RE the office chair ?

exactly which chair's have you tried? A good office chair will run you 500-1000 (and up). Even those utilitarin looking Steelcase Criterion chairs (which i think is the most popular "ergo" chair) is in the 5-600 range.

When i bought my chair I tried the Herman Miller ones (aeron and mirra) the HumanScale as well as the many similiar ones from second tier companies. All of them were much more comfortable then my $100 special from Staples. In the end i bought a Steelcase Leap because i liked the design (modern, but not as modern as the aeron) and the comfort.

As a reference I sit in my chair all day (with the sug. breaks) when working from home. In the office I have the Steelcase Criterion--which is not a bad chair, but it does not have as many adjustments as the Leap, which has about everyone you can imagine.

Buying a desk/office chair is like buying a mattress, many of us spend as much time in it as a mattress so take the effort to find one that works for you!

And RE regretting purchases of 'classic' furniture: well I regret the purchase of my Arco Lamp everytime I have to move the 150lb base or adjust the reach!

Posted by minh at 12/23/05 11:29 AM

I use a steelcase leap chair, i've used the aeron's before and the best compliment i can give is that i've sat in one for 12 hours and didn't even realize it. they are comfortable, but i like the leap better.

they are both very good, i also suggest HumanScale, you can get them a little cheaper then the steel case or miller variety chairs and they're also nice.

if you have a healthyback store nearby stop in, otherwise search the vendor websites for places with these chairs. I'm always surprised by the number of small office supply companies that sell them!

I've had an aeron for years and they're not all that and a bag of chips. I prefer the HumanScale Freedom chair or the SteelCase Leap.

http://www.humanscale.com/products/freedom_index.cfm http://www.steelcase.com/na/leap_products.aspx?f=11852

I tried the Aeron first. It just didn't feel right for me. Probably due
to the fact that it was a Size A and I'd need a Size C as I'm over 6'2"
tall. The Size C has a seat that is deeper (front to back).

From what I've been reading it was the Mirra I was really interested in
so I tried it next. Wow. It was very comfortable. The back moulds
itself and supports your whole back including the shoulders. It feels
like it's purposely changing shape to provide full continuous support.
The Mirra also reclines and has tensions adjusters and tilt limiters.
It doesn't have a headrest but the back is tall so that's not a problem
for me. The armrests are adjustable and very comfortable. To be honest
I was sold on the Mirra very quickly.

I also tried a Humanscale chair that was a similar shape and size to
the Mirra. It didn't support my back as well as the Mirra and didn't
look as good either (which is a consideration).

So I've provisionally ordered a Mirra. I've to email them later tonight
to tell them what colour I want. Will get it in about 4 weeks.

Thanks to everyone for the input, both this time and the last time I
raised this topic. I'll post a real review and pics when I get it.
Details on the web (including Flash infomercials etc.) at:

Aeron puts your full weight on the two inflection points of the mesh
and is difficult to sit in for long periods of time...not to mention
all those knobs and levers that make adjusting it a science.

The Freedom chair is a breeze to adjust and very, very comfortable for
long periods of time.  Make sure you get the advanced arm rests with
gel and the headrest is a worthwhile investment too.

Go for the Freedom chair...you won't be sorry.

I used to really like the Aeron, but after working at an office where I sat on one for long periods of time, I realized it has a major flaw: the hard lip at the end of the seat cuts off the circulation to your legs.

When I decided it was time to pick up a new chair for my home office, I was initially lurked by the Aeron’s smart looks, but the idea of sitting in a chair that would put my legs to sleep after 5-6 hours wasn’t that attractive. After much research, I ended up getting a Steelcase Leap chair and I couldn’t be happier.

Unfortunately, they’re harder to find on eBay, but the price is worth it. We spend just as much time sitting down as we do using our computers, so it makes sense to not cut corners.

I just love my chair Humanscale Freedom chair, but it costs more than you want to spend. A good chair is one of those personal choices that requires actually putting your butt down in one. I’ve tried the Aeron and a lot of others, but the Freedom chair was the best one for me. I love how it self-adjusts as I move my weight around. Lean back a bit, and it stays put until you shift to an new position. And the headrest is great, too. As you lean back, it comes forward and cradles your head.

Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools blog has a couple entries on inexpensive task chairs as well…

http://www.humanscale.com/products/freedom_index.cfm
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000917.php

I’m in the market for an ergonomic chair, but I’m having trouble deciding what to get. I used to work in an Aeron chair, which was pretty nice, but I found myself getting jabbed by the seat’s framework a lot if I sat in totally unconventional ways.

I spent a few minutes sitting in both the Humanscale Freedom Chair as well as the Herman Miller Mirra. The freedom chair felt pretty good, though the headrest seemed a bit agressive when leaning back. The Mirra didn’t have enough forward lean for me, but felt better than the Aeron.

I just found out about the Microsphere MT which totally shakes things up for me. The idea of wrapping my displays around the chair is a different concept, one that I’m fully open to.

Basically, I need to be able to sit at a computer and write code, communicate by phone or video conferencing, and maintain my general consumption of online news and the blogosphere without feeling achy. I’m leaning towards the Freedom Chair, but wanted to broaden my options. Any ideas?

I used the aeron in my old job, and I personally did not like it, the mesh feels nice from the moment you sit it, but for long rides just does not have the support, besides the frame under my legs would mess up my circulation.

For comparison I've tried the Aeron, Leap, and Freedom chairs and found the Leap by Steelcase to be the best in terms of ergonomics, range of options and finishes. It does list higher than Aeron, but if you talk to your Steelcase rep they'll probably cut you a deal--if nothing else to keep you away from Aeron.

also, if you come into a windfall opt for the Coach leather version or the Leap lounge and work ottoman.

I bough a leap from a used office furniture reseller and since then i'm a happy seater. I could not tell you what I like about it because the whole experience is invisible. I just sit there and it feels right. Not first impression of softness like the aeron (and like a fluffy cheap mattress) but in the long run it just works. I say if you have a chance to trya chair for a few days do so, is areasonable request to any serious merchant.

Workspace Roundup: Ergonomic Chairs

December 28 Blake Robinson

    

As techies, there are few components that affect us more so than our chairs. Sitting in a chair for countless hours every day has a notable impact on our bodies. A crappy chair can cause immediate duress and also lead to prolonged pain. A quality chair, however, can do a lot of good for you.

Proper lumbar support, being reasonably adjustable, sufficient padding, all these components play a role in pressure your body absorbs while sitting. Acquiring a proper seat should be a nobrainer, but it seems to be a value many people neglect.

In this piece, we’ve taken a look at some of the dominant players in the ergo chair market. There are few better options out there, and thusly few more expensive. But we believe that if these chairs are out of your price range, the present features can serve as a guideline for your purchase of a personally realistic alternative.

Steelcase Leap
Price: $900 shown—$800 base

Topping out our list is the Leap from Steelcase. Widely touted as the Aeron killer, the Leap features everything one could possibly ask for in an ergo chair. Featuring ten adjustable points, it’s easy to situate this chair precisely to personal demands.

Those controls allow you to manipulate seat depth and height, lumbar height, lower and upper back firmness, tilt and various options for the arm pads. It comes in leather, but I demoed a cloth version, which appeals to me more than leather.

From a build perspective, it feels like something from the ’50s. It’s heavy-duty and quite heavy—in my excitement to remove it from the boxes, I pulled my back and spent the next several days limping around, sweet irony.

The sheer quantity of ergonomic options on the Leap can be a bit daunting to start. It definitely took me a few days to finally get it situated in an agreeable fashion and then a few more days to tweak it to perfection.

But after sitting in it for about two weeks, I’m curious how I lived life before it. My entire body feels a good deal happier.

Let’s face it, everyone is vastly different, and a chair that works for one person might not work for another. Steelcase covered its bases here. By allowing users to fine-tune all of the chair’s functions, it has essentially created a chair personalized to each sitter.

The downside? Cost. It’s not cheap, but it’s oh so worth it. You might have to sell a kidney to afford one, but your neck and back will thank you (at least after you finish healing from that kidney extraction). - BR

HumanScale Liberty
Price: $885 and up

When word came down from on high that I would be reviewing the ergonomic chair of my choice, I decided to take a slightly different path than my colleagues here at the Gear. Most ergonomic chairs have the tendency to resemble the chairs seen in cockpits of starfighters. They tend to be brash, sci-fi-looking affairs with more knobs than could possibly be needed, and a techno-mechanical style befitting something Giger would dream up. When I found the Liberty Chair, made by the people at HumanScale, I knew I had my iconoclast.

