Office Chair

[Aegypticus]

I'm looking for a new office chair for use at home and I was hoping some of the big brains at CP might be able to help me source something suitable in the Calgary area.

I've actually had a lot of trouble finding something that works for me, and have bought and returned a couple of chairs to Costco in the past couple years. Right now I'm sitting on a Costco folding chair at my desk and it's slowly killing me, so I'm desperate to get something done.

My biggest problem with finding something is because of my size. I'm 6'2" and a little over 270 lbs currently. Most of the stuff I see is designed to top out at a weight significantly below that number. I've had the typical $100-$200 chairs in the past and they just don't last for me. While my brother has been able to get probably 8-10 years out of a Costco chair, those break down for me in 2-3.

What I'm looking for is roughly as follows:

• Suitable for big/tall body
• Good for 6+ hours of use a day
• Ideally $300-$500 range - can't go much beyond $500
• I've never been a fan of the mesh style of chairs - prefer more towards the armchair style

Thanks a lot for any advice.

[Hack&Lube]

I know you said you don't like mesh style but have you ever tried a Herman Miller Aeron? There's a reason it's the chair used by probably 80+% of big companies in downtown and is pretty much the de facto office chair for larger corporations.

It's ergonomic, strong, adjustable for many sizes, and it is tough and lasts. Those el-cheapo Costco fabric or faux leather chairs with padding will all start falling apart and the stuffing will come out and the cushioning will get compressed and the fabric will tear over time.

http://lifehacker.com/5941523/five-best-office-chairs

Herman Miller chairs retail for over $1200 but there's plenty on Kijiji in the $300 range. Lots of oil companies going into receivership, lots of spare office furniture going up to auction, etc.

There is a size C one right now on there which would fit you.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-chair-recline...ationFlag=true

[DoubleF]

Staples allows you to sort chairs by weight capacity. Have you taken a look there?

[Aegypticus]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I know you said you don't like mesh style but have you ever tried a Herman Miller Aeron?

My parents have a medium Aeron at their house. It's the primary reason I said I don't like mesh chairs. It just doesn't work at all for me. I find it very uncomfortable and I find it to be very sloppy even when I adjusted it properly for myself. If I lean back even a tiny bit it goes all the way back. My parents love it, though.

I tried a large one at some office place a couple years ago and was no more impressed by it.

My strong dislike for Aerons is one of the reasons I'm having so much trouble I think. It's held as the gold standard and I find it completely terrible.

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Staples allows you to sort chairs by weight capacity. Have you taken a look there?

I looked at Staples last week. There might be some gems, but I didn't see anything that seemed particularly durable or comfortable. Their chair display in store is actually kind of hilariously awful. They're all just jammed in a 6 foot high space under some of their racks in the back of the store. It's a real pain to get anything out to look at it.


Edit: Does anyone know of any local retailers that carry Steelcase stuff? I've heard really good things, but I've never seen them anywhere.

[gottabekd]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

Edit: Does anyone know of any local retailers that carry Steelcase stuff? I've heard really good things, but I've never seen them anywhere.

Based on a recommendation I believe from this forum, I bought a Steelcase Leap from RGO here in town. I get the impression they are used to handling large office orders, but accommodate someone from the public walking in to their showroom. They had a regular black Steelcase Leap in stock, so I was able to walk out with it that day, without waiting for an order.

Doesn't look like much, and the price may shock some, but I find it is really worth it. I sit in it 8 hours a day. It is as important a tool as anything else I use in my life.

Never again will I go back to the quality of the Staples $100-300 chairs. They are just crap, not made for being used more than a few minutes at a time.

EDIT:
Hmm, re-read your post, and you said you weren't looking to spend more than $500. I imagine the current price for the Steelcase Leap is $1100+ from RGO. As another poster mentioned, there is always Kijiji. I have seen them on there for prices like $200 before. So if you aren't in a rush, you can troll through Kijiji waiting for a good deal.

[puckedoff]

MOD EDIT: Don't be a jerk.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

My parents have a medium Aeron at their house. It's the primary reason I said I don't like mesh chairs. It just doesn't work at all for me. I find it very uncomfortable and I find it to be very sloppy even when I adjusted it properly for myself. If I lean back even a tiny bit it goes all the way back. My parents love it, though.

I see, yes they are definitely not for everyone. I probably wouldn't use it in my own home since it's so bulky but there is a tilt tension. If I adjust the tension up, it doesn't lean back.

