I will check out the Mirra too. The prices are pretty high for Herman Miller in general. I know you work there, so I hope I''m not putting you on the spot, but do you think they are THAT MUCH better than the basic chairs at Staples to command the higher price? I don''t mind paying the higher price if it''s really worth it for comfort and durability. If it''s just style I''d rather save the $.

I saw a site, aeron4less.com that seems to discount a little bit for returns or refurbed chairs. Still it''s over $500 for the basic! Yikes. I am surprised that there is only ONE Herman Miller dealer in my area. I hope they have some on display - I hate to order something like that without sitting in it first!

Ha, I am wondering that too!

Timely thread...I''m looking for a new office chair too. I''ll tell you one thing, I''ll never get a Aeron look alike again! I bought one years ago thinking no big deal (plus I wasn''t going for a real substitute) but boy do I hate this chair.

Asscher girl, I wouldn''t be offering discounts if I were you - you''ll be hunted down!!

I love the look of the new chairs...I''ll have to check them out. I spend 40 hours a week plus some in my home office chair, so it would be worth it for me to splurge.

TDM, what did you end up buying?

 

[asscher_girl]

oops, I totally forgot to respont to TDM! Yes I really do think it''s worth buying the real thing. First, there''s the warranty (12 year, 3-shift, parts AND labor), then the ergonomic support. I really think Herman Miller knows their stuff when it comes to ergonomics and I trust them on it

I actually owned an Aeron knock off right after college and yeah it was comfy but not nearly as supportive as the Aeron in the long term.

TG - yeah I probably shouldn''t be throwing the word discount around, hehe. For a friend though, I can swing a little discount

You should totally go try out the Embody though, I just

that thing.

 

[gailrmv]

hey! I was surprised to see this thread resurrected! So I ended up buying... nothing. We had to buy a new mattress first and that took priority! I think we are going to get the real Aeron but from sit4less's clearance website, aeron4less.com. It's a little cheaper because it's chairs that are like new but have been returned or have discontinued colors/fabrics. I will check on the warranty though - that is important. It's still way expensive in my opinion for a home office chair, but usually when I buy the better quality item I don't regret it over the long term. Sadly, we sit at the computer lot. I think the Aeron will last us for years and years and when you think about the cost per year I guess it's not that bad. That was my rationale for the mattress too, by the way.

TGal let me know how your shopping goes and what you decide!

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks gals!

I found an embody on craigslist (which is not easy since it is a newer chair). But even used, it was $700, which is a fair price. However, I found a guy right near me who was selling some chairs that were in a conference room. So I bought a lumbar, fully "optioned" aeron in size B for $400.

I''m loving it...it works with my desk and footrest perfectly. The best part about it is the adjustable armrests. My shoulders and neck were getting sore from my old crap chair because my elbows were "mid-air". Now I have support and I already think this chair is worth every penny.

TDM, try craigslist, but know what you are buying. Did you know there is an Aeron chair blog? (http://www.meshchair.info/aeronchair/aeron_chair_blog2.php?hs340=topnav_Owner_Comments) I read through it, as well as checked out the HM site. I learned all the features BEFORE going to pick up the chair today and I tried every single feature before buying. I have to say, this chair looks darn clean.

The only bummer for me is that I don''t have a headrest. I used to buy big chairs so that I''d have a place to rest my head since my neck and shoulders have issues. But I realized, big tall chair big usually =''s big giant chair. A good chair should fit.

Yeah, no warranty, but I''ll take the chance. If it lasts me a few years I''ll be happy. If not, I''ll pay for it to get fixed and probably will be on par with buying a new one.

 

[asscher_girl]

Wow Tgal I can''t believe you found a used Embody! But gettting a fully loaded Aeron for $400 is totally a steal, congrats!

Enjoy your Aeron, I''m sure you''ll love it.

 

[geckodani]

Totally jealous of those of you with fantastic chairs! I''m currently sitting on an exercise ball, LOL!