What chair to replace an Aeron?

[wombar]

Wombar, I've a Steelcase please at home as I said, and these chairs in the new office are pretty cheap and doing me in. I'm prepared to pay for my comfort and being tall, it can only help in the long run. Having worked a few days at home this week, 15minutes before home time sat in the office all day today and I can feel it.
You mention the kinnarps 6000, and my local guys who I've been to before have them in 'stock'. Is this one the one you have and rate? Is there anything I need to look for if I drive over to see Martin and try it out. As a user of one, I'd trust you ratings.

Many thanks, and you'll regret posting the "any questions just ask me"

DT.

Hi DT,

If it were me (and it was), I would go for a "proper" high backed version as some of the ones in that link aren't high backed to me. This is a picture of my 8000 (with head rest obviously) and the back of the chair should come level to just about the base of your neck (I'm about 6ft btw).



I have bought a few of these chairs (for myself and family members) and to be quite honest there's not a massive amount of difference between the 6000 and 8000 series. Just don't be swayed by model numbers, go for the the one that is most comfortable to you.

The 8000 has a slightly better forward tilt mechanism, but I prefer the head rest on my 6000 series as you can get it out the way if you want. In terms of things to look out for, just check all the adjustments work and spend a good 5-10 minutes playing with it to check you're happy with it.

Any more questions, ask away

[wombar]

Again what luck.
I am looking for a new chair, it cant be anything to big due to the limited space I have but it also cant be too small as I am quite tall.

Would anyone happen to have any suggestions?

Would have to be comfortable and would prefer arm rests if possible.

Well, the Kinnarps range has been pretty popular with the forum members thus far, but it really depends on your budget. I'd suggest something like a Kinnarps 6000 as they're fairly compact (certainly more so than an Aeron) but very adjustable. You can get them with nice adjustable arms, head rests etc.

Again, it really just comes down to budget.

[DoubleTop]

many thanks, I'm going to take a look at some point next week If I'm not sure on the Kinnarps, they've got a couple of the Steelcase Please in stock as well, so I think I'll be leaving with a new chair Even though it's second hand, Martin at Barkham Office Furniture has said all his furniture comes with three months warranty as he refurbishes all, and if it's not possible rather than skipping he recycles. A refreshing approach, rather 'green' and saves my pocket!!

DT.

[jackhulk]

Now I know this thread is VERY old but I signed up to Hexus especially to say a BIG thanks to g8ina for recommending the Kinnarps chairs and wombar for providing extremely helpful info.

From the start of this year I've been on a quest to sort out my desk ergonomics in an attempt to resolve an increasingly painful back and early signs of RSI in right arm (mouse arm). I got myself an Conset 501 electric sit/stand desk, so that was desk sorted, now just needed a ergonomic chair.

I've always been very fussy when it comes to chairs so wasn't looking forward to this task. I had been using a chair that I purchased from Argos about 5 years ago after sitting on my mates and finding it extremely comfortable, but it was pretty basic and had seen better days. So on to the replacement chair research and of course instantly Aeron hit the shortlist, followed by the Mirra and a number of others. When I saw the price of these things I almost swallowed my tongue from gasping too hard! Luckily I had the chance to pick up a full spec Mirra for peanuts so that was my first chair.

I liked it at first sitting, but literally on the second day I started to get really bad pains in my back, worst than ever and on top of that the seat seem to cut off circulation to my legs (waterfull seat adjusted correctly)! This year I spent FAR to much time research ergonomics so everything was as should be, ie feet flat on floor, monitor eye level, elbows level with desk etc etc, so that was not the issue. Tried all different variations and settings but just could not get comfortable in this chair, it was in fact sheer painful. I persisted to use the chair in hope that perhaps it was just a case of adjusting to it and the fact that I had been sloughing so much in the past. Add to that the glowing end user reviews (I could not find one, not ONE bad review), this chair must be awesome, it must just be me. Came to the point where pain was too much so had to stop using this god awful chair.

On to the next then and another fan fav with awesome reviews, the Steelcase Leap. Got that and while an improvement over the Mirra, still not the most comfortable chair ever as many reviews would suggest. Why do these VERY expensive chairs not have all the features that should be present? Why can I not push the arm supports back so I can sit right up to my desk? Why do arms not have the ability to come in close enough to the body so I can actually use them without looking like a chicken? Why can I not recline and lock my recline in any position? Needless to say I was very disappointed with my selections so far, even though these were a few of the heavy weights contenders. What annoyed me most was how can these chairs get such awesome reviews and yet it pains me to sit in them? Am I just sitting wrong? It's not like I'm sitting on my head of anything, I'm just sitting.

After reverting back to my old argos chair and scanning the net for end user comments/reviews hoping to find others who dislike these chairs (but failing), I turned my attention one last time to try and find a decent chair that won't cripple me and has all the features that should be included in all these over priced chairs. Thanks to wombar I've finally found it!

