Slashdot Mirror
Best Chair For Desktop Coding?
wifeoflurker writes "Can someone give me recommendations for a desk chair to give my husband as a Father's Day gift? He currently uses a cheap one he got from Office Max, but I want him to have a really comfortable one. He spends his life in this chair (coding and lurking on Slashdot). I don't have time to research good chairs on the internet today (I'm chasing my 10 month old around, and she seems to get into the most mischief when I'm staring at the computer screen), so I figured a few folks here might share their personal recommendations." Has there been any great progress in the state of the art (of sitting) since the last time readers sought recommendations for back-friendly chairs a few years back, or the perfect computer chair nearly a decade back? Is there even such a thing as a back-friendly chair, or should we all be in astronaut-style lounge workstations?
Hey honey, thanks for thinking of me, I really appreciate it!
A high back support, not one of those low back support seats. Also, take a blue one.
Wow.. Utter shock at a slashdot reader having not only a wife, but, presumably, having reproduced...
XenoPhage
Technological Musings
Sounds like someone has been taking the shouting of "who's your daddy" a little to seriously...
You're thinking small. Why miniaturize the laser, when we could instead enlarge the sharks? -John Searle
I know there are a lot of contenders in this arena -- and honestly, at the price it seems very high.
But think about it -- you own a car that you like. You spend maybe what, an hour, or two a day in it? You spend maybe $400 for the car payment plus insurance and gas.
And you sit in a chair for 5-7 hours a day. You should make a good investment for the sake of your back, your butt, and your comfort. I have the Aeron and the only quip I have with it, is that it doesn't match the height of my desk (which is actually a writing desk, incorrect height for a mouse/keyboard).
I like the Aeron -- it has a lot of adjustments, it's built very solid, it has a good warranty and you can get them serviced a LOT of places (casters and such). It's NOT cheap, but refer to what I said earlier on why you SHOULD spend the money.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
I have this chair at home and I love it...
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00103102
It was well worth the $200.
The high back lets you recline fully when enjoying a movie. It's very comfortable and has a bunch of options to set height, back stiffness / angle it reclines to.
this might sound a little crazy but a pilates / swiss ball is the absolute daddy. Once you are used to it its really very comfortable, balancing is fairly easy and kind of forces you into the right posture.
N.
Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
I know everyone is different, but I have used an excercise ball at home, and really like it. It forces good posture, (one of the biggest problems with back pain) and even works the abs and back muscles to stay sitting up straight. At a former company I worked at, I had a pretty cool chair with no back (until we hired somebody with an acutal medical back problem, and they gave it to him), it had 2 "pads" one was lower, for your knees, and the upper pad was for sitting on. It worked similar to the excercise ball.
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
The Herman Miller Aeron is my choice.
Strong enough to take my abuse (and I'm tough on furniture).
Comfortable enough to sit in for hours.
The aesthetics are extremely nice IMHO.
Only downside to this chair is the $$ price.
Which country is this? :)
Throwable chairs of course!
The classic answer to this question is, of course, an Herman Miller Aeron chair. Be forewarned; they ain't cheap. $500 to $1000, depending on model.
Of course, the best chair is whatever fits him best.
The more adjustments the better. Many highly-adjustable "ergonomic" chairs lack the ability to remove the arm rests. For coding, it's nice to be able to cozy the chair up under the table or keyboard tray, and arms interfere with that. Arms can also invite leaning, which puts pressure on nerves in the arm.
See if you can find out how reliable the height-adjustment piston is. That's usually the first thing to give out.
Considering Father's day is on Sunday, there won't be much shopping time. Especially if it needs to be shipped from somewhere.
Maybe not the best for desktop use, I prefer the Eames while surfing on the laptop:
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/collection.do?method=get&id=377383&cat=115
How could you top this http://youtube.com/watch?v=E9_amg-Aos4.
In my opinion (not my expert opinion, though) but I find that a computer setup that is perfectly ergonomic is the best investment. The way I have this setup is that I can sit still in the same position for 12 hours a day every day without any aches or pains or numbness or soreness or anything like that. And having the monitor high up enough has really improved my posture and made using this less painful.
Of course, now the problem is that I can sit at my comptuer 12 hours a day, every day, and sometimes I do this. :(
I find the most comfortable way to use a computer is sitting in a comfy recliner with a wireless keyboard in my lap. I have a little touchpad on the keyboard, so I don't even need to take a mouse with me.
But if you do this, you will definitely need a large screen on which to work. I'm not that far away from the monitor where I sit and 30" at 1080p is still a bit small.
While it was often cited as a symbol of the dot-com bubble overspending, I've always sworn by the Herman Miller Aeron chair. I used to sit in it 8 hours a day while programming, and the comfort difference was worth every penny of its expense.
When I visit potential employers while considering job opportunities, I actually look for Aeron chairs. I want to know where I'll be parking my butt for a large portion of the day!
Details here, and here.
that comes with a cute girl who is constantly on her knees in front of it, waiting for input!
Monstar L
To the guy who complained about his chair: your wife is getting you a new one!
Scorta futuere amo!
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=386638
The Broyhill Giannelli Leather Executive Chair. I'm not a small guy, and I've always had a lot of issues with chairs. Even the 'big man' chairs they sell at Office Depot would break with me (I'm rough on them apart from being heavy, I lean back, a lot, and HARD, I've snapped several chairs backs.)
This one is $250. Pricey? Hell yeah. After breaking several $100 chairs, though, I figure it's worth it. It's very comfortable and feels incredibly sturdy. It looks great too, my gf encouraged me heavily because it looks a heck of a lot better than any other chair I've ever had, so it doesn't upset her fung shui.
Car seats are, after all, designed to be used for hours at a time. I've always wanted to stop by the junk yard, find a nice seat, and mount/weld it to some kind of base. The reclining feature would be nice for those all-nighters.
In the tradition of idiot Slashdot readers like myself (no, you're not all idiots, but I am) can I propose a totally different answer than the one you were asking for - that you buy him a table that can be raised to standing height instead?
The God-like (or should that be Tetragrammaton-like?) Joel says (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/06/06.html) that standing up for part of the day while at a desk might be good for you (or so he's told) and I would agree with that. It would also keep your husband's precious PC out of your baby's grasp.
The Hawaii Chair:
http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102518472&pnr=M53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9_amg-Aos4
It will give me amazing 6 pack abs in 3 weeks with no dieting.
Herman Miller chairs are my recommendation. The designs of their support arms underneath the seat is amazing. I only have an entry level chair thats from the mid 90's but the design standard of HM chairs are superior to any other brand office chair ranging back to the 70s. Check it out www.hermanmiller.com. They are not cheap. But it's worth at least knowing what your spine is missing out on.
A good micro-suede recliner with wide arm cushions suitable for use as mouse pads, a wireless keyboard and optical mouse, a TV tray to rest the keyboard on, and two monitors on swivel arms that can be brought in close to the face when reclining.
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
I highly recommend Knoll's Life chair... It has an active support system that gives you good lower back support throughout a range of positions. I sat in an Aeron for years and I much prefer "Life".
They list for $1200. But you can find them online for under $600 including shipping. I was lucky enough to find a guy near my house that sold them to me for $325. I've bought 4 now for my employees.
Consider:
1) A chair with arm rests. Preferably removable.
2) Castors (wheels).
3) Breathable fabric (cloth or mesh). Sit on a vinal or leather chair for 8+ hours and you sweat through your shirt and pants.
4) Adjustable back support, height, tilt, etc.
I am a contractor who does programming out of my home. I used sit at desk in my office and write my code on real PC. About 2 years back I bought a laptop with a really big screen (17"). I coded at my desk a while longer until I realized that now I am mobile. Now when I get home from work as a programmer, I sit down in my Super over sized plush reclining easy chair in the living room in front of the 42 in LCD tv. I do all my coding right there in my living room and now my family and I are all together even if I am working. The only think I can recommend is make sure the arms are really stuffed full and that the char is deep enough that when relaxed, the elbow hits the arm of the chair and the hand falls just a few inches shy of the end of super stuffed arm rest. This will allow him to use the arms of the chair as a mousepad!!!!!
Hon 7808, very adjustable
http://www.hon.com/Products/Chairs/7808.aspxhttp://www.hon.com/Products/Chairs/7808.aspx
One of my clients has chairs from this place: http://officestar.net/Space.html
It's been a long time since I've been there, so I don't remember the exact model, but it looked a lot like an Aeron and was very comfortable to sit in-- enough so that I made a note of the maker for the next time I'm in the market for a new desk chair.
has got to be the Aeron (http://www.hermanmillerseating.com/cominc/toolbox/landing_pages/hermanmiller/aeronchair.asp) It also has a great history (http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/08/07/aeron/print.html)
I've been using a lounge-type chair that allows me to recline back and put my legs on my desk. It's far easier to endure long sessions (8+ hours) in a chair like this vs. any vertical seat-back chair.
The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
Sealy Microfiber Multi-Function Managers Chair
http://www.officemax.com/omax/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=21103271&category_Id=cat780004
It's fully adjustable, very cushiony, and on sale.
Ok, look. I MIGHT have misinterpreted, but you said "He spends his life in this chair." I of course assume this to mean that he spends no time with you or his 10 month old kid. Maybe that's not the case, in which case I apologize. But if you literally meant that he sits in front of the computer in lieu of hanging out with his family, I'm going to stand by what I said. Kick him out of the damn chair and make him spend time with both of you.
He spends his life in a chair, while you can't even find the time to research chairs because you're chasing around your 10 month old? Again, maybe I'm grossly misinterpreting but that's fucked up.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-06-07-office-fit_x.htm
"Sitting at their desks is about the last thing workers would do in Dr. James Levine's office of the future.
Dr. James Levine keeps a 1 mph pace on his treadmill while checking his e-mail.at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Instead of being sedentary in front of their computers, they'd stand. But instead of standing still, they'd walk on a treadmill. And instead of meeting around a conference table, they'd talk business while walking laps on a track."
But just a standing desk with a tall stool to alternate with can work wonders for back pain and good posture.
The walking is probably better on the knees though.
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
I work at a computer 10-14 hrs a day and I can't sit at a desk. It would drive me nuts. I set up my office with couches and use Belkin Cushtop Stands.
I bought a chair for home two years ago. Go to a specialist shop and they will do an assessment and I found by far the best ones are the ones that are "active", you keep moving. This is important since when I am working from home I tend to sit still, in the office I am up and about a lot. Here is the shop I went to and they have a large selection which I think you should be able to source worldwide. http://www.backinaction.co.uk/h05 I went for the H05 5650 which is in my top 2 techie buys. After my Antec case (BTW another excellent Father's Day Present). HTH.
Most comfortable office chair I have ever sat in. Way more comfortable than Aeron. Cheaper too. I have one at home.
Humanscale Freedom chair (with headrest option). About the only way to spend more on a computer chair than an Aeron, but it's a better chair. Seat stays level and slides when you lean forward/back, and headrest automatically comes up, so it's easy to adjust position comfortably.
is competition good, or is duplication of effort bad?
