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 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 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 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.
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 might look into this!
Autonomous makes some nice chairs that are in your price range
Thank you!!!
I personally have had the ErgoChair Plus with the naked black TPE (No cushion) for the past 5(?) years and it’s been holding up great.
If you’re in the US, the Workpro line from Office Depot are pretty good. I picked up the Momentum for about $260 during a sale.
I might look into that, thanks!
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
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.
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.
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.
No idea about $$$ and if they even ship to your location but I got my hands on a Backforce One Plus for 500€ and that thing is day and night compared to my last. Arm rests are a little bit wobbly but the rest… dead gods I hope it lasts for the rest of my life.
That’s from someone with a lot of back pain for… reasons.
Maybe a cheap office ish chair?
I have an mti chair and its fine. The arm rests suck but if its under 100 euros its a good buy.
Why is 400 even considered for a chair???
If you work from home, you’re spending a lot of time in that chair. A good, ergonomic chair can go a long way to mitigate back issues.
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.
Anyone have recommendations for an executive style chair with a high back? I assume the reason why I can’t find them anywhere is a combination of them being a larger box by volume and something about ergonomics but I love reclining in a chair with a high slightly wide back that doesn’t put all the weight onto my feet like ‘racer’ style chairs tend to do.
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.
Oh that’s smart
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
Do you have a preference/requirement for specific materials, back height, or arm adjustability?
I recently went through the analysis paralysis of buying a new home office chair. I ultimately ended up buying an HM Embody, which is great, but I realize how ridiculous the concept of spending $1600 on a chair seems.
Staples sells a chair called Hyken which my wife has and seems to really like. It is all mesh and (to me) feels very much like the Herman Miller Cosm, but with more pronounced lumbar support.
If you have an IKEA near you it looks like they’ve redesigned the Markus to have more lumbar support. I had an older version and I would recommend trying it out if possible, the back is very tall and I always felt like a hobbit sitting in it. Keep in mind the arms are static, they have an identical chair with adjustable arms for about $80 more.
A couple of other options - HON Ignition is around your price range and gets very good reviews. I don’t know if it’s available in stores anywhere, but it is on Amazon.
Another brand that I rarely see mentioned is SitOnIt seating. If I remember right they had the designers of Toyota’s seats design the original Focus chair. They have one called the Novo which might be at the top end of your budget, but they are very well built chairs.
As someone else mentioned though, if you have a used office furniture dealer nearby I would absolutely start there. $400-500 can buy a used Aeron, Leap, Fern, etc. and it should come with some sort of warranty.
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)
Seems like you have a lot of good suggestions already, but more couldn’t hurt.
I bought the following chairs (also from Staples coincidently) in 2022, and both have been great, but it looks like they’ve gone up in price.
TempurPedic 6400 Fabric Computer and Desk Chair Black TP6400BLK - $279.99 at time of purchase
TempurPedic Mesh Back Fabric Computer and Desk Chair Black TP6450BLKMB - 299.99 at time of purchase
Regardless of what chair you end up deciding on, the put it in your cart and wait a few days a trick is always helpful, and I would definitely recommend googling coupons for wherever you purchase it from.
Good luck!
