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Say what you will about the ergonomics being competitive with some other brand now, but the mesh in the aeron is what sells it for me. Breathability baby, breathability.

My former employer had a conference room it used as an Aeron chair graveyard. Yes, the mesh means comfort, but the model bought by the firm was prone to breakage, especially the arm rest height mechanism.

I vote for the Herman Miller Mirra! I've had both the Aeron and now the Mirra and I have to say that I love the Mirra the most. I adore the mesh on both chairs but for me the Mirra conforms to my tushy and back oh so perfectly!

what does anyone think of kneeling chairs?

amazon link

WEll since I sit in an Aeron 10hrs a day and dont really notice anything about it I guess it deserves my vote. I figure 50 a week is long enough to notice bad things!

coreym, have you ever tried a kneeling chair? I've spent a little desk-time at one, but nothing like a full work-day. All told, I like them, but they would probably work best in a casual work environment [i.e. would definitely mess up a nicely creased trouser!]

coreym,

I've had a couple different kneeling chairs and for me they were fine for short periods of time and only as an alternate to my regular chair. My problem was that my knees and legs would get uncomfortable and my back got tired. Up until recently the theory was that a very straight, upright posture was the best for your back (and the kneeling chairs are supposed to promote that) but now they're saying that a slight slump is actually best. Not a huge slump mind you, but one where your pelvis and back are at a more relaxed 135 degree angle as opposed to a 90 degree angle. I'm sitting in a very slight slump right now in my Mirra and I'm very comfy! ;-)

My vote is for the leap, even though I also happen to own an Aeron.

The arm adjustment mechanism on the Leap is smooth, whereas my Aeron requires that you reach behind to adjust the height. Also, and this is just me being picky, the Aeron arms click into place rather than a having it be a fluid motion. The mesh IS pretty to look at, but the plastic frame creates certain ergonomic issues (hitting pressure points at the back of the legs).

The Knoll Life chair is much more comfortable than the Aeron. It adjusts in a myriad of ways and it's also cradle-to-cradle certified.

After months of fretting (we both work from home and were looking for a back-friendly option that would not cost more than a month's rent), my husband and I just bought the Caper Multipurpose chair from DWR: http://dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=1364. It's very comfortable, solidly built, and available at a much lower price than the Aeron, for example.

At my current office we all have 'freedoms' and it's ok - better than the 'leep' which i had at my old office. However - i LOVE the aeron chair -thats what the bosses had at my old office.

Greetings, AT,

I’m in need of a new desk chair, but because my desk is in a corner of my living room, I’d rather not go with an Aeron or something similarly too “officey” looking. I’ve been craving an Eames Aluminum Side Chair, rather than the Management model, because it does not have arms, which works better with the desk. It is my grandfather’s old oak roll-top, with oft-used pull-out boards on either side, so a chair with arms doesn't fit.

The problem? Everywhere I’ve looked shows the Side Chair without casters, a real necessity. Does anyone know if it’s possible to order/customize/hack the Side Chair with casters or do Herman Miller copyrights forbid such a thing?

www.yogaback.com offers a chair which is not the most aesthetically pleasing, but is designed by a physical therapist.........I bought the "yoga back" seat accessory for my car (from my physical therapist), and discovered that they also manufacture a task chair(actually all black, not black/white as pictured). I'm saving my $$ for one............great reviews by a MACaddict magazine writer; comments can be seen on the yogaback website.

maude,

Thanks for the info! That yogaback for driving look like just the thing I need for my car.

In case anyone's interested up Toronto way, Eclectisaurus has an Eames Aluminum Management Chair (in blue) for sale for $800. http://toronto.craigslist.org/fur/466945348.html

I have had my Aeron for six years. I love it because it looks as good today as it did the day I got it (save for a bit of dust), it is super comfy, and any chair that comes with a 12 year warranty has to be pretty good quality.

We have an Aeron, but I too find the adjustments a bit of a pain to make; since my husband and I share it, we are always adjusting it... We also have a Haworth Improv H.E. office chair, and I much prefer the way the arms work, and the greater tension (support) I am able to get on the back. Not as sexy, but many days, it is my chair of choice.

i love my aeron chair. my previous chair gave me a numb posterior after several hours at the desk. i bought my aeron in the 90s and it's still in perfect shape, and i never get up after a 13-hour work session feeling like i've been bent, folded, and spindled.

union, is it possible you need a different size to avoid the pressure point issue?

Another vote for the Aeron. I got mine early on when they came out and even now it's in absolutely perfect condition. I work at home and sit in it way too many hours a day without back pain (or tush pain!). Only problem with it is it's a dust collector in the back.

i worked on the aeron for 18 hours a day for a solid year (architecture school and office) and NEVER felt the least bit fatigued. The aeron is the best chair i've ever used regularly (haven't used the others regularly) which is why i now own one.

What are you, Dutch? "toooosh?"
It's 'tush' my dears, or 'tushie' if you're feeling cute.

As to kneeling chairs, they are not all equal.
I worked for a woman who had a brilliant one (but I don't think I was ever in it for more than an hour) then tried one at my own home office that didn't work out so well.
It does stop you from crossing your legs all day,
unless you perch precariously on it . . .

Different chairs for different people, really. It's not possible to say that one is better than another within the field of ergonomically "correct" chairs. I've had an Aeron chair for 2 years now (at work), and I HATE HATE HATE HATE it. Massive lower back pain, numbness in the legs, etc. It constantly needs adjustment (which is not easy), I have to use a foot rest, I make sure to get up and walk around every 30 minutes, etc. Pure evil. That said, half of my coworkers LOVE theirs. Out of the other half, a few hate theirs as I do, and the rest don't notice or care one way or the other (they are under 25 and their bodies aren't falling apart yet!).

