high-end task chairs: knoll life vs. Aeron vs. Freedom Chair

[username79]

Originally Posted by iammatt

What about the Dockers?

I'm very happy with their MTM program.

 

[username79]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

Link to his ******** misadventure plz?

Unfortunately, there was none.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Why look like a secretary? You want to wear a skirt too you big sissy boy?

You should be seen at your command console in a chair befitting your world domination characteristics (or at least make an effort to look the part).

The Karuselli chair by Yrjo Kukkapuro will do very nicely. Yes, it is more of a lounge chair, but it locks upright, tilts and swivels, and is stupidly comfortable.






Another option might be the "Villain Chair", but I can't vouch for how comfortable it is.

 

[Dragon]

Originally Posted by freshcutgrass

Why look like a secretary? You want to wear a skirt too you big sissy boy?

You should be seen at your command console in a chair befitting your world domination characteristics (or at least make an effort to look the part).

The Karuselli chair by Yrjo Kukkapuro will do very nicely. Yes, it is more of a lounge chair, but it locks upright, tilts and swivels, and is stupidly comfortable.






Another option might be the "Villain Chair", but I can't vouch for how comfortable it is.



+1 on the Why look like a secretary part, but we need to see some more options. The first one looks like a modern barber chair, and the second one is borderline fugly.

 

[GQgeek]

In my effort to waste time while in finals, I decided to update this thread now that I have a desk to match the chair.

First, the chair, and I'll start with the negatives. The internal mechanism that makes the chair self-adjustable and that varies its "tension" based on your body weight started off a little stiff. The first couple of days after I bought it, I wasn't sure that I liked it. It seemed to require more effort than i'd like to recline. However, it seems to have loosened up just enough. Similarly, I wasn't 100% sure about the seat cushion. I upgraded from foam to the advanced gel seat. At first I thought it was too hard, but again, it seems to have softened up just enough after sitting in it for a while. The advantage of gel is that it better distributes the pressure applied to it, and probably is more durable as well. There's nothing worse than an overly compressed seat cushion, which is the case of the ergonmic chair i have at work, which is now hard and uncomfortable.

Now on to the good stuff... The shape of the back, and the support it provides to the lumbar region is phenomenal. It automatically changes its angle when you change position from upright to reclined. This is also true of the seat cushion, which tilts ever so slightly.

The headrest on the freedom chair is the best headrest ever. I've always wondered why it was so hard for companies to get headrests right, whther in cars or other office chairs. When you recline on the freedom chair, it moves forward into exactly the right position to provide perfect support. It is absolutely awesome.

I also upgraded to the advanced armrests. When I ordered the chair, I figured they'd tilt out, but in actuality, they tilt inwards. This is great if you've got the right keyboard and desk. When you tilt them inwards they provide support to your whole foreamr, instead of just at the elbow like regular armrests. This reduces the stress placed on your wrist. Back in my gaming days, this may have saved me from carpal tunnel. Since the angle of the armrests is individually adjustable, I have have the right one at a straight angle for my mouse, and the left one turned inwards for WASD goodness. What is not individually adjustable is the height of the armrests, though this is a good thing. The mechanism for raising and lowering the arms is great and requires little effort. You just tilt the front of them up and then raise or lower them both at the same time. There is very little resistance, which is good because of how often you find yourself changing positions in this chair (from reclining to upright). Different angles of recline require different armrest heights for optimum comfort. Oh and they're also slightly curved surfaces, which is good but a little hard to explain.

It's true what they say that this thing requires no adjustment once you've set the back height, the seat position (distance from back of chair), and the height. Changing positions often means that you stay comfortable longer.

Fabrics & look: I got the vellum in pomegranate. I love the color and look of the chair, but vellum honestly isn't the nicest fabric in the world. The leathers aren't an option if you are choosing the gel seat. Anyway, this is a task chair, and leather gets sweaty when you're in it too long imo. I wish the vellum was a bit softer, but i'm sure it's designed for durability. Another thing i noticed is that despite the fact that it looks like a ***** to reupholster, it actually looked really easy, which was a surprise to me since i tried to reupholster my last ergonomic task chair and it was a nightmare getting the cushions off. You can clearly see how the seat cushions are attached to the frame by several screws. It make sense that this would be easy since it reduces the cost to humanscale for providing such a wide array of fabric options. This is good to know since the chair cost me nearly 2k. It also makes it likely that you can have seat cushions easily replaced by humanscale, without having to ship the whole chair back, if they get over-compressed.

Anyway, the chair itself looks pretty damned pimp. I upgraded to the polished aluminum frame, and it was defintely worth it. My brother said it looked like something from Star Trek. I think it's pretty ballin'.

Lastly, a nice chair without a matching desk kinda ruins the point. To go with the freedom chair I recently purchased a biomorph desk. Despite the fact that I wanted the Biomorph maxo, with all its multi-monitor command center goodness, I went with their smallest desk, since I don't know how much room I will have for it when I move in to a new apartment, and I already have enough big furniture. Biomorph's biggest advantage is that offers dual-surface height adjustable desks, which allows you to position them at optimum height for low-strain viewing.

