With all the rage in standing desks, standing things (and standing in general) the importance of a good editing chair may have been forgotten. One of my biggest regrets when I started my career many years ago is that I didn’t spend the $1000 (give or take a few hundred) on a high end chair. It would have been money well spent as I would probably still be sitting in that chair today (when I wasn’t standing). I’ve decided it’s finally time to get a good chair. A real chair. As I’m looking at options I made a list. I thought why not put that list online for others to see.

With all the rage in standing desks, standing things (and standing in general) the importance of a good editing chair may have been forgotten. One of my biggest regrets when I started my career many years ago is that I didn’t spend the $1000 (give or take a few hundred) on a high end chair. It would have been money well spent as I would probably still be sitting in that chair today (when I wasn’t standing). I’ve decided it’s finally time to get a good chair. A real chair. As I’m looking at options I made a list. I thought why not put that list online for others to see.

I moved into a new office space late last year and have finally gotten around to getting it set up after coming off a longform job. It feels like now is the time to invest in a good chair. There was a post on the Avid Editors of Facebook group recently that was asking for good edit chair suggestions so I began saving those links. It’s just as easy for me to save them here so I’ll keep updating this post as I find new chairs of note. If you have any of your own please note them in the comments below.

By all means we want to avoid this:

 

Day 2. Worst edit chair ever.

A photo posted by @editblog on Aug 4, 2015 at 6:49am PDT

The first and obvious choice would be the Herman Miller Aeron chair. I have probably sat in hundreds of these things over the years as many edit suites have them. I’ve always loved the ones I’ve used but there are many that do not.

@Strungout_v1 @editblog @chrisfenwick the Aeron chair was designed by Satan. The best chair is the one you don’t sit in all day.

— Fitness In Post (@fitnessinpost) January 23, 2016

What I’ve enjoyed about the many Aerons that I’ve sat in is they are very adjustable and I’ve always been able to find a good comfort level. Plus the breathable, mesh design of both the seat and back mean they never get hot and sweaty. The same can’t be said for many other designs. The Aeron isn’t cheap as it’s starting a bit north of $700 from the Herman Miller store. I’ve heard of people finding them for quite a bit less on Craigslist or at an office sale.

Another Herman Miller choice is the Mirra. I’ve never sat in one of those but I know those that have and do. It’s a bit cheaper than the Aeron as it starts at $669 on the Herman Miller store.

@editblog Mirra by Herman Miller… We just bought two more.

— Chris Fenwick (@chrisfenwick) January 23, 2016

While researching the Mirra chair I found a number of articles and discussion threads about the Aeron vs the Mirra.

Yet another option in the Herman Miller line is the Celle. It’s sitting around the $500 mark minus arms.

Add to the Herman Miller line the Embody chair (it’s up there over $1200) and there are a LOT of choices from the Herman Miller folks. There’s even some nice comparions of them out there.

IKEA is a name many know well and the MARKUS is a name that popped up several times. As with most things IKEA the price is right at under $200 but as often the case with IKEA too it really needs to be seen and sat in live and in person as the experience might not be worth it. Here’s one review.

The Swopper was a name that popped up a couple of times and is worth a look if you’ve never heard of it. It’s almost like a saddle or a stool instead of a chair but has lots of accessories that makes it more into a chair. The Swopper cost is up in Aeron chair territory. Due to the cost I won’t be getting one but as one who stands a lot of the time the design is intriguing.

The HAG Capisco Chair is another unique design and the Ergo Depot page for this chair says “I am so not an Aeron chair.” It looks very unique but at over $800 it isn’t cheap. I’m begnning to notice a pattern here. I’ve seen that you can also turn this chair around and sit in it backwards.

This chair is the Zody Task. It’s nice looking and starts at around $750.

The Freedom Task chair looks nice but doesn’t look very breathable so I don’t think it would be on my list. It starts just under $1000. Humanscale has quite a nice line of chairs but they are pricey.

Ergohuman has several chairs that begin in the $600 range. They look to have a very breathable design with a lot of adjustment option. I’m going to keep on eye on this one. Their Apollo line starts under $300 but don’t look nearly as nice.

One comment on the Avid chair discussion thread mentioned loving a good Tempur-Pedic office chair. And Staples has them. They look to me like your run-of-the-mill just a step above crappy office chair so I think I’ll avoid those.

What about a gaming chair? Gamers sit for very long periods of time. That might be worth looking into.

When it comes to sitting remember that there is growing evidance that sitting all day is bad for your health. Our friends at Fitness In Post is all over this topic so read, listen and follow Zack if you want tips and motivation to stay heathy in this profession.

@editblog @Strungout_v1 @chrisfenwick I don’t have a chair recommendation, there is no such thing as the right chair. Moving is the key.

— Fitness In Post (@fitnessinpost) January 23, 2016

Here’s some other options that came in via Twitter:

@editblog I’ve been looking closely at the Gesture by Steelcase: https://t.co/puhIgFQAZg

— CM Harrington (@octothorpe) January 25, 2016

@editblog Steelcase Leap V2 worth a mention on the budget highly adjustable scale. A lot of these chairs are hard to source in the UK.

— Joe Bell ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ (@BristolMethod) January 25, 2016

@editblog the Knoll Generation https://t.co/bupD9bQttV

— John David Wright (@johndavidwright) January 25, 2016