Office Chairs: Reviews

Updated October 2010

There's no way around it: The best ergonomic office chairs are expensive. But which $700 chair is really better in the eyes of reviewers, and are there any less expensive options? We compared professional reviews and user ratings not only to find the better high-end chairs, but to identify budget chairs that won't leave your back aching.

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Budget mesh office chair

Office Star Air Grid Deluxe Task Chair

*Est. $200 Compare Prices

No one will mistake this inexpensive office chair for the iconic Herman Miller Aeron, but if you are on a budget, or if you need to outfit a whole office, owners enthusiastically recommend the Office Star Air Grid Deluxe… expandTask Chair. It has built-in lumbar support, height-adjustable arms and seat, and tilt/tension controls. The back and padded seat are made of a breathable mesh material, and as part of Office Star's Space collection this chair carries a limited lifetime warranty. Owners give it enthusiastic reviews, with many saying this chair improves their posture. Some caution that it may be too big for people under 5 feet 5 inches or so, since its seat depth is not adjustable. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Overstock.com: The Office Star Air Grid Deluxe Task Chair is one of the best-selling chairs at Overstock.com, and there are over 125 owner reviews on the site.

Buzzillions.com: The Office Star Air Grid Deluxe Task Chair is the number-one office chair at Buzzillions.com, with close to 120 reviews and an average rating of 4.6.

CSNChairs.com: Only about 15 owner reviews appear on this retail site; owners give the Office Star Air Grid Deluxe Task Chair an average rating of 4.2 out of 5.

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Budget leather office chair

Office Star Executive Ergonomic Leather Chair

*Est. $250 Learn More

Owners say this inexpensive leather executive chair is comfortable and practical, if not on the same plane as models by Herman Miller or Steelcase. The Office Star Executive Ergonomic Leather Chair comes in black or… expandburgundy Italian leather. It has a high back; a wide, thickly cushioned seat; and padded leather arms. The arms, seat height and back height are adjustable, and it has tension control, so you can set the amount of resistance when you recline or rock. Owners give it high ratings for comfort and adjustability, though some say they had trouble assembling it. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Overstock.com: More than 25 owner reviews here give the Office Star Deluxe Ergonomic Chair a very high average score -- 4.4 out of 5 stars.

Amazon.com: We found a handful of owner reviews describing the Office Star Executive Ergonomic Leather chair as well built, comfortable and a good value for the money.

Buzzillions.com: Buzzillions.com offers just over 20 owner reviews of the Office Star leather chair, and while some were gathered from Overstock.com, there are reviews from other sites as well.

Ergonomic office chair

Steelcase Think

*Est. $690 Compare Prices

Though it's not as pricey as other chairs in the same class, the Steelcase Think has won several prestigious design awards. Steelcase calls it "the chair with a brain and a conscience" because it's designed to respond to… expandthe user's weight and movements, and to make a minimal impact on the environment. Reviewers like the fact that it's adjustable, but without all the knobs and levers you find on chairs like the Herman Miller Aeron. According to Steelcase, flexors in the seat and back of the Think respond to movement, and a reclining apparatus underneath the seat leverages your body weight as you lean back. You can adjust the arms, seat height and depth, as well as the tilt tension. The front of the seat pan slopes downward, so it doesn't put pressure on the backs of your thighs. Steelcase offers a lifetime warranty, with the exception of 10 years for seating mechanisms and three years for fabric. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Bloomberg Businessweek: Reena Jana writes this single-product review after having used the Steelcase Think chair in her office for four months.

Bloomberg Businessweek: About a dozen users respond to Reena Jana's review of the Steelcase Think; most are people who own a Think chair themselves, and all are positive.

Workified.com: The editors of Workified.com ask members of their staff to try out each of six high-end chairs they happen to have in their office.

Geek.com: Reviewer Blake Robinson compares the Steelcase Think to the Herman Miller Aeron, noting that the Think provides the same level of comfort and adjustability, but without all the knobs and levers the Aeron chair has.

Wired: This review is based on tests conducted by six men and six women who tried out a number of chairs (the exact number is not specified) and evaluated their comfort, adjustability and appearance.

BoingBoing.net: Corey Doctorow says he used a Steelcase Leap chair for years and was very happy with it, so happy that he had six of them in all.

TreeHugger.com: This older review is worth looking at because it goes into detail about the measures Steelcase took to make the Think chair environmentally friendly.

NotCot.com: Although this review is also a bit older, it has lots of photos and details about the design of the Think chair.

About.com: Abe Abbas is About.com's guide to furniture, and in this article he briefly discusses his choices for the best high-end office chairs, the Steelcase Think among them.

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Buy from Amazon for $689.99
Office Designs for $789.00	Steelcase Store for $769.00	OfficeDesig- nsOutlet.co- m for $499.00

Office chair icon

Herman Miller Aeron

*Est. $630 to $900 Compare Prices

Introduced in 1994, the Herman Miller Aeron changed the way people think about office chairs. Although it's still recommended by reviewers, some say that it's showing its age. Its design -- once considered cutting-edge --… expandis now widely imitated. Even so, reviewers say the Aeron is a great chair; the fully adjustable version (*Est. $900) is adjustable for lumbar depth, lumbar height, tilt tension, seat-pan angle, seat height, armrest angle and armrest height. The seat material is Pellicle mesh rather than fabric. The Aeron comes in three sizes, so it's an especially good choice for very short or very tall people. Owners say it's important to get the right size, or the chair can be uncomfortable. The Aeron has a 12-year warranty. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Slate.com: Eight Slate.com staffers test six office chairs for several weeks and decide that the Herman Miller Aeron chair is "very good but not superb" -- it doesn't recline that well and is too inflexible, testers say.

Amazon.com: Owners contribute reviews of their own experience with the Herman Miller Aeron.

FourHourWeek.com: Blogger Tim Ferriss discusses his readers' responses to the question, "Is the Aeron chair worth it?" According to Ferris, more than 95 percent of Aeron owners say it's worth the money.

Kiplinger.com: Chairs are recommended based on their ability to relieve back/spine pressure, meet back contours and accommodate various body types.

About.com: About.com furniture guide Abe Abbas reviews the Aeron chair in this single-product review.

OfficeChairAdvice.com: There are too many 5-star ratings (the Herman Miller Aeron included) for the reviews on this site to be taken seriously as a critical aid in deciding what to buy.

ZDNet.com: In an earlier post, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes asked readers what office chair he should buy.

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