Gallery: You're Gonna Want to Sit Down for This: 6 High-End Desk Chairs Reviewed
01introduction-8
First-world problems don't get much bigger than having to pick out a chair in which you can sit comfortably all day while you're using your computer. But such is our existence, filled with fancy seating devices, often costing thousands of dollars. Believe it or not, finding the right one isn't easy, often because fit is so subjective. What may be a perfectly comfortable chair for one user may be a back-killer for another. I'm a particularly difficult case -- 6'4" and 175 pounds -- meaning smallish chairs can be too shallow for my legs, while large ones are too wide for my torso. The answer to that dilemma is adjustability, and the perfect chair should, in theory, be tweakable enough for anyone to use. Ergonomists will tell you this is a relatively simple five-step process. 1. Adjust the seat height: Sitting upright in the chair, your feet should be flat on the floor, with your thighs at a 90 degree angle to your calves. 2. Adjust the seat depth: You should be able to fit 2 or 3 fingers between the back of your legs and the front edge of the seat. 3. Adjust the back rest: Lumbar support should flow naturally with the curvature of the back. 4. Adjust armrests (you'll probably tweak these the most during your work day): They should never be higher than the position of your elbows when your arms are bent and at rest. 5. If available, adjust the head rest: It should cradle the base of your head naturally. Other adjustments primarily involve fine-tuning the above. Once you set up your chair, the work isn't done. Ergonomic pros will tell you that you should keep moving throughout the day, so having a chair that can easily adjust to a variety of positions is key. (Steelcase says it identified [nine modern working positions](http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/the-strunch-smart-lean-and-other-ways-were-sitting-these-days/13725) and built its latest chair to account for them, including "the smart lean" and "the strunch.") A gentle recline while typing is now generally recommended. To that end, I tranced, cocooned, and strunched my way through the following six task chairs, using each in a typical desk environment for at least a full workday, often longer. Here's how these seats shake out.
02steelcase-gesture
Steelcase Gesture ----------------- As noted previously, Steelcase designed this chair with an eye toward modern seating styles -- and with that, it reinvented a lot about the way task seating works. Notably, all of the controls are located on the right side of the seat -- two dials and several levers connected to them. Figuring out what does what isn't tough, but it does take a bit of retraining if you're used to the typical control map that most other chairs have standardized upon. [The Gesture](http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/gesture/pages/overview.aspx) is a small, sturdy, stout, and heavy chair -- all hallmarks of the Steelcase brand. Certain aspects of the design are real standouts, most notably the swiveling arms that get really close and tight on the body, but also swing out wide when you want them away from you. Unfortunately, great arms do not a perfect chair make, and the Gesture was ultimately my least favorite chair to sit in for long periods of time. First, the seat gets uncomfortably hot -- a problem I didn't experience on other chairs -- though that could be partly caused by the fabric Steelcase selected for this review model. While the arms are great, I had a bigger issue with the armrests. The hard material and their overall design caused my wrists to constantly slip off to the outside of the chair, a problem that gets worse the closer you swivel the arms in to your body. The Gesture is not at all a bad chair, and its pricing ($979 as tested) is on target, but I just didn't find it as comfortable as I'd hoped, no matter how hard I strunched. __WIRED__ Sturdy and tough, definitely a good choice for more brutal environments. Swiveling arm design is best-in-class. __TIRED__ Angular design aesthetic is homely. No adjustable lumbar support, and after a day you notice its absence. __Rating: 5 out of 10__
03herman-miller-embody
Herman Miller Embody -------------------- The high, narrow back and visible "skeleton" of the [Embody](http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/performance-work-chairs/embody-chairs.html) immediately make it look unlike the other chairs in this roundup, but appearances are deceiving: The overall size of this chair is actually about the same as most. And, despite the strange looks, it's surprisingly comfortable. Controls are minimal, and at first, a bit strange. But they're easy enough to figure out. Consider the seat height adjustment: Rather than a paddle you lift, there's a large bulb with a small nozzle-like appendage sticking out from it. It looks like something you'd blow into to inflate, but simply pulling the nozzle up causes the seat to rise or fall. Adjusting the seat depth requires an even stranger process. Just reach down with both hands to the visible handles on the sides of the seat and pull. You can actually see the seat fabric rolling out over the edge of the seat as it expands in size. Arms move both up and down and can be pushed in and out to the proper width. This lets you get cozy in the Embody, or choose to keep the arms well out of the way. The Embody also features adjustable lumbar support and tilt limiting controls, but its best feature is how intuitive and natural all of this is. It's also quite comfortable: Like a firm mattress, the Embody offers support and keeps you feeling good for the long haul, whether you're sitting upright or kicking back. Starts at $1,199, same as tested. __WIRED__ Comfortable and supportive, and more compact than it looks. Easy-access, intuitive controls. A great choice if you like Herman Miller's approach but want a firmer seating solution than its other chairs. __TIRED__ Hard seat in comparison to the Mirra. Arm width adjustment can be difficult, usually requiring using both hands on each side. Sides of armrests can uncomfortably dig into your ribs if you sit askew. __Rating: 8 out of 10__
04herman-miller-mirra-2
