Comment by martinced | Hacker News Reader

Comment by martinced | Hacker News Reader

40 years old here...

Although not everyone likes them I do recommend shelling $$$ for an Herman Miller (or similar) chair.

The Mira seems to be great for the back. Me, I can't live without the "pellicle mesh" of the Aeron so the Mira is a no go for me. Hence I bought an Aeron with the adjustable posture fit (the new one, with the adjustable stuff that gently "pushes" the low-end of your back).

I realize HN is filled with negativity and a lot of people are going to criticize the Aeron (dot com symbol, not that ergonomic, bad for your health, bla bla bla) but honestly if you know how to adjust it it's a great chair. You hardly sweat in it and (when adjusted correctly), by pulling your arms behind your head the chair gently falls in "relax-mode".

The 12-year warranty is great too. I use that and a HHKB Pro 2 as my keyboard.

I'd like to dis-recommend Herman Miller for ergonomics. I bought an Embody chair a few years ago and the adjustments suck. The Aeron is not much better. They are both comfortable chairs, but they don't really conform to your body the way the marketing literature wants to convince you that they do. (The major problem with the Embody is that the arm rests tilt when you lean back, meaning that they need to be readjusted if you lean back. And the adjustments are in like 6 inch steps, so the adjustment is never very good. The lumbar support is also garbage. The rest of the chair is very durable and comfortable, however.)

Ultimately, you pay a lot of money for Herman Miller products that could be spent on better ergonomic features instead.

At work I have a Teknion Contessa and I love it. It is infinitely adjustable and very comfortable. I hardly ever think about my chair while at work. The only problem is that the fabric is not very durable; mine is a year old and it looks just awful. My Embody is much older and looks almost brand new.

I agree, the chairs are nice. But don't use them as the solution to back problems. Back problems need to be solved through muscle maintenance, etc. Once back problems are eliminated, you should be able to sit comfortably in any chair.

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