I badly need a new chair.
I put the thumbnail chair there just for fun. It's called the Vantum and it's ~$700. I don't need a Cadillac chair. A Honda is more than adequate. I just don't know what that'll cost.
- What's the absolute minimum you'd spend to get a Honda chair? $100? $200? More?
- What brands have the best reputations?
- What brands should be avoided?
- What questions am I forgetting to ask?
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The cough backstory
The plain-old desk chair I bought just 14 months ago already has a serious crack. I noticed it today. I don't think it can be repaired. Plus the crack will expand making the chair worthless. It's just a question of how fast. Worst of all - could the chair collapse all-of-the-sudden sending me crashing to the floor?
Before I bought it I avoided the cheapest chairs. I spent a bit more - $80 - in hopes the damn chair would last at least a couple years. So much for that!
There's no market for 2nd hand premium office chairs near me so I got an ikea markus 8 years ago. Still works. I really dislike the armrests specifically that they are not adjustable and the rubbery material that my arms would sit if on I didn't cover them as a work around. Lesson learned is that I highly recommend finding something with adjustable armrests if you can. My previous experience with the cheaper chairs is that pleather really sucks during summer and I have no regrets about moving to a mesh & fabric chair and don't really miss the unnecessary amounts of cushioning.
Tip for anyone who got here by searching for ikea markus
there is ~1cm ish metal tab poking through a series of slots on the base of the chair, poking it in resolves issues with the lean getting stuckCan vouch for the Markus chair. I have a 10 year old one or so, and it's still super comfortable to me. The non-adjustable armrests are fine to me (but I'm a very tall boy, YMMV), and for the price it's wonderful.