Looking more like something you’d find in an office than most, the Liberty is as simple as ergo chairs get, yet is fully functional and does its job splendidly. While I believe that a chair is a chair is a chair, I now feel that ergonomics might have a place after all. Sitting in the chair feels like any other, save that you get the comforting reclined feeling even when sitting upright. For someone like me, who has the posture of a 90-year-old grandmother, that’s important. The height adjustment knob, which is the only visible of the several adjusters on the fine chair, easily puts me at the right height for my desk. I tried the chair with three desks, and it handled them all nicely.

A nice feature I’d never seen before (but now find is commonplace on ergo chairs) is the sliding seat. The cushion slides forward or backward to better suit your posture, relieving stress on your lower back. The mesh back supports your back if you’re sitting or reclining equally. One feature I noted was that, when looking at my computer screen and reclining, the screen stays at eye level. My head’s elevation changes very little, a nifty trick indeed, and something video editors might look on favorably.

The chair’s controls are relatively simple, I counted only three adjustable settings, but that’s all you need. Of the four people I had try the chair, all were able to make it fit them perfectly with just these controls; the rest adjusts automatically.

The only downside to the chair were the casters. If your office is like mine, there are cables and wires everywhere under your desk, from computers, gadgets, cellphones, video decks, you name it. My current office chair ($39 from Costco) negotiates these hazards like a Humvee in the field. The Liberty, however, got tangled and bogged down, forcing me to physically lift it several times to free it. While cleaning and organizing my office is an option, it’s not likely. Had the chair larger casters, I’d probably be able to scud over the plastic and metal jungle with ease.

In all, if you’re looking for a simple yet fully functional ergonomic chair, the Liberty should be on your list of contenders. And as a standard work chair, it gets the job done. So much so that when the HumanScale field rep shows up to reclaim her Liberty after testing in January, she may have a fight on her hands. - MH

VIA Swopper
Price: $500 and up

The Swopper from Via is the perfect choice for those that want the health benefits of an ergonomic chair without all the maddening back, seat and arm adjustments. And if you’re into training your core muscles, its “sitting in motion” design concept will help you do that, too.

The build of the stool is pretty basic: a cushioned seat on a giant spring. You adjust the tension of the spring by twisting a collar on the stool’s post at the bottom of the coil. This dictates how much movement the chair will have. There’s another pneumatic height adjustment, but that’s it.

So the idea is that once you’ve properly adjusted the Swopper according to your height and weight (the included instruction pamphlet lays it all out) and you sit in the proper position (yeah, it’s detailed in the instructions as well), all of your back and stomach muscles will go into action, helping you balance on the stool while you work.

The Swopper is overall comfortable. However at first, while you’re getting used to sitting on it, it can get uncomfortable if you stay on it for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Simply standing up for a bit cures this though, and after using the Swopper for a while, you won’t need to do it as often.

Its compact size is one of the Swopper’s biggest benefits. Those in cramped cubes or tight working spaces will enjoy not having a big, bulky ergonomic chair. And because you can easily swivel and turn any direction, it’ll work well for anyone that’s constantly reaching for things around their work area or frequently standing and sitting.

If you’re the type that likes to lean back in your chair when you’re on the phone, this is not the chair for you. Also, if you like arm rests, skip the Swopper. But it’s a great stool for training your muscles to do without the multiple stationary comforts of most all ergonomic chairs. - JG

Herman-Miller Mirra Chair
Price: $550 and up

Available in basic and full-featured models, the Mirra Chair is a good blend of modern office looks, ergonomics and price. Yes, there are plenty of similar-looking chairs on the market and at lower prices (the Mirra starts at about $550 for the basic model), but the superior comfort and quality construction are worth the cost, especially if you spend all day sitting.

The basic model is well, basic, with only a pneumatic adjustment for height, standard tilt and fixed armrests. Step up to the full-featured model and you get a tilt-limiter, adjustable arms, a FlexFront seat that lets you add or remove a curve to the front of the seat pan and—probably the best feature—a lumbar support. The lumbar support can be easily moved up and down the back of the chair, so putting it in the perfect position for your back is a snap, and you can adjust the amount of tension on it as well.

The seat is extremely comfortable for extended work sessions considering it has no cushioning. Both the backrest and seat pan are made from taut, breathable mesh allowing for good support and air circulation as well as a more individualized fit as it shapes to each user. All the adjustments are simple to operate and stay locked into place.

One of the nicest parts about the Mirra is you can pick different colors for the backrest, the seat pan and the frame. There are eight colors for the back and seat and two for the frame. Depending on where you buy it, you can also get a number of caster options for different flooring surfaces. True, coughing up nearly $800 for a desk chair is a tough thing to do, but your body will thank you for it. - JG

jagelado: yo tengo una please azul de Steelcase, sin el reposacabezas (no sirve para nada, juradito) y me salió unos 590 euros, con super-descuento ya que el distribuidor oficial para Canarias es buen cliente nuestro.

Peeeero, la please no es la que yo uso. Yo tengo una Steelcase LEAP, que es el equivalente americano a la please. Es más grande y es muy similar en diseño a la Aeron de Hermann Miller excepto que el respaldo y el asiento no son de rejilla, pero el tejido está fabricado de tal manera que transpira muy bien. En la Wired del mes pasado venía en las 4 mejores sillas Geek. Sale por unos 800 euros con descuentazo, 1000 y pico a precio de calle, pero te aseguro que si eres de los que pasan horas y horas trabajando delante del ordenador, es una inversión MUY rentable.

I’d highly recommend the Steelcase LEAP chair over anything else -
despite the non-response I’ve gotten from the local dealer, this chair
*is* seven years old.

I’ve sat in the Herman Miller stuff, but nothing else was as comfortable
as the LEAP in my opinion. When I end up buying a new chair (since the
local dealer doesn’t even want to give me a price quote on a new one),
I’ll just buy another LEAP directly from the Steelcase web site.

[Aero] Uff... cuesta un pastón, algo así como 900€... la silla es de mi socio (pero poco a poco me estoy adueñando de ella ) la verdad, es que llevo preguntando donde la compro un montón de tiempo y ni pajuelera idea... en un centro comercial de las afueras de Madrid, pero no sabe nada más... Yo también quiero una, y la verdad, una vez que la pruebas (si no preguntarle a elpi ) no quieres otra... todos los estudios gordos de el mundo salen en las fotos con ella!



Cuando sepa algo más de la marca, lo posteo!  

Fernando; no lo dudes.... Ofita.

Sillas caras... muy caras, pero calidad en cuanto a materiales, acabados, y sobre todo... ergonomia y cuidado de tu querida columna vertebral.

Y ya sabes que yo tampoco soy pequeño

Tengo una desde hace 11 años. En aquellos tiempos y gracias a que un amigo mio trabajaba alli.... ya me costo 370€ (con descuento )....

Pero te aseguro que, cuando me siento en otras sillas..... me doy cuenta de lo que tengo

Un saludin

si te quieres gastar mucha pasta pasate por http://www.vitra.com

yo en casa tengo el modelo "meda chair" y es una gozada

http://www.vitra.com/products/office...asp?lang=es_es

si quieres algo muy comodo y ergonomico tb tienes las Stokke que comenta Aitor, en la web no esta uno de los modelos mas vendidos, en el que te sientas y apoyas las rodillas, muy bueno para la espalda http://www.varierfurniture.com/produ...a=ES&p=Thatsit

y ya si quieres diseño y un producto de calidad y de aqui al lado pasate por http://www.akaba.net

Nada... ni stoke, ni ofina ni nada...

http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/...440-p8,00.html

Eso son sillas... Los precios mejor no mirarlos...

Ala, un saludo!!

Fernando, yo he probado esta en casa de un amigo, y agarra la espalda por todos los sitios imaginable. No se ahora mismo el precio, pero te aseguro que me dejó muy buena impresión...

We built a new office for our help desk and had the luxury to test out several of the top office chairs in the world. My personal favorite was the Mirra. It scored well against the Aeron and was a bit more comfortable to my behind and back. The style is good - a clean take on a functional product. It has all of the adjustments and it was a bit less expensive than the Aeron. The funny thing is that I suggested that we test sit the Aeron but the vendor suggested the Mirra for budget reasons (I was pre-sold on the Aeron). After a week with the Aeron and a week with the Mirra, I voted for Mirra - a shock to me and the people around me. Alas, the majority chose the Aeron and I sit in one now (not too unhappily).

The Mirra is a great chair - but try it before you buy.

Needing to replace my old desk chair -- and acknowledging my advancing years -- I decided to find out what was the least expensive chair to offer blissful, sit-all-day comfort. After plopping down on every name ergonomic chair you've ever heard of (Leap, Freedom, etc.), I pronounced the Mirra the clear winner. (The Aeron is remarkably comfortable too, but more expensive.) I bought a loaded Mirra and have been very satisfied, with one little quibble for which I have deducted a star. That is, the two screws holding the chair's back to the base worked themselves loose after a few months of use. I consider this unacceptable in a $700 chair and caution all purchasers not to throw out the hex wrench Herman Miller gives you to tighten the screws. I have now tried applying some Threadlocker Blue liquid to the screws and hope this will solve the problem. I also think Herman Miller shouldn't charge a $150 premium over the basic model for the privilege of adjustable lumbar support.

