Office Chair Recommendations

[Barefooter]

1 hour ago, acoustic said:

I have a Secret Labs Titan XL and I can’t wait to get rid of it. I’m giving myself another year, and then going to hunt down a used Aeron, or maybe a Steelcase since you seem really happy with it. I bought the Titan because it had great reviews, but quite frankly I just don’t think it’s the right chair for me. Nothing really wrong with it build quality wise, except my cats loved the material and I couldn’t stop them from scratching it.. so it’s all fucked up now…

 

 

I've been thinking of getting the Secret Labs Titan XL due to all the great reviews, but now I have reservations.  Tough to decide when you can't try it out.

[Sir Beregond]

3 hours ago, Snakecharmed said:

So this is what the jerry-rigged Engineered Now H3 headrest looks like on my Leap V2. It's really no different than any other example where someone did this, but the mineral gray is a little lighter than the chair, and it looks slightly less jerry-rigged (not by much though) with stainless rather than plastic zip ties. It's very secure though and also doesn't void the 12-year Crandall warranty. The headrest also has tension screw adjustments to lock the tilt position in place.

 

The biggest adjustment I had to get used to was using the headrest as a neckrest because it's farther forward than where you would want a typical headrest to be positioned. However, it works better this way because the mesh contours well to my neck and also further stretches out my neck and upper back muscles.

 

 

 

 

Despite having worked in an office for about 15 years, most of those companies didn't have very good chairs. The only other "good" chair I can compare the Leap V2 to is the Aeron, and it's not even close. One of the Leap's strengths is the versatility of its armrests and it reminds me of why I could never get an Aeron perfectly set up to my liking.

 

The Leap's armrests are independent from the seat back and the heights are notched. Being independent from the seat back makes reclining less awkward and easier to adjust quickly. I also don't like infinitely adjustable armrest heights because it's tedious to get them perfectly level with each other. These are major drawbacks with the Aeron's armrests and I realized they were part of the reason I couldn't get the Aeron dialed in. I also never really liked the mesh seat or the hard plastic edge of the seat frame.

 

This also applies to the Knoll Generation, which Sir Beregond mentioned in another thread was the worst chair he sat in. Some reviews have mentioned that the Generation's armrest anchor points feel loose, which reminds me of some worn out Aeron armrest adjustment tracks and tension wheels I've had the displeasure of using. It also doesn't make sense to me to tie an armrest to a seat back. Its armrest position when reclining looks uncomfortable and kind of absurd.

Looks really good. It sounds like you and I have extremely similar chair preferences.

 

Yeah the Knoll chair just sucks. The armrests swing outwards with no adjustment aside from up and down, and rocks back with the chair, unlike the Leap.

 

I likewise was not a big fan of the Aeron, but it was at least a tolerable chair. For me, what make the Leap V2 top tier is the 4-d armrests and the way the recline works and how you can set how far it goes. To add to that, the fact the seat bottom just sort of slightly tilts back and forward along with the recline, it just works for me.

 

That said, I'm about 6' and none of my shorter coworkers like the Leap, so guess it really just depends.

 

With their 10% off sale, I came out at $584 out the door for a remanufactured V2 Leap. I'm boring, just got the black frame and black fabric. I am trying their Bioknit fabric. I am a little unsure if I'll like that or not, but going to give it a try.

 

  

3 hours ago, acoustic said:

I have a Secret Labs Titan XL and I can’t wait to get rid of it. I’m giving myself another year, and then going to hunt down a used Aeron, or maybe a Steelcase since you seem really happy with it. I bought the Titan because it had great reviews, but quite frankly I just don’t think it’s the right chair for me. Nothing really wrong with it build quality wise, except my cats loved the material and I couldn’t stop them from scratching it.. so it’s all fucked up now…

 

 

My friend has one of those and admittedly its the most comfortable of the racer bucket seat type chairs that I've tried. But at the end of the day, it's still just that, and way overpriced because of that in my opinion.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Sir Beregond

[Snakecharmed]

16 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

Looks really good. It sounds like you and I have extremely similar chair preferences.

 

Yeah the Knoll chair just sucks. The armrests swing outwards with no adjustment aside from up and down, and rocks back with the chair, unlike the Leap.

 

I likewise was not a big fan of the Aeron, but it was at least a tolerable chair. For me, what make the Leap V2 top tier is the 4-d armrests and the way the recline works and how you can set how far it goes. To add to that, the fact the seat bottom just sort of slightly tilts back and forward along with the recline, it just works for me.

 

That said, I'm about 6' and none of my shorter coworkers like the Leap, so guess it really just depends.

 

 

 

I'm 5' 9" with a somewhat skinny but otherwise normal build. I have a 6' 2" friend who tried out the chair and really liked it too, although my headrest is positioned way too low for him since it basically digs into his shoulder blades with how I use it as a neckrest.

 

I guess one's preferred sitting posture matters too, because I could see how some people might find the Leap to put too much pressure in the wrong spot on their back or something. I figured out what kind of posture the Leap was trying to encourage and realized it felt pretty good when my body was being supported in that way, so I adapted to it.

 

Whenever I had an Aeron chair at work, it felt like I was just sitting on top of it rather than conforming to it. With my previous old office store chair, I was more comfortable balling up in it rather than stretching out like I do in the Leap. I guess the only thing I might like the Leap to have is a recline lock, but not having one is fine too since it keeps my lower back muscles engaged when reclining.

