Ask HN: What kind of chair are you using for WFH? Like most of us, I've been working from home since last March. I've noticed a lot of neck, back, and hip pain developing. Some of it is because of my renewed interest in working out, I'm sure. But I really do believe most of it is from my terrible WFH setup (chair, desk, monitor). Can you recommend a chair (hopefully one that won't break the bank, although at this point I'm almost willing to pay anything). |
I bought several Steelcase Leap for $75 apiece from a business that was closing. Ugly stains, but unworn fabric and perfect mechanicals.
Try auction sites: Craigslist, OfferUp, Nextdoor.
The rest of the chair is great, the arm rests suck. If you're okay with being bitten a few times a day, it's not that bad otherwise.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Flash-Furniture-Mid-Back-Mesh-Off...
I bought mine open box return from an authorized reseller, during a HM 15% sale, with an extra discount from the reseller for $600 off new retail. It is literally like new. In 10-20 years, assuming the HM used market is the same as it is now, I will be able to sell it for 50% of what I bought it for. Meaning it cost me roughly $450
Now for the review of the chair itself:
It is good, but not mind blowing or life changing like some HM fanatics will have you believe. It is a decent chair, I have back, neck, hip, etc issues and it does help - but to be honest I expected the chair to be better than it is.
I have sat in a steelcase leap, a HM embody, a haworth zody, and many others. No office chair out there blew me away, but the build quality, aesthetics, and resale of the HM helped sway me in the end.
I lift weights, swim, bike, and do yoga. That combination has resolved the back and hip pain I used to suffer from.
[1] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hattefjaell-office-chair-gunnar...
No.
I'm going against the grain of most replies here. It isn't a specific chair you need (perfectly good, bog standard office chairs are fully adjustable and ten a penny) but to instead take regular stretch breaks and don't slouch.
If I was a Silicon Valley geek, I'd recommend regular 10 minute yoga breaks, but since I'm British I find frequent walks around the garden with a cup of tea do the job just as well :-)
Spending $2000 on a chair 10 years ago felt like an 'investment', but ultimately I found I still got fatigued even after focusing on posture and all that.
I currently sit on a folding metal chair at my desk out of laziness. I take walks around my garden and breaks to get water almost every hour. It works for me, your mileage may vary.
https://noblechairs.com/products/hero
It's a gaming chair that is rated as best for back support: https://www.pcgamer.com/best-gaming-chairs/ Item number 6
It's probably not the best, but I use a recliner and a remote keyboard/mouse with a tv. It's not the most professional, but my employers are more concerned with results than how I sit.
Ask for help in which work outs work best for that. IMHO yoga help me a lot and everything that look like plank.
Also, consider a Stan-up setup too. And I have discovered that different padding in your chair change the posture, so maybe try with different positions of the pillows or similar?
Also, my employer will reimburse us for WFH expenses, including chairs, desks, lamps, monitors, etc.
https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair?opti...
I had to special order it in the U.S., and it cost a heck of a lot, but worth every penny.
I know a few in the bay area feel free to DM for info.
edit: Also, you start seeing this chair _everywhere_ in movies and TV.
You might want to visit a local ergonomics store to test-drive, if it's practical for you -- for example, I personally don't prefer Aerons because the mesh bothers me. Those kinds of personal preferences are better to discover prior to spending $$$ on something.
Also, don't discount the rest of your equipment -- equally important to my ergonomics are wrist support and proper monitor placement. A good-quality VESA arm will also last decades and be able to follow you around. Your monitor should be about arms-length from you, with the center of the screen falling about a hand-span below your eye line.
I went from a crappy Staples faux-leather chair with terrible padding to this, and the comfort level is night and day.
- has all the features of expensive office chairs
- not mesh (I hate mesh chairs)
- half the price of fancy office chairs (~500USD)
I got a Secretlab Omega specifically and after a week or two I'm happy with it.
I can't speak to long term back effects, but it has more options with height and angle adjustment than any chair I've ever had and comes with a lumbar support pillow.
The reclining back found on gamer chairs is surprisingly nice. That slouched position can be a nice change. I've never seen that adjustment on even the nicest of office chairs.
What I came to realize after a while of thinking about this is that this is all bikeshedding (at least, it was for my situation). If you have issues of a high severity, it might make sense to invest in a chair to alleviate some symptoms like pain and discomfort. If you have money lying around just waiting to be used, it might make sense to spend it on a cool and nifty Herman Miller or whatever.
