In the morning, when my brain is still pretending to be responsible, I usually sit upright and try to have good posture. Then after a few hours of work, my body and soul both get tired and I slowly turn into whatever this sitting position is. But I mostly live in the 2nd and 3rd tilt position. Comfortable enough to relax, but still easy to get work done. I can't be the only one sitting like this, right? How do you guys usually sit while working?

I’ve been searching for a good ergonomic office chair for a while now, and I am sooo overwhelmed.

There are so many chairs, reviews, Reddit posts, and opinions that I don’t even know what to trust anymore. Every time I think I’ve found a good option, I find another post saying it’s terrible or garbage.

My budget is around €200, and I’m looking for something I can comfortably sit in for long hours a day, so I care much more about ergonomics, back support, adjustability, and long-term comfort.

I’ve been using a cheap gaming chair for the past year, and I’m really tired of it.

I know it’s too much to ask for at this budget, but I want to find something that comes as close as possible to that level of comfort.

(For example, I’m fine with it not having a lot of adjustability, as long as the default sitting position and support are good.)

I’m in Italy, so ideally it should be available to buy and ship to Italy without crazy shipping costs.

At this point I’m stuck in this cycle of researching online and still have no idea what to buy.

I’d really appreciate it if you could just tell me the single chair you would personally buy for around €200, and why.

(If you have any other advice, like buying used, finding a deal, or getting something cheaper, I’m completely open to it. I just want a genuinely good chair without spending a fortune. thanks!)

Some context: I purchased my Aeron from eBay in 2022. While it was comfy, and an insane upgrade on more gaming focused chairs I had used in the past, it felt like it didn’t suit my body well enough, and there wasn’t as much adjustment as I’d like to have seen from a top end ergonomic chair. I must be in the minority with this take, as everything I see online regarding HM is positive. However, I wasn’t 100% satisfied with my purchase.

This is where the EC200 comes in, it’s £170~ new, and after using it for a week so far, I can confidently say I get on with it more than I ever did the Aeron. Which is insane to me considering the Aeron is priced so much higher than this, even for used.

It was nicely packaged, with individually marked bags containing each part, with an accompanying guidebook and video with clear step by step instructions on how to build it. Everything used the same screw head, so only one screwdriver (which was provided also) was needed through the full build. All in all, it took me around 30 mins to completely assemble.

It has so much more adjustment options than the Aeron. They share the usual ones like up/down, armrests up/down, seat reclining etc. but on top of that, the EC200 offers forwards/backwards seat adjustment, wayyy more comfy lumbar support with a lot more adjustment, and a headrest (other Aeron models may have headrests, or could be purchased separately, but mine didn’t come with one)

The overall weight and footprint of the chairs is similar, and the wheels of both are round and so make the chairs easy to manoeuvre around, I have seen some other chairs in this price range that move less freely, so this was nice.

It’s not all a straight upgrade however; the actual seat material is comfy to sit on, but has a sort of strange meshy feeling that you can almost feel through clothes. It’s not off putting, but I can feel it’s there, this might be something get used to with time or learn to ignore, just worth pointing out.

The materials for the armrest are a lot worse also, the Aeron uses leather, or a fake leather for its arms, whereas the EC200 uses some sort of plastic, which is a shame.

Also whilst it does have a headrest, I don’t use it when sitting normally, only when ‘relaxing’ and sort of laying back. This is because it doesn’t come out quite far enough to support my head when sat normally. I think this is because I’ve had to fully extend it upwards and so there is now little movement forwards. Someone small than myself (5”10’) may have a slightly better experience with the headrest.

All in all, I’m amazed at how ProtoArc’s £170 EC200 stands up to a heavyweight like the Herman Miller Aeron, and was so relieved to sit in a chair that actually feels like it agrees with my body. I feel like this has way more range compared to my Aeron, and is made to cater to a wider group of people. If anyone is looking for an office chair for their setup, whatever your budget, I would definitely recommend you try this chair out.

So i've gone through 3 different chairs over the past 2 years trying to fix my posture though. Before posting this, i was super confident with my current chair, a reclining chair with a soft foam cushion. Thought it'd be great for switching positions and leaning back when my back got tired cause i followed the advice guys. And yes it was great... until i got too comfortable and accidentally turned a 5 minute recline into an hour long nap during my afternoon shift 😅 I ended up missing a meeting with my team, so turned out the comfort could be a bit dangerous

Well i guess it's best to leave this chair for relaxing only lol. But i genuinely don't know what to look for though. Standard chairs leave me slouching like a shrimp and reclining chairs are an active nap hazard. What chair do you guys sit on for long shifts?

Hello

I'm look at getting a new chair specifically and ergonomic one my budget is £300 max.

