[MAEsser]

I've had positively no luck in the big box office supplies stores. At best, my budget gets me an uncomfortable chair designed for 0-3 hours of use. On Tuesday, actually, I went to the local Staples and bought one of their Situations High-Back Executive Chair (SKU 574345). It's been less than a week, and I can't wait to take it back; my bottom aches from just an hour's worth of sitting.

I've been looking on the Internet for 1) chairs that have gotten good reviews, or 2) some source that has a quick-and-dirty comfort/value verdict on the range of products out there. Epinions.com and Amazon.com are of little help, I don't think this is a subject Consumer Reports has tackled just yet, and the best source I found on the UseNet was a topic from 1999. Should it be this hard to find out what other people think about their chairs?

Anyone who spends their time working, surfing, reading, or whatever in their office chairs care to testify as to its quality or lack thereof? What did you buy? When did you buy it? How much time do you spend in it? What are the range of activities you perform in it? How does your body feel after one hour, two hours, etc. If you had the choice to make again, are there features you'd look for or go without? Also, if you know what features/characteristics of a chair are conducive to long term comfort (particularly for a 6'2" 200 lbs. guy) please clue me in. For example, are the features of something like a Herman Miller Aeron task chair really worth all the hype?

I probably should add that I've done some shopping around, but I don't really know where to go. Are there any retailers, brick-and-morter or online, that are worth dealing with and really know what they're talking about? After poking around online for the past week, I've found some chairs that looked nice, but had no user comments or reviews associated with them. There's really no opportunity to "test sit" them, and I don't have the cash or time to order them all and send back all but the one I like best. Any thoughts on the chairs, the URLs of which are below?

http://www.basyxoffice.com/basyx/SpecPage.do?id=112
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=355033
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=677592
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=677416
http://www.bizchair.com/w29-gg.html
http://www.bizchair.com/wd5730.html
http://www.bizchair.com/m27-gg.html
http://www.bizchair.com/higbacleatex.html
http://www.bizchair.com/higbacleatex1.html
http://www.bizchair.com/gg980v.html (don't about vinyl, though)
http://www.bizchair.com/tex229-os.html (ditto)
http://www.bizchair.com/marwasleatex.html
http://www.bizchair.com/exleatofchai.html

My backside and I thank you in advance for your feedback. ;)

[cmsgop]

Howard Stern bought one for a Joke. Everyone hated it (take that with a grain of salt) It did look like it was worth 500 bucks to me.

[old and tired]

Costco's got a nice one. You can try it out too. I'm in Pennsylvania - I'm not sure if some of their merchandise is local. I don't see any office chairs on their website. The two Costcos by me have 2 different ones - one is much nicer than the other. Unfortunately, I don't remember the price, but I do remember thinking it was a bargain, so I'm pretty sure it's sold for under $300.

[Nick Danger]

The office chair is Herman Miller's "Aeron." Set you back $700.

[RandallFlagg]

Glad to know I'm not the only one wondering if that chair is worth it. It LOOKS comfy.

[sierrahome]

Spring of 2001 I bought a new office chair. I bought it from a smaller local office supply place. It is manufactured by Global Upholstery Company of Canada. It was retail at the time $750. I spend 8-10 hours per day in the chair and it is as good as the day I bought it...I am co-owner of a Physical Therapy clinic and I had one of the PT's adjust it for me. It is fantastic...It is NOT leather but it is the best seat in the house.

[cicero's_son]

I think Steelcase makes an excellent office chair. Some of their models are in the $250 range.

Whatever make and brand you decide to buy, you should check to see if it is available on eBay. Could save you loads of $$$.

[groanup]

I am very comfortable in my <50$ swiveler from Staples. It really is a good chair.

[RichardW]

I have a bad back and about 12 years ago was working in government and got permission to shop for a suitable chair. I purchased one in Springfield, Missouri for about $250. I liked it so much that I bought one for my home. I am now sitting in it and use it daily. I was unimpressed with the ones available at the office supply stores. The bottom of the chair says "United Chair Company."

[razorback-bert]

I spent 8+ hours in a Sam's Club high back cloth chair and have no complaints.

$60 if I remember correctly.

[ohCompGk]

Actually, the thing that really scares me away from the EIB chair is spending $500+...

BOFH has some creative financing ideas it this article: BOFH and the cyberchair

Other than that I have no real advice. Just though you might like a little late night humor on the subject.

[506trooper]

Herman Miller....Pricey, but well worth the cost.

more here

[RippleFire]

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find a good second hand office furniture store. While there were better pickings during the dotcom bust, most will still have fancy chairs at huge discounts.

[MAEsser]

vanity bump

[MAEsser]

For anyone who's interested, I found out some information on the chair... Still, if anyone has plunked down the change for it, I'd love an end-user review.

Spent part of my morning tracking down info on the manufacturer. The chair is custom made in Canada by a company called Palliser. They do mostly home furnishings, but do cater to corporate orders and special promotional requests. Rush probably settled on a model and asked Premiere to work out a deal where they slap on the logo (for which I'm sure Rush gets a handsome licensing fee) and ship them out. Palliser doesn't sell to the public, so the chair is only available through the online EIB Store or through a big-box furniture store (Haynes, Room Store, Bloom Brothers, etc.) A company called Tuff Shirt has the contract with Premiere Radio to take orders through Rush's website. Tuff Shirt also has the deal with Palliser to order the chairs. The finished product is shipped to Medallion Enterprises, who handles distribution and returns. The chair is manufactured to order; there is no inventory and there are no returns.

I'm hoping now that my local big-box store has one in stock or can order one without a logo so I could try before I buy. That said, I'm not optimistic.

PS: In tracking down the manufacturer, I called the people at the Limbaugh Letter hoping they could share a little insight into the structure of the Rush Limbaugh empire. I got connected with two hags who were unhelpful and rude. In fact, the lack of direct communication options with the show, the merchandisers or anything else make me really think that Rush doesn't like his fans. That's sad for me; Rush was my hero growing up.

[Dajjal]

I've never understood why Rush named his chair after a Welfare Queen like Attila the Hun.

Attila was just a gang leader who sponged off of productive members of society by violence or threat of violence.