Support NeoGAF

[br0ken_shad0w]

I just bought an Ikea Markus and I love it. The high back is great and I can rest my head on it nicely.

What I'm using right now. Does it job decently and I'll see in a few months if the material peels off like the other shitty chairs I bought.

My dream desk chair though is the Stressless Jazz Office. It's basically their recliner model with wheels attached:

Someone give me $4000.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

You absolutely can go wrong with mesh. My office is equipped with cheap Office Depot mesh chairs. Their back support is way too soft.

I did check my local craigslist (SF) and it looks like there are a lot of Freedoms around for a really low price so I'll probably get one of those.

Huh, I guess it's all about how your back takes to it then and that it was just a good fit for me, though mine is reasonably firm too. The metal frame will actually flex before the fabric has flexed very much if you really push into it. The most defining feature that helps me in any form of seat though is something with a nice inward bump at the lower end. Anything relatively straight without a very evident curve used to give me some really chronic pains after a few hours. Can't argue with your choice, those freedoms look like they have good support and in the places where I look for it personally too (lower back), may consider an upgrade one day since the padding on my seat is practically non existent now.

 

[MikeDown]

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/198455/Realspace-Harrington-High-Back-Bonded-Leather/

It really is the best.

Lasted me 5 years too.

got this at a garage sale for 10 dollars, good chair

 

[The Lamonster]

PSA: Foot rests also make a world of difference. I ordered a Steelcase foot rest along with my Gesture chair and love it.

 

[beat]

+1 for footrests. Though you probably shouldn't need them if your desk is set up correctly (right height, keyboard tray, monitor at the right height.) I just got a footrest for my work desk since the desk is adjustable but won't lower enough, even with a keyboard tray. And I have a monitor arm at home.

 

[The Lamonster]

+1 for footrests. Though you probably shouldn't need them if your desk is set up correctly (right height, keyboard tray, monitor at the right height.) I just got a footrest for my work desk since the desk is adjustable but won't lower enough, even with a keyboard tray. And I have a monitor arm at home.

Yeah, I'm short at 5'6" and my old ass desk is not adjustable so I rock foot rests at home and at work. No more soreness!

 

[Mountainmohawk]

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead, but does anyone have any recommendations for around the $400 mark? I currently have the MARKUS but it's kind of hard feeling for my buns.

 

[br0ken_shad0w]

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead, but does anyone have any recommendations for around the $400 mark? I currently have the MARKUS but it's kind of hard feeling for my buns.

If you want something soft, spring for the Herman Miller Aeron if you can. It can be had for as low as $400 if you look around.

 

[Anjelus_]

Aeron is at least double $400. At that price range I would spring for a Mirra.

I say this as an Aeron owner for full disclosure.

 

[The Lamonster]

OP popping in to say still no regrets on dropping 1k on the Steelcase Gesture

If you want something soft, spring for the Herman Miller Aeron if you can. It can be had for as low as $400 if you look around.

A lot of people praise the Aeron for its breathe-ability and lumbar support but knock it for the seat being a little too hard and he wants something soft.. $400 is kind of a weird area for a desk chair budget. I'd say save a little more for something really nice like a gently used Steelcase Leap, or swap out your Markus for a similar ~$200 retail chair until you can afford something really nice. Or you can always buy a seat cushion for your Markus.

 

[The Dear Leader]

I use one of these (ignore the IV pole thing, my doesn't have one of those). It's supposed to be a medical chair of some sort but I use it as a PC desk chair, it's super comfortable and reclines quite literally as far as a chair can go back, it literally becomes a bed, it has heated and vibrating seats and back and on top of that it perfectly fits under my desk.

I saw it in a furniture store in town and thought it would be a great desk chair after having used an old crappy Office Depot $20 chair for so long. If I remember right it only cost me about $100.

 

[CarbonFire]

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead, but does anyone have any recommendations for around the $400 mark? I currently have the MARKUS but it's kind of hard feeling for my buns.

I picked up my Steelcase Amia Chair for around $450 on sale. It's sort of the "budget" version of the Leap with a few less adjustments. But you still get full arm and seat adjustment (height and seat distance), tilt lock, a bit of lumbar adjustment, and it's built WAY better than any cheapo Staples special.

Has served me extremely well the last 3-4 years. I expect it to serve me for many more years to come.

Edit: Now that I think about it, it was closer to $450 than 400.

 

[radeonxt]

I have that one at my office and it is terribly bad for my back!!

 

[AJLma]

OP popping in to say still no regrets on dropping 1k on the Steelcase Gesture

I finalized the painful decision to buy a Gesture after finding this topic and reading your experiences.

I'd been thinking about buying a chair for a while, after 10+ years of sitting on whatever hand-me-down chair was available I've been feeling some pains in my neck, shoulders and lower back. It wasn't until last week that I considered my chair as a possible source of the problem but after standing and stretching for a bit I noticed the pain would go away. After a ton of research and finally finding this topic I committed. Got lucky and found the only open-box listing on eBay for around $800.

The instant I sat down in the Gesture I actually felt tension ease in my lower back. It's hard not to sit up straight in this chair even when I'm slouching, the lumbar support is so aggressive. No regrets yet.

 

[The Lamonster]

I finalized the painful decision to buy a Gesture after finding this topic and reading your experiences.

