any recs for something fab under $300?

I don't think anything even remotely comfortable for 8 hours a day costs under $300.

Nothing under $300 but cheaper than those listed above but still great are:

Steelcase Think
Allsteel Sum
Knoll Chadwick

I have the Freedom chair at work where I'm sitting in front of a computer 8 hours a day. I have to say it is extremely comfortable and I rarely ever have any back pain. I think I've only experienced back pain twice and it's probably because I tend to lean forward to get close to my screen. I didn't realize how expensive the chair was either!

My Aeron literally saves my, uh, you know, on a daily basis. I bought mine at a business bankruptcy auction for a little over $300.

The Freedom chair is great for petite people. For very tall people, I recommend Allsteel's #19 chair.

http://www.anthro.com/cpage.aspx?pid=220

Verté is disgustingly comfortable and you can adjust every spine-thing. lol The minute I sat in this baby I died... now only if it weren't so damn expensive... $1,500, I have a hard time paying that.

i would highly recommend the steelcase think chair. i only paid a little more than 300 for mine new, about 2 years ago. i still have a life chair by knoll, which i bartered for. but i would much rather have my steelcase chair. its also cradle to cradle certified. if you know any designers, ask them to get it for you. we get good discounts on designer furniture.

My workplace switched me from the Aeron to the Freedom task chair. Personally, I really miss my old chair. The Freedom has odd lumps that took me months to get used to, offers no adjustments except height, and you cannot lock the back (prevent the chair from reclining). Lastly the fabric does not breathe, so I sweat on humid days.

Every once in a while I am presented the opportunity to sit in an Aeron on different worksites, and each time I recall how I love that chair.

Wow...and people really spend this much for a stupid chair?

I love my Leap! I lucked out when a co-worker (who sat in the cube across from me) left the company and I got first dibs on her Leap chair. So I got a great chair without having to convince management to buy one for me. It has the adjustments available to fit me well.

@ChrisGal, to borrow a lame phrase from Chevron (ugh), people do. Especially if they have back problems or repetitive strain injuries, or if they don't ever want to. Have you ever sat in one of these, or something of equal quality? A good task chair can save you a lot of pain.

Elizabeth B - I do have back problems, but paying for one of these chairs would set me back money for groceries for several months!

Congratulations to the winners! Keep an eye out for some crazy-comfy Interstuhl chairs coming to the U.S. this year. You can read about it at http://bit.ly/fgryS and check out some preview pics at http://bit.ly/V8Y63

Chris, I believe it! They are definitely not cheap. Sympathies on your back problems from a fellow sufferer.

Let's be honest, while these chairs really are great and all, they aren't the cheapest... There's a lot of great chairs out there for less - here's some of my fav's (i've sat in them):

Allseating Chiroform Mid back (super soft seat)
Allseating Inertia Mesh Back (again, soft seat, nice back)

Not bias toward allseating, but they make good chairs...

Buuut, if you can find a bank going bankrupt, they usually have nice chairs on the cheap - not a bad route...

fyi, @chrisgal and elizabeth b, check these chairs for back pain - multiple price ranges

I'm not fond of most of the chairs on the list and I have sat for extended periods in all of them. The Leap and Freedom tie on that list. While I prefer the Freedom chair to the Leap, that choice can be subjective. The Leap will fit more people. The Freedom is better for average to thinner people and no more than about 6'2". Both are great for shorter people.

However, Steelcase's Amia chair is more comfortable than the Leap and $250 cheaper.

The Aeron is the most overrated chair on the market and a mesh seat, especially with that hard plastic front edge, is bad for people who sit long hours. I like the Acuity but my clients find they aren't great for many of their people.

What is missing from this list are ALL the truly ergonomic chair lines that offer better fit, fit almost anyone (the chairs listed above do not fit a fair percentage of people well), and that offer customization features that can assist specific issues such as lumbar, thoracic, or neck pain.

These lines include Bodybilt, Neutral Posture, Soma Ergo, and OfficeMaster. While not as pretty as those that made the list, these are all functionally excellent.

As to those that would like excellent but not so pricey, (the Soma and OfficeMasters are available under the $500 mark too), consider Eurotech's chairs.

The Ergohuman Chair has been compared favorably to the Aeron and has seat depth adjustment and a soft, waterfall edge to the seat (both of which are missing on the Aeron). A mesh or leather seat is available. These start about $550 (or ask for a better discount), half of most of the chairs on your list.

The Eurotech Apollo chair offers many models that are in the low $200 range. If you're 5'3" - 6'2" and under 250 lbs, these are actually very comfortable and have a lifetime warranty.

Ergoprise also offers a free chair survey where you can answer a few questions and we'll sort through hundreds of chair models to recommend a few perfect for you and your budget.

I really needed a better chair, but $800 dollars wasn't going to fly. I'm so glad I found the Berkshire Executive chair. It's saved my back and my wallet because it's only $200.

I don't we can't edit these comments. My link was bad. Here is the fixed one.
http://www.squidoo.com/best-aeron-ergonomic-office-chair-alternatives