So, I love my Mirra. I have lower back problems and so this is the only chair in the house, as far as I am concerned. The lumbar support stays perfectly aligned even when you recline - amazing. And good looking too. I could go on and on. Its also a superior choice, in my opinion, to the Aeron chair - the Mirra was designed more recently (and so looks a little nicer) and while it is able to adjust in a variety of ways, it is simple to do all the adjusting (simpler than the Aeron, I tried them both.)

HOWEVER, bear in mind that if the chair does not come with assembly (depending on who you purchase it from) you will also need a torque wrench capable of 220-240 inch/lbs and a 13mm socket to put it together. This is especially frustrating because it is never mentioned, not on Herman Miller's site, not anywhere else. You need it only to attach the chair back to the chair base with two bolts, which we temporarily used a regular wrench for, but after spending around $800 for a chair, we did not want to mess around with assembling it "incorrectly". Now our new torque wrench has a bow and is hanging out with the other Christmas presents. And I am hanging out in my Mirra chair!

I use an Herman-Miller Aeron at work, and I was wanting a high-end chair for the home office. The things that attracted to me to the Mirra were the open weave fabric, since the office gets toasty with all those PCs... and the ability to adjust for the larger figure (upwards and sideways).

I also wanted the Latitude Fabric Cover, which had only recently been introduced to cushion the hard plastic of the original Mirra.

To get the equivalent Aeron, one would need to jump through hoops in terms of sizing the chair and then adding options like adjustable armrests and so on. (The price was significantly more as well).

So, I took the plunge and plunked down the money hoping that the reviews I read were correct in my extensive research.

The box arrived, assembly was very easy and the finish was excellent.

Now, after three months, I notice that it feels MORE comfortable than the Aeron at work. I think there are two improvements.

1. The lumbar support has both position up and down and how far it pushes forward and backward. For me (6'4") I can never get the Aeron correct so that it was high enough on the back but with enough "oomph" to meet my spine.

2. The front of the seat has an adjustment to bend the seat edge down. In an Aeron, I would feel the hard edge of the seat just about 3" behind my knees. Very irritating.

So, all in all, an excellent product. To be even better, making the bottom seat deeper (or movable forward 2") to provide more upper leg support for larger frames and likewise with the back up and down would be the ticket, but these are not things that detract from the excellent qualities of this seat by much - hence 4 stars.

I previously owned an aeron and liked it, but not as much as the steelcase leap that I've got now.

I work at home, so I can easily spend 10 hours a day sitting at my desk. When you amortize the cost of the chair over the hours and hours that you spend in it, it's probably something like $0.10 an hour for a really good chair over it's life. I've had this chair for close to 6 years now (and it's still in great condition)

Your back will thank you for spending a little extra money if you spend anywhere near as much time sitting as I do. Plus, a good chair will last a lot longer than another crappy Ikea chair will. You'll probably go through 3 Ikeas in the same time that a quality chair will last.

I bought the Herman Miller Mirra chair from www.sit4less.com and it's the best chair ever. I like it a lot more than the Aeron because it's a bit cheaper and because it just plain feels better.

I used to have bad neck/back problems (forward head position) and went to the Chriopractor all the time and he TOLD me to get a new chair. I followed his advice and the Mirra supports me beautifully and looks awesome too.

I have a Humanscale Freedom chair at home and it is really the best chair ever. It is so comfortable and it's adjustable. I had an Aeron chair at work, and hands down, the Freedom chair is, to me, the more comfy chair.

I'm a fan of the Steelcase Leap chairs that we have in our office. My rear-end spends about 10 hours in this chair a day and I have no complaints!

I have the HM Aeron chair in my home office - and I do not find it to be as comfortable as the Leap. The arm rests are difficult to adjust and the overall heft of the chair is a pain. I was interested in replacing the Aeron with a Mirra though.

The thing with the Aeron chair is that it has to be the right size for you. If you don't fall within the specs of the chair you're sitting in, be prepared for a world of pain.

Two other chairs to look at are the Steelcase Leap and the Humanscale Freedom*. My wife and I made the decision to go with the Leaps after sitting in chairs from all 3 manufacturers. Definitely get some hands on time and decide what fits for you.

I own Mirra chair which is a sequel to Aeron chair, they're much better than original one:

I found the Aeron to be uncomfortable. I liked the Steelcase Leap (below) better, but it sure ain't worth the 4-digit price either.

The first and hopefully the last time I was in a Microsoft building they had all Mirra's over the place, and sitting on one for the whole day they were very comfortable in fact...

I got a leap (in black) after trying them all out, It supposedly gets in today so I will let you know how it all goes in a few days.

Spent 2 years working at a call center (sit 8 hours straight) sitting in a Steelcase, not comfortable at all.
This new job (federal government) have both Aeron and Human Scale, tried them both and and I like the Aeron much better. Also according to our Ergonomic and Safety adviser the Aeron fits my type of work best, with the forward tilt which is the proper posture for working on computer and the Human Scale is NOT intended for that kind of work.

And anyway the difference here is: both the Steelcase and Aeron seat pan will tilt when you lean back, maintaining the cradle shape (looks like a L from the side) and that keeps you from slumping. The Human Scale seat pan are station which means when you lean back you'll have a tendency to slide off the chair.

I'm lucky that I did tried all three of them and with the advice of experts in the ergonomic field I finally decided to buy my own. So now I have an Aeron at home and I love it.

As some others stated before comfortable is a personal thing so go to a local dealer and try them all, spend time sitting on it in different position and see how you feel about it. And it also have to do with what type of work you'll do while sitting on it.

No offense to urbanmastermind, but my office has both Leap and Aeron chairs. Our designers fight for the Aerons while we leave the Leaps for clients.

Check out eBay for Aerons; I've seen them running between $450-600.

No way, the leap chair is better, mines on it's way-

 

As for desks, depends on what you want to spend. I got mine from http://www.fluidgroup.com and there's also http://www.tellainc.com/ and the smoke setup from http://www.steelcase.com

All high end stuff, but very high end quality and materials.

I've purchased the Leap and extensively tested the Herman Miller.

Look great, but otherwise much of it is just hype. I ended up returning the Leap and spending less on a good chair which isn't so chichi.

The only solution is not to sit so much, Leap or otherwise. Even with the Leap and the Herman Miller sitting a lot will still hurt.

Nonetheless, I'd consider again buying one since they look so damn sweet, and they ARE truly comfortable.

Hey all,
Let me start by saying that I know that ultimately it must come down to how the chairs feel, but I thought I'd ask for some advise from people versed in this type of thing. I've been diagnosed with lumbar scoliosis left, and a lumbosacral angle of 29 degrees with a left sacral base low 14 mm. I also have increased thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis. Now that I'm done with all the medical jargon - I basically have a pronounced lumbo-thoracic curve and a slight spinal twist due to one spinal erector being stronger than the other. I went to the doctor in the first place because I'm an aspiring powerlifter and after deadlifting 400+ pounds I woke up with some thoracic pain. X-rays and CAT scans later, no structural damage of any sort, and a plethora of rehabilitation exercises. Obviously I won't be deadlifting for a while, but my posture is significantly better than it was a month and a half ago when my "injury" occurred.
I need a good chair to use at school to write papers/check e-mail and maybe play some computer games. I've sat in the Freedom Chair, the Herman Miller Celle chair, the Knoll Chadwick chair, the Aeron and the Mirra task chairs. My school-provided chair made my feet fall asleep last year because my circulation was so crummy.
So far, I hated the Chadwick and Aeron, thought the Mirra was OK and liked the Celle and Freedom Chairs. I realized the Celle and Freedom chairs are about as opposite as traditional chairs can get, but was wondering if anyone had specific recommendations for me.
Thanks,
Alex

I am very happy with my Herman Miller Mirra chair - very comfortable and more adjustable than the Aeron. Another great chair is the Life chair by Knoll.
Good Luck and Happy shopping!
Natalie Campaneria PT, CEES
Ergonomics Specialist
Baptist Health South Florida
Miami, FL

You may want to take a look at the Mirra. Herman Miller again, but some key differences to the Aeron. Fold down leading edge of the seat pan and some very good features. I have found some employees have trouble getting past the whole "mesh seat pan" thing, but it did very well in our internal trials. Have not tried it out in a 24 hour setting yet. Certainly worth a look anyway. Several companies have come out with mesh seat pans lately. The Knoll "Life" is out there, but I personally haven't kicked the tires on that one yet and I don't know if it is a 3 shift chair. Concept Seating Inc also has a 24 hour model that has replaceable seat covers (no sure of the rice there). Haven't seen that one either.
Don't be afraid to get some testers in. depending on the quantity of the impending purchse, most chair sales folks will let you try before you buy.