[Aegypticus]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I see, yes they are definitely not for everyone. I probably wouldn't use it in my own home since it's so bulky but there is a tilt tension. If I adjust the tension up, it doesn't lean back.

I might not have adjusted it properly even though I thought I did. Even so, it's definitely not my favourite chair ever.

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I know you said you don't like mesh style but have you ever tried a Herman Miller Aeron? There's a reason it's the chair used by probably 80+% of big companies in downtown and is pretty much the de facto office chair for larger corporations.

It's ergonomic, strong, adjustable for many sizes, and it is tough and lasts. Those el-cheapo Costco fabric or faux leather chairs with padding will all start falling apart and the stuffing will come out and the cushioning will get compressed and the fabric will tear over time.

http://lifehacker.com/5941523/five-best-office-chairs

Herman Miller chairs retail for over $1200 but there's plenty on Kijiji in the $300 range. Lots of oil companies going into receivership, lots of spare office furniture going up to auction, etc.

There is a size C one right now on there which would fit you.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-chair-recline...ationFlag=true

Sitting in that exact one right now at work, good chair!

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

I'm looking for a new office chair for use at home and I was hoping some of the big brains at CP might be able to help me source something suitable in the Calgary area.

I've actually had a lot of trouble finding something that works for me, and have bought and returned a couple of chairs to Costco in the past couple years. Right now I'm sitting on a Costco folding chair at my desk and it's slowly killing me, so I'm desperate to get something done.

My biggest problem with finding something is because of my size. I'm 6'2" and a little over 270 lbs currently. Most of the stuff I see is designed to top out at a weight significantly below that number. I've had the typical $100-$200 chairs in the past and they just don't last for me. While my brother has been able to get probably 8-10 years out of a Costco chair, those break down for me in 2-3.

What I'm looking for is roughly as follows:

• Suitable for big/tall body
• Good for 6+ hours of use a day
• Ideally $300-$500 range - can't go much beyond $500
• I've never been a fan of the mesh style of chairs - prefer more towards the armchair style

Thanks a lot for any advice.

I needed a good chair for home too, because I often put in full days there.

We got Steelcase Leap chairs at the office, which I love (and I think I was one of the posters praising them in thread referred to above). However, I didn't want to drop $1,100 at home.

So I went down to the showroom on 11th and 8th (sorry, can't remember the name of the store) and bought a good chair that was a floor model.

I got a $1,000+ chair for $500. Very glad I did.

It wasn't a Leap, btw - can't remember the name of it, but it is awesome. The back is designed like a rib-cage. Most comfortable chair I have ever sat in.

Anyway, I recommend going to a showroom and buying a floor model.

[ricosuave]

I have this one and like it, got good reviews too:

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00103102/

[gottabekd]

Yep, this was the thread I posted a few years back looking for an office chair: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ighlight=chair

Some really awesome info from an industry insider.

[zzibradleyizz]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I know you said you don't like mesh style but have you ever tried a Herman Miller Aeron? There's a reason it's the chair used by probably 80+% of big companies in downtown and is pretty much the de facto office chair for larger corporations.

It's ergonomic, strong, adjustable for many sizes, and it is tough and lasts. Those el-cheapo Costco fabric or faux leather chairs with padding will all start falling apart and the stuffing will come out and the cushioning will get compressed and the fabric will tear over time.

http://lifehacker.com/5941523/five-best-office-chairs

Herman Miller chairs retail for over $1200 but there's plenty on Kijiji in the $300 range. Lots of oil companies going into receivership, lots of spare office furniture going up to auction, etc.

There is a size C one right now on there which would fit you.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-chair-recline...ationFlag=true

I am sitting on this exact chair right now here at work. There are a couple settings on these chairs to make it fight right 'just for you'. It is possible your parents chair is one that doesn't have tilt control. We have these ones in our boardrooms and I know exactly what you mean about tilting way back when sitting on them. But the one at my desk has tilt adjustment and I love it. I'm a 6'2" 300lbs guy and easily can sit on this chair all day. I would suggest possibly giving them a second chance and checking them out again.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Staples allows you to sort chairs by weight capacity. Have you taken a look there?

