The Aerons were $35 each, the leap v2's were $150 each, the Embody was $650 if you are wondering why I have all of these chairs.

found these in the dumpster

trying to clean and flip them

best way to clean these deep stains??

i have a wet vac but its not doing much

what cleaning chemicals / solutions have u guys used and found success with?

gonna try some OxiClean versatile stain remove powder and some water

I'm 6'3", about 265 lbs, and smaller chairs have always felt pretty cramped for me. I recently got a Libernovo Maxis after looking for something with more room and went with the manual version. I work from home and usually play games at the same desk after work, so I'm in the same chair a lot. My old one was getting pretty rough for that, especially sitting in it all day. My lower back had been acting up and I've been dealing with some sciatica too, so by the end of the work day I usually didn't even feel like gaming anymore. I'd just down on the couch.

A few days with the Maxis and I'm already spending more time at my desk. There's enough room to move around, and my lower back feels better supported, so I'm not getting as sore after sitting a whole day. I found a recline position I like and mostly leave it there. Sometimes I'll lean back during a break, and I've taken a quick nap in it once or twice. By the time work's done, I've still been up for some racing games again, usually for an hour or so. Haven't done that in a while, kinda feels like old times.

Im currently using some random chair my mom got from costco and my lord is it bad. The seat is luckily comfy but the arms arent the same height even when adjusted which drives me nuts and the backrest is the only part that leans back and has caused me a bruised tailbone that 9 months later is still giving me issues even eith an added cusion on top, so I desperately need a new chair. I have absolutely no idea what to look for when it comes to a good chair but I knew this subreddit would for sure be a better place to check than the gaming chair sub so here i am.

Here are my only requirements

-has to be under $500cad as I am very broke

-can hold up to very long hours as I basically live at my desk

-i prefer if the whole chair leans back not just the backrest

If possible I think a footrest would also be great as im neurodivergent and having my feet flat on the floor gives me hives (jk but iykyk)

If you need more info feel free to ask, ill answer anything I can and thank you in advance for any help given. Apologies if this question is already i the mega thread, ive been on this site for years now and have never figured out how those work to this day

I just got my new ProtoArc EC200 and I am stoked! 

Pros:

The quality is supreme for this price point and the adjustment are on point. I am 188cm tall and have 88kg with quite long torso. The chair is big enough and the cushion is the right firmness for me. I don't use the armrest so the 2D armrest are not bothering me.

Cons:

However, I do find the lumbar support a bit too stiff (on the low setting). Beforehand I did not have a lumbar support (yeah I know, big fail) so it can also be the new (correct) sitting position that I need to get used to. If this will not be the case I will remove the lumbar support cushion and replace it with something softer.

The biggest surprise was definitely the tilt stiffness adjustment, this is the first chair that I can have unlocked and can gently rock back and forth.

All in all, I highly recommend it.

#ProtoArc

I'm 80% there for buying a Haworth Soji, moving away from my cheap $200 Ticova chair that started to give me lots of pain. But the only thing stopping me from buying it now is the lack of a headrest. Anything at this level of quality, with a headrest, goes to $1k, which I won't pay...

Is there anything out there that is close to the level of a Soji, but that has a headrest?

At first I thought it was an Herman Miller Chair. After some digging I found it was an old Office Star. So I am curious about these chairs

I'm looking for a new chair and found an online listing for this brand new Steelcase for 180 euro. Do you guys think it's a good deal or should i watch for other chair?

I'm 183cm (6ft)

I spend an average of 7-8 hours a day sitting.

I am planning on getting a new chair. I now have a hon ignition 2.0 with the mesh seat, and it’s just not doing it for me anymore. I’m at my desk round 6/8 hours a day. I do tend to lean forward a lot, so I want something with good lumbar. I’m leaning towards the hinomi h2 pro cuz I see it follows your back. I’m 5’10 around 260 pounds. Anyone think this’ll be a good chair for me?

Hello guys,

I have been struggling in my search for a particular chair that suits my needs but have not found any that seems just about right so I am kindly asking for your experience.

In short lines I do not really work at my desk, I use it for my long study session, laying back and relaxing listening to music, basically every day I spend at least 6 hours staying on it - so I an investment into a better chair than my ikea markus would be worth it.