Good luck

Jeff Budau

Aeron is hugely uncomfortable for me after sitting in Mirra for the past year and a half. The plastic "loaf of bread" lumbar support is a joke in the industry.

The revised posturefit system however, greatly improves the support of the chair. HMI still has some of the best rides around though. As stiff as Celle is, the tilt and ride are great.

One word... Leap! I am sitting pretty in my Steelcase Leap chair. The things beats the Aeron chair with a HUGE stick. Check it out at www.steelcase.com

One word for all of you....STEELCASE!!!!. Their chairs Rock! I have sat on a Leap, a Criterion and a Lucy..loved them all! In comparison, I have also sat on the Aeron and Knoll Bulldog. The Aeron dug into my shoulder blades and the lumber support actually caused lower back pain...and forget wearing nylons!! I have never had anything but great experiences and comfort with Steelcase chairs....not to mention their funiture. WOW have you seen this stuff they have called Post and Beam? Viva le Steelcase!!

The Aeron Chair is a POS. The arm rest adjustment is cheaply made, the seat waterfall front edge is made of cheap plastic, like the basket in which the designers of the chair want you to sit. What's better, you ask? The Steelcase Leap Chair. You can slouch if you want, and it is still comfortable. The moving parts are made of metal - made to last. As you lean back in the chair, the seat pan moves forward like its supposed to and the lumbar force is adjustable, too. Try a Leap. The reason it is so difficult to find a used Leap Chair is because no one wants to part with it after they've sat on it for any length of time. It's a damn chair - function should precede form. My artwork is on the wall where it's supposed to be.

This is my new office (read work) chair, the Steelcase Think.

http://www.steelcase.com/na/products.aspx?f=11845

Awesome chair, but just as pricey as the HM's. I actually perfer this to the HMA though, as I used to have one of those too.

My home office chair unforunetly is nothing more than a $100 leather jobby from Walmart. :(

Haha, nice chairs. Having to switch between two completely different environments, one being my summer internship/work environment where I sit in an Aeron chair all day long, and my school environment where I slouch in class, in my dorm, and hunch and crowd for viewing space while playing video games in my dorm room, a good chair can make a day go by in a breeze (along with a nice tech blog to keep up with), and a bad chair can make a long lecture even longer.

One thing that is pretty common sense but underrated is that a lot of these chairs can do your spine and back wonders, but only if you know how to sit in them properly. My design class last year conducted a case study on ergonomic chairs (we had a lot of chairs, including the Herman-Miller Mirra, Aeron, and also a Grahl, which is a 2000 dollar super-ergo chair). We tested the chairs throughout the engineering and comp sci departments, video taping the subjects sitting and using the chairs.

After studying a lot of tape, we found that most of the users really didn’t sit in the chairs properly at all. A lot of ergonometric problems aren’t related to the design of the chair, but rather the use of the chair. Sure you can make a great chair, but why bother if the user doesn’t know how to sit in a chair properly. So rather than buying new chairs in hopes of reducing your chiropracter costs, maybe you should re-visit and re-educate yourself on how you sit down in your seat.

/End engineering design rant.

I don’t understand the complaints about the prices of these chairs.
I am sitting in my 10-year old Herman Miller Aeron chair quite comfortably.
The price was $1100 USD (inc tax) in 1996 and that means it has cost me 5 cents per hour.
For comparison, my computer tends to cost about 100 cents/hour.
The chair is inexpensive and very comfortable.
My business partner (and wife) has a Humanscale Freedom chair ($1300) which replaced her Aeron. She loves and I don’t as I prefer the mesh seat of the Aeron.
I still don’t understand why companies who hire professionals with fully burdened costs of $100K per annum will only buy $79 chairs.

Does anyone know of any task chairs that are especially good for smaller-framed women? (I’m 5′5″, 220 lbs.) I liked the feel of the Aeron chair, but have read enough negative reviews to be wary. I also tried the Freedom chair, but found it difficult to recline in it (perhaps because I’m too light?). The Leap chair is another consideration, but I found it slightly less comfortable than the Aeron…

Try them all out if you can. If you live in a major city, it shouldn't be too hard. I got to try out the Steelcase Leap, the Freedom chair, the Aeron, and the Mirra. I ended up with the Mirra, which felt better to me than an aeron, even though the only difference was really just the back.

I have to say that these big ticket chairs are worth every stinking penny. I decided to buy a new chair because I've been having chronic back and shoulder pain from sitting poorly. I got the new chair, moved my keyboard and mouse close to me (where my arms naturally fall, instead of me needing to extend them onto my desk) and I felt much better after a few days.

I can sit and do web junk for hours and hours straight, more than 12 hours a day and not feel sore at the end of the day.

HUGE fan of Steelcase Leap. I've sat in them and in Aerons, and Leap wins easily for comfort in my book. Have never tried the Humanscale chairs.

Steelcase Leap. It's not particularly pretty, but it's comfortable and very well built. I'm sitting in one now.

Aeron chairs are good if you want to look 1999 trendy and want to overpay for an uncomfortable chair that will wear poorly after five years.

Whatever fits you, but I like the Aeron (and the little brother Mirra) and Leap both. I'd prefer the Leap if I had to choose, since it's more adjustable.

I have an Aeron at home, and a Freedom at work. I'm a big fan of both.

Aerons have that meshy fabric that can be cruel to pants, but is nice from an air circulation standpoint.

The Freedom isn't particularly adjustable, so it's hard to say that it will work for you, if you can't sit in one first. It's kind of an auto-magic either it works or you hate it situation.

I know people who swear by leaps, but I'm not a fan. Nothing personal against them, but they're heavy and a pain in the ass to get adjusted.

Unlike Davidissimo, I have a Mirra and love it. I hate office chairs with fabric upholstery, so this limited my options. And the plastic back doesn't bother me on hot days (air conditioning to the rescue). It's much simpler than the Aeron, less knobs and bells and whistles. It's not quite as fantastic as the Aeron as far as comfort, but I think it's a good value.

I just plunked down some saved up cash on a Mirra chair, the "cheap" alternative to the aeron (it's really only 100-200 cheaper, which isn't much), because when I tested them both, the Mirra felt better (it's also got half the controls of an aeron but still feels better). I didn't like the Freedom or Leap chairs at all (the other popular high-end tech geek chairs).

Yeah, I think the Aeron is kinda overrated. Wasn't nearly as comfortable as the Leap, although the salesguy said that the Aeron sells better.

I love the Leap, but the Mirra and Aeron are great too. The Leap is more adjustable by far. It really doesn't matter in the end - the chair has to suit your needs. I swapped an even more expensive chair for an Aeron because the wide back on the latter is more comfortable for me and the way I sit - according to one of the ergo experts here.

Bottom line, before you buy anything, make sure it's right, and if it is you should be OK buying slightly used (I think 10 years is the average lifespan given 8x5 use).

The best way to sit at your computer is to find a chair that works for you and to take regular breaks. I really do not believe that there are only a handful of solutions.

At home, I have a nice Herman Miller Aeron, bought used at a firesale. Steelcase had not come out with their Leap chair, but that one's pretty nice, too. Five hundred bucks seemed a bit extravagant at the time, but if you calculate the number of hours you spend in the chair and the durability of the item, it makes sense.

My Aeron's over eight years old and in great condition. Is $0.17 a day worth it? Yeah, I think so. If only my car seat was as comfortable...

Everyone talks about the Aeron chair, but the fully loaded Mirra chair is nice too for several hundred less than a fully loaded Aeron. We love ours. We tested both of them in a showroom and I found the Mirra more comfortable.

I was chair shopping a while back. I tried a lot of chairs in several stores. I initially found the Mirra to be more comfortable than the Aeron. I went ahead and purchased one. After using the Mirra for an extendended period of time I found that a bar towards the front of the seat would put too much pressure on the thighs. The mesh fabric that the seat is made from is hard on clothing. On the positive side, the chair is very adjustable and very well built. It comes with a 12 year warranty. Resale value is good.

I use a saddle stool as my main work seat, since it helps put the body in a more proper position than a traditional chair does. I use the Mirra occasionally, but mostly it's just a guest chair. It's not a bad chair. I just don't consider it an all day chair. If anyone near me is looking for one, they can make me an offer on mine. Due to the little use I get from it, I'd probably be better off selling it. It's in excellent condition, fully loaded, all graphite color.

The Aeron is NOT the only way to go. I personally did not find it to be soo incredible.

I went for the Steelcase Leap Chair in Leather..I love it. It's beautiful, comfortable and the options and features on it are great.

