Decent Chair Recommendations? (preferably in white)

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deadman_uk

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 30, 2003
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Hi guys, I would really appreciate some help on finding a new chair. My current 10 year old one I just sold which I originally purchased from SeatingVFM for £130 (Black Leather Oxford Chair). I sold it because the chair doesn't raise high enough to reach new desk.

A few relevant things about me:

- I spend large amounts of time on the computer when I am not working. I like to game and photo edit.
- I'm 6ft 2" tall
- I'm in the UK

I am looking for the following in a chair:

- Ideally in white colour (to match my desk and room). Black with white parts is also considered.
- Comfortable for long periods of time
- Would like armrests, wheels and height adustment
- Ideally with more than 1 year warranty
- Looking to spend around £100-£200, may consider spending a little more
- Gaming chair or office chair, I have no preference, I just want it to look nice

I've looked at the Vertagear SL2000 but from reading comments on another forum, it seems it's not very comfortable for people over 6ft tall. I've read names like Leap, Humanscale and Herman Miller on another forum too but are these available in white? and would they suit my needs?
 
deadman_uk said:
I've read names like Leap, Humanscale and Herman Miller on another forum too but are these available in white? and would they suit my needs?
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Yes they are, but they're all far above your budget. By a factor of 3-4 times. That being said, I have a Herman Miller that I gopt 14 years go for $800. It's still in great shape. They replaced the shock for free at 11.5 years, even paid for shipping both ways. An of these brands will last a LOOONG time, but you're gonna pay for it up front.
 
I'm really liking the look of the Humanscale Diffrient which is available in white and can have adjustable arms. At around £400 though... wow but the PDF file from the manufacture says 15 years warranty which is nice. Any idea what store sells this the cheapest? John Lewis has this but there are no adjustable options unlike here
 
Hermann Miller, Steelcase (Leap is a model made by Steelcase), and Humanscale are some of the best known high end chairs around. I can say that I used to have a Humanscale Freedom Headrest and it was a great chair - even years later they still replaced the advanced arm assemblies for me for free. However, I have to say that my current chair surpasses all of those I've used from Steelcase, Hermann Miller, and Humanscale and others - and it is made by a company called Lifeform. http://lifeformchairs.com/

Specifically, it is the Lifeform Ultimate Executive - alas it ended up costing me around $2000 USD all told (including drop shipping from Canada to the US. All of their chairs are manufactured in Canada) but it is worth it in my experience. Everything is adjustable and covered in extra plush, temperature sensitive, yet healthful (no outgassing) memory foam. Its worth it to mention that Lifeform has other chairs that are less costly and will still be way, way above competitors in their price ranges. Lifeform I know works in just about any color you wish, and you can even get fancy with contrast piping, dual color setups and more. They have some nice cloth options, Ultrafabrics (aka polyurathane, Japanese made faux-leather. NOT Vinyl and really its the only leather substitute worth buying in my experience), and leather.

I am afraid I don't know much about UK distribution, but I'd check out the official sites for these manufacturers and then see if they can point you towards UK resellers. You will want to be sure that anywhere you buy a chair like this (a true high end ergonomic chair) from lets you customize them and/or you know the full option kit if its an off the shelf model. Depend what you can afford to spend and then look around - if you'd like any help with Lifeform feel free to PM me and I can call my contact and figure out the best way to get things sorted for shipping to the UK. Good luck, hope you find something you enjoy!
 
Thanks for your reply Xaeos. I can't justify spending $2000+ on a chair. I want a nice chair but I don't necessarily want to spend a fortune on one. $1000 for me is even too much and if I go for a cheaper model of lifeform, I still have to figure out how to get it shipped to the UK, and then pay tax on top of that. What if the chair needs repairing? I have to send it back to Canada? or pay postage back into the UK on a replacement part? and that's again more tax on top. No thanks, it's too much trouble and expense, but those chairs do look great.
 
Look around on Craigslist et al. I found my Steelcase Leap for $100 from a business that was closing its doors. You can't be picky about color for these chairs at those prices though - luckily the one I found was black (there were actually about 50 of them that flooded the market).

Herman Miller Aerons can be had for well under $400 if you look around also.

As someone with bad back issues - get yourself a good chair for comfort. Screw looks (and maybe even price). Get what your body deserves (and needs) for the long haul.
 
I am in the UK so Craigslist isn't an option. We do have Gumtree which I believe is a similar thing. I have decided to buy the Humanscale Diffrient World chair for £397 in white and blue, which includes adjustable arms and higher gas lift. I have to wait 4 weeks for delivery though.
 
One more for the Herman Miller, I am a big guy so I went with model C.

But if you can afford it, these chairs ARE the best. I got mine "used" which was like brand new for half price at local office liquidators in Arizona.
 
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