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In 2012, a study found that we spend an average of 64 hours every week sitting on our gluteus maximus, the back to our fronts, more commonly known as our butt. That works out to about nine hours a day. That’s for an average person. If you work from home, it is likely going to be a much higher average number per day, depending on the day.
While too much sitting every day can lead to health problems such as weight gain, poor blood circulation, and even diabetes having an occupation where sitting is unavoidable for certain periods of the day can become problematic. Chair manufacturers have paid attention to these issues and the chairs your dad sat in at the office are long gone.
Today’s chairs are ergonomically designed to offer support and comfort for hours on end and reduce the risk of health issues. Now, while we don’t recommend sitting in a chair every day for 16 hours a day if you must be sitting at your workspace, shouldn’t you be as comfortable as possible?
While we know that not everyone is at the same place in their career, giving you a look at what we consider to be the Best Chairs for Working at Home is first and foremost about which chairs can provide you with the best overall value for the price.
First, though, let’s look at what you should be looking for right from the start.
If you ask someone who spends a lot of their day sitting what they look for in a desk chair, most of the time, you are likely going to hear comfort as their number one answer. However, there are many different things that you should look at before choosing a chair. Choosing the first one you see or sit in for that matter is not the best idea because how it feels in the store, might not be how it feels at home. Here are some other things to keep an eye on:
Have you ever stood up from a chair with lower back pain? The chair you may have been sitting likely didn’t have adequate lumbar support. Well-made office chairs will provide support for your lower back while you sit, and in some cases, can be adjusted so that the lumbar support fits correctly. This proper positioning is important because continuous lower back strain can lead to sciatica, which is a condition that as it gets worse can be debilitating.
Just about every office chair that you can buy these days comes with options to adjust the height and the armrest placements of the chair. There isn’t the type of adjustability that you should be looking out for though. The highest quality chairs available today can have anywhere between five and 14 different adjustable areas to ensure the best fit when you’re sitting down.
Important areas of the chair that you should be able to adjust include arm width, height, the width and height of the seat back, lumbar support, seat, and back angle and tension control. The controls for these adjustments can come in many forms including a hand-help bulb, which is like a blood pressure pump or dial controls.
Before you go shopping, look at the type of floor that your new chair will be rolling around on. While just about every office chair will have a wheelbase, not all wheels are created equal. Some are better suited for rolling on carpet, while others work best on a solid floor. Having the right wheels for your floor will make it easier to move around.
A chair’s swivel base should move freely so that you can access any part of your desk without too much effort. Chairs that don’t swivel freely can create fatigue in your arms over time from stretching to reach objects.
Chairs can come in a multitude of fabrics for you to choose from. If you’re going to be sitting in your chair for many hours, it would be best to find a chair with breathable fabrics that can keep the chair from getting too hot or uncomfortable. The seat should also provide enough cushion so that the base of the chair isn’t felt through the seat.
For many, choosing the right office chair is akin to choosing the right bed. Like a bed, depending on the type of work you do, you may spend an extraordinary amount of time sitting in it, so making sure that we only feature the ones we believe offer a combination of quality and value appear on our list.
If you’re not happy with the chair you’ve chosen, or you’re looking for an upgrade, take a look at our list which has options for just about everyone. There’s budget chairs, chairs under $100, under $300 and under.
NOTE: This is the one I have personally.
Seat height: 14.75-20.5in | Seat width: 25.75-28.25in | Max load: 350lbs | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: yes (Height and width dimensions determined by model purchased)
We must admit that we have a bit of a soft spot for this chair. The Aeron by Herman Miller is the chair that Jacob uses every day (and has done for 10+ years) and it’s not hard to see why. Available in three different sizes to accommodate just about every person imaginable, the Aeron is by far, one of the best ergonomically-designed chairs ever made and will look fantastic in a home office or a board room.
