Tip: If youre shopping for a new chair and dont know how high your seat should be, look at the manufacturers specifications for the floor-to-seat measurement, if available, and look for those chairs with the greatest height adjustability. (Its such a distinctive look that it was even used in The Hunger Games.) Do so on a Gesture, and you might totally forget your legs are crossed until you stand up. The Sayl has the same 12-year warranty as the Aeron and comes from a company that has a history of making reliable, durable chairs. This chair demands that you notice it, and if youre into that space-age look, the range of color options allows you to make it fit in or stand out. But this chair doesnt have the Gestures cleverly designed recline mechanism or the Aerons iconic looks, and ergoCentricfounded in 1990 and only recently breaking into the U.S. marketlacks either brands longstanding reputation. The Markus is still well-loved across the internet, so if youre looking for an inexpensive chair its worth testing out at IKEA if you have the chance, but your mileage will vary depending on your height. Our testers included writers, editors, and photographers with different body types. This chair might be better as a task chair in a conference room or if you tend to get out of your chair regularly throughout the day. You can wipe down the mesh easily, and if you have pets that shed a lot, a mesh chair like the Aeron doesnt attract as much hair as fabric cushions do. The Ignition 2.0 looks less boxy than competing budget-priced chairs and is available with a gray or black mesh back. Our testers all agreed that the Gestures recline was one of the most comfortable among all the chairs we tested: You push back, and the chair retains the recline angle rather than forcing you to continue pushing back with your feet or your core to keep that angle, as most other chairs do. Like the $1,000-plus chairs we recommend, this onedesigned and built in Canadaoffers tons of configuration options, comes with a 12-year warranty, and feels built to last. The chair we tested includes a wide range of ergonomic adjustments, and even has some unusual features like armrests that can spin 360 degrees, an inflatable lumbar support cushion, and a built-in adjustable headrest. We judged office chairs on seat, backrest, and armrest comfort, as well as the adjustability of the seat and arm height. Our testers said that compared with similar chairs, the Gesture hit the right balance between firmness and plushness, and it was far better than budget chairs, which were almost-like-sitting-on-a-wooden-chair firm. If you want a budget chair with a more premium design, the Fully Desk Chair fits the bill. However, our testers preferred the Ignition 2.0s comfort and ergonomics. If you want a high-end chair but dont have quite the budget for Steelcase or Herman Miller, consider the ergoCentric tCentric Hybrid. We found the foam seat too firm, however, and we had concerns that the seat designits Velcroed to the basemay mean its likely to collect dust, lint, and other detritus akin to what youd find under a sofa cushion. Learn more. The backrest and lumbar support didnt adjust high enough, and was also prone to slipping out of position. Compared with the components of most similarly priced or less expensive chairs, the Ignition 2.0s materials feel more durable and of a higher quality, with less wobbly armrests and smoother-rolling casters. Weve found that these chairs tend to lack adjustability, which can be a dealbreaker for many people. Weve included some size notes in this guide to help you with this important choice. Buying used: The classic Aeron design sold prior to 2016 is still great for most people, and its still widely available at office liquidators and on Craigslistsometimes newfor less than $400. It lacks much of the adjustability that the Steelcase Gesture offers, but it still satisfied test panelists of a variety of sizes and heights. Great office chairs arent cheap, and not everyone can afford ergonomic perfection. The foam and fabric dont breathe well, and you may find yourself with a sweaty back on hot days. However, in previous rounds of testing, it was universally reviled. Its armrests arent as adjustable as the Gestures, and the recline isnt as effortless. But a few tweaks can make a $50 chair feel nearly as good as a $1,000 one. The IKEA Hattefjll comes in colorful fabrics and sports a fun, curvy design, but our testers found the seat too firm for prolonged sitting. We also surveyed staff members who have owned or used any of our current or previous picks for their long-term testing notes. (For reference, a chair that lowered to only 18 inches from the ground was too tall for me, and Im 5-foot-2. You can adjust the tilt tension as well as how far the Sayl tilts back, but it takes a few turns of the tension knob before you really notice a change, and one of our size C testers found that the chair was too easy to lean all the way back. Chairs in this price range usually have a lifespan of a year or two before they start falling apart, and the Ignition 2.0 at least feels durable enough to give you a solid five or more years. Our test Aeron was size B, recommended for most people between 5-foot-2 and 6-foot-6. Office chairs and task chairs are generally synonymous, though in practice it's usually the cheapest, smallest, least ergonomically sound office chairs that are sold as task chairs. The Gestures lumbar and back support