Office and gaming chairs
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jayrebb
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Hateyou
I have an XL I got recently. I love it for sit-back style browsing and casual sitting for long periods-- can't complain about any aspect of the chair, everything is solid.Where it fails is in intensive gameplay/PvP/serious sitting-up action. My ass and legs sink too much into the cushion and it cuts my circulation off slowly in my hamstrings and thighs so my feet tingle. So much for "firm". Its a me problem, like what was said about the Embody earlier. Basically my own bodyweight and bulk is cutting itself off, there isn't actually anything wrong with the Titan XL. It's just the ergonomics during serious sitting up on the keyboard action are not great for me, and I need at least 2 hours of intensive keyboard/mouse action without having to ruin my ankles with spider veins, to put it bluntly.
I plan to continue using the Titan XL for anything casual, even long session. Long as I'm sitting relaxed with a slight recline, can't beat it yet and it replaced my other chairs. Sitting back with a foot rest in the Titan XL kicks ass. 0 issue long session with any type of relaxed sitting.
The mesh/plastic flex of the Embody and Aeron became my primary interest (Outside of an OEM 24/7 task chair which is an anti-sinking cushion and sprays force 360 degrees outward like a lilypad), I seemingly have no options for a seat that will spread force out appropriately.
Big thighs and long legs seem like a no-go for the Aeron but I might just check return policies and field test it myself. If i could get an Embody for 800ish I'd test that as well. I'd even go to 1k-1.1k The price really is appalling. Almost the same price as a brand new rig.
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I think some of you are forgetting or discounting that the price on a Herman Miller is less about the chair and more about the warranty.
I looked at the Secret Labs warranty and it's 3 years (5 years if you get the extended) and doesn't cover normal wear and tear. Whereas the Herman Miller warranty on their chairs is 12-15 years and covers everything except for dumb shit like discoloration of fabric or scratches. And Herman Miller will send someone out to fix just about any issue with the chair within the warranty window at no cost to you. So the price of the chair is probably $400 - $600, the rest of the cost is for the warranty. In the case of something like an office chair, the warranties are much more likely to be claimed so that pushes the cost up a bit higher as well.
So whenever you're looking at a simple high dollar item and scoff at the price, check out the warranty to see if that may be why the price is so high. For example, we needed to replace some chairs at work and they were your standard 80's style office chairs with foam seats and backs. i figured those were like $100 at most a pop. Nope, they were about $3,500 each because they had a 30 year warranty on them for literally any issue from the manufacturer.
And I'm not saying that one chair is better than the other, I'm just pointing out something I don't see a lot of people mentioning in the thread. You could buy 3 Titan XLs over a 15 year period and roughly break even with the cost of 1 HM Aeron/Embody (each from the manufacturer).
I looked at the Secret Labs warranty and it's 3 years (5 years if you get the extended) and doesn't cover normal wear and tear. Whereas the Herman Miller warranty on their chairs is 12-15 years and covers everything except for dumb shit like discoloration of fabric or scratches. And Herman Miller will send someone out to fix just about any issue with the chair within the warranty window at no cost to you. So the price of the chair is probably $400 - $600, the rest of the cost is for the warranty. In the case of something like an office chair, the warranties are much more likely to be claimed so that pushes the cost up a bit higher as well.
So whenever you're looking at a simple high dollar item and scoff at the price, check out the warranty to see if that may be why the price is so high. For example, we needed to replace some chairs at work and they were your standard 80's style office chairs with foam seats and backs. i figured those were like $100 at most a pop. Nope, they were about $3,500 each because they had a 30 year warranty on them for literally any issue from the manufacturer.
And I'm not saying that one chair is better than the other, I'm just pointing out something I don't see a lot of people mentioning in the thread. You could buy 3 Titan XLs over a 15 year period and roughly break even with the cost of 1 HM Aeron/Embody (each from the manufacturer).
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jayrebb
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Great point about price. I'm actually surprised the Embody is under the same warranty as the Aeron, as it's pretty universally accepted that the Embody may not age well due to how "woven" it is, and the experimental plastic mesh. It's thought that the Embody is susceptible to wearing due to continuous plastic flexing and high mobility.
Maybe that explains the Embody price? You want that Aeron warranty on this thing, fork over some big bucks! Manufacturer covering future potential costs of what is really an experimental chair.
