Any recommendations for a home office chair circa £100?
I've got one of these arriving tomorrow so can't comment on what it's like, but my extensive research (10 mins on Amazon, 5 mins on Staples) convinced me it probably wouldn't kill me.
Got mine off eBay - took a bit of a chance on a 64 quid one but it’s great.
A refurbished “proper” office chair - like this. Solid, comfortable, built like a tank.
I bought a refurbished on years ago very similar to the ones from the link and it looked like new. In the office we also got issued these recently - new shiny and expensive - happy colleagues.
I lost my home one as part of a separation, but miraculously found one at a second hand shop for £15- I’m happy again.
i bought an Ikea about 5-6 years back. It still works but slowly lowers over about an hour which is annoying. Also this year the black 'leather' has started flaking so i get bits stuck in my hair and to my clothes.
I suspect a 2nd hand 'executive' office chair would be the way to go, just wipe it down twice and use a UV light to check again 🙂
I got one of these:
It's good apart from the headrest, which is pretty pointless - not a problem, it just doesn't really do a lot. I didn't actually want that one, but the one I was after was out of stock.
I didn't think build quality was that good upon putting it together, but actually it's fine and comfortable for all day.
First time I have dealt with the company and they were pretty good!
I bought a refurbished Steelcase Please v2 from 2ndhnd for a fraction of the new cost. We have them in the office si knew thet are really comfy:
https://www.2ndhnd.com/collections/steelcase/products/steelcase-please-v2-chair-new-yellow-fabric
Definitely definitely less is more when it comes to office chairs. Don't go for big armrests, massive back, headrests, leather etc. It all makes it more uncomfortable, means you can't fit it under a desk and it's a nightmare when you need to move it. I went for a John Lewis one for about £70, spent some time getting it fitting just right and now it's wonderful.
Just watch out though, as soon as someone else tweaks it you will instantly notice and have to spend hours getting it into your sweet spot again!
I’ve got one of these...
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/markus-office-chair-vissle-dark-grey-30261152/
It’s really comfy and the mesh back is quite cool.
It’s my second one, the first did have the long term slow moving sag but ikea were great with the warranty, swapped it no issues after 6 years or so.
rockhopper - that is what I am sat on. The pleather is beginning to flake and it sags in an hour now. Next time I am going for a posh office standard one second hand.
Agree about no big arm rests and head rests. Comfortable is fine
I've just got myself a stang up desk...so I can adjust the height and sit or stand at it. So I went for this
https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-stool
It isn't a chair but is more a perch for resting my backside on if I'm not standing.
Been good so far as has the new desk (same company supplied that).
Ikea Markus' are good. I reckon they're probably the best of the "cheap" chairs. I'd go back to one if I couldn't afford a more expensive chair.
Giroflex G64 - had mine for over 10 years (working from home) and got one as they were the last on site office seat I had, which was for about 8 years.
EDIT - @markwsf beat me to it - also, everything that he said.
Another thumbs up for the Ikea Markus.
Work bought me an expensive 'orthopaedic' chair for the office because of my back problem & the Markus really isn't too far behind it comfort wise. Working from home for the last 4 months has proved that beyond doubt.
If you don’t have budget for Herman Miller here are three decent 3 alternatives:
Giroflex
Humanscale
Orangebox
Get Propoer corporate spec second hand. Don’t bother with consumer grade chair if you love your back. So many companies spend millions on chairs and go out of business within a year, easy to find something practically new.
I sit on a a secondhand Giroflex G64 4D (every adjustment you can think of) myself when spending my own money. When using other people’s I like the Herman Miller Mirra.
Re: Giroflex G64 - how tall and heavy are you guys?
I got mine from work, they just don’t know it 😉
Timely thread this is, I'm just at the point where my current, very cheap chair, is about to get thrown out of the window.
Will look at the above suggestions.
What do we reckon to this?
https://corporatespec.com/product/refurbished-triumph-gt6-black-office-swivel-chair/
A bit different to the original GT6
I prefer the second but both look good.
In the tradition of recommend what you own - we bought these for home working
https://www.officefurnitureonline.co.uk/posture-metal-kneeler-chairs.html
I normally perch on an Aeron(bought used) but for home went for a Secret Lab Titan - softweave.