Herman Miller Mirra 2 --------------------- One of the most iconic task chairs ever made, Herman Miller's impossibly successful Aeron chair needs no introduction. The Mirra, released in the late 1990s, was a lower-cost follow-up to the Aeron and features a very similar -- but more casual -- appearance. Now that design has been refreshed, in the form of the revamped [Mirra 2](http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/hermanmiller/microsites/mirra-2-chairs.html). (Shipping this summer starting at $879, I tested a final prototype of the chair. This is the first published review.) Those familiar with either the Mirra or the Aeron should find this chair familiar and navigable. If you aren't a former Mirra user, you'll need to study up. There are ten different adjustment systems and there can be a learning curve on mastering a few of them. Once adjusted, the Mirra 2 offers a good balance of comfort and support. The mesh material that comprises the seat and back is more supportive than it looks -- if you've sat in an Aeron, you know what I mean -- and the small size makes it very lightweight, quite maneuverable, and relatively unobtrusive. That said, it does lack some of the features of more full-featured (and expensive) chairs, including a half-assed seat depth adjustment system that involves merely bending down the front lip of the seat to make it smaller. Overall, short of a trip to IKEA, this is one of the most affordable ways to get a refined and workable task chair. The fact that it's comfortable enough for the long haul makes it all the more worthwhile. __WIRED__ Easy to service; disassembles with no tools. 25 percent smaller carbon footprint than original Mirra. Price is hard to beat. __TIRED__ Tall users may experience fit issues. Seat depth adjustment and lumbar height adjustment are insufficient. Arm height adjustment is awkward. __Rating: 8 out of 10__
05knoll-generation
Knoll Generation ---------------- With its expansive, open-mesh back, the [Knoll Generation](http://www.knoll.com/product/generation-by-knoll) looks like it would be more at home on a soccer pitch than in the boardroom. And sure enough, it's got the loosest fit of any of the chairs in this roundup. This is a big, squishy chair, and smaller sitters will be gobbled up by it. The arms don't swivel in nearly enough for me, and the seat feels like I could fit two people on it. At least it's simple. Arms aside, there are only three controls to deal with, the most notable absence being the lack of any recline controls. In lieu of complicated dials and switches, Knoll imbues the Generation with "dynamic suspension control," which is supposed to make reclining "smooth and effortless." Leaning back is indeed smooth, but it also feels a bit like you're sitting in a hammock when you do so (even on the most rigid setting). Go back far enough and you'll feel like you're about to tip over. With no significant lumbar support, this is a chair that's more fanciful than serious. Look elsewhere if you need something for intensive work. Starts at $711; $984 as tested. __WIRED__ Lightweight, easy to maneuver. Big seat gives you lots of options on how to sit. Perfect for the sideways worker or stop-and-chats. __TIRED__ Considerably lacking in support for extended work, particularly for the back. Feels (and looks) a little cheap. __Rating: 4 out of 10__
06humanscale-freedom-headrest
Humanscale Freedom Headrest --------------------------- An imposing seating system, the [Humanscale Freedom Headrest](http://www.humanscale.com/products/product_detail.cfm?group=FreedomTaskChairWithHeadrest) makes a statement whether you're sitting in it or not. Starting at $1,200 (my review unit costs $2,060), the chair is clearly designed and priced for the executive suite. The Freedom minimizes manual controls (there are only six), presumably under the expectation that the busy CEO sitting in it just won't have the time or patience to muck about with a bunch of knobs and levers. What's there is relatively intuitive -- though the seat depth lever is so small and recessed, you might easily miss it. This is the only chair in the roundup to include a headrest (just yank it up and down to adjust), and it really changes the way you use the chair. Want to kick back and watch a video or play a game? The Freedom lets you relax -- with support -- in a way that none of these other chairs can. Are the extra controls missed? The main absence is the ability to limit or otherwise control its recline. With the Freedom, any time you push back, the recline is there, with nothing to stop it. Humanscale says this is intentional: It wants to encourage you to recline throughout the day. Can't argue with that. __WIRED__ Synchronous armrests move in tandem, eliminating lopsided elbow issues. Grandeur to spare. Fits in with the leather-and-wood set. __TIRED__ Armrests don't fit perfectly for me -- neither high enough nor close enough to the body. Very firm seat, almost hard. Stretched-tight leather can be slippery. __Rating: 7 out of 10__
07haworth-zody-executive
Haworth Zody Executive ---------------------- Judging purely on looks, the [Haworth Zody Executive](http://haworth.com/home/seating/executive/zody-executive) is arguably the most attractive chair in this group, thanks in part to the fancy leather covers the company applied to the seat and back on my review model. However, the leather upgrades also elevate this chair to the most expensive model we tested. Even the base price of $1,599 is nearly double that of the Mirra 2, and my tester was spec'd up to $2,414. For your investment, you get a very capable and comfortable chair that offers ample adjustability. While compact, it's surprisingly spacious and allows for plenty of motion throughout the day -- although as I experienced with several of these chairs, I had trouble getting the seat pan set back deep enough for comfort. One of the most unique aspects of the chair is its asymmetric lumbar support feature. While the strength of this support isn't as noticeable as it is with many other chairs, it does let you increase or decrease support on the right and left side of your back independently -- potentially useful if you're sitting cross-legged, or if your newly-emptied wallet causes you to sit lopsided. Don't be misled by this chair's small size (and heavy frame). This is a an attractive and worthwhile seating option that will work well in any upscale environment. __WIRED__ Exceptional good looks without being ostentatious. Accommodates a wide variety of body sizes in a compact package. Tilt tension hand-crank is gloriously old school. __TIRED__ Several controls can be difficult to manipulate. Seat depth adjustment is quite tricky. Armrests tend to swish around, moving back and forth with too little effort if you lean against them. Expensive… and Haworth calls this a "mid-priced" chair! __Rating: 7 out of 10__
