Bought Another Bad Chair - Need Recommendations

[Lunaak]

So after getting baited yet again by a cheap reclining seat on eBay I'm finally ready to think about spending more than £200 on an office/gaming chair. After being uncomfortable in my current chair for months, I finally figured out that it's probably because its max seat height of about 50-51cm is around the minimum height of most other chairs on the market. This means my arms are constantly at a terrible angle when using my keyboard/mouse on a standard IKEA linnmon desk, and the high (unadjustable) armrests can never really reach desk height. 

So I've spent my Sunday looking at new chairs. I don't have the cash to drop on a Hermann Miller of any kind. These "gaming" chairs are actually starting to look like a solid investment, but I need your suggestions to guide me in the right direction. I like high backs and welcome a place to rest my head, and armrests seem like a great idea. But I'm not sold on the look of these gaming chairs at all. Luckily, I found most of those beneficial features on this rather generic Ergonomic Mesh Executive Chair by Home and Haus on Wayfair for half off its apparent £300 price tag.

 

 

Now, I can knock another £15 off that with a discount code, but now I really need to figure out whether something like this mesh office chair is worth buying over a brand of gaming chair plenty others in similar situations have probably opted for over the years. Do I get this ergonomic option or go with something like the Noblechairs Epic for almost double the price?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
 

[BundleBuzz]

You're buying it online or at a store. If you are in a store than try those chairs out man. Gaming chairs come down to preferences. So yeah, there is no real "Best" and "Worst", it all comes down to preferences.

[Lunaak]

2 minutes ago, BundleBuzz said:

You're buying it online or at a store. If you are in a store than try those chairs out man. Gaming chairs come down to preferences. So yeah, there is no real "Best" and "Worst", it all comes down to preferences.

No way for me to try any of these out. UK has very few retail spaces for stuff like this. IKEA would be the only option, and none of their chairs are worth looking at from what I can gather

[BundleBuzz]

Really? They have no display items? In my country I can try to sit on them for a bit. Let me try and find some chairs for you.

[BundleBuzz]

I mean a gaming chair is meant for gaming. So comfort is one of the purpose of gaming chair

[Lunaak]

7 minutes ago, BundleBuzz said:

I mean a gaming chair is meant for gaming. So comfort is one of the purpose of gaming chair

Well they SAY that, but what really makes them great for gaming over another comfortable chair? Way I see it they're just "gaming" because they look like a seat from an expensive car. Just a looks thing. It's just far easier to find recommendations for/against these well marketed "gaming" chairs over yet another seemingly random office chair that may or may not be far comfier in the long run, you know?

And as for retail, yeah we don't have much in terms of that in the UK. Most Staples stores didn't last long when they tried to open up over here, and a stockist like Overclockers only have 1 actual retail location in the entire country. 

[BundleBuzz]

If you're more a lean back type gamer than go for those boss-like office chair. Super comfortable for leaning back. But if you are a fast paced fps gamer. Go for those racing like chairs. And again personal preferences. If you want to see what makes a gaming chair better than the other, I suggest looking it up on YouTube . 

[geo3]

1 hour ago, Lunaak said:

So after getting baited yet again by a cheap reclining seat on eBay I'm finally ready to think about spending more than £200 on an office/gaming chair. After being uncomfortable in my current chair for months, I finally figured out that it's probably because its max seat height of about 50-51cm is around the minimum height of most other chairs on the market. This means my arms are constantly at a terrible angle when using my keyboard/mouse on a standard IKEA linnmon desk, and the high (unadjustable) armrests can never really reach desk height. 

So I've spent my Sunday looking at new chairs. I don't have the cash to drop on a Hermann Miller of any kind. These "gaming" chairs are actually starting to look like a solid investment, but I need your suggestions to guide me in the right direction. I like high backs and welcome a place to rest my head, and armrests seem like a great idea. But I'm not sold on the look of these gaming chairs at all. Luckily, I found most of those beneficial features on this rather generic Ergonomic Mesh Executive Chair by Home and Haus on Wayfair for half off its apparent £300 price tag.