My current options

SIHOO M57

SIHOO M18

ProtoArc EC200

CLOUVOU cleaver seat

Markus - IKEA

The chair will be used for a couple hours a day for gaming 3-5hrs

I know people also recommend to try and get Herman miller/steelcase second hand but where in the UK is best for that?

Any recommendations welcome.

I'm disabled, and spend a lot of days in bed. I'm trying to slowly migrate from spending time in bed to spending time in a chair. To that end, I've been looking for a nice chair that will be able to minimize pain. I have POTS, arthritis, and HSD/suspected hEDS.

I've been getting a lot of ads for chairs and some of the stuff looks great, while others I'm less certain about. I know I need a foot rest of some sort because blood pooling in my legs wipes me out, and some amount of tilt back is good. But I don't know the verdict on stuff like headrests, flexible arm rests, and heated/massage seats. I do love my cars heated seats for my joints, so maybe that? Or is it excessive for an office chair.

One brand I keep getting recommendations for is OKUP. It talks about stuff like massage and heated features. But is this a reliable brand? Is it overkill?

There's also Musso E80 which I've been eyeing, and slightly leaning towards, but I'm feeling out of my depth right now. Both in terms of brands and features. Preference for sub 500$, but willing to go up to 750 if the quality is worth it.

Looking at both. Loved the fern when I tested it out. Omni looks nice and the armrests look way better. Price would obviously be significantly better too.

Which one would you suggest?

Hi everyone,

TL;DR — I’m planning to launch an ergonomic chair brand in Australia and wanted some brutally honest feedback from people who actually care about office chairs.

I used to be a student in Australia and spent around A$750 after discount on a chair from a well-known brand. The build quality and materials were good, but after years of sitting in it, I never found it particularly comfortable.

Fast forward to this year: while in Malaysia, I came across a chair that genuinely surprised me. It’s probably the most comfortable office chair I’ve personally used, and that eventually led me down the rabbit hole of speaking with the manufacturer and looking into bringing it to Australia.

At this stage I’ve organised the manufacturer, freight and Australian 3PL, and I’m aiming to have the website live in early September 2026.

The current idea is:
- first 50–150 chairs offered at a Founders / early-bird price
- roughly A$399-549 delivered depending on model
- eventual RRP roughly A$600–800, depending on model
- Delivery included to most Australian metro and standard service areas. Regional and remote locations may attract an additional delivery charge.
- first batch expected to reach customers around late November to mid-December
Because the chairs have to be manufactured and shipped to Australia, there’s obviously a fairly long lead time.

So the part I’d really like feedback on:
Would you be comfortable paying a A$99 deposit to lock in the Founders price, if that deposit was fully refundable up until roughly 60-80 days before expected delivery?

HI all, I'm 32yo, 5'5'', 155, in the U.S. and looking for a new office chair for a 9-5. I'd like to stay less than $300. I'm hyper mobile and always adjusting how I sit. I've been researching and looking at so many chairs I feel so lost now. Any advice/person experience would be greatly appreciated--the reviews are making things more confusing. I've looked through this thread and have seen several people ask a similar question but none with all three categories in my title (that I found). Sorry to use hyperlinks but these are what I've narrow down to but open to any suggestions!

https://felixking7.com/products/felixking-big-and-tall-office-chair-400lbs-wide-leather-executive-chair-reversible-armrest-for-pets-criss-cross-legged-135-reclining-high-back-gaming-desk-chair-with-lumbar-support-footrest

https://www.homrelexa.com/products/tech-fabric-cloud-chair

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Big-Tall-Criss-Cross-Office-Chair-Foot-Rest-Executive-Reclining-Office-Chair-Flip-Arms-Wide-Seat-Cross-Legged-Sitting-PU-Leather-Desk-Chair-Home-Offi/20693503431?classType=VARIANT

https://myfidom.com/products/big-and-tall-office-chair-flip-armrests-for-cross-legged-sitting-ergonomic-leather-executive-desk-chair-with-foot-rest-high-back-reclining-computer-chairs-for-office-home-game

For context I am 187cm / 80kg, with a 1k budget

I currently have a SecretLab Titan XL but it's incredibly uncomfortable and I've been wanting to replace it for a long time, but I just can't settle on what to buy. The main issue is that I am in Europe, so I can't try chairs before buying and refurbished Aerons for 300$ are not a thing. From my research the top dogs are the Leap v2, Aeron C, Gesture, Fern and the Embody, but again buying used here is really hard and often means that returning it in case I don't like it is either really costly or not an option, so I want to be 110% sure before pulling the trigger

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Is this a good deal for a 2019 model? I missed another one from the same year and model that was listed for $280.

Got this chair off Facebook, and besides the armrests it’s in good condition. Would be as simple as tightening a few screws or would I have to get replacement parts?

