Office Chair Question

Post by **korio** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 14:48

Hi guys!

I have a little fight on my work, i have started to suffer some back pain and im totally sure its caused by the office chair i have.

I have asked HHRR for a new one, more suited for my "dimensions" and unfortunately the choices they gave me are just the same shit i have right now with other design.

the current chair i have is this:

pic

My boss told me to offer some alternatives since the "purchases department" couldnt offer any option suitable for me from our regular supplier.

I am a 1.9m tall guy, weight around 140Kg, im not fatty but im pretty big.

Other problem is that the chair should have the blue fabric the one in the picture have.

I am thinking about just fight for a DxRazer or something like that (a "gaming" chair) but im trying to find an office chair suitable for me.

Any of you can recommend me any chair?

Thank you!

Jericho · Post by **Jericho** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 14:55

Forget a gaming chair. They are no different to 'regular' chair, and are probably worse than any office chair, they will just have a nicer 'skin'.

I loved my gaming chair for the first couple of months, then I realized it's really just the same old same old, but with a higher back.

Here where I work (one of the biggest companies in the world), they do try to supply proper posture chairs after you have jumped through every possible hoop and they have forced every desk-raising and ergonomic mouse upon you (because these chairs cost a fortune).

I'm 6'3" (190.5 cm) and probably 17st 8lbs (about 111kg) and have a regular office chair of a better type (2 main types, I've been dragging this one around for a decade. Higher back, bit of lumbar).

My wife has a full ergo chair and loves it. She's not quite as tall as me, and hand to persist with complaints to get it.

Post by **korio** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 15:06

I know they are regular chairs with nice skins but anything is better than my current chair, the back part is like sticking a tree to your back at a weird angle and its totally painfull.

On my house i have a cheap gaming chair that its perfect and i can stay at it for very long times without any problem, but its "neon green" and black, so its a no no for the office

They want the cheapest one i can find but one of the alternatives they gave me is almost 400€ so.....

I would ask for an autonomous ergo chair, but the prices here on spain are around 700€ i think....

The main problem im facing is finding a big chair with the blue fabric the one i posted earlier have.

burger1 · Post by **burger1** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 15:09

Are standing desks any better than sitting in a chair?

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 15:14

Amazon have this which seems about right for you.

Also you could perhaps find a chair of any colour that fits you and then see if you can get blue covers for it. (There are several different types of covers on the market - example.)

birdtable · Post by **birdtable** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 15:41

I bought an executive office chair that was badly stained 30 odd years ago, had the best foam installed and reupholstered ,,, cost a bit but here we are 30 years later, still very comfortable with only the fabric (arms) starting to show wear and the swivel mechanism starting to get a bit loose... I would get the same gaming chair and get it reupholstered in obviously the Big Blue Colours..

Ezarkal · Post by **Ezarkal** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 15:44

The problem with chairs it if they have a hard surface inside or on the back of the backrest, you'll keep crushing the cushions. Your backrest will be deformed after a few months and you'll be back to square one.

If your cushion is only suspended to an "empty frame", you're set for years. I've had my gaming chair for something like 8 years now, and it's still as comfortable as the day I got it.

At work, I have a variant where there's no cushion. Just a membrane stretched on a frame, with a small adjustable support for my lower back. Pretty similar to this one without the headrest: https://hafiz786.wpengine.com/wp-conten ... -Chair.jpg

It is surprisingly comfortable.

Post by **CBJ** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 16:10

What's your budget? There are some great chairs out there that have all the necessary features to support your back in your chosen sitting position, but the best ones can be eye-wateringly expensive.

Post by **korio** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 16:17

First of all, thank all of you for your suggestion, im looking at all of them.

CBJ wrote:What's your budget? There are some great chairs out there that have all the necessary features to support your back in your chosen sitting position, but the best ones can be eye-wateringly expensive.

I dont have any budget, they just told me, give us some alternatives and nothing more.

The one Alan suggested seems to be fine for my boss "demands" but i need to measure my bum to check if i fit in it, also they dont send it to spain

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 17:02

For desk workers and others who have to spend a lot of time sitting down, finding the right chair is always difficult. Yes, there are "standing desks" and the like and taking breaks from sitting for long periods by working while standing is a good idea, according to the latest health findings.

But, everyone still wants a good chair.

If I were you, I'd find some good lumbar support pads and/or supplemental chair cushions first. That way, you at least have something to help make you more comfortable while you search.

I'd also suggest going to an office supply or furniture store to try out some different brands of chairs. Depending upon how large your organization is, they may even have some old furniture inventory or surplus chairs you can try.

birdtable · Post by **birdtable** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 17:10

Agree with Morkonan,, do not think office chair is something you can buy with certainty online,, need to try before you buy,,,

Bishop149 · Post by **Bishop149** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 18:42

We got some bloody expensive "ergonomic" chairs at work. . . . they are terrible, universally hated and currently function as small raised storage areas.
So be careful what solution you chose. Make sure you try it out in specific relation to YOUR needs, what is good for one person will be hell for another and yet managers and purchasing types tend to think that "ergonomic" means it's a one size fits all solutions and just buy in bulk for everyone.