I'm hoping competition can take the Embody technology and build on it for bigger people. Also, headrest, for fucks sake. (Should be available attachment for the Embody in 2022 I heard)
Maybe that explains the Embody price? You want that Aeron warranty on this thing, fork over some big bucks! Manufacturer covering future potential costs of what is really an experimental chair.
I'm hoping competition can take the Embody technology and build on it for bigger people. Also, headrest, for fucks sake. (Should be available attachment for the Embody in 2022 I heard)
Maximis Velocity
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Put my Titan XL together today. Initial comments are Holy Crap that is so much better than my old LazyBoy office chair and I love how adjustable the armrests are.
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jayrebb
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Getting an Aeron most likely direct from manufacturer since Amazon has 0 for sale. I would prefer to test a chair with Amazon, for the reason returns are always guaranteed.
200 dollar difference from the Embody.
I could shave some dollars off with a Steelcase down to 1k to 1.2k but I haven't heard too much from Steelcase owners.
Any Steelcase boys here?
200 dollar difference from the Embody.
I could shave some dollars off with a Steelcase down to 1k to 1.2k but I haven't heard too much from Steelcase owners.
Any Steelcase boys here?
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jayrebb
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For an example of how gouged the Amazon market is on Aeron (for brand new sealed box) the only Amazon retailer is listed at 2,100 dollars.
Direct from Herman is 1,450. It's bizarre.
EDIT: Steelcase vs Aeron right now and I'm in the final buying process. Credit card is getting dropped tonight no matter what. Steelcase does have an Amazon-esque return policy, no questions asked 30 days and will arrange pickup if unsatisfied.
The love-hate feedback on the Aeron is tough to parse, but I'm leaning heavily on the Steelcase right now to avoid the hard lip of the Aeron on the seat.
I could see the hard lip of the Aeron seat being a problem for heavier people-- now trying to get the inside word from a big guy on a Size C Aeron.
Direct from Herman is 1,450. It's bizarre.
EDIT: Steelcase vs Aeron right now and I'm in the final buying process. Credit card is getting dropped tonight no matter what. Steelcase does have an Amazon-esque return policy, no questions asked 30 days and will arrange pickup if unsatisfied.
The love-hate feedback on the Aeron is tough to parse, but I'm leaning heavily on the Steelcase right now to avoid the hard lip of the Aeron on the seat.
I could see the hard lip of the Aeron seat being a problem for heavier people-- now trying to get the inside word from a big guy on a Size C Aeron.
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Denamian
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I've had a size C with posture fit for almost 2.5 years now. It took some getting used to and maybe a week of getting the adjustments dialed in, but I'm happy with it. It does somewhat force you to sit properly though.
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jayrebb
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Chanur
Can you spill the beans if there was anything specific that caused you to ship your Steelcase back? I clicked back year(s) and apparently nobody here has a Steelcase they said anything good about. You're the only FOH poster to recently have sat in one in the past few years.I remember you saying if you were underwhelmed at all that it was going back. I'm guessing it just wasn't that good for you to justify the money, rather than the chair having a big problem you didn't like.
But I'd appreciate if you could confirm my read on that. Just underwhelmed for the money, or did something set you off? If just underwhelmed, what was the underwhelming part? The seat? And did you replace it with anything or just went back to your old chair?
Chanur
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I remember you saying if you were underwhelmed at all that it was going back. I'm guessing it just wasn't that good for you to justify the money, rather than the chair having a big problem you didn't like.
But I'd appreciate if you could confirm my read on that. Just underwhelmed for the money, or did something set you off?
Yeah there was nothing wrong with it. It was the best chair I had used up to that point. It was just underwhelming for the price. I would have liked a little bit more padding on the bottom. The back support was excellent.
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jayrebb
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That's what I heard from a Google tech lead. He bought all 5 top chairs.
He said the Steelcase cushion is great for 2 inches of cushion, rates very high, high quality material and padding, but it's not mesh seat of the Aeron or the cushioned plastic woven seat of the Embody.
He said the Embody threw him out of the chair when he slouches due to the texture of the Embody seating being slick to cloth. But said if you are high bodyweight you sink down into the Embody a bit and its only a problem for lighter people who don't always sit straight.
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jayrebb
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Went with the Steelcase Leap after a lot of research. Was advised not to get an Aeron without testing it.
