Ask HN: Are Aeron chairs worth it?
For those of us who spend a huge portion of our waking hours sitting in front of a desk, are Aerons worth the 3x-4x cost compared to an Office Depot/Ikea chair?
I use a Steelcase Leap (I tried the Aeron, but prefer the Leap, go sit in a bunch and see what you like) and it's been worth every penny compared to the Office Depot chair I has previously. I don't sit in it and think "wow, this is a comfortable chair" -- that's not the point. It just becomes an extension of your body and you forget it's there at all. I can sit in it for hours without becoming tired or uncomfortable.
I do a lot of CAD/CAM work, and have spent significant effort attempting to optimize a new workstation setup for long hours at the screen. I set the budget for the first chair setup to over $1000 specifically to be able to include the Aeron in consideration. I then started seeking chairs that would sufficiently adjust to fit MY body, and support it in a number of optimal positions for using the inputs and viewing the screen -- the only criteria that anyone should ever apply to a chair.
I was astonished when I actually checked out an Aeron in detail, to find that it is actually very mediocre, and the adjustment controls are basically crap. Yes, the web back is nice and cool, but even that doesn't actually conform to the body as well as better designed seats and backs. I guess it would be mandatory if you had a hot office and no air conditioning.
I would up with a very adjustable Steelcase chair for way less than half of the price, and I reversed one of the forearm rests (sorry, I forget the model right now, and I'm typing this at a different office). It works more than adequately. My next iteration of the setup will involve something fully recline-able with adjustable support for all 4 limbs -- much like the seating setup for an open-wheel formula car.
If I were thinking of dropping a grand on a chair, I'd be looking at the humanscale chairs. Admittedly that is partly because I prefer their aesthetics.
Anyway in my experience the number one criterion for a hacker chair is adjustable armrests - adjustable both in height and in width. You can get one of those for a lot less money. The rest of the notable improvements come from other ergonomic changes depending on the problem - for example in my case, my most important mod is to use a very small keyboard in order to minimise the reach to the mouse.
Definitely try it out first before you buy one.
But if we're talking about companies, I'd definitely recommend a higher-priced alternative. While there might be a few people where it wouldn't make a difference, on average there are a few where it's a matter of severe back pain or not. And why risk it? (Never mind that depending on laws or union regulations you'd have problems being an Office Depot cheapskate)
More on-topic: I sat on an Aeron a few jobs ago, and really liked it. I've compared an Aeron side-by-side with several "clones" and found the real thing is a lot better. If you are going to sit all day, an Aeron is a good default choice. As other posted pointed out, over the life of the chair the cost is really low.
Also, if you tend not to sit still and must wear dress pants at the office then expect your belt loops to get worn off. It Used to happen to me all the time. Thankfully I no longer work somewhere with that kind of dress code. The downside I guess is I don't have a Aeron chair anymore either.
A nice roll of toilet paper runs about a buck. Your programmers are probably using about one roll a week, each."
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FieldGuidetoDeveloper...
The money isn't the issue to me. Even at $1k that's nothing compared to 5 years of comfort. I just don't notice the damn difference.
http://www.staples.com/Global-Leather-Executive-Chair-Black/...
I'm not at the point where a $500 chair is not a big deal. I did a lot of searching before I found this one. Many people reviewed it as being the only sub $500 chair worth having.