A lot of tech people I speak with use gaming chairs because they think they are more comfortable. I'm not coding but am in a chair for 8-10 hours a day. Has anyone found that to be true?

$500 is probably my limit, so a lot of ergonomic office chairs are probably out of my range. I've found some gaming chairs with nice reviews for under $250. It would be nice to be able to go to a brick and mortar and sit in a bunch of chairs, but those days are gone.

In August 2019 my cherished faux leather office chair finally needed to be replaced. I bought an inexpensive gaming chair. Almost two years later and I have absolutely no regrets. And I spend a LOT of time in it.

It's no longer available, was in that <$250 grouping you refer to, but here was my review:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite pleased! UPDATED: Exemplary Customer Service!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
I must admit to being a little hesitant to order a chair online but the reviews here (validated with review "checkers") convinced me to go for it.

My old chair that I bought locally after sitting in one was over 12 years old on on a second hydraulic cylinder. It had developed and intermittent incremental lowering and with worn mounting plate bolt holes a wobble and cant. Despite the faux leather still in decent shape it was time for a new chair. Not many of my old chair styles to be had anymore. The "racing style" is more prevalent. With my sons advocating such for comfort I decide to go for one. This model appealed to this old retiree as it didn't have headrest cut outs or gaudy racing stripes. It also cited a weight rating of 370 pounds which I viewed as indicative of a quality hydraulic cylinder.

My son assembled it for me and found the process quick and simple with no issues. The controls are firm and very positive . Only nit for me personally is that my old chair allowed rocking some 40 to 60 degrees or so while this one is limited to 20. Again not a manufacturers problem, just me and my likes.

Comfort and adjustments thus far has exceeded my expectations. Obviously long term durability will evidence itself in the future. But for this initial review a big thumbsup.

Addendum:
Granted it's still early but a few more observations:

Using the chair set at 105° (rather than 90° straight upright) without either lumbar pillow is very comfortable while using the computer as the lower back has some mild lumbar padding which is effective.
I find the small massage USB powered lumbar pillow is great when leaning back, rocking the 20° permitted, and relaxing while listening to music on my headphones or watching a video on the computer monitor. And for a real treat or back pain relief, the larger matching upholstered cushion in 120° or 150° "recliner mode" is da bomb!

UPDATE: One armrest developed an issue so I reached out to the seller via Amazon's messaging system. After a brief exchange and pictures I was told a replacement assembly would be sent to me. What I didn't expect but am extremely grateful for is the item having been FedEx'ed Express from Jiashan, China. The problem is solved and the seller demonstrated that in addition to a quality product, their customer service is exemplary. Huge :thumbsup:

Old:


New:

Thanks for the reply bald1. With all you are going through you're such a great guy to spend time trying to help me. Praying for you.

And that looks like a very comfortable chair. It figures they aren't making it anymore...

Your best bet is to go to Office Max or Staples or some such and try them out. There's no substitute for actually sitting in one.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
Thanks for the reply bald1. With all you are going through you're such a great guy to spend time trying to help me. Praying for you.

Thank you. It is very much appreciated.
I hit overload today with my frustrations and barked at some who were totally undeserving. Figured I need to push away from everything and get distracted.
No better place than here and if I can help my sigforum family in any way... well that's who we all are!

I'm typing this from my $1000 Herman Miller Aeron chair that I absolutely hate. I wish I'd bought a much less expensive gaming chair. It would probably be much more comfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
[
Thank you. I hit overload today with my frustrations and barked at some who were totally undeserving. Figured I need to push away from everything and get distracted.
No better place than here and if I can help my sigforum family in any way... well that's who we all are!

This forum is full of really great people. It's a special place.

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Your best bet is to go to Office Max or Staples or some such and try them out. There's no substitute for actually sitting in one.

Totally agree. Sadly, they don't have the selection they used to.

I agree on the gaming chair. Your best bet is one that doesn't look too out of place on a video call. I ordered the HermanMiller "Embody" last year when there was a promotional offer. I believe it is above the amount you want to spend, but it will give you a good idea re: features to look for and a form factor that appears "office" enough.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:


And that looks like a very comfortable chair. It figures they aren't making it anymore...