You have a 10 month old and you allow your husband to spend his time at home sitting in front of a computer?
I have a boy the same age. I feel scummy enough being away from him the 8 hours per day I spend at work.
Of course, it begs the question of whether his time at home is 'off time' or 'work time.' We could be talking about someone with a home office, or a salesperson with no fixed office, or a telecommuter here.
I'd cut the OP a little bit of slack. But that's just me.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
Aeron has been well worth the money.
I was having bad back problems and the Aeron really made a difference.
Its got a 12 year warranty, I've had mine 7 and it still looks new.
Its a 750$ chair that lasts as long as 4 office depot chairs.
I own a Herman Miller Celle (http://www.hermanmiller.com/celle/) that I keep at the office. The company provided chairs are no match for the comfort/adjustability of this chair. The Herman Miller chairs are a bit spendy, but well worth it.
How about a WalkStation?
Price is around $2500 to $3K.
I have a Think chair by Steelcase. I've had it for the past 18 months including 6 months of working from home. It is very comfortable.
http://www.steelcase.com/na/think_products.aspx?f=11845
UNIX/Linux Consulting
He'll like this one. Not only can he code and browse the internet, but he can destroy entire planets. http://gizmodo.com/5015730/emperor-workstation-belongs-in-the-death-star-my-office
It's so much simpler and cost effective than the Aeron. The chair moves with you,
the seat pan, the lower lumbar support, it's great. It's arm rests are fully adjustable, vertically, forward/back, and side to side. The lower back support actually works and doesn't feel like someone stuck a piece of wood behind your back. You can adjust it's height and it's depth. I've owned one now for 2 years now and have no regrets. I have back problems and this is the only chair I can sit in without being miserable when I use a computer.
http://store.steelcase.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LEAPV2
If you really want to go all out, get the forward tilt option. The only
reason I didn't is that the lead time was an extra 1-2 weeks. I should also
mention that it was really easy to setup. It came in one big box and in two parts, the seat and base. All I had to do was drop the seat onto the base and it was ready, no tools were necessary.
www.alphalinux.org
http://www.poetictech.com/
I've also been pleased with "AK Designs - Octane PC Gaming and Office Chair", which some Best Buy stores stock so you can easily check it out yourself before deciding. It's very comfortable. Not as good as the much more expensive options I've tried, but also not nearly as expensive.
is competition good, or is duplication of effort bad?
I had not heard of the Aeron before but it's almost like this Herman Miller himself entered the topic and simultaneously slashvertised his chair with his many sock puppets all at once. Amazing.
Either that, or the chair is really that good.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
I've had Aerons for several years. They are decent chairs, but getting long in the tooth. I recently tried the Steelcase Leap chair, and find it to be much more comfortable. There are several reasons for this.
One, the aeron has a hard plastic rim around the seat that would bite into the back of my thighs. Two, I have short legs and the Aeron had no ability to adjust the seat depth. The leap chair has significant depth adjustability. Three, when you recline on the leap chair, the seat slides forward rather than just pivoting the whole seat backward, like the Aeron. This is ultimately more comfortable at your workstation.
Both the Aeron and Leap chairs will run just under $1,000.
The best chair I've found is one that lets me lean back to about 140 degrees and have the bottom part less tilted but tilted none the less for leg support. This goes with a desk that can allow you to slide under as much as possible and have knee room, so no keyboard sliders under the desk.
I have never had a problem with my back, lower back, but or any kind of strain. There's nothing better.
I have found the Steelcase Leap to be a MUCH better chair than the Herman Miller competitor. I tried the Aeron, but the comfort level was far below the Leap.
You "don't have time to research good chairs on the internet today," but you have time to read /.?
0__o
http://www.treychair.com/
More than a chair, apparently...
No, your wife is intolerant...
I recommend the Humanscale Freedom Chair with Headrest. I ahve used one for eight years following back surgery, and I love it. I prefer it to the Aeron. It comes in lots of color/fabric choices and is virtually indestructible. The only drawback is price. List is about $1,000, but you can find it for $150-200 less on the net. It also looks cool.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
The company i worked at about 8 years ago bought new Aeron chairs for everyone in the company, and i couldn't stand them. The metal frame with webbing felt rather harsh and unnatural, and that was before i tried crossing one of my legs under the other (right ankle under left thigh or vice versa) which was actually painful in the Aeron. I felt uncomfortable sitting in my chair for the entire rest of my time at that company. The only benefit was that they let us take our old chairs home if we wanted them, and i've still got the older and actually comfortable chair i had before. (Which probably cost several hundred less than the Aeron chair that i didn't like sitting in.)
Of course i don't suffer from back problems, so perhaps being forced to sit in the "proper" position works better for some people than others. So in response to the original question, if you want to get a chair as a gift you really need to find out some more about the habits and desires of the person you're buying it for. Do they have back problems? Do they like to sit straight and still for hours on end or do they prefer to shift around? Do they like to cross one or both legs under then? Or sit in a kneeling position? Do they want a chair that tilts/rocks? Do they like fabric or leather/pleather? Whatever you do you certainly don't want to get them an expensive chair that they'll feel obligated to use but won't actually enjoy. After all, if everyone liked the same kind of chair there wouldn't be so many options out there.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Bought an Aeron knockoff (Chinese of course) from Office Max 3 years ago, I think it was around $150 on sale at the time. Best bucks for a chair I ever spent. Comfortable, adjustable, and body sweat evaporates instead of accumulating...
See if you can track down the one Ballmer threw. In addition to the enormous geek cred, that chair would have great sentimental value as well.
steampunk web design
If he is active an oak office chair lets you to slide around. Comfy chairs keep me still and eventually weakens my back. An adirondack chair with leather cushions are nice when "thinking".
A lot of the newish contemporary fancy shmasy chairs have it anyway but it bears mentioning that a Knee Tilt chair is, IMO, highly desirable. It sets the pivot point for the chair closer to the sitter's knees vice under their butt. This allows them to have their knees under their desk, recline fully back, and not smack their knees against the desk because your knees stay about where they are (vertically) while the rest of you tilts back.
Tricker versions include geometries that actually recline the backrest relative to the seat while the seat still tilts a bit (at the knees). Those are really nice so long as the chair can also be locked / restricted in its tilt range at many / infinite points.
Arm rest height and width adjustment is very nice indeed and something I will insist on for my next chair. This time around an inexpensive knee tilt was my only criteria and so far I'm happy.
If you can't be good, be good at it!
There ARE competitors to the Aeron, in many other styles... Check out Knoll Office Seating, the ergonomics that go into these chairs is really amazing. If you can stomach the prices, then by all means, your back WILL thank you at the end of a long day. Make sure you buy a properly sized chair (*the aeron comes in 3 sizes) and if you buy some other chair, make sure he adjusts it to where his posture is set right. I have a couple of Knoll Life chairs at home, I can personally recommend them as super comfortable, and they come in a million different color combinations. Oh.. And they'll outlast anything from ikea or office depot.
The only thing a cheap chair will do is make your chiropractor rich.
I've been pretty much living in a Martin Stoll F14 for over seven years, and haven't developed back pain. I just had it refurbished, and it's as good as new, thanks to solid steel mechanics. The best advice I can give is to go to a specialized store with trained salespeons. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of money; good desk chairs are expensive. Get a chair that allows and encourages you to move, don't get one that hugs you tight; not moving will kill your back real quick. Instead of leather, get microfiber.
Fight hunger. Filet a politician and send him to a 3rd world country of your choice.
would get naked and allow her husband a comfortable place to sit.. or vice versa..
Can we all agree that no chair is perfect for everyone?
I have this stool from Varier, and while it might look boring, it has helped me to get rid of some nasty back pain. The point is that it tilts and turns and moves a lot, which is very important for your back. And it is comfortable too.
http://www.varierfurniture.com/default.aspx?menu=687
If my wife is "intolerant" for wanting her husband to spend time with his family while he's not working, then I'm glad I have an intolerant wife.
Steve? Where are you Steve Balmer?
Of course, it begs the question of whether his time at home is 'off time' or 'work time.'
Submitter said: "He spends his life in this chair." I get an image of a guy sitting in front of Slashdot while his extremely worn-out wife "chases her 10 month old around." If that's not true, then fine.
Am I being judgmental? You betcha. Since I had kids that developed in me spontaneously. At least I confine my judgment to Slashdot posts.
The Concorde from Global, one of the best.
http://www.globaltotaloffice.com/cgi-bin/gi_2007/gi_products.pl?fid=1184359083&query=pagenum%3D1%26cgifunction%3DSearch&cgifunction=form
I've used a number of higher end desk chairs that are supposed to be ergonomically correct, etc, but in the end, I just sit in something like this. Yup, an el-cheapo office arm chair. Everything else gives me back aches.
Of course, this could have something to do with my height. See, I'm short. And finding a comfortable chair when you don't have a "normal" build is surprisingly hard. Most of the time, the seat rides too high, or the back curves in the wrong place, etc, etc. But the arm chair sits fairly low, allows my feet to sit flat on the floor while my knees rest at a comfortable 90 degrees, and because it doesn't tilt or swivel, once I'm comfortable, the chair stays put.
As such, here's my advice: nothing beats trying out a chair, as everyone's body is different, and so in the end, it might not make the greatest gift. It's like trying to buy someone clothes... odds are good you just won't get it right, so you're probably better off going with something else (or giving them a gift certificate or an IOU and then bringing them along to shop for themselves).
This looks like an odd choice, but we got a bunch of these (the short-back version) for our boardroom:
Steelcase Uno
We can't keep them in the boardroom, because everyone keeps stealing them for their own desks. They're much more space efficient than other office chairs, and they pivot oddly when you lean back on them. I guess the pivot point is roughly in the middle of the arm rest.
As for kneeling chairs and exercise balls, we've had a bunch of them in the office and some people swear by them - for about a week. Nobody is still using them, except for a rare change of pace.
I don't know about the Herman Miller chairs, they must be good from what people are saying. We have had a few expensive 'ergonomic' chairs in the office, and people view them as some sort of punishment.
If you say, "now I'll be modded down because of X", I'll happily oblige.
If the price of Aeron is too much, go with Herman Miller's Mirra chair.
I actually prefer the Mirra because i am taller, and the Aerons rigid backrest hits me in the back. the Mirra has the same flexible material throughout the back, for short or tall people.
<rant>
Ok, does anybody else have a problem with people calling their kids a "10-month-old", "2-year-old", "1-year-old", etc.?
I don't know why, but it grates on my nerves and makes me twitch. It removes the family member & personhood status from the son or daughter, and reduces them to a numeric value representing their age. So the kid's age may be pertinent in the discussion, but what's wrong with adding a noun, to make it "our 10-month-old son" or "my 10-month-old girl"? It's only 3 or 4 extra letters; no way you're that pressed for time.
Hearing some parents in conversation say, "Oh, our 2-year-old likes to bla bla bla!" makes me need to leave the room, grit my teeth and twitch in private. If one day the condom breaks and I become a parent, I hope my reproductive partner will have the decency to turn her diamond engagement ring inwards and slap me across the face with her palm, hard.
