Here's a quick rundown of some high end office chairs I'm looking into purchasing. This comes from an email I sent out to numerous telecommuters asking for help with their home office ergonomics.
Message
Here are some of the
chairs that I'm considering purchasing in the near future. They're not cheap,
but if you use your office chair enough, it's worth every penny. Keep in mind
that a chair affects your back, neck, and overall health so it's a good
investment. Plus the cost is amortized over 5-10 years anyways which helps
justify the high up front cost.
For example:
Assuming a price of $900 over a period of 8 years, that's $9/month. That's about
1 trip to Panera a month.
This is on the
higher end, but the materials are highly durable. Their website however is
garbage. These are also the same guys who design Ferrari interiors
(Pininfarina). Roughly $1,600.
If you prefer a more
traditional style, similar to the ones here at BCBS, the Steelcase Leap is a
great chair. It's heavy, but solid. Reminds me a little of the office chairs
from Mad Men. They're around $800.
http://www.steelcase.com/en/Pages/Homepage.aspx
Obus Forme makes
padded components to add to existing chairs. At the very least, if you keep your
old chair, you should add some of these components to it. They're a lot cheaper
than everything else on this list.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=obus+forme&x=0&y=0
My #1 choice: the
Aeron Chair, by renowned industrial designer Herman Miller. This chair has won
numerous international awards and prestige despite the backlash it received when
it first came out; the hallmark of a truly game changing design. Owning one of
these is like owning a Mercedes. It's a status symbol. Herman Miller produces
some of the most incredible industrial office designs on the planet. His
catalogue is worth reading just for the appreciation of the photos. I keep the
2009 catalogue on my bookshelf next to my art books.
Here's an online
store in Boston for the Aeron product line. Their prices aren't the best. I've
found better. The lowest end Aeron they have is around $850, retail. If you look
hard enough, you can find a warehouse willing to sell individual units. It's how
I get my imported European furniture at such steep discounts; I go directly
through importers.