is on a par with that of other chairs in this price rangeits excellentbut where this chair stands out is in how comfortable it is to recline in and vary your position. To help us figure out the best approaches to ergonomics, weve interviewed several experts over the years: Professor Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University; Rani Lueder, founder of the California-based firm Humanics Ergonomics; and Jenny Pynt, a physiotherapist and the author of A History of Seating, 3000BC to 2000 AD: Function versus Aesthetics and The Design and Use of Healthy Seating. And since 2015, weve found that the Steelcase Gesture is the best office chair for most people. Overall, the Aeron just isnt as adjustable as the Gesture. In our latest round of testing, we found that the sub-$100 AmazonBasics Mid-Back Mesh Office Chair is probably your best bet if youre looking for an inexpensive office chair that offers height adjustability. How long any chair will last depends on how you use it. If you have a full-time desk job, 14,000 hours is the minimum amount of time youll spend sitting over the next 10 years. Weighing over 70 pounds, the chair is bulky, an annoyance if you want to move it around your home office. This chair is made of softer plastics and less metal than the Aeron, but it will still hold up over time. The Ignition 2.0 is one of the most comfortable chairs weve tested retailing for less than $500, and it has many of the adjustments generally reserved for more expensive chairs. However, the chairs construction is plasticky; its armrests arent adjustable for height, width, or angle (although they can flip up completely); and with an 18.5-inch minimum seat height, the chair isnt suitable for people who are under about 5-foot-8. Same solutions, different problem: If you find that the cushioning in your cheap office chair wears out quickly or isnt dense enough to begin with, you can use a lumbar support pillow to augment the backrest padding or a seat cushion to coddle your tuchus. The Herman Miller Sayl, specced for around the same price with more adjustments, was more popular with testers. At 5-foot-2, I found it impossible to keep my feet flat on the floor while sitting in the chair at its lowest height, as did 5-foot-4 Wirecutter editor Tracy Vence. A footrest easily solves that problem, albeit at an added cost. It has a thick, well-padded seat like the HON Ignition 2.0 and premium design features like the Fully Desk Chair, including an aluminum base and a few different color options for the frame and seat. But for around $300, you get a solid chair that will be comfortable for at least a few years. Speaking of money, the tCentric Hybrid is generally less expensive than a comparably equipped Steelcase Gesture or Herman Miller Aeron. Most good chairs have armrests that can move up and down, shift backward and forward, and angle in or out; budget chairs rarely give you even that much adjustment, usually allowing for up and down movement at best. That tally doesnt include the nights you have to work late, the weekends youre called into the office, those unfortunate occasions you end up scarfing down lunch in front of your computer, or any late-night gaming sessions you might enjoy. We think the design is attractive enough for most people, and its available in dozens of colors to suit any space or preference. We didnt test it this time, but it tends to review well and is worth a look if you like a foam seat but want a mesh back. *At the time of publishing, the price was $1,031. Melanie Pinola previously covered all things home office as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. It costs about the same as the Aeron, and it scored well with our panelists in comfort, back support, ease of reclining, and overall appearance, but the Aeron still edged this chair out by a hair in all of those categories. If you find one used for a good price, if you prefer the look of the Leap, or if you just dont need the arm adjustability of the Gesture, the Leap might serve you well. But this was our panelists least favorite chair, with one tester saying that sitting in it for 90 minutes felt like an eternity and another remarking that it might motivate them to get a standing desk. The cost is close enough to that of the Gesture, however, that most people considering the Think will likely prefer to move up to the Gesture instead. Its also the most visually distinctive model we testedfor better or worse, depending on your taste. These chairs look sleeker and do away with most adjustments in favor of attempting to automatically conform to your body. You can customize the Gesture so that its comfortable to sit in no matter what youre doing. If you spend most of your working hours sitting at your desk, the answer is yes. We tested the X-Chair X3 ATR Management Chair with Elemaxand found that despite a lot of interesting-sounding featuresincluding a flexible lumbar support area, heating, cooling, and massage functionalityit was just an okay chair. The rubber mesh back moves and stretches with you as you shift into it, and as the day goes on, it provides plenty of support for the S-shaped curve of your spine. Plus, the Gesture is the only chair we tested with ball-and-socket-style armrests that you can rotate and move into nearly any position: You just hold down a tab under the armrest to unlock the arm and then rotate the whole arm freely to make it comfortable for whatever youre doing. Ergonomic