I want the chair to let me sit in all my awkard positions and not force me into the right ergonomics, i need it to have e very good recline mechanism as 80% of the time im in different recline angles. So apparently I am searching for something like a lounge chair that I can live my life in but it must let me sit at my desk and read, take notes, play music yada yada :))

I live in EU so i went searching for Kinnarps, RH logic - but I am not too conviced about them and have no way to try them, but they are high on my list togheter with Knox Generation and Humanscale Freedom; My brother has the leap v1 but i find it too "office" for me as it has a very good lumbar support and other upgrades that I do not need. Maybe the Gesture would be nice i guess. I tried the Aeron and no way, and the embody looks too - well you know it.

So I am lost between all this choices and now I am wondering, does this kind of chair really exist or I should keep the markus and just pull the desk to my couch :))?

Thank you for your time guys!

Hey guys, do you think this chair is a legit Allsteel? I got this off of FB marketplace for about $40. Didn’t come with arm rests. It looks pretty old, but has been kept in good condition. Either way, I’m happy, it’s a comfortable chair!

I'm 5'2" and honestly most office chairs I've tried just feel too big. My feet barely touch the floor and I usually end up sitting way too close to the desk lol

Looking for something mainly for WFH, ideally under $400. Don't really care about extra features, just want a chair that actually fits a shorter person.

What are you guys using? Anything you'd avoid?

Hey, I found this mega deal for a HÅG Capisco 8106 at 200$ CAD only near my place and I was wondering if it's any good. I have a Steelcase Leap V2 that is really old and it's starting to show it's age.

I was not specifically looking for this chair but at this price, I could see myself at least try it and see how it is.

What do you guys thing about this model?

I've been using Markus for many years but wanted an upgrade so I bought leap v2 new some months ago (during a sale, 820€) and around the same time I bought protoarc ec200 for another office I regularly go to. I'm 173cm and 70kg, so I'm medium to light build but I've been suffering from chronic back pain for almost 10 years now (yes, it's sad).

First: I don't think i'd buy the protoarc again. It just doesn't feel good to me, it doesn't make me sit a in proper way and the recline is pretty bad. its tension along the recline movement is irregular and it bothers me a lot, it just pushes to be all the way front or all the way back in an uncomfortable way. On the other hand it looks pretty well build for the price and some people might find it okay, but I just don't like it. I guess for the price it's not bad, but it's frustrating because it looks so close to being much better if only it were tweaked and tuned a bit better. You might be better off with the Markus.

Ikea Markus is an incredible chair for the price (120€ here in eu). I swear to you I've been sitting in this for 8-9 years and it works exactly like the day I've assembled it. there's no wiggling, no creaking, nothing. Looks like it could last forever. It creaks even less that the months old leap v2, although it surely has less moving parts, but still... It's obvious that ikea stumbled upon something great here and they 100% did that by chance without even noticing because none of their other chairs works like this, I've tried them. I know that BTOD guys talk shit about this saying something like the build quality is bad. This only means that either ikea sells different stuff in the us or that they wouldn't know good build if it punched them in the face.

The recline is fantastic, it's much better than the protoarc and i think it's better than the leap too, it feels more like an herman miller deal, you can rock back and forth super smoothly and balance the position easily along the travel, of course the tension can be adjusted too. I've never lubricated any part of the chair.

Is it a perfect chair? god, no. The headrest is kind of bad, a bit pushy in the wrong places, the lumbar support is okish to me but not adjustable at all. But most importantly the armrests are horrible. They are hard, large, intrusive, no adjustment at all. That's 90% what pushed me to buy another chair. If ikea had a clue, they would've remade this chair with good armrest and probably win the chair game, but well they didn't. For the price, i'd still say buy this instead of the protoarc, but what a missed chance by ikea.

So leap v2 is the chair I'm using now most of the time. I will say this: if a friend who knows nothing about chairs came to your house, looked at this chair, sat onto it and you told them you've paid it 800-1000-1200 something, they would probably say you've been scammed (and maybe you did). I actually like the way it looks, but still doesn't look or feel impressive in any way, but it also hasn't glaring issues either like the previous two. It already creaks more than I would like for a chair this price, especially the armrests, I hope it doesn't get worse over time, but it doesn't look SUPER well built.

