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What type of chair do you sit on when coding?

Andrew Baisden on August 05, 2020

I have a leather one with arm rests. The chair is gas lifted and it can go up and down. Unfortunately it is not that adjustable and it can't reclin...
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Rabin Chakraborty • Edited


This is mine and i am not joking 😔

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Ben Sinclair

Same except mine's not in that good condition.

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Thomas H Jones II

Working from home and living in a smol house, I have no dedicated office space for a chair. So, I work from my couch ...usually with my "office mates" piled up next to me.

coworkers

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Daragh Byrne

How are your shoulders coping?

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Thomas H Jones II

Just fine, actually. Nearest I can figure is that the couch allows me a lot of opportunity to change seating-positions throughout the day.

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Maxim Manylov • Edited

These are two magic pillars with foam memory effect. Also, I proudly present my invention - the most ergonomic laptop stand, directly from a scrapyard :)

setup

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Samuel Abreu

I got a gaming chair, it forces me to sit correctly (is very uncomfortable cross legs on it), and use reclined is very useful while waiting builds

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Remco Gubbels

Same, or during meetings :)

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Andrew Baisden

These gaming chairs seem to be the most comfortable out there unless I am mistaken?

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Samuel Abreu

It comes with different sizes, a wrong one for you height, width and weight it will be a horrible experience. The most common ones try to replicate a racing car seat, which is built to force the same position, at first is weird, but with time the benefits are clear.

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Dominik Liebler

I also use a gaming chair and I can't ever imagine to go back to a "normal" office chair. It's so comfortable and at the same time so ergonomic. My back already thanked me for that ;)

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Jason Ormes

I went to the junkyard and got a really comfortable car seat... Put it on the base of a broken computer chair I had laying around... Car seats are really nice to sit in for long periods of time.

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Andrew Baisden

Wow creative care to share a picture of what that looks like?

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Jason Ormes • Edited

Here you go... desk is a little messy at the moment.

My Desk

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Mike

I found a used Herman Miller Embody at an office furniture store nearby. I was using an IKEA fake leather chair before, and after a few years it wore out enough to cause me back problems.

This Embody made a huge difference in my posture, and you feel very supported. I wouldn't be able to pay full price, but I'm really happy with it.

Plus side, it looks futuristic!

Embody

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Andrew Baisden

These Herman Miller chairs seem to be very popular! The one in the cover photo is also a Herman Miller I think and I had that one in an old job. So I think I am highly likely to buy a Herman Miller chair of some sort because a friend also recommended a chair recently and it was Herman Miller. So I will take that as a sign. 😁

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Mike

Their chairs seem built to last a long time, and they put a lot of research into the ergonomics.

Steelcase is another highly regarded brand. Everyone has a personal preference and body type. For me, the Steelcase Leap felt comfy but not as supportive since it has a very flexible back.

In either case, pre-owned chairs are a great value. The brand new prices are so high!

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Karel De Smet

I also use the IKEA Markus atm. Although it's definitely not the best in comfort, it's definitely worth the money. The seating surface is a bit too big. But apart from that I'm a happy customer.

Nice anecdote: on one of my previous jobs, on the first day I had to drive to IKEA to pick one up for myself and get it assembled. Sort of like a hazing ritual I guess. And as mentioned in one of the other comments here, you can take off the armrests which most of my colleagues did. But I myself can't go without the armrests, otherwise I get the tendency to lean forward too much.

My advice:

  • Don't overspend on your first office chair. It's better to first find out what works for you and what doesn't.
  • Use the "auto recline" functionality from time to time.
  • Buy a desk that is adjustable in height. Not necessarily a standing desk though.
  • Move. Just move. At least 30 minutes walking per day should be a strict minimum.
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Andrew Baisden

I have a pretty cool desk the only thing thats missing is the ability to adjust its height. My chair is height adjustable but I have to keep it low because my desk is not adjustable.

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Karel De Smet

I know the feeling Andrew, same here. It's a nice desk but I should've bought one that's adjustable in height.

I'm contemplating the IKEA Bekant, which you can also use as a standing desk, but I feel it's a bit too expensive. Local, less-marketed brands could provide the same level of quality, if not even better, for less money.

