Buying Guide: Computer Chair on a Budget

[Skipple]

So I've wanted to put together this guide for a while and looking at @CPotter's latest ShortCircuit video... I figured there was no better time than now to make this. 

 

Part 1: The Budget

 

First, set aside a decent budget for a chair.

 

"But Skipple!" you may say.. "This is a shopping guide for people on a budget... did you forget the title to your own guide?"

 

Yes, that's true. But don't expect to get anything of any quality for under $100 USD. I personally think the sweet spot for chairs is $200-$300. So many people spend $2000 on their ballin' PC then end up with a $75 "gaming chair". This is something I firmly believe in setting aside a good chunk of budget to, especially if you are like me and spend 8+ hours a day working in your office. Your butt and back will thank you in the long run

 

Part 2: ...speaking of "Gaming Chairs"

 

I want to put to rest a worrisome trend I have seen in the enthusiast space for a while now, which is the concept of gaming chairs. Gaming chairs are no more of a thing than labeling a motherboard as a gaming motherboard. Simply put, a gaming chair describes far more about a chair's visual aesthetics than it does it's ability to make you a better gamer. Take "gaming" out of your thought process when looking for a good chair. A chair is a chair. While the ascetics of a chair may be important to some, I am going to focus much more on ergonomics than visual appeal in this guide. 

 

Part 3: What to Look For

 

The main thing I look for when it comes to buying a chair is ergonomics. Mainly you want to look for something that is

1. highly adjustable to your body 
2. good lumbar support with adjustable back height (adjustable lumbar depth if you want to go really fancy)
3. adjustable seat depth and tilt
4. adjustable arm height and width.

Secondly, you want to find something with quality materials. I highly recommend going with a cloth option for a seat rather than leather. Not only is cloth more breathable... a quality, thick, woven material will hold up better over time than fake or poorly produced leather counterparts. If you are looking at a budget guide for chairs, you aren't an executive anyway so look away from those. Buy from a quality manufacturer to ensure quality of materials... Let's get into that. 

 

Part 4: Buying Used

 

I fully recognize this might be the spot where I lose some people, but I am going to go for it anyway. The best deal you can get for an office chair is the used market. Here's the logic: Any chair you buy from Staples or any cheaper chair online retailer if going to be absolutely garbage in comparison to something you can buy secondhand at the same price. They simply don't move enough product, charge enough, nor put enough R&D into their products. Thus quality of the product will suffer and your back and butt will get sore after 1-3 hours after continual use. 

 

A real quality chair on the other hand and where you want to set your sights, are from the enterprise workspace. These chairs are sold at very high prices new, but are made to last and have the benefit of being sold to companies who want to keep their employees happy, healthy, avoid stresses, and free from strains caused by poor posture. These chairs also have the added benefit of being highly repairable, meaning if that piston starts to give out you can easily find replacement parts.

 

I highly recommend viewing second hand sites such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc.

Set up searches and look for product from companies like: 

• Herman Miller
• Steelcase
• Humanscale

Chairs from these companies will cost about $1000+ retail but you can quite often pick them up for $200-300 second hand. There are tons of businesses that are selling their old assets at the same price (or lower) as what you would pay for a mid range box-store brand.  

 

Don't fret about buying second hand here. Large companies getting rid of product will often purge assets due to the age of the chair and warranty status, not necessarily the condition. If the idea of sitting in a chair that others have sat in previously still skeeves you out, I would highly recommend cleaning the chair with carpet cleaner, or a high powered wet-vac before use. 

 

Another option (especially if you are on an even tighter budget) is to scour thrift stores for chairs. It might take a while, but I was able to find this Steelcase Criterion for $6.50. It's a chair from the late 90s, but still far ahead of many consumer grade chairs sold today. YMMV with this method.

[Skipple]

Just now, WI-FIultrasnoop said:

Could you give some examples of good gaming chairs?

I think you missed my point. Gaming refers to the ascetic rather than the functionality of the chair. I have no doubt there may be some passable "gaming" chairs out there, but that's not where I focused this guide. Perhaps someone here can give you a recommendation seeing how I have limited experience with these. (for the reasons I outlined above) 

[Moonzy]

every chair will feel comfortable if you have a comfortable bottom

Spoiler

 

 

[VeganJoy]

my quick skim of the guide leaves me with:

 

1. good chairs are expensive

 

2. branding is bs as always

 

3. buy well-reviewed/tried-and-true stuff and buy used

 

kinda applies to most purchases eh?

[zeusthemoose]

1 minute ago, WI-FIultrasnoop said:

Could you give some examples of good gaming chairs?

I have really enjoyed my EWin Champion Series chair. I dont rememeber the exact price I payed for it (around a year ago), but It was in the 200-300 range (closer to 300 i think). It has been very comfortable and the 4d armrests are amazing. One armrest did break a few months ago, but the manufacturer sent out a replacement that was very easy to attach. I have had no issues sitting for many hours at a time.

But like @Skipple said, fabric will most likely be better than the fake leather. So unless you are going for the looks (I personally think these look very nice but thats up to you), a used one from one of brands mentioned in the post would probably be better.

[Skipple]

3 minutes ago, VeganJoy said:

my quick skim of the guide leaves me with:

 

1. good chairs are expensive

 

2. branding is bs as always

 

3. buy well-reviewed/tried-and-true stuff and buy used

 

kinda applies to most purchases eh?

I mean, I attempted to make it a bit more detailed and nuanced than that, but hey. I suppose you are correct. 

[Walker998]

Fantastic article by far one of the best I've found on this forum & definitely one to save for the inevitable future. Can you give us any repituable recommendations for further research?