Should I buy an office chair?

**Jackie Chan's Brother Wang...** · April 23, 2015, 01:11 PM

I think this is the right section to post this in, I don't know if a PC chair is classed as techy but the other sections seemed to fit it less than this did, and this is a part of my overall computer make-up so it seems to have a place here.

I was hoping to buy an office chair to sit in at my computer desk, I went into the local Staples to have a look at some, my budget was £90 so I couldn't afford the height of luxury chairs but there were some that seemed quite comfortable, the one that seemed best in price and feel was this:

http://www.staples.co.uk/executive-c...ad_02_link_url

I am, however, a bit concerned because I had a thought from the back of my mind that office chairs are actually bad for people, I remember reading that they destroy posture and cause back problems, and after further reading of Google articles I've succeeded in half convincing myself that chairs are a plot by dark forces to kill us all (I'm looking at you "Your Office Chair Is Killing You" article...

). I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on this and their own experience with office/PC chairs? As it stands, the chair I have been using for years and years, I think for more than a decade, is this:

http://i.imgur.com/MY1e2Wxl.jpg

So just a hard, wooden chair. I haven't noticed any real back problems, although I did at one point have a day where my back was quite sore, but I couldn't be sure whether that was a cause of improper form during exercising. For all I know, the type of extremely basic chair I'm using is actually good for a person's back? Perhaps not, but I really don't know, does anyone have any advice on the matter?

**ccllnply** · April 23, 2015, 01:26 PM

I was going to write a big long post with my opinion but first I have to ask, if the wooden chair hasn't caused any pain why do you want a new chair?

**Jackie Chan's Brother Wang...** · April 23, 2015, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by ccllnply

I was going to write a big long post with my opinion but first I have to ask, if the wooden chair hasn't caused any pain why do you want a new chair

Mainly for added comfort more than anything, leather providing a more comfortable chair to sit in than wood would (presumably), but a slight elevation in contrast to my 18" chair height would also be a perk.

**Ybbon** · April 23, 2015, 03:35 PM

I've had quite a few and to be honest after a few years some are broken, and some are just so uncomfortable I end up freecycling them. What I do is go to staples, currys etc and have a sit in them. Staples often have sale of older stock too sometimes they knock quite a bit off so if you wooden chair works for now, wait for the next sale and look then?

**Jackie Chan's Brother Wang...** · April 23, 2015, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by Ybbon

I've had quite a few and to be honest after a few years some are broken, and some are just so uncomfortable I end up freecycling them. What I do is go to staples, currys etc and have a sit in them. Staples often have sale of older stock too sometimes they knock quite a bit off so if you wooden chair works for now, wait for the next sale and look then?

It currently is a sale actually, the chair I linked to is knocked down by a lot. Do you still use them even though you have had problems with them breaking, or did you swap to something better?

**Ybbon** · April 23, 2015, 03:48 PM

no I get rid of them to wherever - a couple I gave away and I think a couple scrapped. I would love a chair that lasts 10 years!

One thing though that just occurred, I did have a leather (well leatherette I guess) one, in an air-conditioned office it's fine but in a house when it gets warm they get very sticky. The one I have now has a mesh back and that is much cooler in summer.

**Jackie Chan's Brother Wang...** · April 23, 2015, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Ybbon

no I get rid of them to wherever - a couple I gave away and I think a couple scrapped. I would love a chair that lasts 10 years!

One thing though that just occurred, I did have a leather (well leatherette I guess) one, in an air-conditioned office it's fine but in a house when it gets warm they get very sticky. The one I have now has a mesh back and that is much cooler in summer.

That's a good point about the leather getting sticky, I'll have to think more on this, thanks.

**ccllnply** · April 25, 2015, 05:19 AM

The leather getting sticky is definitely something to think about. It can make it uncomfortable to sit in and it can ruin your clothes I found.

Another thing to think about is the armrests. On my old chair, which was similar to the one you're thinking of buying, the armrests were basically steel with some leather padding on top. Also they were shaped in a sort of slight curve, going up at the middle. The problem with this is that it wouldn't fit in any of the desks I had and made it incredibly blocky and hard to move around. You might have been able to get the first bit of the armrest under the table but eventually it would get stuck. Obviously the problem with this was that you had to sit forward to get at the computer.

Another problem was that the bottom of the armrests were bare steel with pointed corners and it used to take chunks out of our wooden desks if you weren't careful.

**mrmouth** · April 27, 2015, 01:45 AM

My last leather executive chair was $120 and lasted exactly a year before the molded plastic arms broke. So I bought this mesh mid-back chair from Walmart and it has lasted me ever since. I will never own a chair without a mesh back again. No more sweating like a pig in the summer. And they also have natural lumbar support that conforms to your back perfectly.

Now I just need one with a mesh seat, too.

I always wanted one of those Herman Miller Aeron chairs with the mesh backs and all the adjustments. You can find them used or refurbished for $300-400. Considering most people spend $100 on cheap Chinese chairs that might last a year or two, it probably makes sense in the long run.

**k/t** · April 29, 2015, 04:46 PM

Put a cushion under your butt for more elevation, like short people when they go driving.

I've had my chair for maybe 15 years, and it works fine. I have no idea how much it cost, since my parents bought it.

Regardless of what chair you buy, once an hour get up and walk for five minutes. Sitting for a long time is bad.

Leather sofas and car seats are absolutely retarded, so I imagine leather chairs are too. Car seats get really cold in the winter, really hot in the summer, and you stick to them, too. Also, you have to be really careful not to spill anything on them. Finally, for as long as you have the chair / sofa / car seat, you will be breathing in the fumes of the chemicals used to treat the leather, as well as absorbing them through the skin.