Howe 40/4 Chair

When Contract Magazine asked destinguished designer Carl Magnusson to produce a list of the top 10 interior products of the past 50 years, it wasn’t surprising he included 3 chairs in his final list, after all office chairs are an integral part of any office interior.

It also didn’t surprise me when he placed the 40/4 by David Rowland as his top choice.

This wonderfully versatile chair launched in 1964 is a masterpiece of design and although 40/4 may look like nothing more than a part number it actually defines the chair.

40/4 Chair Stacked

First 40 is the number of chairs which can be placed in a single stack, pretty amazing in its own right and yet equally incredible is when stacked 40 high it only takes up a stacking height of 4 feet and remains stable as a rock.

Can you imagine trying to stack the average office stacking meeting chair 40 high? You would need a scaffold to stop them falling over and a fork lift to place them in position.

I have supplied hundreds of these chairs over the years, they are so versatile and can be used in many different areas like waiting rooms, auditoriums, conference and training areas and out of the office they are very popular with churches too.

Sapper Chair

In position 7 was Knoll’s Sapper chair first released in 1985, named after its designer Richard Sapper and still part of its current range.

The chair was the first to utilize auto industry construction techniques giving a slim line appearance and creating a far more attracive looking chair and quickly making traditionally heavily foamed chairs look bulky and dated.

Aeron Chair

Finally, position 8 went to Herman Miller’s Aeron chair which is no surprise as it is probably the best known office seat of all time with well over a million sold around the world.

For many people it still represents the chair of their dreams and still maintains a huge following.

It’s interesting to note all 3 of these products are still going strong many years after they first appeared, which is surely an indicator of the significance of good product design.

You can find full details of the top 10 products in March issue of Contract magazine.

Whilst we would all like to think that corporations supply employees with quality chairs, like an Aeron or Freedom Chair, the reality is that there are still an awful lot of employers out there who supply staff with lousy office chairs, buying on price with little thought for user comfort.

So if this is you, chances are you are already spending six to eight hours each working day sitting in discomfort with inadequate support, which is not good. Now maybe when you get home, you spend a few more hours at the computer surfing online or working at an online business to escape working for the man.

Well, after the pounding your body has taken at work all day, the last thing it needs is to be given more of the same when you get home. So if you’re sitting in a dining chair or on a breakfast stool or in a cheap office chair, you really ought to think about giving your body a break.

By treating yourself to a new quality office chair, you will find it a pleasure to sit in after that back-breaker at work, and it may even motivate you to work harder on that online business too so you can sit in it even more. Here is a quick summary of some ergonomic office chairs worth considering.

Although most manufacturers tend to make their chairs with generous sized seats, if you are very tall and or well built you may find your chair is cramped in the length or width leaving you feeling wedged into it.

This makes it very difficult to get comfortable as it restricts your movements and so consequently you can end up sitting in a very rigid way which is bad news for your posture and muscles.

Fortunately, the answer is pretty simple to fix because just as certain manufacturers realized the need to make below average seat sizes for petite users, a number also produce larger than average sizes.

Frequently these are referred to as Big and Tall chairs which is a good thing as it alerts potential buyers who they are best suited for.

A word of caution though, just because a chair is referred to as big and tall by no means makes it a good chair, it’s just a name with no guaranteed level of quality.

Here are some ideas for quality built big and tall chairs from specialist manufacturers.

First, Neutral Posture really understands the sort of chair needed by well built and or tall users and its NP6000 and NP8000 ranges are well worth a look. You could also consider an Aeron it comes in 3 sizes and likely a size C will be best, you can check here on the size chart, the new Embody is another potential answer. BodyBilt is yet another manufacturer to check out

A lot of office chairs are just plain big and petite and slim built people find them almost impossible to get comfortable in, for some it’s like having to wear size 10 shoes when you real size is a 6, not very practical.

So why does this happen? Well there are 2 reasons, first people frequently buy chairs on looks and more often than not big looks good, it carries a sense of importance.

Second manufacturers try and produce seats fitting the widest spectrum of users and consequently usually make things bigger rather than smaller. I suppose it makes some sense, a small framed user can always fit into a big chair, whereas a large framed person may not be able to sit in a small chair.