I use steelcase leap chair, i've had 2 back surgeriees and its awesome. Think i paid $799. WAY bette than aeron.

Then i keep a $40 offfice depot thingy around with one arm removed off the right side and roll it around to play something.

Also, fo my clients I have these Bungie J-Arm Office Chair that come wiith or without handles (like all chairs you install one, both or none) and are SUPER comfy. I love letting someone else sit at the computer and sit back in those. Bestprice I found was at buychoice.com

http://www.buychoice.com/prodDetail....ice%20Chair,XX

takes a while , you can try them out lots of furniture stores. seriously they rock for the dough.

We had Leap, Think, Aeron, and Freedom for several weeks to compare. Number 1 choice for the majority was Humanscale Freedom, with the gel pads.

Steve

Best advice on this thread.

Seriously, I think one needs to sit in a chair for some time before realizing how well it suits your body. I have a funky back, so this becomes a little more important for myself, but I'd suggest that, if you're making a serious investment in a chair, that you devote some time in the store. Narrow it down to 2-4 chairs and sit in them for at least 10 minutes. I've joked about taking some reading material and spending an afternoon putting chairs to the test. I've bought chairs that seemed good, but after a couple of hours revealed themselves as instruments of torture. If you go to a nice high-end office furniture shop, it's likely they will have demo chairs they're willing to let you try. This is the only way you'll REALLY get faimilar with the chair and would highly recommend finding a place that lets you do this.

I just had a Steelcase Leap chair at my workplace for a demo and this is an amazing chair. Probably the finest chair I've sat in and much better than the nice, but rather overrated, Aeron chair. Granted, I'm much more sensitive to this with my back problems and irregular shaped spine, but the chair pretty much rules. I'lll likely be picking one up. One chair that always fascinated me is the 'Stance' chair. You familiar with the Transformer toy robots/cartoon show? This is the office chair equivalent.

Check it out...

http://www.healthpostures.com/Stance-angle-chair.cfm

I got a chance to try one out once and it is way cool, though decidedly NOT cheap.

Herman Miller - Mirra. Had it for about a year. I couldn't recommend it more. A studio mate has an aeron that he's had for 5+ years...very worn in and comfy...but I dug the Mirra.

I bought a Herman Miller Mirra chair, rather than the more well known Herman Miller Aeron for several reasons:

1) I'm a big guy - 6'4 and over 260 lbs, and I found that even the large sized Aeron goosed me when I sat back in it. Highly unpleasant when I'm trying to think.

2) The Mirra has a flexible back, so when I turn left or right with my body, the chair moves with me, rather than digging into my shoulder.

3) A fully loaded Mirra costs less than a fully loaded Aeron, but it feels better.

I spent a good hour testing both chairs before making a decision. I'm very, very happy with my Mirra, and recommend it to anyone looking for a serious workin' chair.

I sat in a herman miller for about a year and a half. In my opinion the Steelcase Leap is a much better chair:

You might want to consider trying Herman Miller's new Cella chair. It uses a molded plastic "mesh" that's more supportive yet has more "give" than Aeron mesh. It should give you enough ventilation. Some reports say it's as comfortable as an Aeron but at a much lower price, as low as $450.

I couldn't agree more. Had Aerons for over two years at work...then 6 months ago, switched companies and have been sitting in a Leap.

The Leap is much better in my opinion. In particular, I like the seat depth adjustment. The Aerons we had couldn't do that. My back and neck don't hurt any more, and the seat overall is much more supportive than with the Aeron.

I like the Leap so much better than the Aeron I just paid $350 for a used Leap in mint condition on eBay for my home office. I love it, it is SO much better than those janky $199 chairs you get at Office Depot/Office Max/Staples.

I used to go home and dread having to sit at my desk and work...now that I have the Leap chair there, I look forward to doing it.

I've had an Aeron for three years while my wife has used a Mirra for just over a year. We're both very pleased. Mine has developed some squeaks now and then, but a silicon lubricant does the trick. If I were to buy another one, I'd probably go with the Mirra; it has a stiffer ride, it seems to me, a matter of taste though.

I'll cast my vote for the Mirra. I've had it now for a bit over six months.... very nice, very comfortable, and fits me better that the Aeron does. Plus, Aeron chairs are kinda synonymous with dot-bomb excess... I like a chair that doesn't carry any emotional baggage.

I've tried the Aeron and didn't like it. When I had an on-the-job back injury and wanted a new chair, I spoke to a couple of local office furniture stores and they sent over trial models for 3 to 5 days' try out. That made picking the right chair easy, and more than 5 years later I'm still very happy with my Steelcase Leap.

I have own a Aeron in the past, but currently sit in a Mirra. You have chosen wisely. In my opinion they both fit&feel the same.

I had an Aeron in my old office, and have bought a Mirra for my new office. The Aeron is about 40% more expensive than the Mirra. Sure, you can see where the money went: the Aeron has a different grade of materials, fit and finish. But I believe the Mirra is the better chair.

The Mirra is as comfortable and adjustable as the Aeron, but betters it in two respects:

• Mirra’s Triflex back yields as you move around, while the stiff back of the Aeron does not
• Mirra allows you to adjust the depth of the seat. I found the hard lip on the front of the Aeron’s seat cuts into the backs of my knees after an hour or so. I’ve adjusted the ‘waterfall’ on my Mirra and it’s much more comfortable.

I would also recommend the Latitude fabric, which takes the coldness off the plastic surface of the Mirra’s Triflex back (+£75, a thin fabric layer in assorted fruit flavours.) Choose a contrasting back colour and fabric colour to preserve the futuristic look!

Posted by: imaginex at August 3, 2005 03:11 PM

My Aeron just arrived about an hour ago. It’s excellent.

I went to the local Neocon show in Chicago intent to sit in as many as possible so I could see which I preferred. I defintely found the Aeron much more comfortable than the Mirra.

Other options I liked were the Zody chair by Haworth (not available until December though), and the Leap chair by Steelcase.

I suggest you find a local tradeshow or showroom that has all the models you can think of in a central location and then test them all out.

I’ve got an Aeron at work and a Mirra at home. They’re both great chairs. The Mirra has a few more controls than the Aeron: more adjustable arms, seat lip adjustment, and the flexible back is awesome. It also has better locking mechanisms for the arm height. My Aeron’s left arm tends to sink after a few days from leaning on it.

The only minus I have for the Mirra is that the plastic backing is a bit stiff for long periods of time. However, it’s surprisingly comfortable for what you might think a plastic backing would feel like.

My vote: get the Mirra. It gets bonus points for being 100% recyclable.

I tried an aeron for about a month but found it put the back of my thighs to sleep no matter how I adjusted it. Something to do with the curve of the seat of the chair. I returned the chair and looked at a few others. I recommend checking out the Steelcase Think chair. Its cheaper than the Aeron, about 500$ and its quite comfy.

I am in love with my black on black Mirra. If the Aeron could be considered the BMW of chairs, then the Mirra would surely have to be the Acura - in most respects as good as the BMW, in some respects better, and a lot cheaper. I think the reason HM doesn’t give prices is there’s such a variance. Room & Board carries the Mirras for about $150 more than what I paid for mine at a local office supply store. But whatever you end up with, it’s worth it.

I have used the Aeron Chair and found that it isn’t as comfortable as the Mirra. Both need a cover because they are COLD to sit in.

What is revolutionary though is getting a truly ergo chair. There are millions of cheap office chairs out there that are just barely better than standing up.

If you really want the same relief but for a fraction of the price look at earlier high-end ergonomic chairs such as the Herman Miller Ergon. It can be found on Craig’s List or ebay for $100 or less and they are amazingly comfortable over years of computer work. Way back in the 80’s and 90’s they were the $500… and they are still worth it.

13. The chair is a Steelcase Think chair, not a bad chair but certainly inferior to the Steelcase Leap chair -- the Mercedes-Benz of office chairs.

After using the Herman Miller Aeron, Steelcase Leap, Steelcase Think, and numerous other chairs at my jobs I prefer the Leap.

On topic: I hate the fluorescent lights and the desk. The machines are cool, but I prefer more style in these Rig of the Day contests.

I have to ask: Who wants to see what amounts to a home cubicle after spending all day in one?

Our bodies definitely weren't designed to sit for 8 hours. But perhaps more importantly, they weren't designed to sit still for 8 hours (that's just awful for circulation). That's the design philosophy behind Humanscale's Freedom Chair [humanscale.com]. It encourages you to move around and change your position. I've had this chair for a year now, and I'm very sad when I have to sit in anything else.

I tried the Aeron [hermanmiller.com], but didn't really like it. Yes, the mesh was nice in terms of support and ventilation, but it took endless tweaking to adjust, and I never could quite get it to fit me properly. (On second thought, the endless tweaking just might endear it to most /. readers...)