That style is out there but a quick search found them all with the wild colors, racing stripes, and holes cut out in the headrests. That said I'm sure a more thorough search may find a conservative one like mine. Some have extending footrests too. That was available for me when I bought but opted not to have that feature. In a reclining mode that probably is good to have. I just don't recline much anymore after having played with the reclining setting my first month or two of ownership. LOL

The Secretlab Titan is a most impressive Chair!

https://secretlab.co/collections/titan-series

Lots of styling options, came VERY Well packaged....VERY Well Made!

Secretlab has a few different model chairs. The Titan sits right in he middle size wise. Enough room to move around a little so you won't feel like your shoehorned into in a race car seat. The seat is firm and supportive, but not overly firm. It also comes with a memory foam neck pillow. Secretlab provides a 5-year 'Extended' Warranty and based on the quality of the construction, I expect it will last a long time.

I bought one for my son for his new Gaming 'Setup' back in January, and now I kinda' want one for my office as well.

Check out the features of the entire line of Secretlab Gaming Chairs here --> https://secretlab.co/pages/2020

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
The Secretlab Titan is a most impressive Chair!

https://secretlab.co/collections/titan-series

Lots of styling options, came VERY Well packaged....VERY Well Made!

Secretlab has a few different model chairs. The Titan sits right in he middle size wise. Enough room to move around a little so you won't feel like your shoehorned into in a race car seat. The seat is firm and supportive, but not overly firm. It also comes with a memory foam neck pillow. Secretlab provides a 5-year 'Extended' Warranty and based on the quality of the construction, I expect it will last a long time.

I bought one for my son for his new Gaming 'Setup' back in January, and now I kinda' want one for my office as well.

Check out the features of the entire line of Secretlab Gaming Chairs here --> https://secretlab.co/pages/2020

These are great chairs

I replaced a mid priced office chair from Staples. Fell apart after a few years. The Secret Lab has been holding up great!! Highly recommended

SecretLab sounds like a winner. The additional cost over the majority of mass marketed gaming chairs looks to buy sound quality and durability.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
I'm typing this from my $1000 Herman Miller Aeron chair that I absolutely hate. I wish I'd bought a much less expensive gaming chair. It would probably be much more comfortable.

I HATE those chairs. They are neither comfortable, nor "ergonomic".

I like office chairs. One thing I don't like about some gaming and office chairs are the arm rests. I like a full sized arm rest that go all the way back like the first picture, and one that does not have large openings where my headphone wires get snagged and yanked off my head.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
I'm typing this from my $1000 Herman Miller Aeron chair that I absolutely hate. I wish I'd bought a much less expensive gaming chair. It would probably be much more comfortable.

A year and 1/2 ago the company was sending us all home indefinitely. Me and a coworker who lived nearby drove into SF On a Saturday to load up. We were pushing our aeron chairs up market st to the parking garage with all our office belongings on them looked like the resident bums. Been using is since. Even brought it with me to Florida. When it craps out I’ll deal with a replacement then.

OP,

Why are those days gone?

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by rbert0005:
OP,

Why are those days gone?

Bob

Not gone completely, but even 8 years ago I could go to Staples and find a large selection to try. Now, their selection is limited and most aren't what I'm looking for.

We purchased the Emerge Vortex from our local Staples about a year ago and are satisfied with it.

A nice feature is that the armrests can be folded up which allows you to pull the chair close in to the desk without them getting in the way.

Aeron. No better chair for office work.

I've been using mine since 2008. Once you understand the adjustments and what your back/arms legs want, it's splendid. Takes some time to tweak. Some people don't like them and the aesthetics take some getting used to but they have tons of adjustments, have a comfortable non-sweaty mesh support structure, and durability up the wazoo.

Unless you contemplate giving up office work or gaming, you should factor in warranty/durability. New Aerons come with 12 years no questions asked warranty. So, you can get some other chairs and maybe it'll last for a while. Replacing a $500 chair two-three times over those 12 years may make the comparison more even than you'd think, because you will have a great Aeron 12 years from now.

Buy once, cry once.

Another route is used. They last forever (and the dealers have spare parts to keep them going) so if the warranty thing isn't crucial for you, check out used office furniture dealers.

If I spent 8-10 hours of each day in a chair, I wouldn't put a $500 limit on it's cost.
When your back starts hurting, how much will you be paying for the doctor visits and follow up treatments?
This sounds like putting cheap tires on an expensive car.

Stay away from the Office Depot type places and get a quality chair. I'm a tightwad so I bought a lightly used $1000 Areon and you can find them for close to your price on the resale market.