Is this the perfect agile hacking chair? | Hacker News Reader

Is this the perfect agile hacking chair?

4 pointscodex823 comments

I'm looking a lot at chairs lately - mostly the usual Hermin Hiller office suspects.....a buddy of mine works 12 hour days from home trading futures and swears by his reclining leather reading chair - it looks like something from a stately home, I tried it out and gotta say he might be on to something, its very plush but also supportive & its default sitting position is at the perfect angle for sitting back and using a laptop - I like to work with just an Air & no extra peripherals, its the kind of chair I could work & sleep in :-)

This is the exact one he has: http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod150003&categoryId=cat1537048

Of course there is the slight issue of this thing costing over $2k.....

Does anyone here also use such a chair? Has it worked out for you?

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No advice for these types of chairs, but I have been researching programming chairs recently.

I spent 2 hours in the store sitting on Herman Miller, Humanscale and Knoll. I've come to the conclusion that if you are going to work on a computer all day the most important feature is configurability. The perfect position is slightly reclined (seat as well not just the back) with a keyboard tray and a monitor arm. I think the entire package is needed otherwise you won't be comfortable. I had this type of setup at my previous job and it was great. After I started working from home I didn't want to spend the money to build a proper work environment, but that changed when I started getting leg pains. I know nothing replaces getting up every hour or so, but it can alleviate the discomfort.

I've tried the lazy boy type of chair and the problem with that is you are stuck in 1 or 2 positions forever. After a while I find myself curled up or sitting in an awkward position because of my need to fidget. This is why I've settled on the Aeron from Herman Miller and am in the process of buying it. The mesh seat removes the pressure point from my legs, the entire chair reclines spreading the weight to my back and it has lots of options. I actually liked the Embody a bit more, but couldn't justify the price. Humanscale has some great chairs as well, but I found they didn't feel as good when you recline.

Summery, I plan to get the following in order of importance: (1) Good reclining chair (2) configurable keyboard tray (3) monitor arm (4) motorized desk so I can stand and work once in a while.

Can you post links on where to get each of those?

I tried out the chairs at a local furniture shop (must do before you buy!) in Toronto called Design Within Reach http://www.dwr.com/category/workspace/task-chairs.do?nType=2. It looks like you can buy online, but if you live in the states might as well order directly from the manufacturer.

I'm getting the Aeron http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Aeron-Chairs

I liked the Embody a bit more, but was out of my price range. Favorite feature was the adjustable seat edge, which removes pressure points from your thy. http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Embody-Chairs

Some people like the Mirra. I didn't find anything good about it. http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Mirra-Chairs

Humanscale makes comfortable seats, but don't feel as nice as the Herman Miller when reclined.

My favorite Humanscale chair http://www.humanscale.com/products/product_detail.cfm?group=...

Freedom Chair was the one the founder have the TED talk about. http://www.humanscale.com/products/product_detail.cfm?group=...

I haven't decided on a keyboard tray or monitor arm yet. Both companies carry both products.

People seem to recommend the http://www.geekdesk.com/ for motorized desks. Not a high priority for me.

Also, checkout the video on Humanscale to see what a complete system looks like set up. http://www.humanscale.com/products/workstation_video.cfm

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