The other day someone asked this and everyone recommended a $1,400 chair. I can’t afford that, I can’t even dream of affording that. I’m looking for something with good lumbar support for ideally under $400 tops. Does anyone have any ideas?
And Inb4 someone says “buy one used / second hand” I looked and they’re still pretty pricey. My current chair is falling apart so I need to do something soon.
I’ll second the suggestion of Secretlab. Pretty sure mine was in the £400ish price range, and it’s really nice for gaming.
Go part of the way through purchasing one, and then close the tab. Within a day or two you’ll probably have a discount coupon. It’s my favourite trick for buying expensive stuff.
Third Secretlab, it’s still pricy but far more affordable than HM, has all the lumbar support, and whilst it looks gamer-y it lacks the awful shoulders that makes it bad for you so it’s actually comfortable.
I had to WFH at my parents for 1 day the other week, couldn’t believe how bad my back pain got from 1 day in a crappy office chair. Their support was good too, my magnet head rest kept falling down so they sent me a brand new one
Oh that’s smart
I’ve had mine since early 2020 and it’s identical to the day I purchased it. Faux leather doesn’t look the slightest bit damaged or fatigued. (I liked it so much, I got the rest of all their products…)
I used a secretlab Titan for 6 years. Currently looking to replace it, but that’s only because the faux leather is starting to peel away. Really solid investment, super comfy.
For OP, I likely tried the $1400 chair that was recommended (Steelcase Gesture) and just sent it back. Decent chair but just didn’t work for me.
Steer clear of anything that markets itself as being gaming focused. Plenty of middle-of-the-road office chairs provide decent back support and I’d even wager most are better for your long term health than a “gaming” chair. If there’s a local office furniture store nearby then I’d check that out. Still might be a bit pricey but I’m sure they have some cheaper options. My current one was like $200 from one of those stores and it’s served me very well. Super comfy, much better than my sibling’s gaming chair.
See if an office equipment seller is doing office clearances and you can get some office chairs for less than $100 most likely (I got one for £50)
This. I got a like new $1400 chair for $350.
I’ve worked from home for 10 years, logged serious hours in that chair, never felt uncomfortable. It’s a nightingale if that helps.
I would steer clear of any chairs that
- function as a billboard for themselves (high back with a logo that’s clearly visible on a twitch stream)
- are built like a bucket seat from a race car
- or are otherwise marketed toward “gamers”
I would try looking for a second hand expensive one. I found a guy on CL who restores Herman Millers; sold me a lightly used Aeron for like $300.
The one I used before that was the Ikea Markus (also purchased on CL for $100, barely used).
Forget about gaming chairs, they’re overpriced for the sake of looking like a racecar seat.
Look at office chairs. For example https://www.autonomous.ai/ have good chairs at reasonable prices.
The vinyl mesh seats you can get at staples have always been good to me. They’re simple but they last forever and they feel great for hours https://www.staples.com/union-scale-flexfit-hyken-ergonomic-mesh-swivel-task-chair-black-un59460/product_990119
I was going to recommend chairs like these as well. Super comfortable, doesn’t really get dirty, doesn’t get hot in the summer and can be outfitted with a blanket in the winter. Usually not too expensive either.
Ooo this might be nice especially temp wise 👀 thank you!
I’ve had one for years, I game for long stretches in it with no back pain. It doesn’t really wear down.
Used one of these for many years, it was great. Only complaint is that the arm rest is kind uncomfortable it you lean on it a lot like I do.
For any chair that you want to roll upgrade the crappy plastic wheels with some nice rubber ones. The kind that look like inline skate wheels.
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If you haven’t looked into used office furniture stores near you, I would highly suggest it. Depending on where you live you could get anywhere from 40 to 80% off, and big name $1k retail chairs are built to last 10+ years and are often lightly refurbished at these stores (and they usually can order parts and do repairs in shop)
I got a IKEA Markus for like 150 euros before the pandemic started. Been sitting on it 95% of my working hours since, and honestly don’t have any complaints.
Sure it’s not very adjustable or comparable to 1k+ chairs, but pretty damn good for the price.
Love my Markus. It’s so much better than it has any right to be at that price point. It forces me to sit upright and have good posture.
It forces me to sit upright and have good posture.
You’re not stubborn enough.
-Currently “sitting” in one with one leg on the table and my upper back touching the lumbar support
spoiler
Time to correct my posture
Swedes definitely do some things better than their dogshit hockey
Look into an office supply / overstock / reseller store around you. When businesses close up shop, they usually sell their desks, chairs, etc. to some kind of overstock store. You can usually go there and get very nice chairs for less then 1/4 of the normal cost
I got a used Herman Miller Sayl for $175. It’s not the best chair in the world, but it’s pretty good. There may be used office furniture stores in your area. I’d start there.
I second the used office chair store option. I got mine there for like $300, and while it was a color I wouldnt usually go for (lime green), it solved my back pain virtually overnight. Have had it like 3 years now, it’s great and will probably last forever
I am right now sitting on a Steelcase Series 1, and while it doesn’t have great lumbar support, it is far better than any shitty $150 “gaming” chair, and is right in your price range brand new.
I have a Secretlab chair that I like. Which model is right for you depends on your size. I paid about $500 for mine. They often have $100 off coupons.
I often see some pretty comfortable chairs at Costco for < $300, if you live near one. The savings on the chair alone would more than cover the cost of a 1 year membership.
The other benefit with Costco is that they have an extremely generous return policy.
Some obvious stuff has different rules (electronics is 90 days, stuff like tires that have clear expected lifespans have their own rules), but it is extremely liberal. And my experience is that I pretty rarely have to use it, because while not everything is a premium product for a bargain price, they tend to ensure that the suppliers for products they sell have reasonable build quality and make stuff that isn’t trash designed to fail.
Seconding the Secretlab chair. For someone who works from home and would play PC games at the exact same desk when work ended, it made sense to invest in a chair beyond my $30 IKEA one and has held up pretty well over the last several years.
I got a HON Ignition 2.0 a few years back for about $300. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s not a gaming chair. It’s one of the best cheap ergonomic chairs I’ve ever used. You can get them lightly used from Amazon for about $360 nowadays, or $425 new. Between working from home and sitting in front of my computer gaming, I spend probably 8+ hours a day sitting in that chair, and have for the last 3 years. It’s still in great shape and shows almost no wear and tear.
Got a refurbished steelcase for ~300 with no regrets.
I got a Serta Lautner executive chair as a gift, normally runs about $300 off sale. It has adjustable air-bladder lumbar support and is so soft I’ve taken naps in it.
I recently accidentally sheared a bolt holding one of the arms on because I failed to check it every 6 months, I called the support group and the lady on the other end was kind enough to waive the cost of the replacement kit and shipping. Cannot recommend enough.
