So I spend more than 75% of my days working at the computer desk, and I need something that will be ergonomic and comfy throughout the whole day!
I've looked at the Aeron, Leap, and Freedom, but can't decide on which one will be the best. I'm going to go out to try some but I'd like some input on people here. I know there have been plenty of threads on this but they're all so friggin' old!
I'm leaning towards the Freedom for its looks, simplicity, and "dynamic load" on your back...
Anyways, any recommendations? I don't mind spending couple hundred bucks for a solid, comfortable, and ergonomic chair.
-----------------------
EDIT: Came back from various stores. Here are my impressions:
Welp I'm back from some brief auditions with the chairs, and here are my impressions:
About Me
All right first things first: I'm 5' 11'', 180lb and very average build. Not obese and not skinny, not a bodybuilder either. I spend most of my time sitting in front of a computer programming or the likes. Hence, as a disclaimer, these are simply my impressions and they come with no warranty unlike these chairs which come with 10+ years limited lifetime. :P
Herman Miller Chairs
All the Herman Miller chairs were rather nice, although varying in build quality. In terms of adjustments, they all had a plethora of them: seat height, reclining back resistance, lumbar support (adjustable height), independent arm rest height, adjustable arm rests (pivots in and out), adjustable forward reclining, backrest lock, reclining depth adjustment, seat cushion displacement, and more I might have missed.
Herman Miller Aeron
I tried the "B" size and it fit me quite well. It has tons of adjustments, very well-built, and has a unique seamless recoil system when you lean back. It's most likely due to that huge pneumatic barrel that's underneath the seat. It was the most comfortable chair I sat in; I could fall asleep in it (good thing for me, bad thing for work). Unfortunately, after sitting in it for a while I felt seasick, and that's what ultimately lead me not to consider this in my purchase. In addition, it was rather tough and springy, augmenting its heft and sturdiness I suppose, but still comfortable. One thing I wish it had was some head/neck support. Nonetheless, it is a 14 year old design and still going strong.
Note: I suppose it's just me, but I did not notice any of the problems about the hard base cutting off circulation in my legs, but that might also be due to the fact that I didn't sit in these chairs longer than 15 minutes. Also, mine didn't have the "Posture Fit" lumbar system, just the cushion.
Build Quality: 10/10
Comfort: 9/10
Features/Adjustments: 8/10
Productivity: 5/10
Aesthetics: 10/10
Price: $900
Herman Miller Mirra
Although this is a newer design from HM, I considered this roughly the same as the Aeron, just "cheaper" in both materials, build quality, and as you would imagine, comfort. The recoil system was not as seamless, the knobs and levers were a bit modest in quality, and most notably the back support was made out of a cheap, hard plastic rather than a pellicle material like the Aeron. However, the actual cushion you sat on was still pellicle. It should be noted that this chair has the new "Posture Fit" type system for lumbar support, but I couldn't judge its performance since the backrest material was completely different anyway. This chair just didn't sit well with me (no pun intended). If you were going to throw down the cash for the Mirra I'd recommend you just get the Aeron for the extra quality.
Build Quality: 7/10
Comfort: 7/10
Features/Adjustments: 8.5/10
Productivity: 7/10
Aesthetics: 8/10
Price: $750
Herman Miller Celle
Although this was the lowest on the rung of the chairs I auditioned, I actually prefered it to the Mirra most likely because of its inflexibility (which I felt let me relax less and make me more productive). Although the entire chair was now made of this hard plastic rather than a woven pellicle material, it felt a bit more substantial than the Mirra. Consider the Mirra like an Aeron-Celle hybrid. It still retained the "seamless" recoil mechanism but to a lesser degree. For the price though it is not worth it IMO: I'd expect more for my money.
Build Quality: 5/10
Comfort: 6/10
Features/Adjustments: 8/10
Productivity: 8/10
Aesthetics: 7/10
Price: $630
Humanscale Freedom
While the Aeron was the ultimate in customizability the Freedom is the antithesis. It offers very few features: seat cushion displacement (uniaxial, like the Aeron), backrest adjustment (up or down), unified arm rest adjustment (up or down only), and seat height. When sitting on this chair I felt somewhat pushed forward. As stated in another chair thread, this chair does put some resistance on your back and other body parts, which I suppose supplements ones productivity and concentration. Leaning back felt a bit structured but very fluid still. The chair itself, although the cushions filled with gel, felt somewhat restrictive. One thing that annoyed me was that you couldn't lock the backrest. For it's price I'd look elsewhere; it actually felt like it restricted my freedom more than anything else.
Build Quality: 8/10
Comfort: 6/10
Features/Adjustments: 3/10
Productivity: 8/10
Aesthetics: 7/10
Price: $900
Humanscale Freedom Chair with Headrest
Same chair as above just with the optional headrest. It had its tradeoffs. Having head support was definitely nice, but it felt that my back would slouch in while my head and neck didn't. Sort of like being sucked through a tube ass first. The headrest was adjustable in terms of height (and maybe depth?) but I didn't enjoy the seat enough to play around with it. Nonetheless, adding that headrest really made this chair look a lot better! For $1200 make sure you sit in this yourself and see if you like it. The Freedom line is a very "set it and forget it" chair -- may appeal to some.
Build Quality: 8/10
Comfort: 7/10
Features/Adjustments: 3.5/10
Productivity: 8/10
Aesthetics: 9/10
Price: $1200
Steelcase Leap, 2006 Revision
OK if you've made it this far or you just skipped to this chair by chance, you're about to read about my favorite of the batch. Steelcase actually made a revision to this chair, allowing the arm rests to pivot inwards, made the backrest higher, more cushion in the seat, the chair slimmer and 30 pounds lighter. This is the chair I'll be talking about here.
There was a lot of features with this chair that I liked. It wasn't extremely comfortable, but sitting in it made me feel like I really wanted to work! The lumbar support was excellent, it covered the entire back instead of just having a lump like the Aeron did. Again, seat height, etc. etc. everything that the Aeron had in terms of adjustments in addition to a few nice features like an automatically "moving" mechanism: the seat moves with you, a lumbar resistance adjustment, and the ability to move the armrests backwards and forwards in addition to up and down. It looks the most plain, but if you customize it enough I think it looks pretty sharp. All in all I'll probably buy this chair.
Build Quality: 10/10
Comfort: 8/10
Features/Adjustments: 10/10
Productivity: 10/10
Aesthetics: 8/10
Price: $780
Conclusions
I've always been a fan of short and sweet conclusions. If you want a chair to just sit in and don't mind spending the dough, get a Humanscale Freedom. If you want a chair to relax in, the Aeron (and only the Aeron) is your best bet. If you want a chair that has the right price, great comfort, and boosts your productivity get the Leap -- I know I will.
Again, bottom line: trust your own ass! Audition and see what's right for you!
I've looked at the Aeron, Leap, and Freedom, but can't decide on which one will be the best. I'm going to go out to try some but I'd like some input on people here. I know there have been plenty of threads on this but they're all so friggin' old!
I'm leaning towards the Freedom for its looks, simplicity, and "dynamic load" on your back...
Anyways, any recommendations? I don't mind spending couple hundred bucks for a solid, comfortable, and ergonomic chair.
-----------------------
EDIT: Came back from various stores. Here are my impressions:
Welp I'm back from some brief auditions with the chairs, and here are my impressions:
About Me
All right first things first: I'm 5' 11'', 180lb and very average build. Not obese and not skinny, not a bodybuilder either. I spend most of my time sitting in front of a computer programming or the likes. Hence, as a disclaimer, these are simply my impressions and they come with no warranty unlike these chairs which come with 10+ years limited lifetime. :P
Herman Miller Chairs
All the Herman Miller chairs were rather nice, although varying in build quality. In terms of adjustments, they all had a plethora of them: seat height, reclining back resistance, lumbar support (adjustable height), independent arm rest height, adjustable arm rests (pivots in and out), adjustable forward reclining, backrest lock, reclining depth adjustment, seat cushion displacement, and more I might have missed.
Herman Miller Aeron
I tried the "B" size and it fit me quite well. It has tons of adjustments, very well-built, and has a unique seamless recoil system when you lean back. It's most likely due to that huge pneumatic barrel that's underneath the seat. It was the most comfortable chair I sat in; I could fall asleep in it (good thing for me, bad thing for work). Unfortunately, after sitting in it for a while I felt seasick, and that's what ultimately lead me not to consider this in my purchase. In addition, it was rather tough and springy, augmenting its heft and sturdiness I suppose, but still comfortable. One thing I wish it had was some head/neck support. Nonetheless, it is a 14 year old design and still going strong.
Note: I suppose it's just me, but I did not notice any of the problems about the hard base cutting off circulation in my legs, but that might also be due to the fact that I didn't sit in these chairs longer than 15 minutes. Also, mine didn't have the "Posture Fit" lumbar system, just the cushion.
