How do things sit with you?

[kinzel]

And so...

that's a real question.... how do things sit with you? And how do you sit with your computer...

I saw Tigerdirect selling some chairs, and then the Healthy Back place sent me an email with their echair (I'm on their list on account of having had back problems in the past that kept me from work for ten days at a span)and... frankly, I can't really afford a new chair but I can't afford not to have a new chair. Not sure I'm up for an Aeron, but it's obvious that the $69 Staples wonders are not up to me for very long...

So, talk to me about what kind of chairs have worked for you and which haven't. The one I'm in has done good work, and I think it cost $199.00 about three years ago. Understand that some days I easily spend 12 hours in the thing... no wonder the fabric is worn through in two spots, and the padded arms are covered with the force that holds Maine together -- duct tape in matching colors!

If need be I'll put this on the company credit card... so I may need you guys to all tell your friends to go buy SRM chapbooks so I can continue to sit here and get the chapbooks and LUC #2 together!

So talk to me about chairs, sources, strategies.... this'll need to be done fairly soon.

Comments

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what my chair cost, because it came as a job lot from an office refurbishment (the replacements were *awful* and very unergonomic) - it clearly had been an expensive chair in its time, but not yet worn.

My back has been thanking me every day for it, and the next time around, I would scrape together my last pennies to afford another height adjustable (I'm tall, most chairs are too low for me, which hurts my knees) with-armrests, supporting-my-lumbar-back chair.

And look at your table while you're at it, because while my own desk is high (see above re: being tall) most desks, particularly those pesky computer desks with the even-lower-places for the keyboard make me hunch over and grumpy in no time at all.

Tall desks for tall people, I say!

[oberon.livejournal.com]

I've been here 12 years now, and when I moved to the floor I manage now, we were accidentally supplied some 'more than usually expensive' chairs. Sat in one for a week, was completely spoiled, so when I hit my ten year mark I told my CEO he owed me one.

Leap, by Steelcase. Mine's black, some of the colors on the webpage are hideous.

Adjustable height, overall tilt angle, tilt stiffness, angle of the front edge of the seat for people with shorter legs or sore thighs, lumbar support stiffness, lumbar support location, and when you lean back the seat bottom slides forward horizontally, so you're not constantly adjusting your positioning to stop your pants from riding up when you lean. Amount of tilt / slide is ajustable.

http://www.steelcase.com/na/products.aspx?f=11852

[ferragus.livejournal.com]

I've had an Aeron chair for about 6 years now and couldn't work from home without it. (work from home days are usually 12-16 hours)

Before that I used to get $200 Staples Highback Executive chairs and toss them out every 18-24 months (I'm a very big guy and basically wore them out).

I got my Aeron at a floor sample sale from a local Healthy Back Store outlet and paid a lot less then retail for it. You might want to check out eBay there's lots of good chairs there.

[oberon.livejournal.com]

'executive' chairs in general tend to be terrible for ergonomics and general comfort. They 'look' comfortable and cushy and important, which I guess is the point, but suffer drastically in functionality. What you want for actual work is a 'workstation' chair.

Strategy

[(Anonymous)]

I went to Office Max when in need of a chair. They had maybe 50 sample chairs out there. I would sit in them, and if an immediate sit was ok, I started twisting and worming around like I do in my office chair. Finally, I started the ritual in one chair and pop-pop-pop -- suddenly my back didn't hurt anywhere! I wanted to9 marry the chair, but I settled on buying it.

Re: Strategy

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

By the way, the chair was $79.00, and worth double the amount.

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

I had an Aeron chair at my last office and hated it. It's a great chair if most of what you're going is leaning back and talking on the phone or whatever. But if you're usually typing, which as a programmer I was, it was miserable, because the back couldn't be set far enough forward and stiff enough to provide any support while typing. The other programmer also hated the chair, but marketing loved them. YMMV.

it is a tool

[(Anonymous)]

A good chair is a necessary business expense like office space, desk, computer, filing space...
Can you afford to be unable to work because you are in too much pain. Can you afford to try to make good business decisions if you drugged either by pain or analgesics?

- Ellen

[oberon.livejournal.com]

Other people I know have tried various things like sitting on an exercise ball, or the inclined backless stool that are purported to be better for your back / thighs. Works for them, but not having tried it myself, I can't say how well it works.

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

I've got a very bad back. I'm an animator so am sitting in front of computer a good portion of every day. Have very good chair, Aeron. I find it infinitely adjustable. It is currently very upright and fairly stiff because that is what I need. First fell in love with them in my office and a couple of years ago got one off eBay for a lot less than retail. Without a Aeron I can sit in any chair for less than 30 minutes.

The ultimate but no one can afford it chair is: http://www.anthro.com/cpage.aspx?pid=220 testdrove it at SIGGRAPH this year in Boston. Incredibly confortable but way to expensive.

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

My company spent Big Buck$ on an ergonomic chair for me at work. If I sit in it for more than twenty minutes, I'm half crippled when I get up. I hate it, but they insist it's good for me.

At home (as now), I slouch in a big leather club chair, my feet propped up on the matching big leather ottoman, and place my laptop on my lap where God intended. The only thing I have to worry about is hyperflexing my left knee.

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

I can't afford the laptop, the ottoman, and the chair, and I'm not real good with typing on my lap, anyhow -- it screws up my hands and makes my awkward typing even more evident... and my computer glasses ... are set to pretty much to my desk setup, which wouldn't be the case on my lap.

That's one option I guess I won't pursue.

[kinzel.livejournal.com]

I guess, this being written the day after, I should thank everyone for comments. One thing I see is that I may need to get in the car and drive somewhere else so I can test out some of these chairs...
or maybe I can order in a duplicate of what I have (which has basically worked, after all) and hope it hangs on until we sell that script to the movies

[victorthecook.livejournal.com]

Leaping in a bit late: I have a 'Freedom' chair at home, purchased at about half the new cost from a used office furniture dealer in Nashua, NH. I like it about as well as the 'Aeron' I have at work, but I find myself sitting differently in each chair.

The Aeron pretty much enforces feet-on-the-floor sitting, but it's adjustable to fit a lot of people and a lot of needs.

The Freedom chair has fewer adjustments, still works well for me, and costs considerably less. My recommendation is to go to a used-office-furniture dealer and sit in a number of high-quality used chairs to find what you like. If you're ever heading as far south as Nashua, I can dig up the address of the people I went to.