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Gerard Klijs

Looking for an upgrade so hope there will be some more replies in the future. Currently using a used used chair from the office, and it's arm rests are a bit loose. Not that great either. And currently using a second hand static desk. Looking for a desk that can be lifted to a standing desk electronically.

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Gerard Klijs

Getting my standing desk Friday. With that the need for a good chair is less important. Normally I don't really have back pain, but currently sometimes sitting there for 12 hours a day, and starting to feel some.

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Andrew Baisden

Herman Miller chairs seem to be quite popular.

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Hassan Schroeder

I had a hand-cranked standing desk at my last startup and once I got it adjusted never changed it. Had a simple stool to occasionally perch on -- it was great, didn't miss a chair at all.

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Niek • Edited

As I've had scoliosis since an early age (14, now 20), I've forced myself to sit on a excersise ball for the longest time, it straightened out my back a bit and its 'fun' to sit on.

Someday I want to go back to a luxury chair.

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ItsASine (Kayla)

I went full extra when my company announced devs would be wfh for the foreseeable future and bought a Soul Seat

While I don't subscribe to the idea that it's doing anything for my hips and back, I do think it's best in the long run for my legs. I always fold them under me which cuts off circulation. This chair is designed to have legs be foldable on purpose. I just wish the tiny seat had more cushion for my flat butt.

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Ben Sinclair

I'd like an office type chair (or even a "gaming" one without all the nonsense) but I don't want leather or fake leather. My cats would destroy it in hours, whereas they tend to leave fabric chairs alone.
Finding a halfway decent fabric-covered chair online is as difficult as finding a mechanical keyboard in ISO format.

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Andrew Baisden

Fabric would be my preference as well. This leather chair I have has just disintegrated and its malting all over the floor. In a previous job I had an office chair like the one in the cover photo now that one was pretty good. Fully adjustable and good ergonomics.

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Jake Deacon

I've been working from home for almost a year now, and the SecretLabs Omega has been a life saver considering I've had issues with my back for the past 15+ years. Very adjustable and considerably affordable in the realm of gaming chairs.
secretlabchairs.ca/collections/ome...

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Andrew Baisden

I never used to have serious back issues but this chair I am using needs to go the comfort has all but gone. I need to use a cushion to give it extra back support otherwise I get back pains.

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dgloriaweb • Edited

Hi, my chair is rubbish, added a nice, hand made pillow. I just settled down in a new country, still waiting for a sale on a Kinnarps 8000 task chair. I've used one of those for years at home, and miss it soooo much. My back hurts, so I go to swim and do yoga whenever I can. dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/... How can I add a photo here?

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katy lavallee

Mostly I sit in my recliner with my laptop on a lap desk. I also have a regular computer desk chair at my desk, where I sit for video calls. I recently got an ErgoStool for more active sitting, but I can't sit on it for very long because the cushion is not very soft.

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Matthew Francis

Markus chair from IKEA. Very comfy and it reclines.

Markus office chair

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Paul Johnson • Edited

One plus of this chair was that the arms aren't integrated so you can remove them if you don't like chairs with arms.

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Pandita

this thing:
Chair

it's comfy, but I have terrible posture so it doesn't help there. otherwise, it's a good chair :3

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Espoir Murhabazi

This looks awesome...

Where can i get it?

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Pandita

I got it at Office Max :D

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Dana Ottaviani

Got it at Staples.

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Ben Halpern

I sit in a $50 chair I bought off Amazon... Yeah I could probably upgrade. I'm not currently suffering any physical issues that I know of, but it doesn't check a lot of the ergo boxes.

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Andrew Baisden

What did you find?

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Andrew Baisden

Which gaming chair?

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Aaditya Deshmukh

RENBERGET by Ikea is great!
ikea.com/in/en/p/renberget-swivel-...

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david howard

Secret:abs Titan

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riidom

Drawing isn't mine, but it's kinda accurate. And just at home, ofc. In office, I have some average-okish office sit-thingy :)
farm2.staticflickr.com/1740/418731...

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Andrew Baisden

It sort of reminds me of a kings throne :)