Pardon me while I twitch some more.
</rant>
While Herman Miller gets the press (and looks cool) The SteelCase Leap chairs are quite cozy and incredibly well built.
--- Nothing To See Here ---
I've tried many chairs, thanks to a bad back, and settled on the Aeron chair ten years ago. It's keeper. Comfortable, cool in the summer (ten months a year here in Houston), more adjustments than you can imagine a chair was capable of, a solid lumbar support. It's well-worth what I paid for it--and the price has come down since then.
Just pick the right size for the sitter. I'm just under six feet of moderate build and use the large-size chair.
Having a treadmill/desk in not a bad idea, but you don't want to be walking or standing for 12 hours straight. I find just alternating between a kneeling chair and a chair with good lumbar support works best. Any one chair becomes uncomfortable after several hours.
The most comfortable chair I've ever used at my desktop used to be the driver's seat out of my old car. I just affixed it to an old chair base. Now I have a desk chair with swivel, caster wheels, height adjustment, headrest adjustment and recline!
The game.
Well, crap, I got carried away. That was supposed to be:
If one day the condom breaks and I become a parent, and I ever refer to our child that way, I hope my reproductive partner will have the decency to turn her diamond engagement ring inwards and slap me across the face with her palm, hard.
The ARNO 4003 is a nice, inexpensive chair. Comfortable, high back. Leather-ish. If you have the option, I'd recommend at least giving it a spin.
This space for rent.
I use an Aeron chair at home and a Mirra at work (care of my gf who gets a nice designer discount,) and I'll say that you will find no better chair than either of these two. The Aeron is more stacked with options, but the Mirra is easier on the wallet.
The kind that Ballmer can't get his arms around?
This guy's the limit!
He doesn't want it for coding in...
I've owned an Aeron for several years. I used to sit in it for 8 to 10 hours a day working. After a couple of years I started experiencing the symptoms of RLS. Very annoying. I went to docs for the usual diagnostics/drugs. Nothing really helped.
One day my wife was talking to the manager of a Relax The Back store and my RLS came up. Upon hearing that I used an Aeron chair he said "That could be the problem. The way the front area of the chair where the legs go over is designed can cause problems with circulation and such." (I heard this second hand from my wife). I switched to a more traditional office chair. Within a month my RLS symptoms were gone.
So no scientific proof and I haven't felt like switching back to see the Aeron was the problem. But I'm a lot happier now.
Invalid Checksum. Retrying.
I do not like sitting at a desk in a comfortable chair for extended periods if I'm trying to get work done (even though it is great for movies.) The idea of standing is much preferred. But as Joel mentioned, you don't want to stand all day. The solution Joel talked about was to have the entire desk raise and lower - preferably with an electric motor. How about using a "bar stool" like chair with a stationary table? It would save a lot of money and allow for storage space under the table surface.
Regardless, one needs to be active throughout the day if they are going to be productive. Spending 8 hours in a recliner is not healthy and will not lead to a productive day. Some physical activity is a must. I never get any work done if I let myself get too comfortable.
I can sort of see where you're coming from, but as a parent of a young boy I really just have to say... that's just how people talk about it. I don't think people intend to de-personify their children when they speak this way.
The topic of conversation between parents often revolves around the childrens age. This is because at such a young age, the child's behavior and ability changes rapidly from month to month. So we can exchange war stories about what he was doing at 6, 7, 8 months.
Unless the age is the specific topic, I refer to my kid as "my son." With people I know, I use his name.
I have used the "Stokke Duo" chair for many years programming and other stuff. It is very good, because it allows so many different sitting positions.
It once got a prize for being the best office chair.
http://www.opsvik.no/index.asp?page=works_11002_balans_Duo_anim&ver=6
Unfortunately, they apparently do not produce it any more, or I would immediately buy a new one, as mine is quite worn and partly broken.
Kim0
http://www.mcergo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Humanscale-Freedom-Chair&Store_Code=MC&search=freedom&offset=0&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high= Best chair I've ever used.
Is one that lets me see the code, data, and everything else in my mind. I can manipulate this all with my brain and write and compile directly.
Then again, given how some people code. *Looks at the 800+ line PL/SQL procedure on his desktop monitor* It might be best to have a nice comfy leather chair with back support and a stiff drink instead of inviting Freddy Krugger in to my head.
~~ Behold the flying cow with a rail gun! ~~
You ungrateful little wretches..... Daddy is getting himself a new toy http://gravitonus.com/hardware/workstation
http://www.healthpostures.com/ (General info, click Stance for in-action video.)
http://www.healthpostures.com/Stance-angle-chair.cfm (More detailed description.)
This is an amazing chair that can comfortably support you from any sort of fully standing to regular sitting (and anything in between). It allows you to adjust your posture as you work, so you don't aren't limited to one stance.
The second I saw it me and a friend spent about 24 hours straight reverse engineering it and building a scale prototype out of household materials (to make sure that everything was smoothly moving in sync.)
I highly suggest watching the video of it in action (they also show it used along with the TaskMate, basically a thing that adjusts the height of your keyboard/monitor to match your working height).
instead of just buying one based on reviews/suggestions i would strongly advise taking him to a store to try out various options. around here the healthy back store has pretty much all the options that i wanted to try when i was looking (freedom, aeron, leap). i ended up liking the leap chair from steelcase best, which isn't the one i would have chosen based on reading about them, and i've been really happy with the purchase.
http://hawaiichair.com/hawaii/
"[It takes] the work out of your work"!
"He spends his life in this chair" That cannot be good.
May be you should buy him something that will lure him OUT of his chair?
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
you might wanna check the Leap Chair
http://www.leapchaironline.com/
Its similar to Aeron as i understand it, even if i never actually saw a real Aeron.
But a Leap chair is what i have and it works good.
I think the important point about the chair is that it needs to be able to adjust to the specifics of your husband's body.
for instance, i have long legs, so whatever chair i got needed to lift me high enough so that knees would form a square angle.
and like its been told before, dont go right away for the most expensive chair. Not all expensive chairs might work for your husband and also some cheaper chair might do the work for the ergo needs of your husband.
as long as the chair lets adjust whatever is important, then its a good chair.
Try to deal for a 30 day trial period too, you dont want to buy a chair that feels only good for a week but fails the true test of time.
If you look like your passport photo, you're too ill to travel. - Will Kommen
If you want a good "knock off" that is very good quality: http://www.allseating.com/products/models/model.asp?id=20
Speaking of chairs.
Anyone have any good or bad experiences with this company?
I've considered getting one of those chairs they put you in when you go to the dentist. They are comfortable, and you could use the arm that holds the x-ray machine to hold your monitor.
I recently got this one for my back pains. It is currently the only chair I can sit in. It can be changed from comfortable seating to an actual work out. Great. My GP's getting the same, by the way.
This is the chair I've had for over 10 years for coding. Amazing Obus Form Chair http://www.chairslimited.com/ Its not black its blue and cloth but still amazing.
I get what you're saying, too. It makes sense, it's sort of like parent shop talk.
I recognize that those phrases might be handy in certain situations, but there are different (better) ways to refer to your kids, even if it's just adding a noun. Probably I'm being whiny, but as I said, I'd take physical abuse before I say them.
Then again, this is nothing if you've ever heard doctor or paramedic shop talk.
P.S. Why did the OP get modded as flamebait??
Ever sat in one? I' sat in the mesh model. It's amazingly customizable. I wish I had bought one when I was searching for a chair :(
I had no idea chairs cost so much. Damn. I thought I spent a lot on the one I have and it was only $120. Granted it's total crap. Fairly comfortable but the bolts that hold the arms on stripped so the arms are always loose.
How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
My suggestion is to forget the chair and give him a 20-minute hummer...
"Not an actor, but he plays one on TV."
2007-12-11 05:20:04 what is the perfect coder's chair? (Ask Slashdot,Programming) (rejected)
They're using their grammar skills there.
no question about it.
I love mine, it is awesome, the downside being that it's pricey....
To be honest, I believe the best setup ever is the IKEA Jerker desk and an aeron chair.
Microsoft is remarkably family friendly, compared to other tech companies (including Google). If you ever plan on actually having a family, or if your current employer does not give a shit if you ever see your children, Microsoft is a great place to work.
I dared to point out that while a haggard wife spends her time chasing her daughter around while her husband spends "his life" sitting in a chair (that the poor woman has been kind enough to PURCHASE for him, on top of that), there might be something wrong.
My son is 10 months old as well, and I honestly can't imagine wasting this time of his life (the kid is practically walking at this point) dorking around on the Internet. Some other AC said my wife is "intolerant" because she wouldn't put up with that. And then people wonder why they can't even get a date, much less a wife.
Please folks. Just don't reproduce, okay?
http://www.steelcase.com/na/leap_products.aspx?f=11852 It's what I'm sitting in right now. They have a bunch of these at my girlfriend's med school, set up in the study centers, and everyone absolutely loves them. Very comfortable, lots of little options to tailor to your sitting desires. They can run a bit expensive, (namely the higher end models), but you can also find them on ebay, and the like. My GF got hers for about 300 on ebay, worth every penny.
You, and everyone around you, will regret it.
Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects. -Dave Barry
Doesn't he know that talking while you walk is bad for your back? It disrupts your breathing cycle that evolved to use the same muscles that are used for breathing to also control the movements of the spine and absorb shocks from walking and running.
I've been using this chair for a couple of years now and love it. I first got it for work, but then ended up buying a couple for my parents. Like the Humanscale Freedom, the Liberty adjusts to your weight, applying the right amount of tension to your back and letting you shift into different positions with the right support. However, unlike the Freedom the Liberty has a mesh back which is cool and still supportive. And unlike most mesh-backed chairs (e.g. the Aeron), the Liberty back is made up of multiple pieces of mesh sown together to form a nice 3D shape (similar to how a suit obtains its 3D form from multiple flat pieces of fabric), so it does not need a separate lumbar support. Anyway, it's a great chair! Very sweet present, by the way. Good luck!
My experience with kneeling chairs is that sitting in one for longer than about 5 minutes causes my knees and lower legs to go completely numb due to all the weight placed just below the knees. I've never understood how anyone could find them comfortable.
The fundamental principle behind them -- putting the lower spine into a more neutral position by letting your hip joints form a larger than 90-degree angle -- seems sound, but all it really does is move a bunch of weight from being supported by an area with lots of padding (your butt) to an area with none (your knees and chins).
Moderator hint: a comment is neither "Flamebait" nor "Troll" if it is true.
I find that I get the most work done at the BAR. No kids running around.
http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/chinaqidun/product-detailRqcnsOJvEpky/China-Manager-Chairs-QD-M-002A-.html
I have one from the previous generation, no head rest and the mounts between the back and the seat look slightly different. But the lumbar support is awesome on this chair, and it has held up flawlessly over the last year and a half I've been using it at work. I couldn't find it on Office Max's web site though, so you'll probably have to track it down in store. Just tell the associates that you are looking for a mid backed mesh chair with adjustable lumbar support, that should get ya pointed in the right place. Other big features: Adjustable height arm rests, tilt, tilt torsion, and height. I wouldn't even consider a chair that didn't have those options.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
I paid about £140 for my chair. It's described as "Executive leather office chair", but I work from it instead all day, 5 days a week. I expect it'll flatten-out the padding in a few years of continuous use, so for that price I'll buy the same again next time. More important for comfort is a low level desktop and mouse/coffee area, and proper monitor position.