I also tried out the Leap [steelcase.com] (by Steelcase). The flexible back was interesting, but still too hard to adjust.

In contrast, the Freedom is incredibly simple. There are three settings to make it fit your size: seat height, seat depth, and back height. These controls are intuitively placed and easy to reach without looking while seated.

The only other two adjustable bits (back tilt and armrest height) don't have 'controls' per se. They just move with you. Push back a little bit, and the seat back tilts back until you stop pushing. When you stop pushing, it supports you. It's really uncanny. (They did some very clever counterweight thing so that this provides the proper support and control regardless of your weight.) The left and right armrests always adjust to the same height, no thought or effort required. You just pull either armrest (or both) up or down, they both move, and then they stay in position. (They also drop lower than your lap, if you want to get rid of them effectively.)

The ease of adjustability is what makes this chair encourage you to move. You don't have to think at all to change your sitting position. You just move.

I have no affiliation with Humanscale other than being very happy with my chair.

After having sat in "standard" office chairs for several years, I started a new job with the opportunity to get a new chair. After several weeks of looking around and trying many chairs (aeron included) I settled on the Steelcase Leap [steelcase.com]. Now, 10 months later, it's still an incredibly comfortable chair. Newer than the Aeron, a lotta research has gone into it and it shows.

Besides it was designed by IDEO [ideo.com] so it looks really cool as well. Since having it, 5-6 people have sat in it and then gone out and bought their own.

Also check out the Steelcase Leap chair. We demoed those vs. the Herman Miller. Everyone preferred the Steelcase.

I got a SteelCase Leap a few years ago, and I've been really happy with it. It's mega-adjustable and very comfortable. It has some unusual adjustments that aren't on most chairs. For example, you can adjust the seat depth (front to back) and the angle of the front of the seat.

It is more traditional than most of the highly-adjustable ergonomic chairs, so if you are going for a far-out look, this is not the chair for you. But I found it MUCH more comfortable than the much-touted aeron. And it's not THAT traditional - it will still fit-in with modern furniture.

While I spent a pretty penny on the Coach edition (I thought the standard leather was a bit cheesy) you can get these in cloth for around $500. I think there's also a slightly less adjustable model for a bit less.

On a somewhat related subject, I just got a Herman Miller Scooter for my keyboard and mouse. This is an innovative alternative to a keyboard drawer or putting your keyboard/mouse directly on your desktop. It's particularly nice with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

It's a independent stand that sits on the floor. The height and surface angle are adjustable. (Though I haven't found much use for the surface angle adjustment.) You can just push it completely under the desk to get it out of the way. If you are working with somebody else at your desk, you can just push the whole thing over to them witout changing positions.

If you adjust the height just a tad lower than where a keyboard drawer would be (which is the height I prefer, anyway) you can type with it UNDER the desk. That works out great for me, as I am having a plexiglass desk-top made (so I can still see the keys...) and have ordered plexiglass bases. Yea, yea, I know - plexiglass scratches. One reason for no keyboard on the desk. But, guess what? GLASS scratches, too. You can easily polish-out scratches in Plexiglass. Not so with glass.

Anyway, I got a special version of the Scooter sold by Levinger. It's only a bit more, and has a solid cherry top. (Other than Levinger, there are a couple of online stores that sell these in clear Ash or dark-stained Ash. Forget about getting any of the composite or wood versions sold by Herman Miller office supply outlets, as they take a 4-6 week wait. However, I have seen these used on eBay if you really want to go cheap.)

I'm sitting in one right now... field testing it. I recommend both the aeron and the leap chair by steelcase.

If I choose not to take this aeron chair.. it's available for a good deal. It belongs to a friend of mine whose is selling it. I thought I'd field test it to see if it gets rid of my numb shoulder.

My only critisim over it is that it makes my butt cold.

The leap chair (for about the same price new) I had for 2 years. I'm thinking of getting another one. They are awesome chairs, but keep in mind of the price.

I personally believe that it is worth the long term investment.

Regards
TiW

Herman Miller Mirra Chair

In the past four years of working out of my home-based office, I have gone through two low-end office chairs. The chairs cost around $300 (Canadian) and the first chair lost the pressure in the cylinder that makes it go up and down within 2 years. The second chair's fabric surface started to stetch after less than a year and a half, which caused the foam padding to dislodge. I decided it was time to invest some money into a piece of office equipment which I use 9+ hours a day. If you think about it, we will spend a lot of money on the latest and greatest computer, but when it comes to our bodies (and ultimately our health) most people seem to skip that part. I know that when I was building my home office, I didn't want to spend the money on a chair. But in the long run I would have saved myself a lot of money and trouble if I had just gone out and bought the right product in the first place.

Take the Plunge

So I dove right in and purchased a new Mirra chair by Herman Miller. This chair is very much like the award winning Aeron chair by the same maker but with a few new twists. The first benefit over the Aeron chair is the price. The Mirra cost me $900 Canadian with all the options whereas the base Aeron chair started at $1000 plus options. For those of us building a home office, the Aeron may be a bit too expensive.

Having worked at several employers that supplied an Aeron chair, I am well acquainted with the huge benefits of a great chair. I could sit in the Aeron chair for hours at a stretch and not feel any discomfort. After having the Mirra chair now for two weeks, I can say that this chair has the same positive effect. I can sit on it for hours with little or no strain on my back. (Just a side note, the dealer let me try it out for a week before signing the bottom line. I was hooked within hours)

With my old chairs, my back would feel horrible, with shooting pain up and down my back after sitting for couple of hours. With the Mirra chair I quickly forgot about those problems. All ergonomic specialists will tell you that sitting in your chair too long is bad for you, but as a web designer I often need to sit for hours uninterrupted to get into the "groove" to produce good designs. Lots of coffee, long hours sitting at my computer and waiting for inspiration to come. Eliminating my back pain was the first thing the Mirra did. I will be the first to admit, productivity is enhanced when one is comfortable.

This chair also makes it much more comfortable to sit when it's hot because the web or mesh seating surface, called "Aireweave Suspension seat" (similar to what the Aeron chair was famous for) breaths, so you don't get all sweaty. It "conforms to the sitter" as the brochure says and they're not kidding. It also has "Flexfront Seat Depth Adjustment" which means the user can adjust how deep the front to back dimension can be. One size fits all.

Mirra 2.0

Herman Miller first introduced the Mirra with a "Triflexe Back" which in our language looks like plastic, but in fact, it's actually made of a polymer that has exceptional torsion flexibility. The second introduction has the back fully upholstered but with the same Aireweave Suspension seat. Apparently people thought it made the chair look "cheap" with a plastic back. These people should test one before they make such a statement. I think the back is what actually gives this chair its cool looks, superior feel and comfort. Most chairs in the market today have a rigid frame made of steel or wood. Herman Miller chairs are in a field all by themselves on how they flex with your movements. The lumbar support can be height adjusted as well as stiffened if required. The controls to make all the chair adjustments are extremely user-friendly. The design of the Mirra makes everything easier to get at. The Mirra also has the most unique tilt/recline action of any chair I have used. It is also found on the Aeron which I really liked. They call it "Harmonic Tilt" and I can see why.

Final Word

My new Mirra chair is worth every penny. My back and my bank account wished I had bought it long ago. Herman Miller has a 12 year warranty on it, which is exceptional. By my calculations I would need five new low-end chairs during that period. Besides, the chair makes my office look really cool. It's a functional work of art that anyone who does a lot of sitting every day should consider owning.

Steelcase recently sent me a demo unit of their new Think chair, and I'm in heaven. I'd owned the Think's ancestor, the wonderful Leap chair, before -- I had six of them when I lived in San Francisco, and I'd kept two in storage when I went away. I trucked these down to LA with me when I moved back, because I couldn't bear to part with them. The Leaps were the best sitting machines I'd ever tried, incredibly suspension for your entire body. Sitting in a Leap automatically put me into good posture, and even over long periods -- even with a bad back -- the Leap was comfortable.

The Think is the successor to the Leap and it's magnificent. The only thing I didn't like about the Leap was its aesthetic. It was big and heavy -- solid as anything, but also a pain to move from room to room and not the prettiest piece of furniture I'd ever owned.

The Think is like the Leap, but slimmed down and refined. It looks great, like a cross between the ethereal mesh of the cliche Herman Miller Aeron chair and the solidity of the older Steelcase designs. The Think has even fewer controls than the Leap (which had fewer still than the Aeron) -- instead, it is built from isometrically opposed materials that bend, give, and then hold to support you as you move, keeping you upright and balanced no matter how you squirm or fuss. That's key -- I hate being in a chair that makes me sit in exactly the same pose for protracted periods. No matter how good the chair is, it's not good enough that you want to be immobilized in it.