BugMeister · Post by **BugMeister** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 20:17

My chair failed months ago - the pump won't raise the seat any more, it's been supplemented by a pile of cushions..
Seems to work OK for me, though..

I'm intrigued - does HHRR mean they are twice as human and twice as resourceful as an ordinary HR department?

- only kidding..

Post by **Terre** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 20:21

korio wrote:The one Alan suggested seems to be fine for my boss "demands" but i need to measure my bum to check if i fit in it, also they dont send it to spain

If you need to measure your bum, then I can recommend, 100m Heavy duty fibre surveyors tape

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 20:23

A note for serious chair searchers....

Back in the days when I might need to outfit an office quickly, I'd go to my local large-business/government maintenance and furnishings departments and ask about "surplus" office furniture. For instance, I once outfitted several offices and secretarial/documents rooms by calling the local large hospital maintenance office and talking to them. I got a tour of their furnishings storage building, picked out what I wanted and paid a few hundred dollars for stuff that would have cost me thousands on the open market.

Here, it's not what you know, necessarily, but "who."

The same works for any large organization, especially government surplus auctions and furnishings storage facilities. I have gotten phat lewtz by the pallet-load for next to nothing from US government auctions.

Why?

You can pick up chairs, desks, etc, that would have otherwise cost you thousands of dollars. And, if you're quick, you can pick up some darn fine chairs that have been switched out by executives/officers for real cheap. (IF the guy in charge of surplus hasn't already given them to their relatives or sold them out the back door...

)

exogenesis · Post by **exogenesis** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 20:32

If I had to recommend from experience :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005F3VCWC

This is the most comfortable + supportive chair I've ever bought (had a few),
sensible price (£200) & very well constructed (Topstar, German company).

It has swivelling & width adjustable armrests, with the usual height adjust
- can't stress enough that this really make a huge difference if you're keyboard & mouse-ing all day
(you don't adjust posture to the seat, it adjusts to support you).

Good comfortable lumbar support, good seat shaping + all the synchro & height adjusts.

It seems you have to pay an extra 30 quid for blue rather than black.

birdtable · Post by **birdtable** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 21:04

Ahhhhh ...But out of stock in Spain...

jlehtone · Post by **jlehtone** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 21:41

I've seen colleagues resort to consulting ergonomists, who measure and evaluate your working environment and posture and suggest necessary adjustments. I think in one case the worker tested five or six different chairs, until everybody was (almost) happy.

Where-ever your company buys chairs from should be eager to get something sold to you and thus offer testing.

Another common trend has been introduction of standing desks that have electric motor to adjust height daily between sitting/standing postures. Someone must have lobbied to the administration an idea that health is worth electronic furniture investments (and the cost of getting rid of old tables).

With "standing" cometh the saddle chairs. Not my cup of tea.

I have essentially "Varier Wing Balans". Yes, not cheap. Managed to get one about twenty years ago. Recently had to replace the cushions. (Spare parts for an old chair

)

Professional ergonomist's reaction to (beige) Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro: "WTH is that? No. Definitely not ergonomic. To be replaced.

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Thu, 6. Jul 17, 22:59

Just a note: The most comfortable office chair I've ever owned was made by Samsonite. I spend hours, sometimes all day, sitting at my desk typing out lots of crap, so I really broke those chairs in. (I bought two)

There are tons of models that they make, so trying to pick out the ones I have is difficult. (They're not with me atm because I live at different places, at times.)

Anyway, that's my "from experience" recommendation : Samsonite

(At work, I have no idea what chairs I used. I'd switch them out fairly frequently, since we bought a boatload of them. I prefer cloth covers to leather because I dislike butt-sweat.

)

Jericho · Post by **Jericho** » Fri, 7. Jul 17, 09:01

Morkonan wrote:For desk workers and others who have to spend a lot of time sitting down, finding the right chair is always difficult. Yes, there are "standing desks" and the like and taking breaks from sitting for long periods by working while standing is a good idea, according to the latest health findings.

I thought that the latest findings had a result of "meh", with no difference detected. (Seems like too short a time to measure, but I guess some people have been doing it for decades).

We have the workstations that bolt to your desk, weigh nearly 150kg and can raise up and down so you can work seated or standing. When I was doing paired programming, I found it quite comfortable to be standing there for probably 8 hours straight, with the 2 of us at 1 computers... Yet I get antsy 3 minutes into a standing scrum each morning.

So, I've found standing desks to be quite good to be honest, but they lack the dual keyboard, dual mouse, dual widescreen setups for proper paired programming.

egosoft.com

egosoft.com

Office Chair Question

Office Chair Question