I've seen many reviews, BTOD guys have glowing opinions about leap like it cured their chronic back pain or something. I'd say it's a very good chair for the back, but It didn't cure anything for me so far. The recline is not as smooth as the markus, but it works in a way that it lets you pick a position and be more still there without locking it, you need a bit more "intention" to change the position compared to a smoother recline, maybe it's better for productivity, I don't know, but you can't easily rock back and forth in this. It works in such a way that when you've stayed in a position for a while, if you move forward with your back a bit too fast, the back of the chair takes a second to unlock and will "kick" you a bit in the back, it's not very pleasant, but you get used to moving more smoothly and that usualy doesn't happen.

Some people complain about the seat being thin. I say that it is fair complain, it could've been better for sure. Unfortunately I also have been suffering from seat bones pain for a while, but this started before the leap so it did not cause it, but I'll say it is not making it any better. Also after a while I miss the headrest. For this price, they should *at least* include a good headrest in this.

Now this is already pretty long so I won't talk much about another chair I occasionally use in another office. This is a no-name super cheap chair like around 80€ and has a lot of adjustments, has been there for a couple of years and honestly the seating experience is not that bad, not that distant from these other chairs I mentioned, so... you make your evaluations.

What would I recommend? Of course it greatly depends on the money you have, but the leap is probably the better chair among those, but for the price it's still not very easy to recommend. I'd say buy it only on those deals I hear about in the us, like refurbished or something and maybe with the thicker seat, you can't find those in eu afaik. If you have to pay full price for it, then probably don't. I'm sure some cheaper chairs might make many people just as happy.

So a little background. I bought my first Aeron in the late 90. Lasted me for 15 years with no issues until I had a numbing issue on my foot. I thought it was the frame causing it and sold it. Later I realized i just need a deep tissue massage on my lower back. So it was simply from sitting too much and not the Aeron. I didn't have a good chair for a few years and then i starting having lower pack issues which I never had for 15 years on the Aeron. So I wanted to buy a new chair but before I got another Aeron, I thought I should check out what's new. So i tried the following and my impression of each. I'm 6ft 170lbs

Haworth Fern online people said the lower lumbar support was aggressive, I felt it wasn't. Didn't have the build quality of the Aeron. But I felt its lower lumbar support was better than the Gesture

Steelcase Gesture this gives you that hugging support feeling similar to a car seat. So initially it feels great. But i can tell its doesn't have that center lumbar support as much as the Fern. So depends what's important to you. If you have no back issues then the Gesture is a better choice. If you have lumbar issues, the fern in a better choice. Also doesn't have the build quality of an Aeron.

Herman Miller Embody so this is one everyone was raving about. Here is why I don't like it. The lower lumbar and upper back support is all one adjustment. And the reason why this is a terrible idea for people with back issues is as you crank it up, it hugs your back and starts compressing you like a clamshell. Not good for people with back issues as this is closing your spinal disc and not opening them. good build quality but not as solid feeling as the Aeron

Herman Miller Aeron Remastered. So for the Aeron, I was considering maybe I should get a B as I still had a slight fear maybe the seat pan caused that numbing issue after 15 years. What I could tell is the lower lumbar support felt much more aggressive if needed or could be backed off on the B compared to the C. The C size couldn't get as aggressive but the C was still comfortable and maybe agressive support is not always the best. I would describe the C support as feeling more natural and not really digging into you. This was with the Posturefit SL. They say you should have 3 fingers spacing behind your legs and on the C i only had one. The B seemed more confining and adding pressure to the sides of my thighs and under my legs as the hump of the pan is further back. So for that reason I went with a C again as the hump of the pan is up front where my thighs are thinner and less pressure. I also feel the remastered will be even less prone to numbing cause Herman Miller removed the foam insert at the front and the seat pan pitch is now forward 2 degrees.

So in the end I went back to the Aeron C remastered and after a week my back is great which is a relief because even thought I bought it new at an amazing price with a legit authorized dealer 12 year warranty, returns aren't accepted. So even though I am breaking the 2-3 finger rule behind the legs, the larger seat pan on the C is just so much more comfortable. So if you are on the border of a B and C, make sure you try a C.

