Does anyone have recommendations on an office or gaming chair for short people? Preferably something that doesn’t absolutely break the bank?
My girlfriend and I have been in the market for new computer chairs at home, as we have been getting increasingly uncomfortable in our existing chairs. We are both shorter people (both under 5’5”) and the problem we’ve been coming across is in most chairs (even the ones I’ve found for “short” people) tend to have seat depths of 16+ inches. What ends up happening is the edge of the seat ends up pushing into our calves leading to bad posture because we can’t sit up fully to the back of the chair unless our lower back gets leaned forward a bit due to the size of the seat depth. This leads to bad posture and back pain.
So I’m curious fellow short people of Tildes, does anyone have any recommendations for a more comfortable and ergonomic chair for short people?
Used Aeron is probably your best bet. It’s easy to find them used and in good condition since it’s one of the most popular office chairs, so corporate liquidators get tons of them and need to sell them off.
Aerons come in three sizes, A B and C. If you’re in the shorter side then A is probably the right size, so make sure that fits. But the best bet is to try out the sizes in real life.
You can usually get them used for $300-600. Not sure if that’s breaking the bank but it’s a lot better than the $1200-1500 they go for new.
I saw the Aeron A in my research but that price tag was definitely too steep. Used might be more palatable but still may be more than I’d want to spend at the moment, might be something to save up for. The seat depth on that one of 16in which while smaller than most chairs I’ve seen, could still pose the problem of it hitting my calves, but I feel like anything smaller really doesn’t exist.
Do you know of any other decent chairs that have the 16” depth that aren’t quite as expensive?
To be honest, not really. Computer chairs have a "missing middle" problem where basically you have the garbage that gets retailed at Staples and whatnot, then nothing, then very high quality chairs from companies like Herman Miller that retail for >$1000 new.
If used Aerons are too expensive, then basically you just have the "junk" chairs. I would just go to Staples or Walmart and try out the chairs in person until you find one that's shallow enough. You're not getting a good chair, but it is what it is.
Just get something cheap that meets basic requirements until you can save up for a nicer chair. Maybe consider a lumbar pillow from Amazon to "upgrade" your cheap chair.
Appreciate the input. I’m definitely someone who would prefer to spend more on something quality that will last than continuously replacing cheap junk, so might just need to save up for a used one and keep an eye out for any deals.
If the idea of used puts you off at all - I have an Aeron at home that is older than I am. And I turn 30 soon.
Jumping in to suggest a Haworth Zody. Used off ebay, I've had it for six years, comfy as hell and solidly built. Apparently the CEO is a dickhead (something about remote work, idk I just need a chair man), but for only a few hundred bucks it's a great alternative.
Edit: Correction, the CEO seems like a nice person! I was thinking of the CEO of MillerKnoll, owner of Herman Miller.
I wonder if you’re thinking of the CEO of MillerKnoll (owner of Herman Miller brand) who went on this rant. Not sure if Haworth Zody CEO did the same thing or not.
But yeah like you said, idk I just need a chair!
Oh snap, thank you for the correction! Turns out Haworth seems like a pretty good company, so I'm even happier to have my bum in their seats!
Neato!
(not sneaky marketing, I just really love this chair man!)
Aerons last forever. I've used the same one at work for 15 years and it's just as good as it was new. I liked it so much, I bought a used one for home. I think I've saved money in the long run, because we probably would have had to buy three regular chairs in the time since we bought it and it's still just as good as when we bought it.
I'm also short and can confirm that the sizes make a difference. My Aeron at work is a larger size than the one I bought for home and I'm definitely more comfortable in the smaller one. It can be really difficult to find things that fit us! I hope you are successful in your search.
For another reference point I spent £400 of my British pounds for a used Aeron, 3 years and it’s still good as new. Best thing I’ve ever bought for my home office (I’m fully remote). When it comes to work stuff and things that keep you from the ground (mattress, shoes, bed, chair, couch) I find taking a JFDI approach.