Intentionally got it without the factory headrest, because there's a better headrest hack available if you want to add one. Concerned about manufacturing defects with the Leap which I heard are pretty common. It's also rated the noisiest chair, good amount of creaking and so lithium-lubricant of joints recommended. Other concerns with the Leap are the foam seat, which holds a lot of heat. I didn't get leather because I like the option to wear shorts and skin catching on leather is no good. Leather would have displaced heat and solved one potential problem with the Leap.
Was very close to an Embody in the end, but the armrests potentially clashing with the desk put me off for now. If the Leap is a huge failure I'll get an Embody out here.
If the Embody had the Leap armrests, it'd have edged it out.
Intentionally got it without the factory headrest, because there's a better headrest hack available if you want to add one. Concerned about manufacturing defects with the Leap which I heard are pretty common. It's also rated the noisiest chair, good amount of creaking and so lithium-lubricant of joints recommended. Other concerns with the Leap are the foam seat, which holds a lot of heat. I didn't get leather because I like the option to wear shorts and skin catching on leather is no good. Leather would have displaced heat and solved one potential problem with the Leap.
Was very close to an Embody in the end, but the armrests potentially clashing with the desk put me off for now. If the Leap is a huge failure I'll get an Embody out here.
If the Embody had the Leap armrests, it'd have edged it out.
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jayrebb
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slippery
Need an armrest check. Do you feel the armrests don't go back enough on the Embody if you want to get them out of the way?Any problems with getting flush with your desk? What about getting the armrests below desk-level and using the desk to rest your arms, is that possible in the Embody?
Were there any moments where you were annoyed by the armrests lack of ergonomic positioning?
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My only real complaint about the armrests is they need to be an inch or two taller than they are. Also I'm mildly worried about them breaking. As far as putting them out of the way, they can go down super far if you just wanted to arms on desk.
Any problems with getting flush with your desk? What about getting the armrests below desk-level and using the desk to rest your arms, is that possible in the Embody?
Were there any moments where you were annoyed by the armrests lack of ergonomic positioning?
Much like the rest of the chair, they aren't uncomfortable, but I wouldn't call them comfortable. They get the job done.
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I'm in the chair hunt again after 2.5 years of an Ikea Markus chair. I have the leather one, and while it's a nice chair, if I game in it for a few hours my ass is sore as fuck. Compound it by a gnarly disc herniation two months ago, it's time I spend big boy money on a real chair.
Debating on the usual suspects: Aeron, Leap v2, and the Gesture.
Debating on the usual suspects: Aeron, Leap v2, and the Gesture.
jayrebb
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Well I'll report in on Leap firmness by Thursday next week.
Gesture is a markedly softer seat from the research I did. I knew this, but decided to respect the ergonomics of the Leap for back support. The armrest material on the Gesture is allegedly inferior to the Leap also. The Gesture gets marked down on armrest material and elbow catching skin a bit too much I heard, obviously not a problem for everyone. Some people like to really grind their armrests.
If you need a headrest I heard the Gesture headrest has good options and factory headrest even. The Leap is absolutely a no-headrest chair as the factory headrest is 100% universally hated by experts and casual buyers alike. This was fine with me because I'm keeping my Titan for relaxed and reclined sitting. I needed an intensive sitting-up on the keys chair, and I believe the only options for that are Leap, Aeron, Gesture, and to a lesser extent the Embody. Ergonomics came first for me, and those are your true ergos if you need to be on the keys.
Gesture is a markedly softer seat from the research I did. I knew this, but decided to respect the ergonomics of the Leap for back support. The armrest material on the Gesture is allegedly inferior to the Leap also. The Gesture gets marked down on armrest material and elbow catching skin a bit too much I heard, obviously not a problem for everyone. Some people like to really grind their armrests.
If you need a headrest I heard the Gesture headrest has good options and factory headrest even. The Leap is absolutely a no-headrest chair as the factory headrest is 100% universally hated by experts and casual buyers alike. This was fine with me because I'm keeping my Titan for relaxed and reclined sitting. I needed an intensive sitting-up on the keys chair, and I believe the only options for that are Leap, Aeron, Gesture, and to a lesser extent the Embody. Ergonomics came first for me, and those are your true ergos if you need to be on the keys.
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jayrebb
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Initial Leap sitting. Perfect armrests, love the adjustment and you can stash them below the desk quite easily and get tight on your desk. Softness is good, and material is slick to skin. 0 catching on elbow possible.
Good lillypad-esque force distribution through the ass on the seat. Feels what I was looking for with a task chair.
