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Comment by Someone1234 | Hacker News Reader

"Real" Chair (Steelcase / Herman Miller) and four-legged standing desk (better stability). Plus a handheld "mouse" (ELECOM Relacon) so when I'm reading I can stand differently or do light movement/exercise. Blowing $2.5K on a desk + chair is a lot, but also not a lot depending on your perspective.

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I second the recommendation of Steelcase. I bought my Steelcase Leap chair five years ago, and it's still rock solid and has no noticeable wear.

My wife recently decided to buy one too, and she got hers refurbished from a company called BTOD. I was impressed with the quality. It was indistinguishable from mine (which I bought new) and cost half the price.

I definitely endorse the idea of getting a Steelcase chair, though my positive experience is with a Leap 2.

(Maybe it's the same for you? I'm looking at Steelcase's web site and the Leap 2 is now just called "Leap".)

Hard to say. I can't find any explanation of the differences between v1 and v2. I bought mine in April 2018 from Amazon, and my receipt just says, "Steelcase Leap, Black" with no version.

the lateral movement of the armrest I think is v2 only?

https://www.btod.com/blog/steelcase-leap-v1-vs-v2/

The Leap 1 has a small back. The Leap 2 is much taller.

If you bought yours new in 2018, it'll be a 2, since apparently the 2 was introduced in 2006.

Ah, that's helpful, thanks! I do indeed have the Leap 2.

I bought a leap v2 and had to return it, the top of the backrest is not straight and this is apparently almost by design and within their tolerance, which I find unbelievable for 1k+ chair.

Have been with the Steelcase Amia for 2 years now and am quite happy.

I got a used Gesture on eBay and also was impressed. Definitely a great way to score an excellent chair for cheap. Buying new seems best if you need more optional features or a different material.

I ended up giving that to my ex and getting a new one exactly how I wanted it and have no regrets, even though it was really expensive. The Gesture really is a lovely chair.

The leap is an awesome chair. Plus you can get it sized down if you’re a petite person.

Depends on the person RE the chair, some friends seem to get various pains with Herman Miller chairs, I see practically no difference having used one vs using cheapo ones. But if it works for you then more power to you!

Adding to your anecdotes, I bought a HM Aeron chair and cannot sit in it for extended periods due to back pain. Had to go back to a “normal” chair.

FWIW the Aeron is the most uncomfortable chair on earth for me. But the Embody is incredible.

Agree with you on Aeron. But HM Embody is in a different league. I have two of them and love it.

Chairs should probably be bought in brick and mortar stores, where you can try them out before you buy. Better if it has a good return policy if the first impression is deceiving.

Like shoes, mattresses, etc... a chair is a very personal thing and price and general reputation is not always a good indication of how well you will feel.

Absolutely. Before I was WFH full time, I tended to buy whatever chair seemed nice enough, but never spent over $200 USD. About a week after our companies WFH order I realized it was really causing discomfort after long work session. I went with a Secretlab gaming chair. Despite the "gaming" part, it's pretty solid and I've been very happy with it. Several friends and coworkers have purchased them on my recommendation and have been happy with them as well.

I'm sorry I've been searching steelcase and Herman Miller for a chair for awhile. what does "Real" mean here?

Presumably not a "gaming chair" or any of the other garbage that has become popular recently.

Thanks, I do think room aesthetics for people play a large role in their decisions. I just hope they don't keep sacrificing ergonomics.

The Herman Miller Embody is a wild mix of both at a $1,500-$2,000 price tag.

The kinds of chairs selling to gen z and millenials seem to be reflective of what the youtubers and streamers use.

Ergonomic/good for your posture/body. Sitting is pretty terrible so anyway to make it flow more naturally is better.

Or you could just stand up and largely solve most of those issues.

A Herman Miller Aeron, Mirra, Cosm, or similar can usually be found at a liquidation company for a lot less than retail. Keep in mind that they are repairable and parts are readily available, there are not many other brands that have that kind of support.

Since moving to the East coast, DC area. The quality of chairs on the aftermarket compared to CA is very poor.

It seems like few people / few company cares about their chair quality.

By "real" I mean a chair actually designed for 7-hours a day 5-days a week usage and warrantied as such. Ergonomics and build quality is key. Expect to pay around $1K.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm trying to find a aftermarket one in the DC area, its been a loooong wait, a lot of garbage floating out there.

> Expect to pay around $1K.

You pay a lot less if you get one refurbished.

True, but also note that it won't be warrantied the same way. That's just an inherent trade-off, Steelcase has a limited lifetime warranty which I've already used to replace the lift after 10-years.

Picked up a Mirra 1 at auction for $150 this year. Pretty happy with it.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned: I have a two laptop stands, and a KVM switch to flip my screen, keyboard, mouse and a decent powered USB hub between my work laptop and personal laptop. Pretty handy.

Also an aquarium. Nice to have a bit of life and movement in the room. Hard plastic carpet protector. Office chairs can be murder on carpet.

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