 

As for the Knoll chair, the more I look into it, the more ridiculous it seems. I just find the marketing for the Generation to be hilarious. If you're doing this regularly, you don't need a chair. You need a chiropractor and/or an exorcist.

 

 

It's like, really, we're completely ignoring the fact that these chairs swivel while treating climbing on the back of the chair like a child on a couch to be a normal adult human posture that can be comfortably held for more than 5 seconds at a time.

[Snakecharmed]

1 hour ago, Sir Beregond said:

My friend has one of those and admittedly its the most comfortable of the racer bucket seat type chairs that I've tried. But at the end of the day, it's still just that, and way overpriced because of that in my opinion.

 

I never looked into how those knockoff racing seats are made but aside from not liking the PU leather material these chair manufacturers often use to cover the chairs, I would have just as well used an actual front bucket seat out of my car since I've been wanting for years to upgrade them with Corbeau or Procar seats. Ultimately though, I don't think the features of a racing seat are beneficial to sitting at a desk and there are plenty of articles and YouTube videos that point out issues with gaming chairs. Secretlab seems to be the only gaming chair company that has addressed some of those issues, but other issues are simply a byproduct of the bucket seat design.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Snakecharmed

[Supercrumpet]

On 30/05/2023 at 18:07, Snakecharmed said:

So this is what the jerry-rigged Engineered Now H3 headrest looks like on my Leap V2. It's really no different than any other example where someone did this, but the mineral gray is a little lighter than the chair, and it looks slightly less jerry-rigged (not by much though) with stainless rather than plastic zip ties. It's very secure though and also doesn't void the 12-year Crandall warranty. The headrest also has tension screw adjustments to lock the tilt position in place.

 

The biggest adjustment I had to get used to was using the headrest as a neckrest because it's farther forward than where you would want a typical headrest to be positioned. However, it works better this way because the mesh contours well to my neck and also further stretches out my neck and upper back muscles.

 

 

 

 

Despite having worked in an office for about 15 years, most of those companies didn't have very good chairs. The only other "good" chair I can compare the Leap V2 to is the Aeron, and it's not even close. One of the Leap's strengths is the versatility of its armrests and it reminds me of why I could never get an Aeron perfectly set up to my liking.

 

The Leap's armrests are independent from the seat back and the heights are notched. Being independent from the seat back makes reclining less awkward and easier to adjust quickly. I also don't like infinitely adjustable armrest heights because it's tedious to get them perfectly level with each other. These are major drawbacks with the Aeron's armrests and I realized they were part of the reason I couldn't get the Aeron dialed in. I also never really liked the mesh seat or the hard plastic edge of the seat frame.

 

This also applies to the Knoll Generation, which Sir Beregond mentioned in another thread was the worst chair he sat in. Some reviews have mentioned that the Generation's armrest anchor points feel loose, which reminds me of some worn out Aeron armrest adjustment tracks and tension wheels I've had the displeasure of using. It also doesn't make sense to me to tie an armrest to a seat back. Its armrest position when reclining looks uncomfortable and kind of absurd.

 

Where did you get the headrest from? I said I'd buy one for my Series 1 earlier in this thread, but my order was cancelled and I was refunded because they didn't actually have one in stock. That seems to be the theme for Series 1 headrests: they simply don't exist anymore lmao. Very very hard to find last time I searched for one.

[Snakecharmed]

7 hours ago, Supercrumpet said:

 

Where did you get the headrest from? I said I'd buy one for my Series 1 earlier in this thread, but my order was cancelled and I was refunded because they didn't actually have one in stock. That seems to be the theme for Series 1 headrests: they simply don't exist anymore lmao. Very very hard to find last time I searched for one.

 

I ordered mine from Overstock late last year. Right now, I see them available on Amazon with a 10% off coupon. I wish the Leap was designed to fit an OEM headrest after purchase like the Series 1 though. I wouldn't bother trying to fit this thing onto the Series 1 when it has a properly matched headrest.

 

Is it not actually in stock on either of these sites?

 

https://www.thebackstore.com/steelcase-series-1-headrest-only.html

https://bybluebox.com/products/steelcase-series-1-headrest

 

This site is showing a 4-month backorder which matches what I saw from an Amazon Marketplace seller showing 4-5 months.

 

https://smartfurniture.com/products/series-1-headrest-by-steelcase/

Edited June 2, 2023 by Snakecharmed

[EHW Ai]

I have the Aeron currently and its great for 1-2 hour sessions but imo is not as good as some other options for extended 6-8-10 hour gaming sessions. 

[Supercrumpet]

On 01/06/2023 at 20:36, Snakecharmed said:

 

I ordered mine from Overstock late last year. Right now, I see them available on Amazon with a 10% off coupon. I wish the Leap was designed to fit an OEM headrest after purchase like the Series 1 though. I wouldn't bother trying to fit this thing onto the Series 1 when it has a properly matched headrest.

 

Is it not actually in stock on either of these sites?

 

https://www.thebackstore.com/steelcase-series-1-headrest-only.html

https://bybluebox.com/products/steelcase-series-1-headrest

 

This site is showing a 4-month backorder which matches what I saw from an Amazon Marketplace seller showing 4-5 months.

 

https://smartfurniture.com/products/series-1-headrest-by-steelcase/

 

Ah, I hadn't seen either of those last time I looked. May order one in the coming days and we'll see what happens.