The HM Aeron has become to go-to office chair. It's definitely a good one and popular for a reason, but there are other great chairs too. Any HM, Steelcase, or Haworth chair (and I'm sure there are others) is likely going to be well thought out, built to last, nice looking and comfortable.
Personally, I have a Steelcase Leap v2 chair. It was manufactured in 2004 (according to the sticker on the bottom). I purchased it used for around $150-200 in 2017 and it was in seemingly perfect condition at the time, although the used-office-furniture place I bought it from gave it a nice steam cleaning before I took it home. In 2024, it is still in nearly perfect condition and I'm not particularly careful with it. If you saw the fabric, arm rests and other visible parts of the chair, you would probably think it's a year or two old. I think it will easily last another 10 years. And I LOVE it.
The point is that if you buy a used chair in good condition made by a great company, it's a much better deal than getting a so-so new chair [1]. In my case, they sold it at a heavy discount, because the rest of the Steelcase Leaps that they had were grey and mine was the only navy one, so a corporate customer was less likely to want it. Didn't matter at all to me, and the truth is that had I spend $500 instead, it still would have been a great investment.
I would look for companies selling used office furniture in your area. In my case, they weren't really a "store", but instead a big warehouse that I went to. When companies move out of offices, they buy up all the good furniture and then sell it to other companies, but they were willing to sell to me. What's nice about this is they will likely let you look at all the chairs they have and pick the one that works best for you. You can also look for private sellers in your area. If possible, spend $30 to rent a steam cleaner to clean the chair when you get it. Not necessary, just nice to make the chair look like new.
Edit: I have had lower back pain and sciatica in the past, so a good chair is important for me. I found the Steelcase Leap great for this.
[1] Reminds me of the old quote from Charlie Munger / Warren Buffett: "It's better to buy a great company at a good price than an okay company at a great price".
I got one shortly after I went WFH, as I was having low-back pain due to my ordinary office-warehouse home chair. Paid about $250 delivered from a mail-order refurbisher (there was a cheaper one locally, but the warehouse was in the part of town by the old railyard and just screamed "disease") and have had one failing-- cracks in the pleather armrests, which I remedied by making some fabric sleeves stuffed with foam to cover.
I've had my current chair since 2020 but luckily haven't had that issue. I tend to lean to one side a bit more than the other and the armrest on the favored side is slightly looser. It can likely be fixed by tightening some screws but I haven't tinkered with it.
+1 for secondhand, surprisingly easy to find around the world too (I had one couriered from Paris, from a liquidated startup to my home office in Toulouse)
I bought my refurbished HM Aeron second hand from a chair repair shop in New York City five years ago. With WFH and all I have been using it a lot in the past five years, and it has held up well. Worth every penny.
I have a Sayl at work and that lumbar support is a literal piece of plastic, albeit well designed, that slides up and down. I can't believe that's a massive upcharge?
For me, it's the HM chairs plastic front stabbing the back of my thighs! I gather this is similar to cilantro tasking like soap; a significant minority is bothered by it, but most people don't mind.
+1 as well. Because the Aeron is so iconic, they seem to retain value much better, so they are expensive in the secondary market. Leaps are cheaper, but I personally think the Leap is a better chair.
Haven’t tried the V2 but I had a good run with a Leap V1 though boy were they pissed when I tried to get service for one I bought on Ebay. (After several years of using it… They fixed it just fine in the end though)
I have Aeron and my girlfriend has a Markus. To be honest, I prefer the Markus and she prefers the Markus as well. From what I’ve read Aeron requires you to assume a “proper” sitting position and mine apparently is not.
Markus is above average, but I wish it had a detachable upper end. Sitting in it for hours makes you wish to bend back but you can’t. Also not a fan of its rattling tilt lock.
I've had the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steel Case Leap. Both are considered top tier options. I'm currently using an Autonomous chair and I'm very happy with it.
I bought a $300 chair off amazon, that actually isn't comfortable. The trick was to buy a seat cushion with memory foam. This made the experience 100% better.
Personally, I have a Steelcase Leap v2 chair. It was manufactured in 2004 (according to the sticker on the bottom). I purchased it used for around $150-200 in 2017 and it was in seemingly perfect condition at the time, although the used-office-furniture place I bought it from gave it a nice steam cleaning before I took it home. In 2024, it is still in nearly perfect condition and I'm not particularly careful with it. If you saw the fabric, arm rests and other visible parts of the chair, you would probably think it's a year or two old. I think it will easily last another 10 years. And I LOVE it.
The point is that if you buy a used chair in good condition made by a great company, it's a much better deal than getting a so-so new chair [1]. In my case, they sold it at a heavy discount, because the rest of the Steelcase Leaps that they had were grey and mine was the only navy one, so a corporate customer was less likely to want it. Didn't matter at all to me, and the truth is that had I spend $500 instead, it still would have been a great investment.
I would look for companies selling used office furniture in your area. In my case, they weren't really a "store", but instead a big warehouse that I went to. When companies move out of offices, they buy up all the good furniture and then sell it to other companies, but they were willing to sell to me. What's nice about this is they will likely let you look at all the chairs they have and pick the one that works best for you. You can also look for private sellers in your area. If possible, spend $30 to rent a steam cleaner to clean the chair when you get it. Not necessary, just nice to make the chair look like new.
Edit: I have had lower back pain and sciatica in the past, so a good chair is important for me. I found the Steelcase Leap great for this.
[1] Reminds me of the old quote from Charlie Munger / Warren Buffett: "It's better to buy a great company at a good price than an okay company at a great price".