Build Quality: 10/10
Comfort: 9/10
Features/Adjustments: 8/10
Productivity: 5/10
Aesthetics: 10/10
Price: $900
Herman Miller Mirra
Although this is a newer design from HM, I considered this roughly the same as the Aeron, just "cheaper" in both materials, build quality, and as you would imagine, comfort. The recoil system was not as seamless, the knobs and levers were a bit modest in quality, and most notably the back support was made out of a cheap, hard plastic rather than a pellicle material like the Aeron. However, the actual cushion you sat on was still pellicle. It should be noted that this chair has the new "Posture Fit" type system for lumbar support, but I couldn't judge its performance since the backrest material was completely different anyway. This chair just didn't sit well with me (no pun intended). If you were going to throw down the cash for the Mirra I'd recommend you just get the Aeron for the extra quality.
Build Quality: 7/10
Comfort: 7/10
Features/Adjustments: 8.5/10
Productivity: 7/10
Aesthetics: 8/10
Price: $750
Herman Miller Celle
Although this was the lowest on the rung of the chairs I auditioned, I actually prefered it to the Mirra most likely because of its inflexibility (which I felt let me relax less and make me more productive). Although the entire chair was now made of this hard plastic rather than a woven pellicle material, it felt a bit more substantial than the Mirra. Consider the Mirra like an Aeron-Celle hybrid. It still retained the "seamless" recoil mechanism but to a lesser degree. For the price though it is not worth it IMO: I'd expect more for my money.
Build Quality: 5/10
Comfort: 6/10
Features/Adjustments: 8/10
Productivity: 8/10
Aesthetics: 7/10
Price: $630
Humanscale Freedom
While the Aeron was the ultimate in customizability the Freedom is the antithesis. It offers very few features: seat cushion displacement (uniaxial, like the Aeron), backrest adjustment (up or down), unified arm rest adjustment (up or down only), and seat height. When sitting on this chair I felt somewhat pushed forward. As stated in another chair thread, this chair does put some resistance on your back and other body parts, which I suppose supplements ones productivity and concentration. Leaning back felt a bit structured but very fluid still. The chair itself, although the cushions filled with gel, felt somewhat restrictive. One thing that annoyed me was that you couldn't lock the backrest. For it's price I'd look elsewhere; it actually felt like it restricted my freedom more than anything else.
Build Quality: 8/10
Comfort: 6/10
Features/Adjustments: 3/10
Productivity: 8/10
Aesthetics: 7/10
Price: $900
Humanscale Freedom Chair with Headrest
Same chair as above just with the optional headrest. It had its tradeoffs. Having head support was definitely nice, but it felt that my back would slouch in while my head and neck didn't. Sort of like being sucked through a tube ass first. The headrest was adjustable in terms of height (and maybe depth?) but I didn't enjoy the seat enough to play around with it. Nonetheless, adding that headrest really made this chair look a lot better! For $1200 make sure you sit in this yourself and see if you like it. The Freedom line is a very "set it and forget it" chair -- may appeal to some.
Build Quality: 8/10
Comfort: 7/10
Features/Adjustments: 3.5/10
Productivity: 8/10
Aesthetics: 9/10
Price: $1200
Steelcase Leap, 2006 Revision
OK if you've made it this far or you just skipped to this chair by chance, you're about to read about my favorite of the batch. Steelcase actually made a revision to this chair, allowing the arm rests to pivot inwards, made the backrest higher, more cushion in the seat, the chair slimmer and 30 pounds lighter. This is the chair I'll be talking about here.
There was a lot of features with this chair that I liked. It wasn't extremely comfortable, but sitting in it made me feel like I really wanted to work! The lumbar support was excellent, it covered the entire back instead of just having a lump like the Aeron did. Again, seat height, etc. etc. everything that the Aeron had in terms of adjustments in addition to a few nice features like an automatically "moving" mechanism: the seat moves with you, a lumbar resistance adjustment, and the ability to move the armrests backwards and forwards in addition to up and down. It looks the most plain, but if you customize it enough I think it looks pretty sharp. All in all I'll probably buy this chair.
Build Quality: 10/10
Comfort: 8/10
Features/Adjustments: 10/10
Productivity: 10/10
Aesthetics: 8/10
Price: $780
Conclusions
I've always been a fan of short and sweet conclusions. If you want a chair to just sit in and don't mind spending the dough, get a Humanscale Freedom. If you want a chair to relax in, the Aeron (and only the Aeron) is your best bet. If you want a chair that has the right price, great comfort, and boosts your productivity get the Leap -- I know I will.
Again, bottom line: trust your own ass! Audition and see what's right for you!
