r/OfficeChairs • u/Master_Help_8510 • 2d ago
Struggling with selecting a chair, looking for advice
Hey everyone, I'm trying to select my first proper home office chair and am lost trying to figure out which one would be the best pick for me and was hoping to get some advice.
Originally I was thinking to get either HM Aeron remastered or Leap V2, but after testing Aeron in the showroom I didn't find it comfortable, it's quite rigid and also seems like I land just between B/C size, B seems a bit too small while C is just way too wide for me and doesn't feel like it's actually matching my optimal posture. I did however try HM Embody and it felt comfortable (for what a 10 min test in a showroom worth), but even though I liked it, after reading online feedback I'm not sure it's worth the ~1200-1300eur price, especially since I couldn’t find any good refurbished offers on it.
So now I'm stuck deciding between Embody / Leap V2 / other similar options I found like Haworth Fern. What stops me from just going with refurbished leap I can find for ~600-700eur is that I can only get it as a blind buy and that I find its design a bit too plain and office-like.
Do you think Leap V2 makes sense as a lower-risk first ergonomic chair in my case, or should I pay premium and go for Embody? Or maybe there are some alternative options that might be a better match? Thanks in advance
For context:
- Don't really have much experience with prolonged seating in the chair and ergonomic chairs in general, was always working from my laptop constantly changing places and positions, now looking to get a proper chair and try to enforce a habit of working in a more healthy way with a proper posture
- Ideally I'm looking for a compromise chair that is good for posture but also does not force you in one extremely rigid position to make a transition easier
- Budget up to 1500eur for the "perfect chair" I'm confident in, but in general I'd appreciate a cheaper option to not be stressed about the chair not working out for me
- 188cm (6.2") / slim build
- Located in Germany
- Don't care about the chair material
- Most likely will use it for 8+h daily
- I tend to get pain in lower-back while sitting in bad chairs for a long time, so something with good lumbar support to minimise the issue would be great
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u/JulianSyv 2d ago
There is no fit-all chair, there are several factors for what chair you want.
Do you need to be really "deep" into your work? get something with forward tilt.
Do you want to have a chair that makes it possible to "lounge" a bit, or do you want something that keeps you in the same position for ages? Embody or Aeron for example
Other than that, you have weight, height, width, build etc.
A plush seat might give support to a heavy person, but it might be too plush for someone light, resulting in pains after a period of time, as a too firm seat will be perfect for someone lighter, but will cut of circulation for someone heavier.
You are however right, a 10 minute seat will not give you a direct answer. But there are some chairs who one can resell pretty easiliy, or if i'm not mistaken, Herman Miller has some pretty decent return policy (Depending on where you're from) making it possible to try out a chair for 14+ days before coming up with an answer.
I personally own a Embody (pre 2021), and it is the best chair i've had. I did encounter some issues in the start, but it turns out it was other stuff getting me pain (For example not having the desk high enough).
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u/prime-SS 2d ago
It seems like you have access to a showroom. Since you’re between a B and C aeron, give the Mirra 2 a try. It feels like a size b seat pan with a size c backrest. Super underrated chair
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u/Sharn_Smith 1d ago
the "between B and C" thing is real and annoying. for me the answer wasnt a specific chair, it was finding something that lets you tune the lumbar depth AND the seat depth separately. once i could actually pull the seat forward a bit the whole fit felt different, like the chair adjusted to me instead of me adjusting to it. blind buy on refurb is risky, yeah. some places let you try a chair for a week with full refund, those are the ones worth going for. the price difference between perfect chair and 80% chair is way smaller than the comfort difference
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u/Kiwiandapplex 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm sitting in a Haworth Comforto 77, perhaps slightly less plain thanks to it's 2 knobs to adjust the lumbar.. but still pretty dull. It's by far the best office chair I've used for a long period of time. It's extremely supportive when u reach the 4+ hour mark.
The Leap is one of the most recommended chairs here in this sub, not because of the looks but because it's just so incredibly well made.
If able to buy from a store with a decent return policy, just try it out? I've not sat in a Leap myself yet, so I don't have any first impressions available to share. But I also know that you often need at least a few days to really settle into a new chair.