I'm intrigued by Steelcase's information on the production of the chair and the way that it is intended to be gracefully decomposed into recyclable elements at the end of its life. It can be disassembled with ordinary hand tools in five minutes (I put it together with an Allen key in about a minute), and 99 percent of the components are recyclable (and many are made from recycled materials to begin with).

Now that I've got it set up at my desk, I don't think I can part with it -- I suspect that when I move back overseas, a Think chair will accompany me. Link

Choosing an Ergonomic Chair This week I'm on a mission to find the perfect throne (and I don't mean the kind you flush).  I spend over 10 hours a day at a PC and I suffer from lower back problems so I've decided, if it does the trick, it's worthwhile purchasing a top-end money-no-object chair. Here are the results of my findings.

Requirements I have three requirements: Health. The chair should cure my back problems. Function. The chair should allow me to concentrate on my programming.  It must be comfortable and 'unnoticeable'. Bling. If I'm spending a significant amount on a chair, I expect it to look as good as it performs. The Chairs Herman Miller Aeron I am sure this chair needs no introduction.  An icon of the dot-com era, this chair is considered a benchmark in ergonomic seating.  it's most striking unique feature is the semi-transparent mesh which forms the seat and back rest.  I believe David Dimbleby sits on an Aeron on Question Time and my knowledgeable friend says "this is the best chair in the world" so it has to go on my list. Humanscale Freedom This chair was designed by Niels Diffrient, who wrote a book on ergonomic design, so it should be good.  This chair makes it to my  short-list because a) It looks good and b) It has so much hype that I couldn't possibly NOT try it. Steelcase Leap This chair is regarded as a work of engineering as much as a work of ergonomics.  In a review by Wired magazine, the reviewer refers to this chair as obsessive.  Well I need my back for the next 70 years or so, so I really don't mind my chair being obsessive.  Lets give it a try. RH Form Logic 400 The Logic 400 is RH Form's latest top-of-the-range model, a Swedish company specialising in ergonomic seating.  50% of their sales are to Sweden, and there are no reviews or hype about these chairs on the Internet, so it will be interesting to see how this chair stands up (or should that be sits down?) against the badge kings above. The Test I believe you can't test a chair just by sitting in it.  Instead you need to use the chair in your everyday environment.  I have two main uses for an office chair: Intensive computer programming (10 hour sessions). Interviewing and light-desk work (reading, etc.). I plan to use each chair for at least 8 hours in each task, ensuring that I am fully occupied in my task so that my brain 'forgets' about the chair.  I am sure my science teacher (and Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman) would have something to say about this approach, but it's the best I can come up with right now.  I reserve the right to alter the test half way through. First impressions This is all about the very first sit.  It takes into account the first appearance and the first 10 seconds of sitting. Herman Miller Aeron I will probably never forget my first sit in an Aeron.  I physically felt my body relax into the chair - my shoulder, back and stomach muscles all relaxed.  The chair felt solid with all the bits in the right place - It felt GOOD. Humanscale Freedom This one felt like it didn't fit me.  I felt too tall for the chair - the headrest seemed to clash with my shoulder blades.  Apart from that, it felt quite sporty.  The seat and back rest weren't padded and felt hard, but in a nice way.  If I was blindfolded and you told me this was made by Recaro, I would have believed it.  Overall though, the chair felt WRONG. Steelcase Leap When I sat in this chair for the first time it felt like an 'old faithful', like a chair I had sat in for a number of years - quite comforting.  I think this would be down to the padding used.  This chair felt NICE. RH Form Logic 400 This chair is instantly different to the others.  For a start it looks like something out of an Ikea catalogue - all angular and 90's 'modern-art' skinny; not like the current executive trend for big and wide.  This chair is obviously not designed for the American Executive market, which may explain why RH Form have only 50% of sales outside of Sweden.  Secondly, the chair is made of what appears to be normal foam - just like an Ikea chair in fact.  Thirdly, this chair is very upright and firm.  It felt like a chair designed for somebody with a bad back.  It felt like something my chiropractor would have designed - SENSIBLE. Setting up This is all about adjusting the chair for my perfect fit. Herman Miller Aeron Set the seat height Set the tilt tension Set the armrest position Set the amount of lower back support Controls are logical and intuitive.  All very simple really.  It is really easy to get the right amount of tilt-tension - the adjuster is fingertip light and very sensitive. Humanscale Freedom Set the seat height Set the seat depth Set the lumbar position Set the armrest position Set the headrest height This chair's big selling point is the fact you can't adjust the tilt-tension - it automatically sets the right tension based on your body weight.  All the controls are straightforward to use and intuitive. Steelcase Leap Set the seat height Set the seat depth Set the tilt tension Set the lower back firmness Set the armrest position Set the lumbar position Set the amount of curvature under the thigh Again, all straightforward to setup, especially as there is an interactive Flash presentation on the company's website. RH Form Logic 400 Set the seat height Set the seat depth Set the back to seat angle Set the lumbar position Set the tilt tension Set the amount of lower back support Set the armrest position Set neck rest position. This chair was the hardest to 'understand' how to setup, because the tilt tension is dependent on the back-to-seat angle, so when one is adjusted the other needs to be adjusted too.  The other chairs don't have this problem - but only because the other chairs don't have a back to seat angle adjustment.  Also, because the tile-mechanism is so sensitive, the tilt needs to be locked before any other adjustments can be made.  Again, this isn't a criticism and once used to this procedure, it becomes logical and intuitive.  What is a problem is the tilt tension control is on the left side, and is quite stiff to operate and requires a large number of turns to get right.  I would imagine anybody with arthritis may have a problem setting this adjustment. The Interview Test I'm spending two days interviewing candidates for a technical support role, so this is a good test of each chair in a non-computing environment. Herman Miller Aeron This chair worked well.  I could set the tilt adjustment to give me a nice rocking motion, and the arm rests worked well.  Best of all was the posturefit lumbar support - it is impossible to slouch in this chair.  And, I felt like the boss in this chair.  After all, it is probably one of the most famous chairs in history .  Slightly annoying though is a small squeak every time I rocked.  Not so good for such an expensive chair. I got though all the interviews without problem, and would be very happy to use this chair again for this task. Humanscale Freedom I sat in this chair for one interview, stood up, and had to hold my lower back.  This chair had killed my back - in half an hour!  The problem is the complete lack of lower back support.  In the upright position, the lumbar support is in contact with my back, but as I recline (and it is hard not to, as there is no locking mechanism), the lumbar support leaves contact with my lower back meaning I have no support whatsoever.  The only way to fix that is to stand up and shuffle back in the seat so that contact is made again - but by doing that my head is now higher up the seat and I need to readjust the headrest.  Things get worst when I move from the reclined to an upright position - as I do that the friction between my clothes and the seat back causes the seat back to rise up it's ratchets - meaning I need to readjust the back height after every reclination.  I honestly cannot believe how bad this chair is.  I really wanted to like this chair as I liked the look, and the fact it has a decent headrest, but this chair is out.  I just hope my back recovers and I don't need a trip to my chiropractor. Steelcase Leap This chair has a similar problem to the Freedom - when I recline the support I get in the lumbar region is reduced.  After an hour sitting in this chair I couldn't stop fidgeting.  Imagine flying to Australia in British Airways World Traveller (or Club World for that matter) and you'll get the picture.  The problem is the chair doesn't tilt.  As you recline the back, the seat moves backwards and forwards, but doesn't tilt (rather like a Club World seat actually).  This just feels uncomfortable.  But, the biggest issue I had with this chair is that the recline locking-mechanism is on a ratchet which emits loud clicks as you twist it.  Not good in an interview situation. RH Form Logic 400 The tilt and rotate mechanism on this chair is so light it's as if you are floating on air.  Now that's good, except I had to lock the chair because in free-tilt mode I couldn't stop rocking and tilting like a crazy person.  I didn't want the candidates thinking they were being recruited by someone so wired up on caffeine I couldn't sit still.  However, there are four apparent problems with this chair. Although it encourages you to twist and tilt, your back is kept rigidly in position by the very firm back.  I wanted to stretch my back after just 45 minutes in this chair, but had to stand up to do that. Although the neck rest kind-of works in the reclined position, it is in the way in the upright position.  Unlike the Freedom, where the headrest moves out of the way in the upright position, the Logic 400 required constant fiddling with the headrest depending on my seating position. And the headrest mechanism is flimsy and several times I ended up with the headrest in my hands and had to stand up to refit it. The foam padding doesn't work as well as any of the other seats (bar the Leap).  I started to get a numb bum and could feel quite a bit of pressure on my Coccyx area after just an hour. It doesn't feel like a chair fit for a CEO. The neck rest looks silly, and it looks like a task-chair rather than an executive chair. The Computer Test Onto 12 hours of straight VB.Net development now.  This will be each chair's toughest challenge yet. Herman Miller Aeron Unfortunately this chair didn't perform anywhere near as well as it did in the interview test. The armrests cannot be moved backwards, meaning to get close enough to the desk they need to be lowered completely - meaning they are completely useless and may as well not be there. The mesh material is quite hard after a few hours of use - leading to unconscious fidgeting and general discomfort.  It's the sort of discomfort that isn't immediately apparent, not like something digging into you, but it definitely distracted me from my programming.  I have on occasion had a leg go numb, and I feel some parts of my body become unusually warm (like pins-and-needles are not too far away). When the chair is locked, there is a lot of play in the gas-lift mechanism, meaning the chair still rocks from side-to-side a few millimetres.  This is quite annoying, even more so when I think of the price tag. When pondering a problem I like to lean back away from the keyboard and monitor.  This chair does not have a head or neck rest, so it is not that comfortable in the reclined position for long periods of time. In it's favour, it is impossible to slouch in this chair and after 3 months of using this chair I have had no back problems whatsoever. Humanscale Freedom Following the appalling interview test, I didn't have high hopes for this chair, and I wasn't wrong.  I had to give up after ten minutes.  Not only did I have severe lower back ache, but I got an itchy bottom from this chair as well (No I wasn't commando, yes I was wearing Levis...). In it's favour I loved the quick-adjust armrests (maybe because I ride an R6 and the twist-grip mechanism to lower the armrests is like cranking open the throttle).  I appreciate the counter-balanced auto-recline feature as an engineering work of art, but it just doesn't work in real-life. I would say that when I sit in this chair only it it's reclined position, with my feet propped up on the Aeron, this chair is reasonably comfortable. This is actually quite interesting, because Humanscale sell a matching footrest and their website makes a point that many users like to prop their feet up. Unfortunately, in my office a Lay-z-boy would be more practical than requiring a footstool. Steelcase Leap I tried for an hour to adjust this chair, but I couldn't get it to fit my body shape.  It just doesn't work for me.  I suspect the tilt mechanism (designed to keep your eyes level and your arms at the same fore/aft position through all levels of recline) is the culprit, and the lumbar support (a silly plastic strip you need to raise and lower, that doesn't actually seem to have any effect) is no where near as good as the Herman Miller posturefit system.  To bring the chair from the reclined position to the upright position requires quite a lot of effort - it isn't sprung.  The technique is not so much to bring  your back upright, but in addition to slide your bum backwards. For computing work this chair does not tip forward past neutral - which in my opinion makes it unsuitable for I.T. work.  The chair also felt clinical - it has lots of 'engineering' touches like instructions printed under the armrests, but I don't want my chair to feel clinical and engineered, I want it to feel cosseting, and the Steelcase Leap just doesn't achieve that. This chair is too much BMW and not enough Alfa Romeo. Plus the fact it is just damn uncomfortable. RH Form Logic 400 For I.T. use, this chair fits my desk best - probably because it is so skinny and small.  The arm rests can be moved completely out of the way by swivelling each 180 degrees, providing an elbow perch while the weight of my arms is carried on the desk.  The chair is very upright - which is supposed to be a good position for typing (although not the sort of position you would contemplate having a snooze), and the light-as-a-feather rock-tilt motion is fun.  However, for serious amounts of coding I found the motion distracting, and prefer to work with the chair locked. There are five main problems with this chair: I get a numb bum.  I don't think the cushioning disperses my weight too efficiently. In the reclined mode, I get too much pressure on the Coccyx. The rock-solid back rest prevents my back from moving, so I get a stiff back quickly and need to stretch.  To do this I actually need to come away from the chair. When in free-tilt mode, there isn't enough backward recline.  Whereas the Herman Miller reclines a looooong way, becoming progressively stiffer the further back you tilt, the Logic stops with an abrupt bump a lot sooner than you would imagine. This chair is Ugly.  It looks like a cross between a dentist's chair and some modern art type furniture from Ikea, but with a gall-bladder hanging out one side (the air lumber pump). In it's favour, I love the locking mechanism.  Rather than being a ratchet, with a set number of locking positions, it is a friction knob - meaning you can set the tilt exactly where you want it.  It only requires a quarter turn, and is a pleasure to use. It is also silent, unlike the Steelcase Leap, and also the Aeron (which emits a small click). Conclusion Well it's obvious the Humanscale Freedom has to go, purely on the grounds of back health.  No matter what positions I tried, I got severe lower back pain within half an hour.  I had high hopes for this chair based on web articles, so it's an even bigger disappointment that it didn't perform. Also to go is the Steelcase Leap.  It has obviously been designed and engineered with pride but the fore-aft seat movement rather than the proportional tilt of the Aeron and Logic 400 doesn't work for me, plus the lack of forward tilt means it isn't suitable for intensive keyboard work.  I also couldn't get enough lower back support in the reclined position, and after an hour the chair felt uncomfortable. That leaves the RH Form Logic 400 and the Herman Miller Aeron.  Both very different chairs in every aspect.  The Herman Miller is an icon, a status symbol, and despite the price tag is pretty badly put together (it squeaks, an arm rest was floppy, and the gas-lift is rickety).  In contrast the Logic 400 is virtually unmentioned on the Internet, it looks like something out of Ikea and it has a silly neck-rest.  That said, it has a superb tilt mechanism and feels the best put together of all the chairs. I don't think either the Logic 400 or the Aeron are perfect - the Aeron isn't a suited to I.T. work due to the arms, and there is something about it that makes me fidget after a couple of hours, and the Logic 400 is at the other extreme - it holds my back too firmly in place and it has poor cushioning. So which would I buy? Well the truth is I bough an Aeron 3 months ago, but was unhappy with it, hence the reason for testing the other chairs.  From this bunch the only chair to give it a run for it's money is the Logic.  I love the tilt mechanism and build quality (apart from the silly neck rest), but for long periods of sitting I find a genuine Ikea chair (their top of the range Operativ) more comfortable than the Logic 400 as I don't get a numb bum. But the Ikea chair doesn't give anywhere near as much back support as the Logic 400, which is the other extreme and borders on rigour-mortis. My conclusion is none of these chairs is my ideal chair, and therefore I need to keep looking.  But it has been an interesting exercise and I have learnt the following: Don't believe hype, or anybody else's word on what is a good chair. You must try for yourself. A half-hour test in a showroom is not long enough. You need to try the chair in the environment it will be used. I like a chair with a seat that tilts in proportion to the back rest. I don't like chairs where the seat is fixed, or moves backwards and forwards. The ability to position armrests out-of-the-way when working on a computer is essential. With this in mind, I am now going to arrange demos of the new Herman Miller Celle (which has an improved tilt mechanism over the Aeron, and a new cellular structure that may stop my fidgeting) and the RH Form Moveon, which has a hinged back that may reduce back stiffness and allow me to stretch.  Watch this space. Notes Physique is an important consideration when choosing a chair. I am 6 foot and (before I got married) had a 32" waist.