That's my baby right there! Well there should be a pic above now but can't post URL due to not having 5 posts yet, but it looks the same as wombars, all be it minus the headrest so you get the 'picture' (oh dear). Used but in great condition. Ideally I would have liked it with the headrest, but beggars and choosers and all that. This thing is fantastic! Got all the features a chair like this should have and my favourite being the ability to lock recline in any position, something that I had given up on ever finding. And of course most importantly, its comfortable! I can forget its there and just concentrate on work, as it should be. It's only a short while since I had this but I can go a full day without pain, which is a lot more than can be said for previous chairs. At the end of the day with the Mirra, my back would be killing and my legs would be aching badly from lack of blood! End of the day with the Leap, my back would be aching quite bad and my bum would be extremely numb. Done full (and longer) with Kinnarps, I can stand up and feel perfectly fine, no aches, no pains!

Sorry for the long windedness, but I'm so happy this problem has finally been solved and I can just get back to work without being in constant pain. All thanks to g8ina & wombar, so thanks lads.
After the many many..... too many hours of searching net for reviews on chairs, this is literally the only place where I've come across and heard of Kinnarps, so glad I found it.

For anyone else wanting to get their hands on these awesome chairs, here is where I got mine.....



Wombar - Does your headrest simply slide out the top, for example if you were taking it apart? Just wondering if it needs attaching to the inside of the back or not as might try and source one at some point. The top of mine is covered but I can feel the grooves through the cover where the headrest would enter. Also does your back have a zipper going around the bottom edge so as you can unzip, remove material and clean? Mine has zip but no actual zipper and doesn't appear like it ever did, so not sure how I would remove it then.

[wombar]

Haha, this thread just keeps going

Glad to hear you've found a chair you're happy with, I know I'm still happy with my choice. It's pretty tough finding a decent ergonomic chair that isn't ludicrously priced (i.e. Aeron price and up).

Yes, the headrests just slide out on both the 6000 and 8000 going by the ones I've owned. However, they both use different shaped bars to connect to the chair, so they're not interchangeable just so you know. I seem to remember my 8000 had a zip with no zipper, but it's at my Dads house so I don't have it in front of me.

I think retrofitting a head rest is probably going to be more trouble that it's worth to be honest. I rarely use my one other than when I'm leaning back having a think. Sure it's nice to have, but I wouldn't be too worried if mine didn't have one.

I couldn't tell you whether yours has all the required parts on the inside. I suspect it probably does as the cost of fitting the bracket in the factory is probably pennies and they just cover over it. I think the issue would be getting it to look good as you can't just cut a hole in the fabric without it looking like a Blue Peter job

[jetfire]

they have some nice ones on here,not sure what the prices are tho looks expensive.

http://www.workplaceoffice.co.uk/kab_executive_acs.htm

[Marcos]

Kinnarps looks interesting but no prices. What kind of money are we talking here?

[wombar]

Kinnarps looks interesting but no prices. What kind of money are we talking here?

Depends what you're after. If you're looking to buy new from Kinnarps, I'd say you'll be starting out around £600+ depending on options you choose. They have an office in Slough as I recall, but it really depends whether you want a particular spec/colour etc.

Second hand you're probably looking at starting around £125 up to £400 I guess. But it all depends on what model you're choosing, and what options come with it (and who you're buying from). Obviously the fancier the chair, the fancier the price.

I've bought three chairs and a desk from this company: http://www.kgb-services.co.uk/

The guy who runs it is an absolutely gentleman and always went the extra mile to help me out. He spent a while with me trying to get a desk configuration just right, as I needed something a little out of the ordinary. When I have time to clear my desk, I'l take a picture of it so you can see what I mean

I've had a few Kinnarps chairs (9000, 8000, 6000 & 5000), so if you want any advice on how they stack up against each other let me know. They were all great chairs, but for me the pick of the bunch has got to be the 6000. It's got everything you could want in terms of adjustability, you're not paying for a model number and it's just works

[g8ina]

Your welcome Jack

Prices ? Mine was 600 quid in 2001. !!!!

and peterb - I dont really think he was blatantly advertising Just sharing info that was relevant.

[Spacelord]

I ended up replacing my Kinnarps plus6 with an Herman Miller Embody.

I found the kinnarps seat to hard, mine was the foam seat base, I wanted the spring one but it was to hard to source here in Australia.

The pixel technology in the Embody is just awesome !!

[oolon]

I have to admit i rather like my Aeron chair, i don't find it noisy at all. My daughter also loves playing on it as it makes a great roundabout, particular as i have the large version. I can understand why people can not like them though as it makes you sit properly.

[wombar]

Just out of interest oolon, when did you buy your Aeron? Or do you have any idea when it was made?

Just wondering because my brother has one of the "original" Aerons from the mid/late 90's and that's absolutely whisper quiet. Still looks brand new quite frankly, and if mine had been like that I would have kept it. I'm a little suspicious that the bean counters may have had a hand in reducing overall quality at some point. If there's one thing I really miss with the Aeron, it's the mesh seating in the summer

Gotta say, that Embody chair looks pretty nice.