I also bought an Aeron B used for $400 USD
It was At least 15-20 years old but still in excellent condition. I added a headrest to it, and absolutely have no regrets
Check your local Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace listings for office furniture liquidators or reclaimers. There's a whole industry of buying equipment from failing or old offices, fixing them up, and selling them for a lot cheaper than new or used furniture from authorized resellers.
I picked up a $1200 Steelcase chair for $200 about ten years ago and I'm still using it to this day. According to its tag, it was manufactured in 2001. The only thing it has needed since I got it was a reupholstering (since it was still original when I got it).
I found a great 'middle' office chair from my local 'weird tat guy' a year or so ago. He was selling about 20 of them for £25 each, but it's actually really good quality!
What I'm trying to say is, unbranded stuff is good sometimes.
There’s the Sayl, also from Herman Miller, which might be an option? Minimum seat depth is 406mm, a hair under 16”, and they’re a good bit cheaper than the Aeron new, which seems to be reflected in the used market too. I can see one on eBay now for $250 and at least one recently sold for $200, although the average price does look a bit higher than that.
I’ve had one for a couple of years now and absolutely love it - I personally prefer it to the Aeron, although I know I’m in the minority there. I will say I’m on the slightly taller side of average, though, so I can’t comment on fit beyond what the numbers say. If nothing else it’s objective an extremely well built chair with a lot of adjustability, and the fact it’s “lesser” than the big name flagship is only going to help you on price!
I wish you luck.
Speaking as someone who's 6'3, it's a struggle and every time i've gone down this rabbit hole it's something like "just find a used $1000 chair", which is still very expensive, a hassle, and risky. And that's BEFORE considering height issues.
Apparently everything under that falls apart in a few years (certainly has been my experience).
So with all that said, the rec I always see is the used Herman Miller Aeron. A comfy $1200-1400 new, $600-800 used.
I've never pulled the trigger on it (partly because I can't find anywhere to try one and see if it fits my needs), but that's probably going to be your constant high end rec.
Unfortunately, the trope of "Just buy a used $1000 chair" is such a common response because it's the correct answer (god that sounds so snobbish). For a few hundred bucks on ebay, you can get a good chair that lasts for years and provides all the necessary support and adjustable ergonomics. I purchased a Haworth Zody off an ebay seller for $200 and I've had it for about seven years now, going strong. Normally retails at about a grand, but it doesn't have the used selling power as the Aero so it's a great alternative.
Office chairs are truly one of those, "You get what you pay for" items.
But a good one will last you years, if not decades.
I feel you. I made the mistake of buying IKEA Järvfjället and wasn't able to take advantage of it's features at all and It was incredibly uncomfortable. And Importing something like Aeron would've cost a fortune where I live.
I just make do with my cheap office chair nowadays.
I know that you are price conscious about the desk chair, but the question I would pose to you is this: How much time will you spend in your chair? If you're spending enough time such that the chairs are already causing discomfort, then I would suggest that the chair is worth an extra investment of resource. In other words, you probably spend enough time in this chair such that it is worth splurging on a good one. I look at the money spent on daily workhorse objects to be an investment in my health as well as productivity.
Personally, I spend 8-10 hours a day in front of my desk. So I have spent a tidy sum on my desk chair, desk and monitor to ensure that I can perform my work in comfort, and without causing issues that could cause problems down the line (like back soreness, eyestrain or carpal tunnel, etc).
I bought a reupholstered steelcase leap chair (from a company called BTOD) which was about $400 when I bought it. It's very equivalent to the aeron's that I had at my old company, with most of the same adjustment options, including seat depth. I'm 6'1" and have been able to adjust this to fit pretty well, and I think my investment was worthwhile.
Mentioned it in a different comment but I am definitely a big proponent of spending more for something quality that lasts. So at the end of the day it may just be something I’ll need to save up for, it has been seeming like the Aeron is the consensus pick everywhere I look.