 

 

 

Now, I can knock another £15 off that with a discount code, but now I really need to figure out whether something like this mesh office chair is worth buying over a brand of gaming chair plenty others in similar situations have probably opted for over the years. Do I get this ergonomic option or go with something like the Noblechairs Epic for almost double the price?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
 

I would say wait and save up for a Herman Miller Aeron. This one is £575.81. Not only are they the most comfortable, but they are also very very durable. They have a 10 year warranty, but they tend to last even longer than that. The one I'm sitting on now is 18 years old and still in near perfect working condition and will likely last quite a bit more. Most other chairs in my experience only last 3 or 4 years before becoming unusable. So while the HM is a big up front investment, due to it's longevity, it's cheaper in the long term. 

[Lunaak]

13 minutes ago, geo3 said:

I would say wait and save up for a Herman Miller Aeron. This one is £575.81. Not only are they the most comfortable, but they are also very very durable. They have a 10 year warranty, but they tend to last even longer than that. The one I'm sitting on now is 18 years old and still in near perfect working condition and will likely last quite a bit more. Most other chairs in my experience only last 3 or 4 years before becoming unusable. So while the HM is a big up front investment, due to it's longevity, it's cheaper in the long term. 

That seems to be the going recommendation. I don't know how I'd feel spending that much on a chair no matter when I manage to do it, but could you direct me to some pointers about the different sizes of that chair? I'm seeing a few used/refurbished around the web, but they're mentioning A or B sizes. Given that 18 year life you're talking about, I imagine even a used one at half price is a good deal. Sooner the better when it comes to fixing the posture issues I'm getting from my current chair, right?

[geo3]

2 minutes ago, Lunaak said:

That seems to be the going recommendation. I don't know how I'd feel spending that much on a chair no matter when I manage to do it, but could you direct me to some pointers about the different sizes of that chair? I'm seeing a few used/refurbished around the web, but they're mentioning A or B sizes. Given that 18 year life you're talking about, I imagine even a used one at half price is a good deal. Sooner the better when it comes to fixing the posture issues I'm getting from my current chair, right?

Here is a size chart: https://store.hermanmiller.com/office/office-chairs/aeron-chair/2195348.html?lang=en_US&#product-specification

[Lunaak]

1 hour ago, geo3 said:

Here is a size chart: https://store.hermanmiller.com/office/office-chairs/aeron-chair/2195348.html?lang=en_US&#product-specification

Thanks for this. Looks like I'll be waiting a little while longer until I can get this doozy. Can hardly fault what appears to be god's gift to asses everywhere. If the aeron doesn't satisfy me, clearly nothing else will.

[kingfurykiller]

I'm pretty sure I used a chair like that (or very similar) at my last job; I found it very comfortable for head, lower back, and arm support. The adjustability of the chair made it work for all the people in our office (of various sizes and seating preferences).

 

I recommend looking for adjustable height, a firm back, and adjustable arms. Also, make sure the back locks. We have these terrible chairs at my current job that don't lock when you lean back.

[Froody129]

Avoid cheap chairs and gaming chairs. They're just not worth it. Buy a proper one you can use for a decade or 2 or 3, and that won't destroy your back. 

[SocomSuade]

Following and I also say wait it out. That is what I will be doing.

 

I spent over $100 on some BS vibrating/heated chair and it is complete trash. I sit all day at work and they have Steelcase here but they are very very expensive as well but I can sit for 8+ hours comfortably and at home I can literally feel my spine molding in horrible ways in my chair. I guess you get what you pay for and this is something that is impotant IMO for comfort and health.

[Lunaak]

Just going to update this. I found a local office clearance dealer who gladly brought both the Aeron and Humanscale Freedom Headrest for me to try out. Was originally quoted £300 for the leather Humanscale, but he brought a black fabric one and dropped to £250. Pretty happy with it so far.

 

Can't quite find a position that doesn't hurt my ass after a few hours yet, but it's certainly helping my spine/posture. 

 

Thanks for all the help!