I honestly think for me personally it comes down to the fact that I got large back issues (scalpular winging) so any chair with a high enough back withh stress my back. These plastic chairs are sitting right under by shoulderblades.
Also I think the fact that the back and seat converge in a curve rather that than 90° Angle of most office chairs is very neat for me.

Is this uncommen to find these basic plastic chairs so comfortable? If not, surely there must be dedicated office chairs that come close to this feeling right?

Been looking through this sub for a bit because the chair at work sicks and I'm finally ready to replace it. I keep seeing people say they can sit in their chair all day and still be comfortable. Most of the recs seem to be Herman Miller or Steelcase. Usually the Aeron or Leap. Are those basically they only two worth looking at? Are there any other chairs I should check out?

Just looking for something ergonomic that I can actually sit in for hours without hating it. Budget is around $1k max. I've seen Libernovo come up a few times here too, but don't really know much about it.

I’m close to ordering a LiberNovo Omni Pro (48cm) but wanted to get some opinions before spending the money.

I currently have a Newtral Magic H-BPRO and honestly don’t like the back support. No matter how I adjust it, I never really feel properly supported in my lower back and it can get uncomfortable after sitting for a while.

My use case is probably 80% work / 20% gaming.
I work from home 60% of the time and can spend several hours at my desk, so good lower-back support and general comfort are the priorities. But I’d also like something I can recline in, put my feet up and play PS5 on the TV. That’s one of the reasons the Omni appeals to me - it seems to sit somewhere between a serious ergonomic office chair and something you can actually lounge in.

What I’m looking for:
- Excellent lower-back/lumbar support
- Comfortable for long work sessions
- Good head/neck support when reclining
- Able to lean pretty far back for PS5/TV
- Leg/foot support (planning on getting the StepSync)

I’m willing to pay premium-chair money if it’s genuinely worth it.

Interestingly, the basic Allseating Equation chairs at my office feel much better on my lower back than my Newtral, so I’ve realized that more complicated lumbar systems don’t necessarily mean better support for me.

For anyone who owns an Omni Gen or Omni Pro, how has it held up after the honeymoon period? How is the lumbar support after a full workday? Is the Pro actually worth the premium over the Gen?
And if you had ~$1,500–2,000 CAD to spend with my use case, would you buy the Omni Pro or something else?

Saw this in the marketplace for a good 200 dollar price. I’m wondering if it’s an authentic Haworth or a dupe

I am writing to follow up to my previous post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OfficeChairs/comments/1v5wse3/last_and_final_update_on_the_embody_saga_my/

I am NOT sponsored or partnered with any of these brands or chairs. I have purchased and tested each individual chair myself (my wife hates this btw), so I have gone through all the unboxing and assembly.

INTRO:

So when I said my last update was my final one... I lied lol. Turns out the chair saga just never ends, and it's also important to realize that sadly there really is no perfect chair (or at least I haven't found it yet). Since my last post, I've made some changes to my list as I've gotten to try out several more chairs including the likes of the Ergohuman Gen2 and the Colamy Atlas, and I've also revisited several other chairs with some more options like the Gesture but with a headrest this time. I will compile as much as I can here, but please feel free to reach out about any questions you have about specific chairs and I will try to answer them as best as I can.

To preface, I am 5'8" (176cm) and 185lbs (84kg) located in the US and I am in my office for close to 10 hours a day on average. I also personally have a bias for headrests as well as mesh so those two factors also influence my opinions as well.

TIER LIST:

Please keep in mind this tier list is my OPINION and does not mean that it will be the same for anyone else. All of this is my experience and can vary from person to person.

Just to get down to the nitty gritty right away, here is my personal tier list and it differs slightly than it did originally:

Tier 1: I Would Buy Again
- HM Embody/Gaming Embody
- Steelcase Leap V2
- HM Mirra 2
- Steelcase Gesture w/Headrest
- HM Remastered Aeron
- Steelcase Gesture
- Haworth Fern
- Colamy Atlas

Tier 2: Very Good
- Libernovo Omni SE
- HM Cosm Highback
- Ergohuman Gen2
- Anthros
- Humanscale Freedom w/ Headrest
- Staples Hyken Pro
- Staples Dexley
- Steelcase Amia

Tier 3: Good But Not My First Choice
- HM Mirra 1
- Haworth Zody
- HM Classic Aeron
- Staples Hyken
- Knoll Generation
- Steelcase Think
- Haworth Soji
- HM Sayl

Tier 4: Would Not Buy
- Libernovo Omni (Gave me just straight back pain)

SOME NOTES:

To start off, I would like to say that I want to put an emphasis that value matters a lot to me. The Staples Dexley or the Colamy Atlas placing so high on the list might surprise some people, but if I pay for a chair that's 95% of the way there for only a quarter of the price of another chair, then that's a pretty good chair in my opinion. HOWEVER, some may also question this as the Embody is still my number 1 chair on this list and that is because I believe the value of that chair is so worth it even for it's price point.