Pro Coffee Drinker
Yeah,
I should try to use my office chair to go to work one day. It has wheels and its mostly downhill both way so it can definitely replace my car...
I actually just recently found kneeling chairs online after years of looking for them. I desperately want one.
I used to volunteer in the physical therapy department of a hospital and we had kneeling chairs all over the department. I remember really loving those chairs. They were very comfortable and the nice thing was that you could sit in a variety of comfortable ways (e.g., 'proper' kneeling, with one foot on the knee pad, etc). When you sit in the proper kneeling fashion it actually forces your body to sit upright with good posture.
Even though I'm convinced these are the best chairs available I want to offer a few caveats so you're fully informed. First of all, I don't think I ever worked more than four hours in the physical therapy department at one time. Even then I would often have to get up and walk somewhere else, so I don't know if there are any issues with sitting in one of those chairs for 8 hours solid. Secondly, I could see how it might theoretically make your lower back sore till you get used to it, as it probably requires the use of stabilizer muscles people using modern chairs seldom use in your lower back to maintain posture in the absence of a back rest. I personally never had a problem with that, but I was also 16 at the time. I don't know if it would be a factor or not but it could potentially be. That said when your stabilizer muscles developed it should cease to be an issue.
I like the posture that the ball enforces, but I hate that I can't easily lean back, put my feet up, and dig into a big datasheet.
I like the webbing on the Aeron. I also like the mechanics. The arms are a little sub-optimal... The aeron collects dust like crazy..
I hate office chairs where the seat and the back recline as one unit. I also hate office chairs where the seat doesn't recline along with the back but rather stays in position or simply slides forward... I like the Aeron here where the seat reclines as a ratio of the back. That's a feature that is important to me. Other people hate that.
In summary, if you're going to buy your husband a chair, make sure it's returnable and make sure wherever you buy it from, has a good selection.
Like a leaning post on some boats (mostly center consoles)? Google: center console leaning post for images.
This idea sounds good, but you will need a higher desk to go with that standing/leaning chair.
Find a place that has nice office chairs and do measurments.
Take him there, treat him like a king while it he gets the measurements and adjustments done.
He can pick out all the colors he wants.
After words a nice meal with some good drinks.
When the chair gets delivered, put the 10 month old down for a nap and fuck your husband in the chair.
You now have the perfect, favorite chair.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
My wife, who has major back problems, picked this chair out a couple of years ago at Staples.
It's not exactly your $400 aero-whatever but is REALLY comfortable, and well worth it for $180. When I started working from home regularly, I stole it from her and can say definitively that 8 hour coding days in it are no problem.
I code all day long and when I had my company perform an ergonomic eval, due to back issues they delivered the Teknion Contessa http://www.teknion.com/products/seating_contessa/default.asp?country=us
Great chair, the back is mesh, great lumbar support and the seat is leather/padded rather than mesh. Even comes with a headrest. I personally think it's a better chair than the Aeron.
In my humble opinion, the Vitra HeadLine. It's probably the chair Steve Jobs would buy if he was picky about these things. I compared every model I could find for 2 months, sat in every chair (including the Aeron, of course), and this is the once that I ended up with. What's so special? 4 words: Engineering to the max. Every detail has been re-invented: new kind of fabric created, new way of doing the headrest, which lets you lean back and automatically look forward instead of to the ceiling, lots of tests, fabulous design... did I mention I really like it? :-) They are quite pricey, go for the comfy bigger leather armrests.
Varier, a scandinavian furniture brand formerly known as Stokke, has some very neat ergonomic desk chairs.
:-) The link to Swopper.com leads to a somewhat tacky site that doesn't look like the official manufacturers site. I presume it's a larger US distributer of the chair.
Vitra is a german classic manufacturer of desk and office chairs, they have some very nice high quality comfortable stuff and are available in the US as well. They look very good and high profile too, and are the prime choice for all official occasions in Germany (TV Talkshows and stuff like that).
The Swopper is a flexible high tech stool that is extremely back-friendly and especially well designed for extensive desk work of coders, multimedia professionals and DTP people. I've heard of agencies and software companies that use it almost exclusively. AFAIK it's also a german invention, but it's available all over the US aswell. This actually is my first recommendation, allthough it ain't cheap. Especially not for a stool.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
As a baseline, the best chair is the one that fits, and is adjusted properly. I've had nice, nice chairs before that simply didn't work for me very well due to sizing and/or adjustment issues. Chairs with more/better adjustments are all fine and well, but can produce a worse sitting experience than a "lesser" chair that is closer to what its user needs in the first place.
So take the specific recommendations here as good starting points, but make sure that your father has some quality time (i.e. more than five minutes) to try to sit in the chair in question and see if it's to his liking. Ask the staff to give a tutorial and recommendations on all adjustments, and go elsewhere if they aren't knowledgeable enough to do this. Have him bring a book, laptop, etc. to really get into working posture. Also, some places will let you try a demo chair for a period (usually for the nicer chair lines) -- if so, take 'em up on it. The last thing you want is to spend money on a good chair just to discover that the honeymoon ended on the showroom floor.
Notice his comment: The Aeron chair has, sadly, been tarnished with a reputation of being extravagant, especially for startups. The Aeron isn't extravagant -- it's wonderful, and people who sit in chairs for most of their lives ought to have a good one. I don't get the people who spend $30K on a car and $100 on a chair and $200 on a bed, when allocating a very small amount of capital from the first to the second two could lead to a dramatically improved quality of life, given how much time one spends wrapped in each. I use similar reasoning when I justify an amazing $70 Customizer over a typical $20 mushy keyboard.
Joel's not the only one with Aeron love, by the way. Check this review from game nerds:
I find that good arm rests are important, especially ones that can be cranked high enough. Most chairs have them too low. Having your arms steadily supported is very effecient in terms of avoiding neck pain.
The human body isn't built to sit in one single position for as long as we try to make it. One chair isn't a solution. I use four. I use a cheap steel folding chair a plain wooden kitchen table chair and a cheap roll around computer chair, and switch between them. Bought the thirst for $30, the other two were laying around. The fourth configuration is the one I can take the longest: a high stool with the keyboard and monitor set up on the counter. The half-standing position remains comfortable two to three times longer than the others (but the others are easier to switch betweem). If I had to stick with one, I'd stick with #4, because I can do it half-standing or completely standing, entirely eliminating the over-sitting discomfort. And yes, I've had some very good, ergonomic and otherwise hyper-comfy chairs to work in. They didn't do any better than my combination arrangement.
Also, get one of the old Jet Blue in-flight pamphlets or other source of "exercise while sitting" instructions. The problem is as much the body trying to stay in the chair as it is the chair itself. This may require setting an alarm for him to remind him to do it on a rough schedule until he gets used to it and sees the benefit.
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
I have a very similar chair that I purchased from Office Depot over 5 years ago for $199 and I love it. It is still in great shape. It is all black with a padded fabric seat and a mesh high back with a head rest and lumbar support. I found one fairly close online, but the price is currently a bit higher at 372.60. The Alera Eon Series:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/529506/Eon-Series-Fabric-Chair-53-x/
Nevermore.
http://www.designboom.com/history/monobloc/03.jpg
No, seriously.
It's quite comfy.
My company asked me to go through an ergonomic assessment. After getting someone to take pictures of myself at my desk, they recommended a keyboard stand (http://www.ultimatebackstore.com/product-exec/product_id/151?cid=11341%5EScooter+Stand%5EFRO) and a Bodybilt chair (http://www.amazon.com/Bodybilt-100053-400-0402-K3507-High-Back/dp/B000C9T40G). The scooter stand helps get the keyboard in the right position (especially difficult if you have a large monitor).
The chair was really expensive (the link is to one with all the bells and whistles), but has proven to really help. FWIW, I upgraded from the Aeron, and find the Bodybilt to be a lot more comfortable.
I agree completely with the post discussing the relative benefits of buying a great desk chair vs. buying an expensive car. My body spends a LOT more time in the chair!
(No affiliation with the stores I linked to.)
In fact, if you needed family time, you were considered a bit suspect, or a whiny little bitch.
But, in those days, we shipped indeed, and our stock price was ever-rising. Back then, you could even tell an under-achiever that they sucked without fear of a lawsuit.
But, Win95 shipped, Exchange shipped, Office shipped, and left a trail of dead or dying competitors in our wake.
Now?
Vista.
Enough said.
Family Friendly hasn't done crap for shareholders, IMHO.
I also like my Stokke very much, though it's just a lowly Variable Balans. Stokke has this general philosphy that humans are not built to stay in one posture for a long time, and their chairs encourage you to move around.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
Look at the Steelcase Leap.
:-)
I've used Aerons before and didn't like them because although they're adjustable, they just let you fine-tune a very rigid static posture.
The Leap is different, because it's designed to move with you. The back is in an 'S' curve that auto adjusts to fit you. Also, if you lean back, the way the seat pan, arms and back work together, your hands stay in exactly the same place. This lets you shift, adjust, and move around while you're working.
It has far fewer knobs and adjustments than an Aeron. It almost seems counter-intutive, but since it allows more dynamic movement, you don't have to adjust as much.
It's expensive, but it's the best chair I've owned, and I've gone through a lot of them. Now that I'm almost 40, I've had to pay more attention to that stuff.
I promise, I'm not a shill, just a satisfied owner, and someone who gets an ironic thrill out of owning a better-designed chair than all the other designers I know who still lust after Aerons.
Love Sacs
No, it's not a damn bean bag (tm). (Shredded foam I think)
Really comfortable; there is some risk that you'll fall asleep in it though. If you get one big enough your kid can sit in it and do homework too.
The chair I am sitting in at the moment: The 'grahl duo-back 12'. I use to fall asleep in it on a regular basis, it feels great to sit on, and even looks special. I paid $800 for mine, and it is worth every penny. I might add, that my company just decided to purchase them for a series of experiments (I'm in research) requiring absolute relaxation in the subject...
Good furniture costs money, so be prepared to fork it over.
I was in the same position about a month ago, I was tired of spending ~300 bucks every 3 years for a new chair.
I decided on a Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Softpad Management chair. Looks good, very comfortable. Comfort improves with age in the same way a baseball mitt does.
Also, 12 year warranty.
A bit south of 2k, but I've seen them on ebay used for around 600ish.
P.S. Any misspellings or faults of grammar you think you detect are mearly transmition errors, and probably your fault a
My favorite chair of all time is a mesh-backed model I got at Office Depot a few years ago, for about $250. I don't remember the model number, but here's a good description.
It has a padded seat and shock-absorbing seatpost, with a height adjustment. The armrests adjust vertically with a simple grip adjuster. The headrest adjusts manually.
The same lever that adjusts the height (in the canonical way) also allows reclining by sliding it out when not under pressure. Reverse the motion to disable reclining.