I hate the advertising of them and they're not exactly cheap but proving to be very comfortable and worth a look if you want something a bit different to work in.
You can sit crossed legged and generally get in all sorts of comfortable slouchy positions if you wish 🙂
Another vote here for 2ndhnd - got a very good deal a while ago on a used Herman Miller Aeron - definitely not cheap, but it made the recent spell of working from home a comfortable experience, and it should last me a lifetime. Service from 2ndhnd was good - chair was packed well, delivered promptly and you'd struggle to spot that it was "used".
Just gone for a Vitra. We have some Eames at work and I like them. Also I didn’t want black. Not often you can save 89% on new price. Makes used bikes look good value.
I work at home since my office closed down.
Can I realistically expect my employer to contribute to buying home office furniture like chairs, sit/stand desk?
Can I realistically expect my employer to contribute to buying home office furniture like chairs, sit/stand desk?
Normally would expect some allowance for additional costs (broadband, electricity, heating), provision of a certain level of equipment (laptop etc), but I'd not normally expect office furniture.
If your office is looking to be closed for the foreseeable future, I'd ask if you can pilfer stuff, though.
3rd or 4th vote for 2ndhnd, got a Steelcase Please v2 from them and it's the most comfortable office chair I have ever sat on
Sofa in the sky?
We have a Display Screen Equipment policy and a lot of H&S regarding chair use. This policy is still valid at home and the company still bares some liability. Sadly the thousand Aeron chairs in our soon to be sold offices are not for use (I asked), but the company is liable if you don’t have the right chair and develop a bad back. A colleague has a special chair for her back, and that has been delivered to her home.
I’ve paid for mine. I’ll keep it and it is a work of art.
I looked at those green Vitra the other day.
Very nice design!
We have the Eames version at work. They are lovely. Will see how it turns out. But I offered £300 and the accepted. So 13 left now.
Given the diminutive stature of our Home Secretary I would imagine the Home Office chair would be a high one.
A reinforced one
😜
Help!!!!
I'm drowning in a sea of indecision.
I've narrowed it down to 3, please don't add anymore options to this list! What do you reckon?
Orangebox Spire, https://corporatespec.com/product/refurbished-orangebox-spira-plus-task-chair-high-back/
Giroflex G64, https://www.2ndhnd.com/products/giroflex-g64-black-task-chair-height-adjustable-arms?
Or spend a little more on a Steelcase Please V2, https://www.2ndhnd.com/products/steelcase-please-v2-recovered-black-chair?
Or just tell me to stop over-complicating things and just buy something.
I'd go with 2ndhnd - try the chair at home for a few days and if it's not right they will collect it for free (their prices are slightly higher than others to cover the "free" delivery and "free" returns)
Final bump before I click buy on something.
I've been reading and I think once I get paid I'll be grabbing a giroflex g64
Done, Giroflex bought.
I won't lie, I spent far to much time making that decision.
Let me know if you made the right decision so it backs up mine!
OK who else has been buying the Vitras? My sister now wants one too. We used to use Giroflex at work. They were fine. Then Aerons, which I like too. But I always wanted something from Vitra. My office spare bedroom is rather small so an Aeron would swamp the place.
Facing the very same dilemma myself now. Torn between the Vitra 1D Soft, The Humanscale Freedom Low back, the Giroflex G64 and the Steelcase Lets B Hi Back.
Decisions, decisions.......
Different chairs are better for different people, though any reasonable chair will have enough adjustment that everyone should be able to find a way for it to work for them.
Unless you've got through enough chairs, it's probably not worth overthinking it too much.
Well off the back of this thread i invested in a Humanscale Freedom Low back as I was getting numb fingers from sitting on a dining room chair for 3 months
Good stuff, it feels lovely and very comfy
Bad stuff, the height adjust does hold my weight (78kg) and it goes down, and the chrome bits have a couple of badly scratched and scored areas, like its been dragged on the floor.