I bought the Eames Management "inspired" Padded chair from Moderndose.com about a year ago from Moderndose.com and it is suprisingly comfortable and well made. It was the only place I was able to find it in a chocolat brown and I really wasn't up to paying $1700 for a original chair...$650 seems much more realistic for an office chair!

http://www.moderndose.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_31&products_id=83&osCsid=50056893e95119f45c2f172d403a2b46

I just bought an original, old fiberglass(?) Eames desk chair.
My criteria was: armless, and swivel.
I can also adjust it in different ways.
The trick I find with sitting is to be able to move the spine subtly to prevent stiffness. I think some of us expect the chair to make up for our laziness and expect it to fully support our torsos.
I usually sit with my legs tucked under in yoga easy pose so I end up doing low back therapy as well as getting desk work done.

Ruckus: I believe it is possible to remove the arms from the Eames aluminum chairs, no?


All this talk of comfort, but what about style? I've been snooping around for a new office chair for quite some time, and I'll probably end up getting the Eames. That, or I'll just settle for another antique oak banker's chair to replace the one I finally wore out beyond repair.

I want elegance and presence, not something that just looks like an office chair. I'd love to use a Brno flat chair, but I require something with casters that swivels. There's a surprising dearth of really elegant office chairs.

Chair question of the year...

I just bought a desk that is 30 inches high and now my chair is too low at it's highest, which also has my feet dangling (i'm only 5'5"). My computer desk is also my little home studio and I play guitar. does anyone know of a great chair that is not huge and overly heavy (tiny space to work with here) who's arms can drop all the way down when I'm playing guitar and recording, and then easily come back up when I'm at the computer for hours. I've yet to come across a chair like this and I keep thinking there must be one out there! Have I come up with an idea I can get rich at??? thanks lots

drc

The Eames is so much better to look at than the others. And I used to have an Aeron chair at work, although I had no idea what it's significance (or even it's name) was - I hated it. It was entirely too difficult to adjust and I was just never comfortable. And even though I've never sat in any of the others, I would vote for the Eames simply on style..

Dear Bruised:

Thanks so much for the tip about removing the arms off the Eames Management model. I had no idea that was possible, but if it is, it will work out perfectly! And thanks also to Greenjunky for a possibly cheaper alternative. Yeah, AT!

To join in the (admittedly) small chorus of Aeron haters: my reasons for avoiding it are ergonomic as well as stylistic. I had one at the office for about fifteen years: total nightmare. Perhaps I'm too short (5'2") for its basic design but I could NEVER seem to adjust it for comfort--even with the help of the on-site corporate ergonomics expert. I had constant lower back pain and it hit me at just the right place in my legs to make them go numb. I ALWAYS had to have one of those extra lumbar-support cushions strapped on or I was a goner. And I was not alone. Plenty of people had trouble with whatever model we were all given. I'd be tempted to say the whole Aeron thing is a myth except for all of the Aeron lovers here. I guess it's totally subjective.

It does strike me, though, that it used to be the couch that had to be the most comfortable seat in the room. Now we've all got not-as-comfy-but-infinitely-more-stylish, mid-century modern couches but it doesn't matter because we're all across the room, huddled over our computers/desks, comparing levels of back pain. Progress? Maybe not so much!

I discovered an Eames Executive "Time Life" chair in a conference room at my old office. When I asked if I could have it, they required that I pay for it...a whole $10.

Without a doubt, it's the most comfortable office chair I've ever sat in -- lots of padding, a supremely wide seat and good support. And it's the TV show chair of choice, seen in everything from Mad Men to Arrested Development!

liseah: Score! And to think that the setting for my Aeron woes was none other than the Time Life Bldg., where the Executive chair was introduced for use in the lobby in 1960. You still see the occasional Exec floating around (as well as a few coveted Lounge chairs) but in the company's public conference rooms on the second floor they now use the Soft Pad Management. Everywhere else? Aerons or their like. Argh...

I have to make a vote for the Knoll Life chair.

I used to use an Aeron chair in the previous places I worked, but my current employer gives us Life chairs. No contest, the Life chair is SO much more comfortable than the Aeron. It is so much easier to adjust everything on the chair and i like the fact that the seat part of the chair is not mesh, but a nice padding.

Perhaps it did not fit me right, but I didn't like the mesh on the Aerons because the front bit of the seat part of the Aeron would dig into my thighs all day due to the flex of the mesh. I also found the seat part too deep for me. It was quite uncomfortable.

From a purely ergonomics standpoint, any chair that puts your back at a 90 degree angle to your thighs is NOT good for your body. Reclining in certain task chairs does typically increase the angle, but it's awfully hard to use a keyboard--or do any forward oriented work for that matter--while reclining. Task chairs that can tilt the seat pan forward are a big improvement, but saddle style seats such as the hag capisco are probably the closest thing you can get to being in a correct position.

I like the Aeron chair, but it has to be a higher end model and one not prone to breakage.

I have a Mirra and the Eames classic management chairs.
Both are very comfortable - perhaps the Eames a bit more so because of the softness of its covering.

I was strongly considering the Freedom chair but then I had the misfortune of trying one in a showroom. It was incredibly rickety and seemed cheaply constructed. I was very disappointed.

As far as comfort, the Freedom seemed ok, but I found nothing exceptional as far as support or flexibility.

boots,

Does the hag capisco cause any discomfort for men?