The spring which resists reclining is adjustable by a knob below the seat.
This chair helped solve my neck problems, and worked a lot better than some out there for 10 times the price.
FWIW, my $0.02
Frodo Lives!!
leather recliner, keyboard on lap, trackball on arm rest. 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. My back feels great.
Decent chairs at a decent price http://www.championseating.com/
I would suggest you take your husband shopping for a chair (no price limit, or a set a limit, whatever you want), but have him try them out. I tried out a bunch of chairs before I decided on one.
I work from home and I tend to sit in unusual ways. For example, I often lean back against one arm with a leg over the other arm. Most of the time, I sit Indian style, leaning forward (a couple decades of this and my back and posture somehow seem fine), with my elbows on the inside of my knees.
So, for me, a soft seat and padded arm rests are crucial. Granted, it's far more likely your husband sits like a normal human being but still, the choice of a chair I think, is important enough that you shouldn't pick it out, he should.
What husband / coder wouldn't love Sux McNutty's Blowjob Chair?
The best computing chair I ever sat in was an ergonomic chair I saw at some conference in 1993 where a split keyboard was placed at the end of both armrests (ie. one half was on the left armrest, and the other half on the right). It was like being One With The Machine -- you just sit down and type.
Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate the name or manufacturer of this chair ever since. Does anyone know of anything like this?
Steelcase THINK chair.
Very few adjustments (just height & tilt). Adjustable-height armrests are available as an option.
We did a bake-off among Herman Miller, Steelcase, and others a few years ago. Steelcase THINK won, somewhat to our surprise at the time. But in a population of 2,000, there were at least a couple of people with **chronic** back trouble for whom the trouble disappeared after a few months.
It was an office environment, including coding, support, and other computer-intensive processes.
I went from Aeron to Leap and haven't looked back.
Obviously, these things are matters of personal preference, but I believe the Aeron largely sacrificed comfort for style. What I think sells people on the Aeron (beyond aesthetic design) is that it actually is quite comfortable for the short term, but I found that 8-10 hours/day started to give me serious upper back pain.
The Leap I believe will fit many more people comfortably for long-term sitting/coding, and do so in only one size, as opposed to the Aeron's 3 options.
What I do miss is the mesh seat/back which provides excellent breatheability. This is in a home-office setting where full-on A/C isn't used like your average cube-filled office. In those situations, I feel the mesh vs. padded cloth is a non-issue unless you fall into the sweaty hambeast category.
The good news is that the options for sub-$700 quality ergonomic chairs are ever expanding. Go try several and see what you like best. Don't be deterred by the high prices or the thought of resale losses; its worth the price for your health/comfort/productivity and ebay or craigslist have thriving resale markets for such items. In my area there is a Target Commercial Interiors store that had many decent chairs (though I think no Herman Miller), as well as a number of local retailers that were more interested in the office park clientele but didn't turn away my business. Some of the local stores also have decent used stuff for sale at about 1/8th the new price.
I found the Ergon 3 to be a *much* more comfortable chair, especially if you're a bigger person. I bought mine while working on a long-standing consulting job. It made finishing that job so much easier... Well worth the money. (~$800)
Win95 and early versions of Exchange and Office are nothing to be proud of. It's good that you had a good sense to not mention Windows 98 and Me as a shining example of solid engineering.
Now the current versions of Exchange, SQL, Server, IIS, Office, dev tools - I think Microsoft can be proud of that. Vista is a management fuck up, IC's have nothing to do with it being a pile of crap.
Grahl makes good chairs -
http://www.ergochairs.com/grahl.htm
A few years ago I searched and personally tried many chairs including Aeron and Freedom, and I currently use an Aeron at work. My continued favorite is the Obus Forme High Back chair. It's special sauce is the flexible back that moves with you in a very natural way as you work ... it both supports you and allows rather free movement. I had to give mine up when I changed jobs, and I miss it every day.
Here's one of many vendors for the model:
http://www.moreofficechairs.com/Common/Product/Product.aspx?ID=4842&Src=NexTag&SrcID=64952
I second the comment that you man should try out the choice BEFORE you surprise him since chairs are notoriously personal tastes.
I'm going to make my work buy one today.
This is embarrassing, but two years ago I had surgery on my butt. I can't remember the name of the condition, but it has generally been reserved for truckdrivers. Basically what happens is a hair in your crack becomes ingrown because you sweat (I live in a sub-tropical environment and at the time, wasn't wearing 100% cotton underwear), and sitting down all day the hair grows inward. Long story short, you go to *extreme* pain very quickly and hence I had a lot of morphine (which is good) and a general anesthetic and surgery to remove about 60ml of pus (which was bad). I had an additional hole in my arse about the size of my fist (poor choice, perhaps a tennis ball).
The next worst thing was the healing process. You have to regularly wash the wound out three times daily to prevent the condition occurring again until the wound completely heals. That takes about 4 months! I'm stoked that my partner is a nurse, but it's not really all as glamorous as it sounds.
You do not want this condition! Wear 100% cotton underwear, pants that breath, and a chair that does not allow you to lean back. (Found the condition - pilonidal cyst - beware the gross pictures)
.
I use a ThatSit By a company called Varier. here is a link http://www.varierfurniture.com/default.aspx?menu=691 This chair is the best chair I have ever used. I can sit in this thing all day. It provides good back support and promotes good posture. It also provides a comfortable place for my legs. Normal chairs always leave my legs shifting this way and that way or worse, using the computer tower case as a foot rest. This chair adjusts to my posture by rocking forward when I am typing (like now). The only drawback is that it makes me move forward a bit too much. the solution to this is to move the seat forward so that you rest your stomach against the desk, then it works great. It was tough to get one in the US a couple of years ago, but now I think it is easier. Another drawback, they cost $1100.00
Resellerratings says to avoid that store.
But, they don't have many reviews, so they might just not be very popular.
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
http://www.officeorganix.com/Salisaddle1.htm
If you want to get him something really special, find an ergonomics specialist locally and have them consult with your husband to find a perfect solution. I do this work locally and it involves stuff like measuring the distance from your elbows to the ground, adjusting working surface heights, and suggesting things like footrests (I have one and it's really helped my lower back). I find the choice of chair to be relatively unimportant as long as you're comfortable. I have one client that uses an old wooden roller chair. Another with a fancy-dancy Aeron. (I had one and got rid of it. I found it impossible to be comfortable in.) I use either an old Hon chair with or without arms depending on which one the cats have occupied. It really does not matter as long as your workspace is organized so you're not all torqued around while working or leaning on your elbows all day or...
We prefer chairs which are lightweight and easy to throw.
Seriously, when it comes to the comfort of your rear end can you really put a price at the bottom[sic] of your list? My chair cost less than $400 but look what you can get for 65k
I'm just here for the sigs
For the initiated, it conjures up properties specific to that stage of life; by 10-month-old, I understand a crawler who, while rejoicing in new-found mobility, hasn't developed the neural pathways to understand the dangers of fire or gravity.
For the uninitiated, it's meaningless detail; you're like a layman trying to parse the epithet to my kernel: Linux hot 2.6.23.1-42.fc8 #1 SMP ...
John Lewis do a fairly cheap "Strap Chair" (http://www.johnlewis.com/230199708/Product.aspx) that's pretty comfortable over longer periods. It's only adjustable up and down, but the straps keep you cool and there is descent lumbar support.
For £80 it's hard to beat I think.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
1) Few chairs, other than the highly adjustable ones, have armrests that come up high enough to keep me from having to slouch over so my arms are fully on the armrest (novel idea I know). I'm tall though not a giant. When sitting upright in a chair, back straight, arms down on the armrests most of the fancy chairs I've found don't come up high enough to let me arms relax at a comfortable 90 degrees. Most are short so that only my wrists hit the armrests. This usually means that the are short enough overall that I'll have to hold my forearms up with my arms and back to maintain a comfortable keyboard position.
Most armrests aren't long enough. They tend to fall far short of my wrists unless I either recline in the chair or pull my elbows way back like I'm on the bench press. Of course they need to be adjustable so that they don't stick forward too far to keep one from rolling up to a desk or keyboard tray.
The armrest isn't soft enough or something. I have a painful problem with my forearms just forward of my elbows. Between the 2 bones at my elbow on the forearm side is a fairly sensitive spot. It's one of those "funny bone" spots that aren't all that damn funny. It's very sensitive on me. The armrests on the chair I'm in now stop right about that point, causing me to press down on that spot with the sensitive nerve endings. I need an armrest that can counteract that horribly sensitive spot caused by the awkward position, height, armrest length and armrest material.
The seat material isn't thick enough to support my weight. I'm not a huge guy but I am 6'1" 240lbs (and falling hopefully). My weight in some chairs is enough to compress the seating material so much that you're essentially sitting on the hard plastic or understructure of the chair. I need something firmer but comfortable. I've never tried mesh.
I'm 6'1". I find myself leaning forward slightly at the neck to balance my head on my shoulders. My back isn't straight up and down and inclines to the rear so it has to balance or use more muscles holding itself back at an angle. I can't for the life of me find an affordable high-backed chair. Ideally it would have some sort of adjustment or small pad/pillow that can be added or removed easily for sitting upright (with neck support) or kicking back to let my neck straighten out. I'm worried about leaning my head forward and the long-term implications of developing a hump in my upper back or crook in my neck.
I went to OfficeMax a while back to look at their chairs. They only had 1 high-backed chair. It was a house-branded chair and was very tall. The back though had this funky attempt at lumbar support that was very uncomfortable. The armrests were too low. They were also too short. It did feel fairly well-built otherwise. Overall it was unusable. The next tallest was a Broyhill. It didn't have a high-back but it was the tallest of the short-backed models. The arms weren't adjustable but they did extend out far enough. I didn't end up buying anything. The only pro about the whole trip was the OfficeConnect card my father got at work. His employer negotiated a discount with OfficeMax that the employees get as a benefit. It cut down most office supplies by about 75%. Electronics don't have as much markup so the discount wasn't nearly as high there (I bought a new cordless mouse and an external HD). Printer cartridges have a big markup though so they might be cheaper. The chairs were cut down by at least 50%. Best of all the "card" is a xerox copy that isn't authenticated at the counter. My mother (a teacher) uses it when she buys supplies for schools because the discount is so much better than what OfficeMax gives schools (which is only a couple percentage points off, cheap ass bastards).
So if anyone has any suggestions on finding a decent chair that fits my needs I would love to hear it. I don't mind spending good money for a chair if I'm confident that it will last.
...from their "Sverigesstolen" series, callede Be-Ge 9080. You can sit in it for straight 12 hours without any problems. Be-Ge's english site.
You will however pay some serious money for it... I've paid over USD 1000 for mine (no that is no error, that is one thousand US dollars).
Developers and testers can live with their pride or morals uncompromised.
Back in January of last year I started having back pains when sitting at the computer. Slowly got worse then one day the pain was so bad I wound up going to the hospital. I was diagnosed with several herniated discs, had to have an injection in my spine to reduce the pain and went to physical therapy for a month.