concerns aside, gaming chairs also tend to make aesthetic choices that will look good on a Twitch stream, but may seem less appropriate in a Zoom meeting with your boss. *At the time of publishing, the price was $545. If you find that your cheap chairs lumbar support is inadequate, a $20 to $30 lumbar support pillow can help you maintain better posture and make sitting back more comfortable. Most people will want the optional adjustable armrests, which can slide up or down, in or out, or diagonally inward and outward to help support their arms during different tasks. Through multiple test panels involving dozens of Wirecutter staffers trying out office chairs, the Gesture has continued to be a favorite since we first recommended it in 2015. Buying an office chair is like buying a mattress: If youre spending a third of your life in this furniture, it had better support your well-being and not break your back. If thats not possible, a generous return policy of at least 30 days will help you make that decision at home. We had a small, odd issue with the two Ignition 2.0 chairs we tested: When we got out of the chair after sitting in it a while, the seat made a whooshing sound, kind of as if we were getting up from a plastic-covered seat on a humid day. This chair might do in the short term, but youll have to plan on replacing it soon if you want to invest in a chair for the long term. The back pushes you forward more than natural, the headrest is uncomfortable, and the adjustments are difficult to control. And if your chair is too low for you to use your keyboard properly, a seat cushion can raise you to the proper height. The HON Exposure was our previous budget pick. The Autonomous ErgoChair 2 combines a mesh back and a foam seat for a decent (about $360) price. The arms dont go down as far as those on the Gesture, Aeron, or Sayl, but many other budget chairs dont provide any armrest adjustments at all, which some of our testers noted as a dealbreaker after sitting in 10 different chairs. Chairs that arent height-adjustable, or arent adjustable enough for your particular height, throw the whole ergonomics balance out of whack. The Gesture also comes in the widest range of fabrics and other finishing options of the chairs we tested, so you can customize its appearance for your workspace. One of the chairs we tested adjusted only 2 inches, from 18 to 20 inches, in contrast to others, which were twice as adjustable. We found the Sayl comfortable enough to sit in all day, and our smaller testers especially liked it. Rather than a single chair size that individuals can adjust for fit, the Aeron comes in different sizes (PDF). The seat and lower back of the chair pivots separately from the upper back of the chaira design created by a chiropractor to support and encourage movement of all 33 vertebrae in your lower spine. The Haworth Fern was a favorite of a couple of our testers, but others couldnt get comfortable in it no matter how hard they tried. Wirecutter editor Tracy Vence owns this chair and has not reported hearing this sound, however, so it may not be present in all Ignition 2.0 units. Our panelists remarked that the gray (called mineral) model we tested looked less monolithic than the black version and might blend in better in some homes. Problem: poor paddingSolution: lumbar support pillow and seat cushion. The coronavirus has turned life upside down. But if you lean forward a lot, you may want to invest $100 in the tilt limiter and seat-angle add-on. With used, you lose the Herman Miller warranty, but if youre slightly handy with DIY projects, you can replace almost anything on the Aeron with used parts you can find on eBay. Its less bulky than the Gesture and easier to move around, and it doesnt collect lint as much. *At the time of publishing, the price was $1,033. But the Aerons armrests arent as adjustable as the Gestures, so its not as versatile for different tasks that require arm support, such as propping up a tablet to read. Try to sit with your legs crossed in an Aeron, and youll find it uncomfortable immediately. This design encourages you to sit correctly and prevents backaches from extended sitting sessions. If our top picks are out of your price range, the Herman Miller Sayl provides similar comfort and durability for nearly half the price. Glance at the chair, and you can see the exact bolts you need to remove to replace a piece. A quick search for office chairs on Google will turn up hundreds of chairs, many of which cost under $100 and can be found at sites like Wayfair and Amazon or in-person at big-box stores and office retailers like Target and Staples. When in doubt, we recommend sizing up. At under $60 at the time of our review, the AmazonBasics Mid-Back Mesh Office Chair was the least expensive chair we tested. What sets the Gesture apart is that it excels for people who want to recline with little effort, switch tasks throughout the day, or easily make adjustments to fine-tune the fit. As part of our ongoing mission to recommend high-quality office chairs at different prices, looked for chairs priced under $300 that met our criteria for adjustability (lumbar support, height, seat depth, armrest, and tilt/tension) and also had a warranty of at least five years. As long as you have the right-size chair, the Aeron is comfortable for long hours of work. Rather than spending $50 to $100 every year or two, youre better off saving up to buy a well-made chair that will last.