This. I bought my office chair from Staples and it is an heavy duty model. Rated to 350 lbs (yes, I've used it extra curricularly) and it is still going strong after ten years.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by zzibradleyizz

I am sitting on this exact chair right now here at work. There are a couple settings on these chairs to make it fight right 'just for you'. It is possible your parents chair is one that doesn't have tilt control. We have these ones in our boardrooms and I know exactly what you mean about tilting way back when sitting on them. But the one at my desk has tilt adjustment and I love it. I'm a 6'2" 300lbs guy and easily can sit on this chair all day. I would suggest possibly giving them a second chance and checking them out again.

My manual is still attached by elastic on my chair. There's 10 pages/diagrams alone showing the various adjustments, knobs, levers, etc. There's a tilt-lock lever on the left hand side and the tilt tension knob on the right.

It's funny, until this thread, I never read it in 2 years and now I've just spent 10 minutes setting up my chair and it's great. I didn't even know you can flip the lumbar cushion around to use the thicker side!

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

I'm looking for a new office chair for use at home and I was hoping some of the big brains at CP might be able to help me source something suitable in the Calgary area.

I've actually had a lot of trouble finding something that works for me, and have bought and returned a couple of chairs to Costco in the past couple years. Right now I'm sitting on a Costco folding chair at my desk and it's slowly killing me, so I'm desperate to get something done.

My biggest problem with finding something is because of my size. I'm 6'2" and a little over 270 lbs currently. Most of the stuff I see is designed to top out at a weight significantly below that number. I've had the typical $100-$200 chairs in the past and they just don't last for me. While my brother has been able to get probably 8-10 years out of a Costco chair, those break down for me in 2-3.

What I'm looking for is roughly as follows:

• Suitable for big/tall body
• Good for 6+ hours of use a day
• Ideally $300-$500 range - can't go much beyond $500
• I've never been a fan of the mesh style of chairs - prefer more towards the armchair style

Thanks a lot for any advice.

I work in the office furniture industry. For your size and more importantly price range you should look for a dealer that sells Global. They have a larger/higher weight chair that will work perfectly for you. The primary dealer for Global in Calgary is McCrum's. Go over to their showroom and ask them about it. There are other suppliers in the city to but they don;t get the primary discount McCrum's does. If you have any questions just shoot me PM. (BTW...i don't work for them. I work for the competition)

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I know you said you don't like mesh style but have you ever tried a Herman Miller Aeron? There's a reason it's the chair used by probably 80+% of big companies in downtown and is pretty much the de facto office chair for larger corporations.

It's ergonomic, strong, adjustable for many sizes, and it is tough and lasts. Those el-cheapo Costco fabric or faux leather chairs with padding will all start falling apart and the stuffing will come out and the cushioning will get compressed and the fabric will tear over time.

http://lifehacker.com/5941523/five-best-office-chairs

Herman Miller chairs retail for over $1200 but there's plenty on Kijiji in the $300 range. Lots of oil companies going into receivership, lots of spare office furniture going up to auction, etc.

There is a size C one right now on there which would fit you.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-chair-recline...ationFlag=true

There are so many better chairs out there now than the Aeron chair. That chair was designed in 1992. Most of the companies these days buy it because it looks cool. I know this because I used to be the design director at the Herman Miller dealer in Calgary. It was a great chair for its time but its time has past.

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by Aegypticus

Edit: Does anyone know of any local retailers that carry Steelcase stuff? I've heard really good things, but I've never seen them anywhere.

RGO is the Steelcase dealer. The two chairs you should look at are Leap or Gesture but they are more money than you want to spend.

[photon]

Originally Posted by rotten42

There are so many better chairs out there now than the Aeron chair.

For $300 of kijiji though it's hard to beat.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Reaper

This. I bought my office chair from Staples and it is an heavy duty model. Rated to 350 lbs (yes, I've used it extra curricularly) and it is still going strong after ten years.

*snicker snicker* Oh you have, have you?


There seems to be a few Steelcase chairs on Kijiji Calgary too.

EDIT: After following a Kijiji posting, "Allsold. ca" popped up as the "person" posting on Kijiji. Apparently it is a liquidator of used stuff in Calgary. Lots of Steelcase stuff there if used isn't a huge issue.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-chair-recline...ationFlag=true

Reading more into allsold, it's apparently a consignor. You apparently can go on site and actually make an offer lower than the listed price to see if they accept it.

http://www.allsold.ca/steelcase-leap...&category_id=0

This one perhaps might be one worth trying to haggle on?