Besides frequent stretching, the physical therapist recommended a kneeling chair. It's been a life-saver. Sitting in a regular chair for a few hours causes me pain, but most days I can sit in the kneeling chair without any problems. I bought one for home and one for work.
The funny thing is I always worried about getting carpal tunnel from extensive computer use, but I never once worried about the long-term effects on my back. Unfortunately I learned that lesson the hard way. Even with exercises and a good chair, the pain still comes back. When I'm on the train to work, I have to put a rolled up towel behind my lower back to prevent pain. I had to do a few more weeks of physical therapy earlier this year. When I moved to a new home in April, I had to let friends and family carry heavy furniture while I stuck with lighter boxes. I've had to take my time unpacking too.
I'm only 30 now. What's it going to be like when I'm 40 or 50?
To all my fellow geeks out there, take care of your backs! Stand up, stretch and use a good chair. It doesn't have to cost $1000, but even a few extra hundred dollars to save you from a lifetime of pain is well worth it. I imagine if I at least had used a kneeling chair (which only cost me $100) for the past 10 years, my back would be a in a lot better shape than it is today. If I hadn't started using one, I would either have to work standing up, or lying in bed. I can't recommend them enough.
I use the Ekornes Stressless lounge chair in my home office:
http://new.ekornes.com/us/stressless/stressless_recliners/
I've slightly lowered my desk by 3" from standard desk height so that my 30" monitor is at the proper ergonomic height. I use a MS wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is in my lap, which is the best ergonomic position for a keyboard, and the mouse is on an adjustable platform attached to the armrest (also sold by Ekornes).
I find this setup to be much more comfortable for long-duration programming than any of the Aeron or other office chair setups I've used before. The Stressless is quite a bit more expensive than those chairs, but you can often find them second hand for much less.
Our chair technology is light-years ahead of yours.
I've used Aerons and all the other famous ones and ended up buying a wooden office chair from (I guess) the thirties.
What makes it work so well? A few things. First of all, the proportions are right. Add me to the list of folks who say that the chair MUST match the person using it. And to the list saying that the adjustments on an Aeron reliably slip.
Secondly, and this is huge, it has a "defective" seat post that is "all wobbly". The join between the vertical threaded rod that holds the chair up and the metal frame beneath it is loose. This forces me to push back a bit and to keep adjusting my lower back. This gives me all the advantages of one of those ball dealies while still having good armrests, a backrest, and all the comforts of a proper chair.
Thirdly, due to an injury from a few years back, I need to keep my legs elevated, which helps me press back against the chair. What is my legrest? One of those big plastic shipping crates with the folding tops. My experience has been that it's all about height and (hard for those of you in offices) circulation. So in addition to my legrest, I never wear shoes while I'm working.
Lastly, my chair, like all good old wooden ones, has a "waterfall" front, which slopes down and doesn't press again the back of my knees. This, too is crucial.
I had back trouble for years but the combination of this chair, a good leg rest, and a desk setup that keep my screen elevated and my keyboard and mouse not too high seems to have fixed it.
It's all about the information. And what we do with it.
I prefer to use a wooden banker's chair. it's solid and does not lean back or wiggle. I sit in it naturally and comfortably for hours.
the stupid office chairs they give us at work just kills my shoulders and back. I even hate those aereon chairs (I borrowed one for 3 days).
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
If your husband is not severely overweight, and has had issues with his back then the Capisco chair may be what he wants: http://www.hag.no/hag_us.nsf/pages/hag_capisco_8107
The saddle-shaped seat and the weird shaped back allows many sitting positions. It is comfortable for up to 20 minutes after which you invariably change position. The only complaints I have heard about is that it is not ideal if you like to fold one of your legs up on the seat (some people do) or if you're wearing a skirt (which I assume isn't a problem for your husband). You can order it with and extended lift if he likes to sit almost standing up at a height-adjustable desk.
Come to think of it: maybe a height-adjustable desk would be better?
That's my choice.
https://store.steelcase.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=4535331DP
I'll strongly second the Swopper notion! Check out reviews
I tried one out a couple of years ago and have been saving up for one ever since. For the moment, I use a very large exercise ball, and here's why:
It allows me to keep my feet in front of me (roughly hip-width), with my knees below my hips. This, in turn, forces my core to engage due to a slightly unstable environment. Sitting just slightly on the front of the ball keeps my pelvis, lower vertebrae, etc, at the correct angles for sitting. If you're into cycling, you've probably heard the phrase, "Ducktail, not tuck tail." This applies for any situation in which you're sitting for long periods of time. The Swopper uses the same principles of proper pelvis angle (rounded seat) and slightly unstable base (adjustable, swiveling mono-shock).
Chairs - and especially car seats - are not made for proper sitting. They encourage the tucking of the pelvis and unnecessary flexion of the hip flexors, as you're knees are typically sitting level with, or higher than, your hips. And doing anything in one fixed position for long periods of time is not going to be good for you. Chairs are fixed. The exercise balls and Swoppers keep you in a slightly more dynamic sitting situation, so specific muscles don't become fatigued or atrophied quite as quickly. You should take breaks often, regardless.
After spending most of my adult life sitting in front of a computer, I started doing a regular mix of Feldenkrais, Laban, Pilates, and Yoga with a personal trainer. For over three years, we've been re-teaching my body how to sit properly. Sitting in most chairs made for humans goes almost entirely against the grain of how our animal bodies are built. If you're not at all inclined to have your body do some work as you're sitting for hours at a time, you have to deal with those consequences when you're not sitting. One way or another, your body and nervous system have to contend with hours of sitting. You can make it a lot easier on yourself by sitting correctly and challenging your body to mix up the routine a little bit. Core strength is a big help.
oO0Oo
I used to have one of those kneeling chairs back in the 80's. It gave me knee problems!!!! I ended up smashing the thing to smithereens and throwing it in the dumpster.
I have an Aeron at home, but I prefer the Mirra chairs that my lab has. As an earlier poster mentioned, I find that my B-size Aeron chair puts too much pressure just behind my knees. My Mirra chair at work is actually more adjustable. I also think that the lumbar support is better than either my original Aeron or the posture-fit on the new ones. It is not a elegant as the Aeron (it uses a lot of plastic), but it costs a little less and for me is more comfortable.
Note: if you wear pants with buttons on the back pockets, spring for the padded back.
They are cheaper than the aeron and the flexible back is quite nice. I'm quite tall and I always found the frame around the back of the Aeron to be just a bit too small and uncomfortable.
All posers bow down to me. For I have found the ultimate in code reclining comfort.
Behold - The Verte'
http://anthro.com/cpage.aspx?pid=220
Screw "desk chairs".
Get a beanbag and a laptop. Maybe with a lap-desk. Then you can recline (the best angle for your back is 35 from the ground, or 145 from the top of your legs).
Chair-chairs aren't likely to fit EXACTLY right.....
The 4400 Bear.
http://www.nightingalechairs.com/html/bear/bear_home.html
The pictures don't make it look like much, but it is the only chair that has ever made me GLAD to come in to work Monday morning, because I know how comfortable my back will be. I bought one for my home, I'm 6 ft, 200 lbs and the medium "Momma" size works great. After three years of sometimes vigorous use, and frequent 12 hour days sitting at all angles it hasn't so much as needed a tune-up.
Highly recommended.
Zwello has all Herman Miller stuff on sale.
http://zwello.com/aeron.html
I have worked with them before, so maybe this is a Slashvertisement, but I think its relevant to this thread. The Aeron chair is the ultimate IMHO.
I totally agree that paying for a good chair is totally worth it. Just like I coughed up for a great LCD monitor, at the time I thought it was expensive but then realized that since I spend all day in front of a computer, why not invest in making every day a bit easier?
FWIW I love that chair, and Zwello. After switching to stylish living I have not regrets about the investment.
I chose the Steelcase Think chair. Similar in some respects to the Aeron chair, but less expensive. I love that chair.
As long as the spine is vertical, there can be no perfect chair.
If spine health is a concern, a recline position is very much indicated. 45 degrees angle should be fine, but more is better.
The Aeron chair has lots of wonderful things about it, I used one for many years. However, the biggest problem it has is the plastic ridge that suspends the mesh that you sit on. That plastic strip is what your thighs will rest on and I found that it reduced blood circulation because it was such a sharp line moving from the soft, comfy mesh to the hard, plastic rim. After my Aeron died, I picked up a Steelcase Think chair and I love it. Very comfy.
I sat in an Aeron chair for about 3 years and it was a nice chair but it pinched my hamstrings just above the kneecaps because the mesh was so soft that the frame was cutting into the back of my leg. This is back when I weighed 140 lbs.
I have a think chair from steelcase. It's da bomb. I'm not sure how much they are retail but I got mine for about $400. It's very comfortable and multi adjustable. They are also fairly green materials-wise. I'd highly recommend it.
The leap chair is a nicer one they have (i think it's nicer anyway). They have some cool chairs.
The walking is probably better on the knees though. That's what Rumsfeld did when he was still employed by the US Government.
Personally, though, I've put up with plenty of days of literally being on my feet for 10 or 12 hours, with the only breaks being a half-hour for lunch and two 15-minute breaks. I could have spent more money on better shoes, sure, but that money was better spent to put me through school. And I doubt many dress shoes are constructed with those types of conditions in mind.
One that cannot be picked up and thrown maybe?
//Nothing to see here, please move along.
http://www.steelcase.com/na/think_products.aspx?f=11845 http://www.steelcase.com/na/amia_products.aspx?f=24934 the Aeron is ugly. i ordered a Think today actually. friend raved about it.
My wife and I both have Steelcase "Think" chairs. (http://steelcase.com/na/think_products.aspx?f=11845) They are about as adjustable as an Aeron, more comfortable (at least in my opinion), and a little bit cheaper. (If I remember correctly - we got ours at a substantial discount, but I think they list around $750.) Also, for the environmentally minded, they are designed to be disassembled and all of the pieces reused or recycled. I highly recommend it. It is easily the best chair that I have ever sat in.
Other suggestions... The Aeron is of course always popular. Herman Miller also sells a couple of less expensive but slightly less infinitely adjustable chairs that are worth looking into. I looked at a Celle before I got my Steelcase, and I liked it, but I couldn't seem to get it adjusted quite right for my body. The guy at the store said he got that a lot from taller customers, and unlike the Aeron, it doesn't come in different sizes. If you're under 6' or so, and you like the Aeron but don't want to spend the money , check out the Celle. I think the Mirra is another less expensive option, but I didn't care for it as much. The guy at the store we were at said that for whatever reason, he noticed that males tend to prefer the Celle, while females tend to prefer the Mirra.
Regarding exercise balls and kneeling chairs, I know people have a variety of opinions on them, but the general consensus I've heard from people who actually study ergonomics is that they are not a good idea if you typically spend more than an hour or so at a time sitting at your desk. Their main selling point becomes their biggest drawback after you've been sitting for a while - you're basically constantly working your back muscles. From an ergonomic standpoint, you ideally want to be taking the strain off those muscles as much as possible while still keeping your neck and back in a natural position. If you want to get an exercise ball in addition to a regular chair and sit on it for an hour or two a day, that is probably a better option than sitting on a ball all the time. For the original poster in the article, I would avoid going this route unless your husband has explicitly expressed interest in one.
