FWIW, my Herman Miller Aeron has given me sciatica over the years. That's frankly more a problem with my terrible posture and sitting position, but I wanted to note it here because we're all probably pretty bad at that. If you need a quick fix, I'd focus more on core strength and sitting posture than chairs.
I bought an Aeron 2 years ago and absolutely love it. I coupled the purchase with posture improvements and have nearly eliminated my back pain. As noted above, an ergonomic chair is only one part of the equation.
The high price office chairs often have a lot more adjustments so they can be a good fit to more people. And they're durable and available. There's value in being able to buy the same chair multiple times for your whole career (if you like it).
Of course, just because a chair has some good qualities doesn't mean it's right for you. Lots of people love chairs I hate, etc.
If you don't want to pay for a fancy chair, your options are really look out for used office equipment dealers, or try a bunch of lower priced chairs in a retail office store and see if one happens to be a good fit; they won't adjust in the right ways if not, but if it fits, you sits.
I've had the same Herman Miller Aeron for 22 years. It's survived 4 office moves (by office moving companies) and finally a move to my house when I went WFH full time. I've replaced the casters (due to different flooring) and the lumbar support but other than that, it's still in great working condition. All the adjustments are still working, the seat and back fabric are basically like new, the fabric on the arms is still in good shape (if faded).
I got mine used or overstock (been so long I don't remember) and it would be totally worth whatever it costs new.
There was a time I thought expensive chairs are overrated. Until I sat on Herman Miller Embody [1]... this chair is so comfortable to sit on, I wish I learned about this chair earlier...
I (very luckily) picked up a Serta Smart Layers Hensley Big & Tall Ergonomic Bonded Leather High-Back Chair in 2017 from Office Depot for $97 at Xmas time - It was a floor model.
The chair held up great, although I did break an arm off last year (sheered bolt) and had a heck of a time replacing the bolt to keep the chair going, but it worked.
The bonded leather finally started wearing off in the last year, so this year I decided to swing by Office Depot and drop another $97 ...
Of course that was not an option :)
So I checked out all the chair in the store and still very much preferred that Serta High-Back Big & Tall chair.
I was surprised to see the chair's regular price is $499 - Man did I get lucky in 2017.
It was on sail that day for $299, but I set on sub-$100 so I didn't buy it that day.
I went home and searched online in the $300 range, and by the time I realized that I wasn't going to be any happier than that chair for $300, the sale had ended :)
Then it was time to scour the internet for anyone still offering the sale price on that chair.
Finally found it at OfficeSupply.com with a few days left at the $299 sale price.
I second the comment about trying them, but then again, it’s very different using a chair in a showroom than 8 hours a day. My Steelcase chair is for sure the best office investment I’ve made!
With a good chair you are looking for something that can accommodate to you. Remember that your body is the real expensive stuff in your office!
I bought a Steelcase Think after deciding I really liked them in the office I worked at. I've had it for over five years now, and it's still just as rock solid as the day I got it. I've even abused it by dragging it through a very rough parking lot (almost gravel, really) several times into a gaming event.
My only regret with my purchase was that I didn't buy the headrest they offered at the time, though I found a third party headrest for some other chair that happened to be compatible.
I think these days durability is the most important if you want to be “fair” in some sense of the word. A close relative has had his Aeron since the mid 90s. It’s still the same, like a tank, still in use. It’s repairable, sellable etc. I’ve torn through a few shitty ikea chairs in a couple years or so, and caused myself unnecessary strain and pain.
So I got myself an HM Sayl lately (used bargain) because I didn’t want a huge throne to dominate the small room. Best choice ever. Can’t recommend strongly enough. Prefer it to aeron.
As with cars, not worth buying new, but worth buying higher quality used. The noteworthy brands retain value for longer but the wear and tear drives their price down.
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Of course, just because a chair has some good qualities doesn't mean it's right for you. Lots of people love chairs I hate, etc.
If you don't want to pay for a fancy chair, your options are really look out for used office equipment dealers, or try a bunch of lower priced chairs in a retail office store and see if one happens to be a good fit; they won't adjust in the right ways if not, but if it fits, you sits.
I got mine used or overstock (been so long I don't remember) and it would be totally worth whatever it costs new.
[1] https://www.hermanmiller.com/en_lac/products/seating/office-...
Found out they cost >$1000. Still don't like them.
The chair held up great, although I did break an arm off last year (sheered bolt) and had a heck of a time replacing the bolt to keep the chair going, but it worked.
The bonded leather finally started wearing off in the last year, so this year I decided to swing by Office Depot and drop another $97 ...
Of course that was not an option :)
So I checked out all the chair in the store and still very much preferred that Serta High-Back Big & Tall chair.
I was surprised to see the chair's regular price is $499 - Man did I get lucky in 2017.
It was on sail that day for $299, but I set on sub-$100 so I didn't buy it that day.
I went home and searched online in the $300 range, and by the time I realized that I wasn't going to be any happier than that chair for $300, the sale had ended :)
Then it was time to scour the internet for anyone still offering the sale price on that chair.
Finally found it at OfficeSupply.com with a few days left at the $299 sale price.
So now I'm back in the same chair and loving it.
So, I guess $300 is my price point :)
With a good chair you are looking for something that can accommodate to you. Remember that your body is the real expensive stuff in your office!
I bought a Steelcase Think after deciding I really liked them in the office I worked at. I've had it for over five years now, and it's still just as rock solid as the day I got it. I've even abused it by dragging it through a very rough parking lot (almost gravel, really) several times into a gaming event.
My only regret with my purchase was that I didn't buy the headrest they offered at the time, though I found a third party headrest for some other chair that happened to be compatible.
So I got myself an HM Sayl lately (used bargain) because I didn’t want a huge throne to dominate the small room. Best choice ever. Can’t recommend strongly enough. Prefer it to aeron.
As with cars, not worth buying new, but worth buying higher quality used. The noteworthy brands retain value for longer but the wear and tear drives their price down.
Most people buy a new office chair every 5-10 years - hence the initial expensive price, among other things, I guess.