I have asked for a replacement with a guarantee of a chair that works and is not badly scratched up. (I mean, its second hand, but its supposed to be refurbished so I was expecting good condition) or if they can't do that a refund
If I get no joy I'll name the firm on here so you know who to avoid. Hopefully not £250 wasted
My Giroflex G64 arrived today and I'm absolutely chuffed with it.
Night and day compared to the cheap thing it replaced, very comfy, good adjustment, bar a couple of scuffs on the arm-rests, it looks like new.
Feels like a real bargain for £125, link here.
I've got an Ida Aviator from Cult Furniture - couple of hundred, I think. I like it - was looking for a brown Eames though, but couldn't find one in stock at the time (lockdown)
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It looks like a chair for a Bond villain's henchman
My Giroflex G64 arrived today and I’m absolutely chuffed with it.
Can you remove the arms?
Can you remove the arms?
Not easily, it’ll involve some degree of dismantling I suspect.
So, the replacement humanscale arrived after some fun and games with DHL. and after about 2 weeks use the bloody gas strut has gone on this one too. I am not best pleased. The company have offered a full refund and said I've just been unlucky.
If I'm honest the condition of the refurb wasn't brilliant, both had been reupholstered but I don't think anything else done to it.
Question for those of you who have bought refurbed - what state do they arrive in? Is it normal for some pretty bad scratching, worn casters and faulty gas struts? Or am I just unlucky?
For a refurb I was expecting it to be polished up / repainted if needed, reupholstered and with new casters and gas struts. Is there a company that guarantees they do this?
It was 25% of retail, but £250 is still a lot of money for me to spend on a chair - its put me off refurbs
Mine was from 2ndhnd.com.
It's clearly been reupholstered, the fabric is brand new.
The base looks like brushed steel, it has a few scratches on it, but no more than I would have given it in a month or 2 of use.
Casters look new-ish, not brand new, but not in any way beaten up.
No idea on the gas-strut, but it works so far.
Few scratches on the arm rests as well, again, you can tell it's not new but it doesn't look beaten up.
I paid 20% of full retail price for it and am more than happy with it.
I've been looking at 2ndhnd they say 'expertly refurbished' but can't see what the definition of that is
20% of retail is really good, but if the gas strut is well used and packs up you've got a broken chair - £200+ for a broken chair is quite a lot
My wife has a humanscale freedom from 2nd hnd. New fabric but pretty scuffed on one arm. I was disappointed but it's really comfy and £159 for an £800 chair so I've ordered one too and will get the hammerite and sandpaper out. If it was £400 I'd have complained and I think their site could be much clearer about what fair wear and tear is. Seems fine for the money, although thats easy to say when the gas strut works!
Thanks for the comment, I think I'll give 2ndhnd a try when I get my refund. Lucky I;m working from home these days so I can wait in all day for DHL to not turn up when they say they will several times.
Does 2ndhnd offer any sort of warranty or a repair option? Or has no-one been unlucky like me?
I'd suggest you keep the box somewhere in case you need to send it back!
The first Steelcase please v2 chair I was sent had seen better days and there was a crack in the back. I took photos and messages them, they apologised, arranged a courier to collect it after 2 days then sent out a replacement after 4 days. I'm happy to say the replacement is immaculate and well worth the 200 odd pounds.
Right, finally realised after 5mths and increased likelihood that office working will be minimal going forward that the dining table chairs are not great.
Thanks to this thread, I'm going to buy a Giroflex G64 Highback from 2ndHnd and noticed they have a 'Make an Offer' option.
Anyone had any luck with this and how much under did you go? Or is it more likely that I'll just end up with one of the more marked ones they have?
I made a number of ambitious offers and they finally accepted at £125 when the list price was £129.
I got an Elite I-Sit from 2ndhnd. Really good condition. It looks pretty similar to the Vitra chairs mentioned a while back. Was £150
Only issue is non adjustable lumbar. Only backrest height.
Just to follow up on my question about offers in case it helps anyone else thinking of purchasing. After reading Lunge's experience above I made a not too optimistic offer of £115 on a G64 that was listed at £129. It was accepted. Kind of wish I'd been cheekier now 🙂 For reference they were showing stock of 499 so have a few to get rid of.
Hey ... can anyone recommend a chair without wheels please
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