I have their smallest model, which is the only one that only has only a single adjustable surface, and one that is not operated by a crank or a motor. This could be an issue in an industrial/corporate setting where multiple people use the desk, but for home use, where only one person uses it, it's not difficult to set the height and forget about it. What's more important for the day-to-day adjustability is the the keyboard surface. First, it is the entire width of the desk and there are no annoying rails on the side like most cheap office desks. It uses a massive metal support arm in the center that both tilts from side to side and offers positive and negative tilt. The edges are tapered so that you don't have sharp 90 degree angles biting into your wrists. The angle and heigh of the keyboard surface is quickly adjusted, which is nice when you change positino in the freedom chair.

FWIW I had originally wanted the maple finish for the desk (because i hate cheap laminates, but it is not available on the smallest size desk. What i've found is that the standard charcoal surface is actually pretty awesome. First, it is not a laminate. It is a special coating that is baked on somehow. There are no seams anywhere on the desk surface. Secondly, it diffuses light very well, so you don't get any annoying monitor glare reflecting off your desk light you might on a desk with a glossy varnish or other finish. I feel like this is important for a company who's main products are designed for ergonomic multi-monitor solutions (lots of big LCDs sitting on a reflective surface=major eye strain).

It's an amazing combo if you have to be at the computer for long stretches. You can recline in the chair, have the armrests at a perfect angle, and then quickly adjust the height and tilt of the keyboard surface so that there is absolutely no strain.

 

[Bill Smith]

I would look at the Aeron Chair or it's stablemate the Mirra

 

[Concordia]

http://www.sheetmusic1.com/All.GIF.ART/nonadjchair.gif

I've taken to using one of these at the computer. Surprisingly effective, low-tech solution tested by pianists for years. Seat tilts forward 1", requiring a straight back.

 

[GQgeek]

Eef, just looking at that I know ****** would get sore.

 

[username79]

Originally Posted by Concordia

http://www.sheetmusic1.com/All.GIF.ART/nonadjchair.gif I've taken to using one of these at the computer. Surprisingly effective, low-tech solution tested by pianists for years. Seat tilts forward 1", requiring a straight back.
Uh, what the ****? How many hours do you sit in front of a computer a day? Less than an hour? I hope so.

 

[Journeyman]

Originally Posted by username79

Uh, what the ****? How many hours do you sit in front of a computer a day? Less than an hour? I hope so.

Do you work for a living?
Most "white collar" workers now spend hours in front of computers every working day.
If you're in the IT industry, you're likely to spend most of your life in front of a computer.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Eef, just looking at that I know ****** would get sore.

when has a resulting sore ass precluded you from any activity? I would think that result would actually have you searching out the chair.

 

[otc]

I have a leap at work and it is ok although the range of adjustments isn't far enough for me (I am pretty big and wish it could go taller, etc). the only real annoyance with it is how wide the back is. I can't get my arms back without spreading the elbows pretty far apart where as a lot of chairs I can put my arms on the armrests and slide them back a bit without hitting my elbows into the chair. It's not huge but it is annoying since that part of the chair isn't touched by any part of my body except for when it gets in the way (maybe it is for supporting fat people).

I have a HM Caper task chair at home (the full plastic seat/back with adjustable, wheeled base) and I love it. Some people don't like it but I think it is because they are too small (since it is molded plastic it has to fit you...not going to squish to be comfortable) or because they don't know how to properly sit in a task chair and expect it to feel like a posture-eating lounge chair

 

[musicalmunchies]

Any new chairs to consider since the previous posts? I'm deciding between the white or black Life and black Wilkhahn's On. http://www.wilkhahn.com/loadframes.html?/2_produkte/4028.htm I'm just concerned about my denim leaving color on the white of the Life.

 

[GQgeek]

Just got a couple PMs about this and the biomorph desk I bought.

The Freedom chair and the particular biomorph desk I bought do not go well together, in the end. The problem is more with the desk.. I bought the smallest biomorph because I wasn't sure how big the apartment I was moving in to was going to be and the problem is the degree of curvature of the keyboard/mouse surface. It's too curved and so it interferes with the reclining motion of the freedom chair. It's also too curved for comfortable keyboard/mouse use. So in the end I don't like it, though i'm convinced I'd probably like the bigger ones which have a more gradual curvature.

As for the chair, I kinda wish I'd bought something else for the money, but where I was living at the time sucked and nobody had anything I could actually test out. What I don't like is the fabric. It's like sandpaper and all the skin from your elbows ends up embedded in it. Leather would have been better but added another 2k to the price iirc. You can upgrade by replacing the cushions though, which is one nice thing about the chair.

 

[Gus]

I've tried them both and always buy the Areon. Freedom Chairs may be good but not for me. I think like clothing, some chairs best fit some people but not all. My advice is to go sit in them and get the one that feels the best. Don't go by what works for others. Go by what feels right for you.