Non-Aeron Office Chair Picks? Good Questions

Q - Okay, I may be in the minority here, but I find Herman Miller's Aeron Chair is the perfect example of form over function. Sure, it looks so corporate and minimalistic, but after months of awkwardness, leg-circulation cut-offs, and the annoying back support that feels like someone's elbow, I'm done. Seeing as you guys have covered tons of ergonomic chairs here before, I was wondering if you had any ideas on a better alternative?

A - Overall, I have to say the Aeron isn't bad. But you definitely covered the bases on all its niggling annoyances. I'd also like to add that the arm adjustment drives me nuts as well.

Knoll Life Chair ($499): While I haven't done an official review here on Unplggd, I've given the Knoll Life chair a demo and man was it the BOMB dot com. Clean, simple, well thought out and very comfortable. Hoping to grab one for Christmas myself if I can gather enough cash together to afford one. Note: Choosing a custom color fabric spikes up the price several hundred.

Herman Miller Mirra ($509): I also test drove the Herman Miller Mirra chair at my last hotel visit in Denver, CO. It's actually quite comfortable compared to the Aeron. Try it out at your local ergo-chair shop and let me know what you think! Available in a multitude of colors.

Herman Miller Embody Chair:Maxwell over at Apartment Therapy New York was able to give us a hands-on review of this new type of the line model. We also were able to sit and test a model ourselves, and have to report back it is extremely comfortable...perhaps too comfortable, as one of the Apartment Therapy writers noted that it felt like the chair was "spitting her up"!

Steelcase Leap: This is the task chair that we use at the home offices of Unplggd. Besides the chair up above, the Leap is possibly the most comfortable chair we've sat in, and is very capable of support over long periods of time without sore spots. The only mark against it is the slightly hard arm wrests (even a thin layer of gel would help, Steelcase).

Any of you guys have a recommendation for Jason? Let him know in the comments!

Comments (20)

As someone who owns a Mirra, I would recommend against it if you want something that will be comfortable for long periods. The chair is very comfortable for short periods, but the hard plastic back rest and aeron style seat quickly become uncomfortable for longer sittings.

I would recommend a standard padded high back office chair. Function over form in this case.

http://www.steelcase.com/na/leap_products.aspx?f=11852

The Steelcase, Leap is an excellent chair I've been using for years. Definitely more substantial than the Aeron which I used previously.

Been considering between the Leap and the Life chairs for a long time. Anyone try both and have a preference?

Would like to second the comment on the Steelcase Leap chair. I used the Aeron, the Leap, and a few other darlings of the day as I worked my way through dotcoms. The Leap is by far the most comfortable. It will be the first thing I purchase for my office when I start working from home.

I personally love bungee cord chairs like the EQ3 Twist chair. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it's still in production, but there are certainly others on the market.

If you want a more conventional cushioned pad chair the Freedom Chair is probably the most advanced example. The Steelcase Leap has a conventional seat pad, but the back is still unusual. I've got a good review of many contemporary chairs on my blog workalicious:

http://www.workalicious.org/search/label/task%20seating

Has anyone tried the -
Teknion Contessa
Teknion Visio
Allsteel Acuity

I like the Humanscale Freedom but am interested in these other chairs as well. I always see recommendations for HM/Knoll chairs, a Steelcase Leap here or there but there are quite a few other ergonomic chair companies out there that you don't hear a whole lot about.

Quick addendum - the workalicious task seating blog is what I'm talking about - a bunch of different brands, I like.

I had a Freedom Chair and loved it right up until the steel base snapped in two and I fell over backward. Very happy with the Leap. As, if not more, comfortable than the Freedom and much better looking in my opinion.

lavardera, your blog is amazing! I had no idea there were so many cool-looking chair options.

I have been using a Leap for 2 yrs, and it's definitely the most comfortable I've ever had.

I'll vouch for the Mirra. I invested in two for me and my wife since we spend a lot of time in our home office (sometimes days at a time) and it's been a life saver.

thanks deelw - we're no unplggd but we try! ;-)

I use a Mirra for at least 8 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, at work. Love it. I usually get a tired back from too much sitting, but the lumbar support saves me.

The Aeron is great but there have been many advancements in ergonomics in the last 14 years (when it came out) and mesh seats have been found to offer improper support.
I have tested a ton of task chairs as a furniture buyer and have to suggest a few: HM Celle, Knoll Chadwick (if you want mesh), Knoll Life, Haworth Zody--keep an eye on Haworth they are fast becoming a contender, Allsteel Acuity and for price..the Allsteel Relate. Steelcase certainly has done a great job with the Leap and I think the Amia is also a great alternative.

My company ONLY uses Aeron chairs. I find them to be highly uncomfortable and long for the days at my old agency when I had a 1960s bar/lounge chair behind my desk.

I also have 2 Mirras: one for work and one for home, and I LOVE them. They're super comfortable and I find the back to be very flexible and good looking.

I'm curious where you found the Knoll Life chair for $499. A quick scan of their website as well as the price list pdf shows an entry level price of $808 for the armless version.

In the UK the Mirra Chair retails for aruond £460. It's a great chair, I much prefer it over the Aeron chair as I like the hard shell back.