Zero pressure on the legs, nerves, vessels that I can feel right now. Force distribution of seat seems very ergonomic (this is first impression only)
Really impressed with the pressure distribution through my ass and legs.
Feet feeling good bloodflow so far.
Back feels ergonomic right out of the box without any backrest adjustments done yet. That's a good sign. Good flexibility in the back.
I can definitely see why people say it's "too firm". You definitely need to sit ergonomically and keep that force distributed correctly-- failure to do this will absolutely result in a sore ass very quickly.. If it doesn't end up working out I'll send it back. Legs so far feel better than the Titan. And again, I haven't adjusted the chair at all yet.
Over the next 2 weeks manufacturing issues (noise, hardware failure, lubrication) can arise. Will update again then on final verdict.
Good lillypad-esque force distribution through the ass on the seat. Feels what I was looking for with a task chair.
Zero pressure on the legs, nerves, vessels that I can feel right now. Force distribution of seat seems very ergonomic (this is first impression only)
Really impressed with the pressure distribution through my ass and legs.
Feet feeling good bloodflow so far.
Back feels ergonomic right out of the box without any backrest adjustments done yet. That's a good sign. Good flexibility in the back.
I can definitely see why people say it's "too firm". You definitely need to sit ergonomically and keep that force distributed correctly-- failure to do this will absolutely result in a sore ass very quickly.. If it doesn't end up working out I'll send it back. Legs so far feel better than the Titan. And again, I haven't adjusted the chair at all yet.
Over the next 2 weeks manufacturing issues (noise, hardware failure, lubrication) can arise. Will update again then on final verdict.
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jayrebb
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Oh one thing. The "leather catches on skin, wanted to avoid that potentially" I mentioned a few weeks ago..
That's really not relevant with the fabric of the Leap, as I found out. This is catchy fabric, so if you wanted leather, don't worry about it being less comfortable on skin contact. The fabric is arguably more catchy than leather. This is a first for me. Most fabric chairs are slippery or smooth. This is a sandpaper effect. It grabs clothing/cloth/skin. And if you take your palm and rub it, it's actually similar to sandpaper a little bit.
This fabric is very "ergonomic" in terms of freezing your clothing in wherever it touched, and if skin rubs it, you're going to feel the burn. This isn't a negative for me so far and helps me stay in position.
No complaint on fabric at this time. Just a note on leather vs fabric I had offhand just now pertaining to the Leap.
This does open the door to me possibly wanting to try leather, but not enough to ship the chair back yet.
EDIT: Final verdict on the fabric can be given right now though. It's sandpaper. If you spin that chair against the back of your legs while standing up, it will feel like sandpaper. It will burn. Maybe it will soften and break in a little bit over time.
Shirtless is not an option with the fabric. If you want to go shirtless for some reason, get leather 100%. Shirtless is not going to be comfortable with this fabric, although some beasts can probably tank it.
But yeah, another point going toward leather. Anywhere skin touches this fabric is going to be a sandpaper experience (again, this is probably by design to freeze you in place when wearing office clothes)
That's really not relevant with the fabric of the Leap, as I found out. This is catchy fabric, so if you wanted leather, don't worry about it being less comfortable on skin contact. The fabric is arguably more catchy than leather. This is a first for me. Most fabric chairs are slippery or smooth. This is a sandpaper effect. It grabs clothing/cloth/skin. And if you take your palm and rub it, it's actually similar to sandpaper a little bit.
This fabric is very "ergonomic" in terms of freezing your clothing in wherever it touched, and if skin rubs it, you're going to feel the burn. This isn't a negative for me so far and helps me stay in position.
No complaint on fabric at this time. Just a note on leather vs fabric I had offhand just now pertaining to the Leap.
This does open the door to me possibly wanting to try leather, but not enough to ship the chair back yet.
EDIT: Final verdict on the fabric can be given right now though. It's sandpaper. If you spin that chair against the back of your legs while standing up, it will feel like sandpaper. It will burn. Maybe it will soften and break in a little bit over time.
Shirtless is not an option with the fabric. If you want to go shirtless for some reason, get leather 100%. Shirtless is not going to be comfortable with this fabric, although some beasts can probably tank it.
But yeah, another point going toward leather. Anywhere skin touches this fabric is going to be a sandpaper experience (again, this is probably by design to freeze you in place when wearing office clothes)
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