I started working in an office job roughly 5 years ago and I already feel my posture worsening. So in the past few months I kind of went crazy researching chairs. The trigger for this all was me working from home due to COVID and I game so I wanted to finally invest in a solid chair. I have been sitting in a cheap office chair that I bought over a decade ago.
Two of my friends have bought higher end gaming chairs (specifically, a DX Racer and a Steelcase Titan). I did not find these chairs comfortable. They are stacked with features and functionality but the ergonomics is lacking. Within ten minutes in each my lower back hurt - yes this includes the Titan. My cheap office chair felt more supportive. When I did my research I found 3 chairs that stood out: Autonomous ErgoChair 2 for its functionality and low cost; Steelcase Leap V2 for its ergonomics and mid range cost (used); and lastly, Herman Miller Aeron for its reputation, comfort and robustness (I wanted to try an Embody but I could not find one used). I know there are newer, fancier chairs out there but these are the only reputable chairs that I could find used in my area. I did buy the ErgoChair 2 brand new as it is priced much lower than the Aeron and Leap.
Starting with the ErgoChair 2, this chair is great for its price point. It cost me $430 CAD brand new delivered to my house with a 14 day trial period. In short, this chair has all the ergonomic functionalities that a chair needs. It includes a mesh back, adjustable lumber, rocking feature, 4D arms, really comfortable foam seat, and a neck rest. These are more features of course, these are just the ones that stood out to me while I had it during the 14 day trial period. I have only two cons to report about this chair. (1) Other than the actual seat mechanism thing below the seat of the chair, everything feels kind of cheap. Although you get a lot of features for the price, for $430, I guess I felt I needed robustness and this chair didn't seem to have it. If you go online you will find reviews about its poor longevity due to things like fraying mesh and broken neck supports. (2) the lumbar support was good, but not perfect. At times it felt like it just stuck out into my lower back which maybe some people like. It seemed to do the job of supporting my lumbar but just not as great as I imagined a $430 chair would. If you could not find a used chair in your area, this would be my recommendation. However, I returned it within the 14 day period hassle free.
Moving to the Leap V2, this chair was simply not for me. It cost me $450 used and it was in almost perfect condition. I went to a used office store and sat in this chair and the Aeron for 30 mins each and could not decide. Ultimately I went with the Leap because it was cheaper and I had a 14 day exchange period. It also actually felt more comfortable and supportive in the store compared to the Aeron during that 30 min test period (not by much but it was noticeable). I sat in the Leap for about 12 days, 8 hours per day. During my first few days I loved it. I felt like it was such a step up from the ErgoChair 2 for the same price and that anyone who bought an ErgoChair got ripped off. I felt like it supported my lumber sooo well and it had every adjustment you can imagine. However, after about 1.5 weeks, I began to notice pain in my lower thighs and upper back (basically my shoulder blades). I got some thick thighs because I play soccer, all muscle but I guess there was too much foam for my thighs that it was actually pressing into my leg. It felt so nice the first few days but then it started to become sore when I would stand and walk. Its funny because there is a similar complaint about the Aeron but I never felt that at all with the Aeron because I got the right sized chair (size b). The second part about my shoulder blades, well if you look at the shape of the chair top of the back rest (see image below), about 2/3 up the back you will notice that the back rest concaves deeper in than the top of the back rest. This result in the area above my lumber to fill that concave area, but then the top less deep part would dig into my shoulder blades. Its hard to describe, but I felt it and its there. If you compare it to the shape of the back on the Leap V1, you may see what I mean. But trust me, if your 5'10ish, the top may dig into your shoulder blades. Because of this, I exchanged the chair for the Aeron.
https://d37lmo9b6n3d7g.cloudfront.net/images/detailed/420/steelcase-leap-chair-side.jpg?t=1501801604
Lastly, the Aeron, this chair was expensive, cost me $650 CAD but it was fully loaded with posture fit and in great condition. I have now sat in this chair for about a month and I really like it. Its as a solid as can be and I can find almost every part on Ebay in case anything breaks (this is the only chair I could find parts for). The only complaint I have about this chair is the mesh seat. Although I do not have any pains when I move around after, mesh seats are not the most comfortable on the bum. The Leap felt better on my bum. Once in awhile I will notice that my bum is a bit sore from sitting in the Aeron but it goes away once I stop thinking about it lol - I do sit in it for like 12 hours a day sometimes. Other than that, I really like how cool I stay in the mesh. This sounds weird but I actually did get hot in the Leap and I almost feel like a cooling effect on the Aeron. Another bonus feature of mesh is my farts also go right through the mesh so I don't have to lift one cheek to let the air out like other chairs. I really like the rocking feature on the Aeron. When you set the rocker right, you almost feel like your floating but this can also become a bit uncomfortable over. I switch from the floating position to upright to tilt forward. Overall, I love the Aeron and would highly recommend it over the 2 chairs above. In my research it seemed the majority preferred the Leap but I do not agree at all.
I am too high and lazy to proof read this so I hope it all reads well lol. I also hate writing but I felt I needed to pass my experiences a long to the world wide web. Feel free to ask me any specific questions.
Submitted August 07, 2020 at 09:24PM by MrDocter https://ift.tt/3a7oP71