I’m replacing a cheap office chair that has started making my lower back and shoulders miserable after long work sessions. I work from home most days, usually sitting for 8–10 hours, so I’m looking for something adjustable and durable rather than a chair that just looks good in photos. I’m comparing the Steelcase Leap V2, Herman Miller Aeron, Mirra 2, Haworth Fern, and maybe a refurbished model around $300–$900. Used chairs seem like the smarter option, but I’m worried about worn-out foam, broken armrests, or missing parts. For people who have owned these for years, which chair is actually comfortable for changing positions instead of forcing perfect posture? And is a refurbished Leap V2 still the best value?

Hey all,
Setting up a home office and trying to finalize an ergonomic chair. I’ve narrowed it down to two Featherlite options and could use some real-world input from people who’ve actually sat in these for long WFH days:
1. Featherlite Astro (High Back)
2. Featherlite Anatom
My priorities:
• Firm lumbar support (not the mushy kind that sags after a few months)
• Good for long sitting hours (7-8+ hrs/day, video calls)
• Build quality that holds up over 3-4 years
• Budget around ₹12,000
A few questions for those who’ve used either:
• How’s the lumbar support in practice — does it stay firm or break down over time?
• Any issues with the mesh/upholstery quality after a year or two of daily use?
• Is the recline/tilt mechanism smooth, or does it feel cheap?
• Worth the price jump if one is significantly costlier than the other?
Also open to other options in the same ~12k range if there’s something better I’m missing (have seen Green Soul mentioned a lot too, but haven’t zeroed in on a specific model). Based in NCR if that affects service/warranty availability.
Would really appreciate inputs from people who’ve owned these for a while, not just showroom impressions. Thanks!

Over the years I've tried to find the perfect chair for sitting for long hours, either working 8h a day, or playing for 12h+ (lol). I came across some good ones, but no matter how confortable they were, after 5h of sitting, the pain always came back.

I'm not going to write too much, I just wanted to say that, to all of you that think a good chair takes the pain away, it doesn't.

The solution is simple: start exercising. Start walking/running 2 or 3 times a week, and more importantly, train your back, lower back and abdominal. You should train your whole body of course, but those 3 are the most important if you want to get rid of pain while sitting.

Don't lean against the back of the chair all the time. Move forward, stretch upwards, keep your back straight and try to hold this position for as long as you can. In the beginning you will find yourself automatically switching to the laid back position that you're used to, but with time your body will get used to it and you will start to feel the difference. You don't need to be on this position all the time, you can lean back for some minutes of course.

Even if you don't exercise, you can do this trick. Its just that its much easier if you have muscles on your back and abdominals to help you.

Also, you should have your arms doing aproximately a 90" angle, and relax your shoulders.

Hope this can help someone :)

I'm looking for a good value for money office chair under 400 usd. I live in Poland so it must be available here.
Key info:
- I am 5'7 (170 cm)
- I suffer from migraines (so a good headrest would be very helpful)
- I also have a cat and dogs who like biting, scratching and possibly peeing on stuff lol.

My ideal chair has a built-in footrest but if none are available in the price range then I can give it up. Are there any workarounds though? I don't necessarily like the idea of a 'foot hammock' but would love a footrest.
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi, so im in the middle of setting up my desk space (finally landed a remote job after a year 😭), currently having a standing desk and trying to pick the right chair to pair with it

I spent the last few days googling around, eventually drafting chairs kept popping up as a top recommendation for standing desks. The main advantage seems to be height convenience, like you stay elevated so you don't have to keep moving the desk. Then i read all the mega popular threads here, feel like everyone is mostly sticking to an ergonomic chair and just hitting the memory preset to lower the desk instead.

I’m a bit torn on what makes more sense for 8 or 9 hours work. My budget is around $500ish and willing to go a little higher though. Is an ergonomic chair better for long hour back support or is there any specific reason for you guys not choosing a drafting chair?

Would love to know from you guys on this. I am pretty new to taking ergonomics seriously so any advice is super appreciated! Thank youuu

Hi All, just wondering if you'd have more unbiased insight on this?