I started selling office furniture in 2006 and have been thinking about and trying out used office chairs since then. In no special order here are…
My favorite ergonomic task chairs:
Knoll RPM - I think this is one of the best chairs ever made (acknowledge that this is an unpopular opinion, but I stand by it). Cradles your back. Great lumbar support. Original Knoll fabrics used on RPM have just the right stretchiness. This is a great option and if you find one locally, they should be on the less expensive end of what you are looking at.
Steelcase Leap (V1 or V2) - (I use a V1 myself for last few years) - Good adjustable arms, good adjustable tension, lumbar. While I prefer the V1, the V2 has really great arm articulation.
Steelcase Criterion (workhorse of a chair but not at all sexy, I use Criterion chairs throughout the week)
Humanscale Freedom (I prefer the regular without the headrest, especially I find shorter people love this chair)
Humanscale Liberty - this is maybe the best design for an office chairs back that has ever been put into the market. Adjusting the arms is not initially intuitive, but once you get it, it’s very smooth.
Haworth Improv
Herman Miller Cosm - very comfortable chair. I have not seen much of it on the pre-owned market yet but when I have tried it, I am always impressed. Very light feel.
Herman Miller Equa (managers high back) - (simple but classic design, managers vs mid-back is my preference)
Some General Advice
My biggest piece of advice with chairs is Do Not Sit On a Chair all day long. Get up. Take a walk. Set a timer or buy a fitbit. Rotate what you are sitting on. I sit on my Leap V1 most of the time, but I will sometimes sit in a guest chair for an hour or so to change it up. Many of my clients use inflatable yoga balls for an hour or more a day. Not getting into any one grove is key. (6 things more important than any given chair you are thinking about)
If you share a WFH office with your spouse, get 2 different style of chairs and swap them around for an hour or more every few days.
You should be able to find some of these online, we may have some in stock or let us know and I'll point you towards other companies I know who sell these.
Chair List #2, not my #1 favorite but excellent and popular chairs:
Knoll Life - Beautiful look, I would use these as a 2nd chair, but I did not like sitting on these for more than an hour or so at a time. These guys get dinged up easily, the arm pads are delicate and
Global G20 is comfortable and has a ton of adjustments. Cool look and good back support.
Humanscale Different world (sometimes called the Diff
Herman Miller Aeron - look cool and the people who love them really love them, but they have never been my personal favorite and are the highest cost item on any list of used office furniture.
Herman Miller Mira - similare to the Aeron but with a firm poly-carbonate back. Usually much less cost on the secondary market than the Aeron. If you like it, it is a good chair.
Haworth Zody - I go back and forth with this one, some users find them very comfortable. I usually see them when the mesh is worn out. The arm pads on Zody chairs are notorious for peeling and ripping)
Steelcase Think - I go back and forth with this one also. I don’t love the feel of V1 of think for more than a bit. V2 is better. Like all the chairs on this list, my recommendation here is try before you buy. Take your time sitting for a few.
Steelcase Amia is a solid task chair. The version I tried has an adjustable lumbar built into the back, sliding seat pan and tilt. Lots of good adjustable options on the arms also. Certainly not as famous as its cousin the leap, but will provide decent support for a user who has good or decent posture. (For a person who is used to slouching, I do not think this will be comfortable). On the secondary market these chairs are not in super high demand so you should be able to get this $700 chair for a reasonable budget. Probably around $200 from a local used dealer or around $400 from one of the national refurbers.
[I will continue to update this article with ideas and advice. Feel free to keep an eye on the r/officechairs sub over at Reddit where I answer questions about ergonomic office chairs. Also, take a peek at our instagram where you can keep up with office chairs we see along with some pretty great NYC photography if I do say so myself]
If you are curious, I have been using a Steelcase Cobi for the last half a year. This is not an ergonomic chair, but rather one that forces me to sit up well.
Always happy to speak with any fellow office furniture nerds. Wishing you a comfortable place to sit, Joshua
Joshua Bernstein sits down and writes these little articles only when the office furniture liquidation business is slow because NYC is living through a big-ol global pandemic. If you have an opinion, shoot me a note, happy to hear your thoughts.