You should never buy a chair which looks big and imposing unless you are the right build for such a seat. As a rule of thumb a suitable office chair should leave around an inch at each side of the seat. So, simply measure the distance across the top of your thighs when sitting and then check it against the seat width and make sure it is a good fit for you.

Some of the better quality seating manufacturers recognize the need for producing chairs specifically designed for a petite office chair user and lighter framed people.

So, if you need a more compact sized seat take a look at HÅG H04, HÅG Futu, Aeron or a Neutral Posture 5000 series as these should work well for you.

In the next post I will take a look at seating problems big and tall users face and how to resolve them.

For day 3 of replace the office chair turkey it’s time to call on the other office seating giant Herman Miller which has the distinction of producing what has become the best known chair brand in the world, the Aeron®.

Since launch in 1994 the chair has been hugely successful and features on many peoples’ wish list of their ideal chair.

It is a great chair for those preferring a firm seating position and like the idea of good air circulation on those hot summer days.

Miller actually has many models in its different ranges and one which has been creating quite a buzz is the Embody, launched a year ago and already proving highly popular with office workers and some users report it feels like they are floating when sitting in it.

You can read more about these 2 highly popular models in these reviews.

• Aeron® Chair Review
• Embody Chair Review

Tomorrow I’ll be looking at Neutral Posture which has quietly built an enviable reputation for producing some excellent office seating solutions over the past 20 years.

Links to earlier articles in this series
Gobble Up The Office Chair Turkey This Thanksgiving
Replace The Office Chair Turkey – Day 1 HÅG Seating
Replace The Office Chair Turkey – Day 2 Steelcase

For some reason many people put hardly any thought or effort when buying a new office chair, their blinkered approach too often comes down to one thing – price.

They look for the cheapest chair they can lay their hands on, regardless of its quality and fitness for purpose.

Of course price is important we all want to save spending unnecessarily, however looking at the price should be the final part of the process, it’s far more important to get the specification right first, once this has been established then price can be taken into account.

Here are some key questions you need answering before you can decide on the best chair for you.

• How much time do you spend in an office chair daily?
• What sort of work do you do in it?
• Do you suffer any back pain and discomfort presently?
• Do you like a firm or a well padded seat?
• Do you perspire a lot on hot days?
• Are you above or below average height/weight/build?

Your answers to these questions will help you to pinpoint the right sort of chair for you. For instance if you spend 8 – 10 hours a day in a chair you really need to buy a well built chair with a good guarantee period – 5 years minimum. If you don’t you will be regretting your decision very quickly.

Where you do a lot of interactive work like typing, a chair with great support will surely be high on your shortlist of possibilities.

The same can be said if you suffer back pain and discomfort, you have to select a chair with good back support.

If you are the sort of person who prefers a well padded seat, chances are you will find chairs like the Aeron a challenge due to the firm seating position and something like a Steelcase Leap may be better. On the other hand if you are given to sweating a lot in hot weather an Aeron could very well make an excellent choice due to its open mesh upholstery as it allows good air circulation.

Most chairs are made to fit the average person whatever that might mean, those who are below or above average height will need to take more care with their selection. Neutral Posture seating has some excellent solutions tailored for people who are below or above average height and or weight.

A chair designed for a tall person would be disastrous for a small framed person just as a chair intended for a petite person would be completely unsuitable for a large framed user, regardless of how stylish or sexy the chair looks.

So, spend time weighing up the above points and how they may affect you. This article discusses the key components on an office chair you need to assess and will help you to evaluate the important things you need.

I’d like to start this post by asking a question.
Would you buy a Pentium 1 computer running Windows 95 with a 15 inch vga monitor as a business tool? Highly unlikely, nor would anyone in their right mind either.

And yet it’s amazing how many people will do precisely this as they either continue to suffer the woeful inadequacy of their present office chair or eventually concede it’s got to go. They do no more than go out and waste $75 on some perch on wheels in a close out sale misleadingly described by the seller as an ergonomic office chair.