I'd been thinking about buying a chair for a while, after 10+ years of sitting on whatever hand-me-down chair was available I've been feeling some pains in my neck, shoulders and lower back. It wasn't until last week that I considered my chair as a possible source of the problem but after standing and stretching for a bit I noticed the pain would go away. After a ton of research and finally finding this topic I committed. Got lucky and found the only open-box listing on eBay for around $800.

The instant I sat down in the Gesture I actually felt tension ease in my lower back. It's hard not to sit up straight in this chair even when I'm slouching, the lumbar support is so aggressive. No regrets yet.

Glad you found this thread helpful. I remember it being quite daunting trying to find a good desk chair.

Gesture is quite amazing - even when you do have bad posture in that chair, you're fully supported and never in pain. I often catch myself leaning to the side petting my cat, or slouched back playing on my phone, or sitting forward on the edge of my seat reading GAF late at night, and I'm comfortable in every position. When I was researching Gesture I took all of their "tech chair" stuff with a grain of salt, but it really is the perfect hybrid chair for those that occasionally use a tablet while sitting at the computer.

One thing I've learned since posting in this thread last year: desk height is equally important. After I got my Gesture and a couple foot rests, I upgraded my desk to an Ikea Bekant and configured it to the lowest setting (I'm 5'6"). It's a good three or four inches shorter than my previous desk and having an appropriate desk height makes a world of difference as well.

 

[blankempathy]

I use one of these (ignore the IV pole thing, my doesn't have one of those). It's supposed to be a medical chair of some sort but I use it as a PC desk chair, it's super comfortable and reclines quite literally as far as a chair can go back, it literally becomes a bed, it has heated and vibrating seats and back and on top of that it perfectly fits under my desk.

I saw it in a furniture store in town and thought it would be a great desk chair after having used an old crappy Office Depot $20 chair for so long. If I remember right it only cost me about $100.

Hook me up with a mt dew iv and we're golden.

 

[The Dear Leader]

Hook me up with a mt dew iv and we're golden.

Lol, if mine came with that thing I would try and rig something up.

 

[Deleted member 325805]

Just had my first experience with Ikea, and it wasn't bad. It was nice being able to go from chair to chair to see which one I preferred, without having to gamble online. I ended up getting the Markus for £130, the Malcom for £55 was also quite nice, but noticeably cheaper and without the 10 year warranty so I thought I best play it safe. I really didn't want to spend money on a new chair but my old one was so fucking shit and broken I had to. I really underestimated how huge the place is, it took about 30 minutes just to walk through it. I managed to put the chair together in about 30 minutes which is a record for me as I'm useless at this type of stuff. My back is absolutely fucked now though, it's bad on the best of days but after all that lifting and bending I'm in full can't move mode.

 

[STILLethal]

I just bought an Officemaster OM5 and it has no backrest lock, its supposed to adjust to your bodyweight.
Well not sure if it'll take a few weeks to adjust to this or what but I'm always leaning back way to easy, its not a bad thing - its just that the back rest reclines to 135+ degree angles and it doesn't feel comfortable at all when I game with a controller.

Is there anything I can do here? I feel like the chair would be perfect if only it didn't recline back so much.

 

[STILLethal]

Anyone?

 

[Saintruski]

aeron mesh chairs, not really targeted or marketed for gamers but its nice. i also have some chair i found at a thrift shop for 25 dollars thats like a lazy boy computer chair that has the comfort youd find at your grandmas house that you sink right into, no brand its that ugly ass orange-ish brown has like a cast iron frame that weighs 80 pounds and squeaks like crazy but you cant throw it away because it feels soooo good....wow that was one hell of a run on sentence...

 

[RankFTW]

I used to get quite a sore back sitting at my PC for like 12 hours a day but since I got this chair in January I've had no pain whatsoever.

 

[MDJCM]

Just had my first experience with Ikea, and it wasn't bad. It was nice being able to go from chair to chair to see which one I preferred, without having to gamble online. I ended up getting the Markus for £130, the Malcom for £55 was also quite nice, but noticeably cheaper and without the 10 year warranty so I thought I best play it safe. I really didn't want to spend money on a new chair but my old one was so fucking shit and broken I had to. I really underestimated how huge the place is, it took about 30 minutes just to walk through it. I managed to put the chair together in about 30 minutes which is a record for me as I'm useless at this type of stuff. My back is absolutely fucked now though, it's bad on the best of days but after all that lifting and bending I'm in full can't move mode.

How's it going with that chair? I'm on the verge of buying one.

 

[j0hnny_385]

How's it going with that chair? I'm on the verge of buying one.

Got mine ~two weeks ago.
As a tall man (1.93cm, 100kg) I'm pretty happy with it. The butt cushion could be a bit more comfy, tho. But the posture and back support is great. No regrets for that price.

 

[beat]

Update: I finally got a used Humanscale Freedom (with headrest, of course) from Craigslist for $225.

 

[Deleted member 325805]

How's it going with that chair? I'm on the verge of buying one.

Really good, it's very comfortable and is wearing well. I would definitely recommend it, at £130 I doubt you'll get better. I'm 6ft 3 / 15st if it helps, and I can sit in it for hours with no butt pain.