But the most important thing, bar none, is you work to have a good posture and physical health thus eliminating the need to be picky about your chairs. If you don't have postural issues, great. If you do, then get working: start with some variant of 5x5 routine, make sure to do good rows with an appropriate amount of weights, and some face pulls with good form.
I'm very torso tall and wide so for me the original Mirra is better than the Mirra 2 for day long comfort because of the large back shape
After having owned at least a couple of expensive chairs (including Herman Miller Embody), I came to the conclusion that office chairs over 500$ or so are a ripoff (or, to put in other words, they have a high marketing tax), for two reasons:
1. chair feeling is very individual; as long as a chair is robustly constructed, price has nothing to do with feeling
2. as long as a chair has enough knobs (or better: the right ones for one's body), again, price doesn't make a difference.
I actually find the Embody terrible on my body, as it has a hard lower back rest, and narrow shoulder rest that pushes the shoulders forward. YMMV - depending on the height, one may not suffer those pain points.
Try to find a shop that lets you borrow a chair for a few days before you buy, or has a generous return policy - there really is no way of knowing without trying, and trying for several days.
Or buy a bunch of cheap chairs and try those.
Also, definitely adjust your WFH setup to be ergonomic - correct desk height (manually adjustable desks aren't expensive at all), correct monitor height (e.g. by putting a stack of books under the monitor), and of course a proper keyboard. Also, try to move and don't stay in the same position for too long.
I passed along the Aeron to my wife, who prefers a supportive chair and has also obviously been working from home, and got a Fully Tic Toc stool. It forces me to maintain something like healthy posture and keeps me at least gently moving throughout the day, and as a bonus fits neatly under the desk when I'm working rather than forcing me to find space elsewhere in my very compact home office.
I've found that for my 40-year-old knees and hips some sort of motion was necessary to keep from getting sore by the end of the day. The Tic Toc helps with that, as does the balance board I pull out when standing for any length of time. (The board is a Fluidstance, which is stupidly expensive for what amounts to a skateboard deck on top of a piece of bent sheet metal, but it feels a lot better than standing still and has held up really well so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.)
Obviously this kind of setup isn't good for everyone, but I really like it.
Gives you a bunch of things to look for when evaluating chairs.
All that said, while I recommend trying a standing setup if you can, it's definitely not for everyone. My partner has tried my desk several times and always became infuriated at the concept of standing while working.
Here in Austin we have a store called Texas Office Product Supplies. They sell used office furniture. The prices are pretty good for commercial grade equipment. I took the afternoon off and went and tried all of their chairs to find one that didn't hurt my back. I ended up buying a Sitonit Wit chair. It wasn't too expensive, think I paid about $200 for it.
The other thing I did is buy an adjustable desk. I ended up buying that at IKEA. I am 6'4" and most desks are too short for me. With the adjustable desk, I am able to set it the correct height.
Cost me something like $600 back then, so at $60/year so far of service, it's cheaper than burning through cheap office depot chairs.
I start off in a random office chair. Mid-morning I switch to sitting on an exercise ball.
In the afternoon, I sit at the kitchen table for a while, and then move back to either the office chair or the ball.
(I also bought one of those "upright" mice that means your wrist isn't twisted all the time. I liked it so much, I bought a second one for the office, for the half day a week I'm there.)
2) Ikea Nilserik wobble stool. This lets me "perch" in a semi standing position and, again, make lots of movement throughout the day. I also reposition myself on this regularly.
3) Kneeling chair
4) normal office chair for little breaks (30 minutes in the morning and 30 in the afternoon)
I would never go back to just sitting in a chair all day. I've never seen anyone who can maintain good posture for 8 hours a day. And even if you do, your still weakening your glutes and abs while tightening your hips and calves.
One of the best lessons about your WFH setup is that you are not in an office. Don't limit yourself to what would be office-acceptable - find what works for you.
Also, the people are correct who are saying that your activity level matters more. I swim and take a 2 mile hike every morning, and it makes all the difference.
Ok, this is not a problem with the Gesture alone, but i'd really rather have some way to lock the armrests into position after adjusting them.
Maybe my model year is different or I use my chair differently.