Things are going to be tough in business in 2009 and it’s likely that we’ll all be busier as a result. Those doing badly will have to work much harder to keep their head above water and those who continue to do well will likely be working harder too because of all the additional work they land as others fall by the wayside.

So, it becomes more important than ever to make sure you look after yourself at work.

An office chair really needs to be seen as an investment, an investment in you and your health for the long term.

And now I’m going to upset you a bit more because it’s time for another question.

How much should you be looking to spend on an office chair to get something which will truly be of benefit to you and last you for many years?

Well the answer isn’t $200, it’s at least $400 minimum and upwards, sorry that’s reality, OK you might be lucky and be the perfect size and weight for something a bit cheaper, however don’t count on it.

And for those of you between 20 and 30 maybe it doesn’t seem such a big deal, you could probably sit on splinter ridden tea chest all day and feel no side affects. However, I can assure you as the years go by the aches and pains will increase and you’ll wish you had done something about it earlier.

No it doesn’t mean we’ve all got to buy Aerons, there are plenty of quality ergonomic office chairs which will serve you just as well and cost a lot less too.

So what’s the answer? Well begin by reading which essential features you must insist on for your office chair. Next, here’s a quick summary of reviews of some quality office seats.

Although it best to try before you buy, 5 minutes sitting pulling levers in a display chair in the local store won’t hack it, you won’t actually know if it’s right for you until you’ve sat in it for at least a couple of days.

You may be lucky and have a specialist retailer nearby who is prepared to loan you a chair to try and that’s great if you can find one.

Your other option then is to buy online and any genuine online store will have a 30 day return policy, giving you plenty of time to make sure the chair is right for you. True, you’ll likely have to pay return freight if you send it back, so make sure it’s reasonable before you commit to buy.

And if funds are really tight and you can’t afford to buy the chair you need, don’t go and blow it on another $100 junk chair. Instead, save a little each month until you can afford the right chair you’ll be glad you did.

So, if you’ve got a sub-standard office chair causing you pain and discomfort and impeding your productivity maybe this is the time to take action and make that change – your choice.

How important is the correct size of office chair, after all apart from the Aeron, office chairs only come in one size don’t they?

It’s probably fair to say that the vast majority of office chairs are designed to cater for the average sized person, very broadly speaking people between 5 foot 6 inches and 6 foot.

So, people falling outside this average who just go out and buy an office seat they like the look of or are attracted by the price of may very well end up with something quite unsuitable.

And it doesn’t necessarily follow that those in the average height range will end up with something that is right for them.

Some chairs have very large seat pans which aren’t suitable for lighter built users irrespective of their height, less commonly other chairs may have small seat pans that won’t work well for heavier framed people.

Here’s a quick rule of thumb there should be about 1 inch clearance from your upper legs and each side of the seat, so if there’s a huge gap or you’re legs are hanging over the edges it’s less than ideal for you.

In the next post I’ll continue with further help and advice for getting the right size chair for you.

Embody™, Herman Miller’s new state of the art ergonomic office chair made its inaugural appearance at Orgatec 2008 in Cologne Germany yesterday.

First impressions are the design is radically different from other office chairs, not that this is a surprise as Miller have always been at the forefront of office seating innovation.

The mighty Aeron has been around for 14 years now so I suppose we were due for something new.

With a list price around $1500 there probably won’t be a stampede from folks wanting to get one, although a discounted price around the $1000 mark is probably nearer what you’ll end up paying.

The Embody™ looks a like a class act and I’ll be adding a full review shortly.

Costco has struck a deal with Herman Miller to sell 2 of its chair models, both in store and on its website.

The models in question are the Equa which dates back to the early 1990s and the more recently introduced Caper chair.

The Equa was the pre-cursor to the Aeron and is still sold by Miller in reasonable numbers in the contract chair market.

By restricting the range of finishes available it is felt unlikely that Costco’s sales will be at the expense of the traditional dealer market. Typically, contract clients require a wide range of finish options and expect chairs to be pre-built and delivered ready for use by office staff.

Whilst the Equa may not match the technology of the Aeron, it along with the Caper is a quality product and should be more than a match for the chairs that Costco has traditionally offered in the past.