1.  Slate Magazine

Sit Happens Seth Stevenson Dec. 6, 2005

In this entertaining review, Seth Stevenson and seven fellow Slate magazine editors test six office chairs for several weeks. Stevenson asserts that the Aeron chair, though revolutionary at its debut, has overstayed its welcome. While still a good chair, the Aeron doesn't recline that well and is too inflexible -- not adapting well to different sitting styles. The Steelcase Leap is comfortable, but makes an embarrassing "whoopee cushion" sound when you sit too fast. The Steelcase Cachet and Herman Miller Celle are both deemed "unsittable." The Turnstone Let's B is a good choice for those who like a stiff-backed chair. Best overall is the Humanscale Liberty, which is called "the Aeron's logical successor."

2.  The Wall Street Journal >> Details/Subscribe

Sitting Pretty Smartly Troy McMullen Jan. 7, 2005

The Wall Street Journal tests five office chairs, including the Steelcase Leap, the K-Series by Bodybilt, the Humanscale Freedom, the Herman Miller Mirra and the IKEA Verksam. The Steelcase Leap is rated "Best Overall," while the testers say that the Mirra isn't comfortable. The Humanscale Freedom balances weight evenly but has uncomfortable armrests. The Bodybilt's controls are hard to reach, and the IKEA Verksam is of poor quality, writes Troy McMullen.

4.  Kiplinger.com >> Details/Subscribe

Best Seats in the House Sean O’Neil and Elizabeth Kountze Feb. 4, 2004

Chairs are recommended based on their ability to relieve back/spine pressure, meet back contours and accommodate various body types. The Steelcase Leap Chair is said to work for most, providing proper lumber support. Rated in second place is the Herman Miller Aeron chair. A more budget-friendly option is Haworth’s Improv H.E. For good posture and support, the Keihauer Respons 775 is suggested.