Time for a new chair

I ordered one from Amazon, but it’s not up to the task (yes, that is my review):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002W5YOBW/ref=oss_product

So, it’s not good for me, and she’s not satisfied enough at the price to keep it. I mean, it’s a $500 chair, it bloody well ought to fulfill it’s intended purpose. I need something with a seat depth adjustment and preferably a seat angle adjustment. Considering how much time I spend in the saddle, the prices are definitely worth it, IMO.

So now I am wavering between:

Herman Miller Embody®, at $1199.

Herman Miller Celle®, which with the options I want is about $819.

The HumanScale Freedom® chair, which is around $1000 + with the options I want:

The HAG H09 Inspiration® Chair, which with the options I want is about $1150.

Now, I really hate to pay this much for a chair, but if it’s the right chair, it’s a good investment IMO.

I’ve a compacted lower vertebrae from a construction site accident years ago, so comfort is a premium option, that isn’t really an option. I need something to ease the pain in my lower back.

The only other chair I was considering tips the scales at just under $2000, so one of these would definitely be preferred. Does anyone have any experience with any of these?

The nice thing with the Herman Miller chairs is that they have an excellent warranty. The Embody®, for instance, carries a 12 year warranty.

I’m also going to head to the local Office Depot, either tomorrow or Monday to check this out:

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/278000/Realspace-PRO-Maverick-Multifunction-High-Back/

Now, at $199, I don’t have very high hopes for this, but it does have adjustable everything. Considering price, I could afford to buy 5 of them for less than the price of one Embody®, but the pain in my back is of prime importance here.

Anyone who has any additional suggestions, please chime in, even if you hate me. :stuck_out_tongue:

Hi Bill

Lower back pain … I’m sorry to hear that.

I recommend the principle of Recline-Back.
Not Tilt, which keeps the angle between back and seat constant. That puts undue pressure on the back of the legs, and organized the body to squash into the crotch of the ‘v’ that is formed.

Recline-back … back tilts and seat remains horizontal.
I work at my desk in a semi reclined position, sometimes square-on to the desk, and sometimes swung sideways. I tend to have my feet resting on something other than the floor, but the seat being flat, my feet can touch the ground firmly enough for me to let my shins take some of the weight off the back of my thighs.

The reclined position removes compression … your body is resting weight against the back as well as the seat … you are no longer ONLY resting upper-body weight against the vertebrae. With this method, I have always found angle which removes the pain … lower, mid, upper back.
That’s the gist. Here are some chairs and a cheap conversion opportunity.

Chairs are uppermost in my mind at the moment. I am engaged in modifying this, that I got a couple of weeks ago:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HIGH-BACK-RECLINE-SOFA-CHAIR-EXECUTIVE-OFFICE-CHAIR-/180585182299?pt=UK_Home_Garden_HomeOfficeFurniture_SM&var=&hash=item6fc2d2abe4

Bad points …
Too high at lowest level
Padding on seat is such that butt sinks and back of legs near knees get pressure
Arms, though nice and low, come too far forward.

Good points … reclines WITHOUT tilting the seat back, and has Office Wheels.

Previously I have bought standard office high-backed chairs,

and have then modified them into recline-backs by chopping the arms down to just enough of the L-bracket to connect the back to the seat - only attach the lower bolts, so the back can recline. Screw upper back bolts … they will stand out and proud. Loosen back and front seat-bolts and wind strong nylon cord three times between upper back bolt and front seat-bolt. You now have a simple pulley system with which to secure and adjust the angle of the back. It’s a pain in the ruddy bum to adjust! That’s why I recently got theother chair, which brings its own modification needs.

Well … good luck as you find a solution ASAP … that lower back’s got to be taken care of.
Glyn

I DO hate you so I recommend this chair:

:smiley:

MY problem with sitting isn’t in my lower back, it’s my left shoulder. If I sit for any length of time at the computer or DAW, invariably my left shoulder hurts like a b*tch.

Those prices are pretty high for a computer or work desk chair, but I agree, given that we spend so much time in them, it’d be worth the extra money to get one that reduces discomfort.

I ended up getting the Herman Miller Aeron®.

It was $849, with free two day shipping, which I upgraded to next day for $3.99 with my Amazon Prime membership.

We’ve tried out a number of less expensive chairs, a few of them copies of the Aeron®, but the Aeron® was tops in comfort. Just sitting in this chair instantly makes the back feel better. There is nothing about it which isn’t perfection. A big bonus is the breathable nature of the mesh fabric, which makes it several degrees cooler than the Embody chair which I also tried in a showroom.

For anyone who shops at Amazon a lot, the prime membership is a great deal. I’ve already saved over $100 in shipping costs, and the standard, no charge, 2 day shipping is great for “I want it now” syndrome.

BTW, I got as great chuckle from your electric chair picture, Doug. Thank you.

Thank you Glyn for your insight, as well.

I use a mesh chair as well. It’s a cheap one but suits me well. Though I have back problems (an accident while moving furniture years ago), I’m also very fidgety, so I pretty much can’t stay in the same position for long. Plus due to a previous case of tendinitis in my right hand, I learned how to use the mouse left handed. So I’ll switch off now and then from one hand to the other.

One of the greatest advantages of keeping your back in line (literally and figuratively) is to pay attention to your position IN your chair. Changing it on occasion not only is a passive form of exercise, but will build the supporting muscles evenly.

Cheers!

In the early years I used to prefer to invest in equipment like mixer/mics/instruments! and thought this cheap seat would be sufficient:




Now I prefer that in the studio:

BTW: that´s for unpleasant customers…

Joking apart…
ergonomics in the studio is a very important topic!

:open_mouth:

That’s “nearly” exactly that one i own…

[whisper] …i’m working for a big automotive-company [/whisper]

Got two of those thingys…but made out of leather…what else… :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

PS: Looks like GM!!

A lot of these contraptions look over-engineered to me. Are our necks so feeble that they need support while clicking a mouse? Keep your screens at eye level and your head will happily sit on your neck without straining it. And your back will follow. Likewise, arm-rests. I don’t have any and never missed them. My hands are on the desk, not the chair and my arms hang conveniently from two shoulders supplied for that very purpose. Besides, arm-rests get in the way of a guitar.

I bought a simple swivel chair with only a height adjustment from an office clearance as a kid in the 70s. One of the plastic foot sliders cracked recently so I repaired it with some acetal rod I bought online for about 100 times the original cost of the chair.

Never liked mesh chairs due to the containment factor. I mix for usually 5-6 hours at a time. I do take breaks. Monitor height is a crucial factor. No matter what chair you use, if it is at a bad height, you are screwed. This is what I use today:
P1000824.JPG

Oh, Bill,

I suffered from lower back pain as well. Sometimes I still do. I herniated a lower back disc a number of years ago. I regularly exercise and strengthen the muscles in my lower back to ease the pain. Proper beds are really important too.

Good luck with the new chair…

:wink:
The lager version of that chair comes with a horn and a steering wheel. No kiddin´!
:laughing:

Meep-Meep! (not MEAP!) in the studio, it must be fun…
:laughing:

Is that the one with the pint glass holder in the arm rest?

yes. that alone is worth it, IMHO:

;o)

:open_mouth: :confused: :wink:

@ North: if I had to produce techno-dance I’d also have intestinal problems… :laughing:

Thanks, Tom.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :mrgreen:

… Such as was used by the Commode-ores

It is said that they were usually on pot.

Extreme groan! :laughing: