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Comment by admissionsguy | Hacker News Reader

Aeron chair - nothing special, could have done with a 10x cheaper ikea chair

I bought my Aeron chair over 20 years ago. Around $500, and I suspect I’ll be using for another 15 years. Chair has been solid.

Same. I find it to be one of the best purchases I have ever made for myself tbh.

I paid full boat 20+ years ago but I’ve spent more time in that chair than my car and bed combined, and it’s always got my back. Best purchase ever.

Same. Whether an Aeron or another high quality chair, it's hard to not find value in something we use for huge chunks of our days.

Interesting. I agree with most items on this page as overrated, but with an L5-S1 disc herniation, the Aeron is about the only chair I can sit in for an extended period of time without hurting. Then again, I haven't tried dozens of office chairs, but at least for me it was worth the purchase cost.

Presumably the real benefit comes over time; at least it’s worth picking up a used one.

IMO they’re great - if you get it secondhand for cheap.

I have one I got from a coworker for $100 when he was moving. 13 years later it’s as good as it’s always been, and I don’t even know how old it was when I got it.

Comfiest office chair I’ve ever sat in.

Not an Aeron chair, but I bought a used Steelcase Leap 2 for $500. I've had it for 15 years and all the hardware is still like new. A year ago the reupholstered fabric on the seat started to rip revealing the original fabric which was stained but in one piece.

I don't think you would get the same mileage with an Ikea office chair.

I never understood the appeal of these. Last time I went chair shopping I sat in a ton of different chairs including these and they were middle of the road in comfort and at the top end in price.

The appeal is that they are highly adjustable across a bunch of dimensions. Did you fiddle with all of the controls when you tried it?

So are a lot of chairs at a fifth of the price.

I gave them a quality evaluation and have had occasion to sit in them for long periods at client sites.

I am all for spending for quality and generally am a BIFL type consumer, but these chairs just don’t carry the value for me.

I don't think there is one chair at a fifth of the price or even half the price that is as adjustable. Please post one if true, as I'd love to have such a discounted feature.

I can’t really get you specifics. Three years ago when my wife and I were chair shopping after an office deco/design change, I came across a number of highly adjustable chairs in the “less than $600” price point that we were shopping during that time (We share the office and were buying two). What was important to us was they fit a specific design aesthetic (Aerons did not), that they were the same chair (for design symmetry), and that they were comfortable and adjustable to our individual needs. We ended up with 6-way adjustable chairs that met our needs and came in around $550 each. Because of our criteria, it took the better part of a mo th of active shopping to find our unicorn.

Google tells me Aerons have 8-ways of adjustability. The missing adjustability I don’t have are arm height and tilt. I don’t miss it. And if I did, it’s not worth the extra grand it would take to get it.

Wow, I love the Aeron. Amazing purchase for me though I bought on Craigslist for 400 and it’s flawless.

i got 4 used ones 20 years ago, still have them, excellent for my sedentary existence.

I would have paid 2x retail for my Aeron and still be happy with it.

Been some 'scam' for decades.

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