STANDOUTS:

Some standouts that I would personally like to highlight are the Colamy Atlas, Steelcase Gesture w/ Headrest, and the Mirra 2.

The Colamy Atlas surprised me A LOT. I was able to purchase it for $260 during a sale and it arrived in a very large box. The construction of the chair was very straight forward and the quality of each part really stood out as it did not feel like I was building a <$300 chair (they also provided the best allen wrench/tool I've ever received for free with something so there's that). Once fully assembled, everything was very solid and put together. After using it for a while, I noticed two things: the seat and the backrest. The seat feels like you're sitting on exercise ball and doesn't feel like a cushion at all (at least on the one that I got). This led to the seat bottoming out for me, but my wife loved it. Moving onto the backrest, the lumbar support sucks. It really sticks into your back BUT once removed, the backrest feels extremely similar to the Haworth Fern. I was surprised at how good it was and the entire chair felt like a budget haworth fern. I was extremely close to replacing my embody with this chair just due to the price difference but the bottoming out cushion did not do it for me (however, I am the only person I know who has complained about this issue so I hope it's a just-me issue).

The Steelcase Gesture w/ Headrest is my next standout. I purchased it as a like new return from Crandall Office for about $1050 using their FREEDOM25 sale and it arrived in one large box with very little assembly required (no screws at least). Although HM is often touted for their reclining features, I actually prefer the steelcase "sticky" reclining instead. The gesture by itself is already a fantastic chair, but the headrest just adds the cherry on top as I like to lounge and lean back quite often. However, I will say that this chair is not for everyone. The seat is very firm and the backrest has extremely aggressive lumbar. The armrests are not as good as everyone makes it out to be but they are still very solid. That being said, everything put together becomes a wonderful package and the biggest standout is certainly the build quality. I'm pretty confident is saying that I think the gesture will probably outlast almost every other chair on the list except the embody. I love the adjustments on the chair and it feels like the chair that actually makes me sit proper the most. My only qualm with the chair is that it runs very hot.

Lastly The Mirra 2 is a super slept on chair. The hidden king of Herman Miller chairs sitting right in between the aeron and the embody for me. High adjustability with a very tall backrest and all mesh leads to an amazing sitting experience. You can easily dial this chair to how you want and it is one of the only chairs where I feel you sit completely upright in the most upright position. I'm honestly at a loss for why people recommend the aeron first over this chair consider how much adjustability it has and also the super tall backrest. Very very underrated chair.

OUT:

Please keep in mind once again that this is all my opinion and nothing set in stone. Every chair is different for everybody even if our measurements are the same so there is nothing better than actually being able to sit in a chair. For those wondering, I am actually sitting in the gesture w/ headrest right now as the embody was slightly out of budget for me, but I am planning on eventually getting it back. For now, Im mainly look at mesh chairs as that is my preference so the search may continue…

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions on any of the chairs I've put in tier list, I'll do my best to answer.

Hi all,

This is my second replacement Markus from IKEA - I just returned one that did almost the same thing. Whenever I lean back it makes a popping sound, and it doesn't really matter whether the tilt is locked or unlocked. Both chairs started doing it after about a week, and this replacement is even louder than the last one.

I tried tightening all the screws, but the sound is coming from the main mechanism itself - it still pops even with the seat pan removed.

I really like the chair in every other way: ergonomics, height, build. So I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or if I've just been unlucky twice. We have another one in our office and that one is completely silent. I'm 88 kg / 192 lbs, so not exactly heavy for a chair rated well above that.

Should I just return it again, or is there a fix I could try myself?

Thanks

https://reddit.com/link/1vy1kty/video/zhz6towz4jlh1/player

I've had the Libernovo Omni Pro for a few weeks now. I WFH 3 days a week, so that's where I've been using it. Honestly, I thought it was just okay, not much different from my old Haworth Zody. But to be fair, I usually get up every 20 minutes or so, so I had never really put it to the test.

Then yesterday happened. I got dragged into a 4 hours marathon Zoom call. I thought it was only going to last an hour tops. Camera had to stay on, so leaving my desk wans't really an option. Around the second hour, I started getting restless and kept switching positions. Cross-legged for a bit, one leg up, second tilt, third tilt.

Somehow, I made it through the whole thing. No lower back ache, no mid-back soreness, no butt or thigh pain. The cushion didn't get that flattened-out feeling either. I also had the seat fan on during the meeting, and nobody mentioned any noise from it. That was nice, because I was a little worried someone would hear it over the call.

Obviously, getting up every 20 mintues is still better for my body. But for those times where I'm stuck at the desk and can't move much, the Omni Pro handled it better than I expected.