Have you considered just getting a back rest? It'd move you forward in the seat a couple inches. A good back rest could give you some health benefits, too. Can always put more things behind you (behind the backrest) to move you even more forward.
I'm short AF. It's not so much the seat depth for me as the height of the seat even at it's lowest setting my feet where the should be
I've just been rolling with the cobra spine for my whole life.
Crandall office furniture does remanufacture of expensive office chairs(sometimes with better than original materials), and sells them for less than half of the price of a new one. I got a chair from there once, and am happy with the quality. The cylinder they used hasn't crapped out like most of the ones I come across usually do
Neat! Not the OP, but thanks for surfacing these folks and the recommendation, sounds like a win-win on savings and reuse.
Perhaps an odd suggestion, but have you considered standing desks? I work and do most of my KB&M gaming while standing, and feel much better for it. Most standing desks are adjustable, so you can always fall back to a sub-par chair if you're not using it very long.
I never found a chair I can't slouch and hurt my back in, and a perfectly functional hand winch-adjustable desk from Ikea was cheaper than any even half-decent seats. Completely dispensing with an office chair was also a huge boon in my tiny apartment. There's always sofa and wireless input for lazy gaming.
Funny thing is, I have a standing desk for my gaming setup, but I can’t use it at this point because the monitors are wall mounted and it would hit the monitors.
My home office setup is a corner desk setup which I would be open to getting a corner standing version, but not really high on my priority list at the moment.
Sometimes you can find a great deal on a Steelcase Leap, which in my onion is the best chair out there. Wet manage to get some for the office around $400 which sounds expensive but is way cheaper than the $1000 they usually cost or the $2000 of a Hernan Miller.
And all of them are cheaper than the long-
term health impacts of a bad chair.
I second the Steelcase recommendation (although I had the Gesture, not the Leap). Personally I don't like the hard lip on the Aeron since it assumes you sit in a certain way, whereas I like to shuffle around in my chair in all sorts of awkward positions.
I am 5'8" ish and have a steelcase amia. I would highly recommend it as a gaming or office chair. It was around 400 usd refurbished from crandall office furniture.
The seat, in particular, is nice because it slides so you can adjust the depth from the backrest. It also has an adjustable lumbar support.
I cannot vouch for this personally, but both a roomate and a colleague have vouched for Secretlab (which seem to be the one "gaming" chair manufacturer that is actually any good).
Their chairs (or at least, some of them) are sized, so you should be able to pick up something that works for you.
I'll vouch personally for SecretLab. I've been around the block a few times over the last 20 years with various office and computer chairs, but SL has been the one in the mid-tier that ticks all the boxes and has pretty good workmanship. It's a hell of a lot better than anything you can buy at an office store at that price range. Ultimately most of my family and friends have made their own SL purchases and no one has been dissatisfied with them so far. Eventually it'll break- that's what chairs do- but I've got a good few years left in mine.
I'm 5'1" and my setup is a used Aeron chair (small) with a half-cylinder shaped footrest. I hunted a while to find a used Aeron I could afford, and it's been such an excellent setup (zero pain, zero strain) that when my Aeron breaks someday I'll cry and probably cancel a vacation to buy a new one. I had an ergonomics consult years ago and the footrest makes a big difference in reducing pressure in the lower back and knees.
I was going to recommend mine, but being in the UK, probably not worth it as it's euro only.
Maybe worth tagging or editing that you are US based? I assume!
You should just post it tbh, even if they are American there might be other Europeans browsing this thread who'd benefit from the recommendation
Good point.
This is the UK link: https://amzn.eu/d/55sLcng
My partner is 5'4" and has struggled with this scenario for years. We solved it for her office chair (a $350 Serta, nothing wild itself, but one she liked the overall design+feel of, but still sat a bit too high when all the way "down") by swapping out the gas cylinder for a slightly shorter one purchased off Amazon for, like, $25. Super easy swap out and works like a charm (just have to check the diameter and height measurements to make sure the replacement cylinder will fit AND will go "low enough"; I believe we shaved 2-3" off the seat height).