New Chair Options

[nixoblivion]

Hello.
im new to these forums (just found them) and want to start with a "funny" question
i want to get a new chair for my working area. so i was thinking of getting something of this sort http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/40103100 with the back going up till the head so i can rest my head.

now the question is, will this be problematic when mixing since there will be a "wall" right behing my ear? i didnt think of it until i was in the store, almost bought it already. the material seems to be foam in the (fake)leather coating. will this create reflections that might distort my mix??

[lepetitmartien]

You should really try out chairs, as it depends a lot upon your morphology/tallness. The points to look after:

- sturdy enough
- moving easily
- plenty of adjustments
- back and head support
- arm rests, if possible flat ones

and think about something to set your feet on, Ikea sells an adjustable foot rest you put on the floor for cheap. Buy, assemble, set on the floor and forget it. It helps you keeping your tights parallel to the floor.

Watch out for the time the chair is supposed to be used every day, always go for one according to your use, never less.

[lepetitmartien]

You should let it "vent" in a vented area until it goes off.

Either some rotting hyena has slept on it, or most likely, there's some chemicals at work still and you shouldn't stay with it in a closed room. It's not normal, if it's that bad, maybe you should contact the shop.

If new, it sure must have a "new" smell, but something worse is fishy (or you have a very sensible nose).

I'm suspicious as there has already been a few stories in the news of furniture made in China that where armful because of a mishandling of chemicals. Here it can be still some product used for the fake leather that needs to go off still, or the material being badly processed.

[triads]

Don't buy anything covered with vinyl or any other material that does not breathe. Sitting on a pillow won't help your back, you need lumbar support which good computer chairs have. Arm rests recommended. You need mobility. You need something you can sit in for hours at a time. Used office furniture is readily available ... check for good chairs. I don't think you'll find anything at Ikea.

If you're creative, and have the room, get a leather seat from a luxury car, they have lumbar support, neck support, and if needed, a heater, and it's easy to attach wheels to. You might have to fabricate arm rests, but you can make one that will allow your mouse or trackball. What ever you do, don't skimp on this. A computer chair is like shoes .... they have to fit correctly and have the right support, so you can't skimp on this one. And don't sit on your wallet (literally), it throws your body off. I learned this riding a bike. Used to get back aches till someone told me to remove my wallet while riding.

[lepetitmartien]

Leather or tissue/mesh rocks!

The only Ikea chair I've met that was seemingly good enough for hours of work was their top of line office chair. I don't remember the name. But I can't assure it'll be good enough still. Plus, it seemed good to me (my size, morphology…) It may not be the case for everyone.

Currently I used a second hand directorial chair, all leather, I'm in a cocoon

The killer detail: always think about having the feet on something so that your tights are horizontal. And Apple gives good guidelines for posture in the Mac manuals (hint hint).

[triads]

That advice about being able to place your feet flat on the ground is probably one of the most important considerations. If your feet are 'dangling' you'll never be comfortable. If you're really short, get a foot bench. I lucked out on my computer chair, and I've owned a bunch of them. My buddy and I went to an auction of office furniture and there was so much stuff it was hard to stay focused, but I was there to find a good deal on a good leather computer chair. There was a lot of bidders so I didn't' know if this was going to be a crazy bidder's auction or just a lot of people looking for either a great deal or a steal. I've seen crazy bidding where items go for more than they're worth, a buyer's frenzy. Times here are tough, so I thought it should be a buyer's market, but you don't know till the bidding's done. My eye caught a black leather Leap Chair fully loaded (all the accessories) from Steel Case. I know this chair and it's a great chair, and I wanted it. I decided I'd go up to $200, being that the leather models easily sell for $1,000+ and though this was 'like new', in my mind it was 'used' . I dropped out of the bidding at $350 and it ended up selling for just over $400. I looked around and thought this was going to be a crazy bidder's auction. It was the only leather Steel Case computer chair so I had to re-focus. I didn't pay much attention to anything that wasn't leather but my buddy spotted something and waved me over to look at 3 chairs he'd found that were in the middle of a bunch of other chairs. They weren't leather but instead a mesh covered graphite looking frame. None of this stuff was 'new' and a lot of it showed considerable wear, but these were in 'like new' condition and the more I looked at them the better they appeared. I sat in them and I was sold. I emphasize sitting in what ever you buy as what works for me may not work for you, and even if it looks good, it may not fit or feel good. I don't think a real large person would like this chair, but I'm not small and I love it. I was familiar with the Aeron name but I was looking for leather and these were ergonometric composite graphite chairs, clearly off my radar. So I'm browsing the web to get an idea of their value and find that these Herman Miller Aeron chairs are considered top-of-the-line, and you can trick them out with accessories. I ended up winning the bid on the first chair for $185 and then the auctioneer gave me the option of buying the other two at the same price, so I bought all 3 for $555. My buddy bought one off of me and I sold the extra one for more than I paid for it to someone right there at the auction, so I ended up with a free chair. I had no idea what a great chair this was. If you get a chance to grab one of these Herman Miller Aeron chairs at a good price, do it, you won't regret it. Always looking for good deals and there's nothing wrong with buying most things 'used', aside from underwear, you gotta draw the line somewhere.

[lepetitmartien]

Lucky you

To have feet firmly on some flat practical surface, Ikea sells a little accessory with a tilting able plateau. Got one, it's perfect for my chair/desk combo, but it may not work for everyone. What is important is to have feet flat on something (not necessarily horizontal, but flat) but tight must be horizontal. Just like you should be be able to have the ankles rested (and the shoulders as a consequence) with the forearm horizontal, and NO "broken" wrists.

And at least every hour, move!

[stepen]

You should really try out chairs, as it depends a lot upon your morphology/tallness. The points to look after:

- sturdy enough
- moving easily
- plenty of adjustments
- back and head support
- arm rests, if possible flat ones

and think about something to set your feet on, Ikea sells an adjustable foot rest you put on the floor for cheap. Buy, assemble, set on the floor and forget it. It helps you keeping your tights parallel to the floor.

Watch out for the time the chair is supposed to be used every day, always go for one according to your use, never less.

Thank you for this helpful information. I'm going to buy a new chair soon and now I know how to choose the right one.