If I don't put anything here, will anyone recognize me anymore?
Sometimes known as the Air-chair, the Aeron Chair is the most comfortable, long lasting sling, thingy I've ever sat it. Best of all, it lets all the breezes pass right through it! My junk has never breathed so well while parked in a seat!
The Aeron[0] chair is great, but pretty expensive. I have two of them and they were worth the $800 but the pellicle-mesh fabric is a bit slippery...from the factory anyway. I also like the Office Depot Quantum chair[1]. Beware the seat doesn't recline though, just the back of the chair does. For $300 bucks it's a nice mesh chair.
[0] - http://images.google.com/images?&q=herman+miller+aeron
[1] - http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/510830/Realspace-Quantum-Recycled-Mesh-Task-Chair/;jsessionid=blah
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
link
It's adjustable to your preferences and allows different postures while you are coding.
At the engineering company I work for we have ergoGenesis chairs in our computer lab area. Very adjustable. And they squeak very little if at all compared to my chair at home.
I've used the Aeron, and I like my Mirra just as much. The only way I'd get an Aeron right now is if I were very tall/short (thus making the sizing thing worthwhile) -- for 90% of us, the Mirra works just fine and it significantly less expensive.
What the parent poster said, by the way? Completely dead-on. There are two bits of furniture you shouldn't skimp on, and they're your bed and your office chair.
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
For obvious reasons.
If you are an apple fan, choose a shiny steel chair, preferably in white, that can be plugged in to play music. No, I didn't mean an electrical chair.
If, on the other hand, you like Microsoft, then just choose a light-weight cheap plastic chair that can be thrown to the wall relatively easily.
I am a Business Analyst that performs far more coding than I would like. This results in me sitting on my arse for the better part of a work day. I was also injured in a motorcycle accident and have a spinal fusion + various other infirmities. If these chairs are comfortable for me, they will definitely fit your Dad's needs. Pros: Custom Made Perfection. Cons: Expensive $1000+ for the high end.
edit: Just saw that somebody else also pointed out these chairs: see www.stokke.com
Stokke chairs are often designed by Peter Opsvik (Norway i beleive) and feature balance tricks that make one sit up.
There are permutations available. This is one:
http://www.franssenwonen.nl/show_popup.php?file=aktiefotos/groot_stokke6.jpg
It doesn't make your back tired, because the chair always finds the middle. It does make one sit up correct though. Its costly but i'd certainly get one if i wasn't a student.
In the Netherlands i have seen several medic related professionals use it their selves.
--
On another note, i'm over 2m tall. Specific advices? My lower back is already killing me from "hanging" in chairs as if they are sofa's.
Hivemind harvest in progress..
I like to stand while I work, so I've got an elbow-height work surface and a monitor arm. You might consider putting your money into that. QuantumRiff describes what sounds to me like a Balans chair. These are great, but beware of cheap knockoffs that don't rock to allow you to balance your spine over your pelvis. At home I like to sit on the floor, so I've got a wireless keyboard and a monitor arm.
Bottom line: variety.
I'm writing this from my 7-year-old Aeron, and it's oh so comfortable. I'm frankly surprised, not at the comfort, but that the mesh fabric has held up. I thought for sure that it would wear out in a couple of years, but it's as good as it was when the chair was new, and at 6'1" and 200 lbs, I'm no lightweight. Man, I love this thing. The golden age to buy an Aeron was back when the dot-coms were going belly up and selling off the furniture, but the current economic downturn might offer new opportunities, so shop around.
is a nice soft one without hard edges or any real weight, but then again I work at Microsoft....
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
Parent shop talk is a good way to describe it. If I tell you I don't have a problem with my son playing GTA IV if he wants to, you may view that differently if I said 'my fifteen-year-old' versus 'my five-year-old'. :-)
Got mine for Christmas from hubby after doing tons of research. Love it and about 1/2 the price of an Aeron. Still pricey, though -
http://www.ergohuman.com/
Best price we found was here -
http://www.1officefurnituremall.com/eurotech-ergohuman-chairs.htm
Hope that helps...
Sincerely,
Anon Coward : )
I worked as a test engineer on a defense contractor's manufacturing floor. They were setting up a new line so I had to write code while standing at one of there testing consoles. I'm in good shape, but I still was hurting from it after a few hours.
I finally could no longer stand the elcheapo task chair (you know the one - the $20 walmart special that's typically marketed as a student desk chair with about 3/8" worth of padding in it) which the back broke on about a year ago and is uncomfortable to sit in for more than a few minutes. I was spending more time leaning on the desk or hunched over and my wife's comments on my posture increased as the time I've spent coding (rather than goofing off and browsing /.) increased. So I've spent the past few weeks looking into getting a new chair myself and lucked out on finding a really nice one cheap.
One of my issues in finding a chair was that I wanted to actually sit in it before I shelled out the cash for good chair. I definitely wanted one that had a decent recline to it and that would do so easily. Being 5'8" and ~130# I've come across alot of chairs that no matter the adjustment just don't want to lean back, much less stay there, with such little weight. If money wasn't an issue I would have probably gone with just ordering the HumanScale Liberty or maybe one of those zero-gravity setups.
The wife and I went on a search one day and our first stop was the local Office Depot. After she reminded me that we were looking for a chair and dragged me from looking at all the other cool toys between the entrance and the furniture area, I checked out a couple chairs and found a ErgoHuman ME7ERG floor display on clearance for a little less than $250. Looked like they were stocking a newer model now. *She* didn't want to get out of this chair and I love it.
I couldn't pass up that deal on $600 chair, especially since it wasn't a beat up floor display, was already assembled, and looked like it had just been setup.
Of course I didn't RTFA... why would I do that? You really are new here aren't you? Don't let my UID fool you.
I'd kill for one of those chairs!
You can't simply go out and buy a good chair for your hubby. The definition of "a good chair" is fuzzy, because everybody is different, and different people like different chairs. SO... give your hubby a nice card that says you'll buy him the chair of his choice. He gets to go out and try chairs until he finds the one HE wants, and you pay for it.
Your husband is your father? o_O ;)
Heh... I'm assuming this is the gift "from the kids" that you "put money towards"
Homonyms are fun!
You're driving your car, but they're riding their bikes there.
I just got an Aeron and I don't think it's all that. Sure I sit in in all day but really I think something like this http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id=157
or this
http://www.haworth.com/Brix?pageID=169&product_sakey=66&category=111
and I have this at the house and I love to sit in it for hours. It encourages me to take a break every hour or so...
https://www.virco.com/b2c_virco/b2c/init.do
I have owned two Steelcase Leap chairs now for 4 years and I can tell you it is the most comfortable chair to sit in for many hours at a time. I even have one I bought for work as they are unbelievably perfect for me as I have lower back issues as well.
**lol**
BodyBilt makes the most ergonomic chairs I've ever seen. They're rather pricey, but I developed terrible carpal tunnel syndrome and back problems more than a decade ago. I thought I was going to have to go on disability, but a BodyBilt chair with "linear tracking arms" and a Kinesis Contour Keyboard completely saved my ass. They brought about a near complete recovery, and I've had few problems since.
If it were up to me, these chairs and keyboards would be legally mandated equipment!
|>oug
I was lucky enough to get a LEAP chair at work.. and a year later, I went out an bought one for my home office (I work from home 2-3 days a week now). For me, it gives more solid support than an Aeron, has all the adjustments I need, and is just a solid, comfortable chair for long days in front of a computer. Highly recommended.
Since I had kids that developed in me spontaneously.
You're a virgin mother?
Yours Sincerely, Michael.
I recommend one of these: http://www.novelquest.com/emperor.html
Looks pretty damn productive if you ask me!
Aikon-
http://www.interage.com/images/chair01.jpg
Came from a Nissan Turbo ZX that had been t-boned. Saw it on the wrecker, and followed him to the junkyard. Got the pair for 50 bucks, and THEY took 'em out.
Been using this one as an office chair for over a decade, and it's been great for my back. (Though I can say that the padding under the butt has seen better days.)
When I first sat in it, I told my wife, "I want this". It's leather, high back, and it leans back nicely. I wish I had one at work.
Not to poke fun as I'm sure it was very painful and unpleasant -- something I wouldn't wish on my worst enema (er. enemy -- sorry for the typo) -- but for the love of FSM, what where you telling yourself when this thing was say, golf ball sized?
I'm going to leave the questions about just what kind of plastic underwear you had picked as the most comfortable of programming gear aside for the time being.
This thing had to have somehow entered your mind as potentially problematic somewhere before it reached the size of say...a cherry tomato, yes?
I mean, at what point while showering or wiping your ass or getting dressed or whatever did you fail to say "Hey, that's not another ass cheek growing there is it?"
I showed this to a friend of mine (the story, thankfully without pictures) who's reaction was to suggest that if you were really smart you'd now find a way to sue the chair manufacturer.
I wish you better health and less pain - seriously, I hope this never every happens to you or anyone else again.
Now excuse me while I go watch a pig get slaughtered or click on a rickroll link just to get that image out of my head.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln
You are looking for a **really comfortable** chair that will work with his desk. This limits your options to a chairs fit "the desk".
I suggest you look for a **really comfortable** chair like a "lazyboy", then find ways so you can bring his keyboard and mouse onto that chair. Maybe get a platform that straddles the arm rests of the chair, just make sure it has enough room for the keyboard, the mouse, a cup of coffee, a phone, and the remote for the radio/tv.
Please send a pic when you finally find "the dream chair for coders/slashdotters"
no sig = no personality(?)
One of the main attributes I check in an office chair is whether it has armrests. Most people seem to love them, but I hate them. So before you go buy him a chair as a surprise, find out his thoughts on the matter. One thing I found while sitting in every chair at Office Max several years ago is that the ones my dad really liked were the same ones that hurt me as soon as I sat down in them. So whatever you think is supremely comfortable may be his worst nightmare. If you don't mind ruining the surprise, have him pick out the chair himself.
This post grabbed my attention, I am needing a chair too. I currently use an outdoor lawn chair, starting to rust, with a cooler type cover over the broken straps that once held my ass. The moment of broken strap left me in awkward position....
Listening to Nick Cave's Mercy Seat as I read this topic. I don't *think* it's related.
Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious
Funny this question comes up, just went to a tractor dealer the other day. In the waiting area for service they have a row of old *barber chairs*. They are real comfy and adjustable, and they look sort of retro cool as well and I was thinking what a spiffy computer desk chair they could be.
I got rid of my cheap chair and got a Herman Miller Mirra. It is not as fancy as the Aeron, but it has all the adjustments I need, is very comfortable and is a few hundred dollars less.
The arms go up and down, in and out and pivot. The front lip of the seat is adjustable to make the seat deeper or shallower. Height of course. The recline has three stop settings from very upright to nearly nap with adjustable tension. There are two tilt settings. Lastly, the lumbar support can be positioned vertically and the tension adjusted.