Seat height: 34-51.2in | Seat width: 26.7-29.3in | Max load: not known | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: not known | (Seat height limit determined by model purchased)
Available in three different sizes as well as three different armrest choices, the Cosm, one of Herman Miller’s newest chairs is stunning as it is expensive. New innovations such as Cosm Leaf Arms, an armrest designed for your elbow instead of your whole arm and features including intercept suspension, auto-harmonic tilt, and seamless support, the Cosm is such a wonderful chair to sit in, you may not realize that it is a desk chair at all.
Seat height: 18-24in | Seat width: 18in | Max load: Not known | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: yes
For many workspaces, because of the harm that can come from sitting all day, standing desks have become more and more common. Even with those desks, sometimes you would like to sit and the Capisco Puls 801 by HAG with it’s unique but ergonomically beneficial is perfect for sitting at a standing desk. Made from a mixture of steel and plastic, the seat is based on a horse saddle and the foam infill separates your legs, allowing you to put your feet on the floor. The adjustable seat is angled in order to fit with the natural curvature of your lower back.
Seat height: 18.75-22 3/8in | Seat width: 20.5in | Max load: 250lbs | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: yes
A timeless, yet classic design was given to the Elusion by Alera offering a contoured seat and mesh back to keep things cool and breathable while you use it. The ergonomic design adjusts in order to accommodate multiple users and a height-adjustable ratchet back can give you the ultimate lumbar support during those long hours at your workstation.
Seat height: 15.5-22in | Seat width: 24.5in | Max load: 350lbs | Lumbar support: optional | Height adjustable: no | Tilt lock: no | (Seat height limit determined by model purchased)
The Sayl from Herman Miller is the company’s attempt at a budget-friendly office chair for those who love the brand but might not be able to afford some of their more expensive options. By cutting some customization options on the chair and using an unframed backing, the Sayl lets your move between positions freely while the chair’s flexible strands provide support. The overall backrest is designed to prevent slouching and comes with an optional lumbar support
Seat height: 17-22in | Seat width: 18.9in | Max load: 220lbs | Lumbar support: no | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: yes
Throughout their history, the online selling giant Amazon has dutifully created quality products through their Amazon Essentials line and that quality continues with the economically-priced Office Essentials Mesh Back Swivel Chair. While the company admits that it is not designed for long periods of sitting, while you do use it, the ergonomic design, cushioned seat and mesh back along with adjustable height and tilt can make you as comfortable as possible.
Seat height: 17.25 – 20.75”| Seat width: 20.5in | Max load: 250lbs | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: yes
The High Back Mesh Chair by Flash Furniture has been called by some as “the best and most versatile chair we’ve found under $100” and it’s extremely easy to see why it gets such high praise. With an adjustable headrest, firm lumbar support, and has an adjustable tilt tension knob. The only negative we’ve seen about this chair is that it doesn’t have adjustable armrests, which is a small complaint compared to the praise this chair continues to receive.
Seat height: 15.5 – 20.5in | Seat width: 19.25in | Max load: 400lbs | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: not known
Many different people may look at a chair and see how comfortable it is, while others may put more focus on the price. With the Leap from Steelcase, for the price, you can have one of the most comfortable chairs available today. Easy to put together, the seat and backrest on the leap are ergonomically designed to offer you support and comfort in all the right places. Adjustable lumbar support and easy to use and reach controls can help ensure that your body is perfectly supported every time.
Seat height: 19.3 – 24in | Seat width: 20.5in | Max load: 250lbs | Lumbar support: yes | Height adjustable: yes | Tilt lock: yes
Let’s be honest for a moment. Why do we love desk chairs? Because we can recline in them and look cool doing it right? If you really want to recline in your office chair, you need to make sure it has a headrest in order to protect your neck from stress associated with reclining. Thankfully the Ergohuman from Eurotech has without hurting the comfort that it provides you when you sitting in the chair. One tip though, make sure to get the mesh fabric for the Ergohuman so the chair stays cooler than the other model that comes in a faux leather will.
There are many different options out there when you decide that it’s time for a new desk chair. By knowing what to look for and knowing your budget, finding a high-quality, high-value chair is easy.
With our list, we wanted to highlight some of our favorites. Here they are summarized again:
Office Essentials Mesh Back Swivel Chair by Amazon
High Back Mesh Chair by Flash Furniture