My back used to hurt all of the time, now, not so much. I got mine with the upholstered back. I tried both at the dealer and it just felt a little better.
Neither the Mirra or the Aeron has a headrest. The chairs I saw with headrests that I liked, were in the $1500-$3000 range. Too much for me.
Then again, if your parents are referring to you as "our 432-month old", it all begins to make sense...
http://www.formway.com/Products/Life.html -- this is the Ubuntu of chairs...
Microsoft is a Public Entity, with responsibilities EXCLUSIVE to its shareholders.
Workers wishing for more cushy conditions can go work at Borland. Oh wait, uh, Ashton Tate. Oops, uh, Word Perfect Corp. Oh no, uh Lotus?
I kinda like Camaro seats so I wrenched my own out of the local pick-ur-parts for $35. 'Mounted on old office chair carriage (the ones with 5 legs/wheels and adjustable vertical) and voila!
Capisco, 'nuff said.
Review: http://www.allartburns.org/2006/10/07/a-year-with-a-hag-capisco/You're gonna have to explain why this chair costs so much... I see nothing on it that I don't have on my $50 Wal-Mart chair.
What's comfortable depends so much on the person that the best thing to do is take him chair shopping and have him pick the one he likes best. For me, the Aeron is tops. I like it better than anything, even the LEAP chair. But my wife finds Aerons totally uncomfortable and likes a regular secretary's "task chair" better than anything.
My old boss had a fake Aeron chair that was also pretty comfortable, although not as good as a real one.
Haworth Zody is the one I have used for a couple years. Great Chair.
I have a Sensor at work and a Leap at home. I'd have bought a Sensor for home too, but they're hard to come by outside of corporate accounts. As it happens I probably like the Leap a little more overall. It's overengineered and overpriced but pretty much the best thing on the market. I find all the Herman Miller stuff to be cheap plasticy junk and the Humanscale Freedom chair is waay overengineered and basically does wrong things for the sitting.
I hear you skinny.
A friend is an independent Volvo mechanic.
He has 3 very comfortable computer chairs built from Volvo seats.
1000 SlashDot sigs
If you're not tall, this may not work as well, but being somewhat tall, around 6', I've found that kneeling at the desk can be just as good as sitting on a chair - the downsides are it wears the knees on my pants and the stress on my knees. I've often thought that if I had something to kneel into, that would be great... except when I wanted to have a siesta at my desk ;)
So far as chairs go, the absolute best office chair I've ever sat in was in another office and I've never been able to find out who made them.
What made them so good?
The back is not a single piece, rather 2 or 3 pieces, such that when you lean back, the pieces can move with your back - if you arch your back backwards, the curve you make does not fit any normal chairs upright position. Find a chair that bends in all the right places so that it can provide you the right support as you lean and you've found a chair designed by someone smart. Oh, it was a light weight chair, not leather, didn't have lots of cushions but it didn't need them (I suspect if you've obese the story may be different.) It was extremely comfortable and you always felt like you had the right support.
I bought a Herman Miller Aeron a few years ago, however I've found that a $25 folding chair with fabric-padded seat from OfficeMax is actually more comfortable for long sessions. It just forces you to have good posture. I know it sounds kinda dumb that a cheepo chair could be better than the fancy expensive ones, but I've used one of these fold up chairs as my primary work chair for 3.5 years now without any back issue. Love it. The only problem is that I have to replace it about every two years as the feet (the plastic cap on the end of the metal tube which is the leg of the chair) wear out over time. One of our other engineers mentioned that he also prefers these fold up chairs over the fancy ones.
http://www.officemax.com/omax/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=20169639&searchString=&category_Id=25
Just do some deadlifts and your back won't hurt anymore. I recently started lifting weights again and my back problems literally went away after one two days of lifting.
Personally I've been lusting after a Neutral Posture 9000 with memory foam. If I had $900 to spend on a chair, this would be it.
That said, my 13-year-old Office Master is still in pretty good shape and has always been very comfortable -- actually therapeutic for my back.
Your god may be dead, but mine aren't!
I've been using a pilates ball for several months. Got used to it immediately, and it really does make a difference. Found it online for $10 (discontinued model). Beats the cost of a hifalutin' ergo chair.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
You shouldn't have asked slashdot but should have asked the Spanish Inquisition!
Seriously! It took me ages to realize that my hacking-related back problems had more to do with me slouching in the chair than with the chair itself (I'm too gangly to really fit any chair I've found). So I got a universal replacement seat belt at Pep Boys, drilled a couple of holes in my chair and bolted it on. Works great! Way less back trouble. Just a thought.
http://www.novelquest.com/about.html
Do they have a pre-release of the emperor chair... or are they playing "mindball"?
How about that neat new beanbag-thing sumo just let out? It's about the size of a football-pitch.
I *was* going to say "One word: Stokke", but it turns out I'm having trouble finding the line on Google. Just 'stokke' points you towards some children's furniture line which looks related, but no trace.
:-)
After some more googling, I conclude that they've changed names (or owners?), and they're now known as Varier.
The Thatsit Variable is a very good chair to work in, had one at a previous job and it did wonders.
The Balans I haven't tried yet but I so want one
What a depressingly stupid machine.
http://www.novelquest.com/emperor.html - for release July 2008. And yes, I know, they also have a product called Mindball :) Don't mind me, just balling it all up in a one post.
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
If your husband is just coding with a laptop, or has a particularly low desk, then I would *strongly* recommend the Sac by Sumo (http://www.sumolounge.com/sumosac.php). I just got one recently, and it is one of the most comfortable things I have ever sat on (certainly more comfortable than the Aeron chair). It deforms when one sits on it to provide sufficient back support, so one can sit reasonably upright on it. The only problem with it is that it is only 3ft high, so if one must work at a desk, then it's not really a viable option.
I would strongly suggest Hag H09 Classic. I do have injury of spinal cord (spinal disc herniation, "slipped disc"). This chair helped me to get back to office.
I don't know what's this chair called in English, but it really helps keeping the back pain away link.
If you fart while sitting on one, you will quickly discover there is no seat cushion to absorb the smell.
If OP really has married her father then finding the right chair is the least of her problems.
Ikea piece of plastic
It is so uncomfortable, that I have to change typing position a lot. And I have to get up and walk around for awhile when I cannot feel my posterior any more.
I had proper office chair before, but my back was always hurting. Not so anymore - no back pains whatsoever. Uncomfortable is comfortable!
I know this is not my wife, since I don't even think she knows that slashdot exists. I do have a 10 month old, and a 5 year old. Anyway, here is my vote for the chair I want:
http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=11-833%7CLevel=2-3%7Cpageid=5973%7CLink=Img&cm_re=1.0-_-Products-_-Bomber%20Jacket%20Desk%20Chair%20w/%20Neck%20Support
You can probably buy those plastic caps at $DIY_STORE.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
I've had this chair for 5 years now and would buy another one in a New York Minute. http://www.humanscale.com/products/seating.cfm
I used to suffer terrible back problems while sitting in the cheapo office chairs at work and finally went shopping for my own.
This beat out the Aeron because the Aeron is not nearly as adjustable. The Freedom requires no fiddling with levers, etc. as its fully cantilevered: It adjusts based on your own body weight and position. One of the best features is that the armrest height can be adjusted instantly, so, for coding, if you feel like sucking right up under the desk, you can. Push back and grab the armrests back up, instantly. They just stay there.
You stay comfortable because the chair is always adjusted to how you feel like sitting at the time instead of some engineers idea of the Perfect Sitting Posture (TM).
10 out of 10 in my mind. But buy from an office furniture store and pay ~$700. Buy at some online places which claim to be 'for less' and it can by $999!! Buyer beware.
History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes quite often. -- Mark Twain
Office furniture design has much more to do with corporate power structures than ergonomics.
;)
Seriously, why is everyone still sitting at a desk? Desktop PC's are dead. Laptops are the future. What ergonomics idiot decided that sitting bolt upright like you had a pole shoved up your ass should epitomize the hight of productivity? I could sit in a lounge chair all day (I do sometimes). A laptop cushion puts the keyboard at the right hight. I don't need any desks at all, really. Some shelves, someplace to file a few things, a small work surface, and a lounge chair is the perfect office setup. (Just make sure you remember to go the gym sometimes
But no, we will continue our sado-masochistic worship of designer discomfort. We can't have people at work looking comfortable and happy now, can we? We must continue to demonstrate our commitment to our corporate overlords by sitting at military attention, assuming the position accorded our status as corporate plebes.
who said her husband reads slashdot? in this case the slashdot reader has a husband...
If your still searching for that chair check some of these out.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=369738&t=844612
good luck.
Buy him a Wii - and get him OUT of the chair!
At some point my office went out and bought a bunch of those things before I got here, and as a 300lb guy I don't recommend them. I don't have any back problems or fatigue from the chair, but even with every adjustment at it's strongest setting the chair is always in full tilt mode. So I usually end up either sitting up with no back support or leaning way back all the time. The arm rests are completly useless for me since my elbows don't come close to reaching them. What I would really like to have is a chair/desk combo that has mounts for LCD screens that could tilt with the chair, and a totaly split keyboard mounted on each arm rest so that I could lounge back like I would in my lazyboy.
No seriously, that is the name of it. I have one, it cost about $800 and it is just pure awesome. I sit in it four hours every day and it is as comfortable and practical as any chair could possibly be.
http://www.formway.com/Products/Life.html
Dan. -- So what if it's spelt wrong, nobody's perfect
Bodybilt, Ergogenesis, RFM seating, and a couple of Steelcase's highest-end products. Don't be fooled by hype about the Aeron. It's a pretty good chair, but all the people who rave about how great it is have obviously never sat in a really great chair.
about $600, same as an aeron, but with tons more adjustability. like adjusting arm rests ni two directions, back, etc etc. The best. take it from someone who has had surgery for RSI.
http://www.kneelsit.com/
Beautiful!
My all time favorite computer chair for long hours is a non-reclining "lounge chair" from the 70s my mother found for $10 at a rummage sale. It's the ugliest orange, it's perfect. I can sit in the chair in long 20 hour gaming sessions not feel uncomfortable one bit. No other chair has compared for longevity and overall comfort. Since it's not an office chair I'd usually put the keyboard in my lap, and the mouse on small table at the height I prefered, although I'm confident you could modify it to be the correct office chair height for use at a regular workstation. To duplicate what I have you'd have to go shopping for regular living room style chairs (probably non-reclining) and try them all out until you find the one that's most comfortable for you. That'd be my recommendation.
I'm never replacing that chair.
It is also true that a product, irrespective of quality, must comply with a given corporate structure and workflow. I love to use Notes as an example of a product that forced companies to change how they did business, to the extent that Exchange was a much more attractive option.
You could argue why Directory Services never really took off until Active Directory (Vines people, just dont even try it) but the answer is clear. You still have to have a product that works well enough for people to buy it more than once. For that, you need those code monkey, because time-to-market vs. quality will forever be a negotiated matter. That is just reality. Ask Scott McNeeley.
How about this!
http://www.thev1chair.com/
Only $2K or more.
8-)
tj