Hi people.

Need suggestion for good chair. Didn't have the time to drive to test one by one chair.

I have chronic back pain. The only time I won't hurt my back sitting is when I sit in my old proton persona front seat. It have solid lumbar support, holding all my back including shoulders, really deep seat and the way my legs slightly raised from the seat takes away all the pressure of sitting away from my spine.

Already bought one of ergonomic chair from SPACE, now I sit reclined at 110 degree angle on the chair, trying to get that driving posture on my desk. It takes away a lot of the back pain from using the standard issue office chair, say, maybe like 70%, but it still hurting a bit as the lumbar support doesn't quite do the job well and the 110 degree is a bit too much of a recline.

Currently I'm eyeing maybe a Haworth Zody or Steelcase Leap v2. Also, I don't know if I should buy new or get used/refurbished/renewed unit as I notice there are quite a lot of sellers in the market for used branded office chair.

Would love to hear how you guys finally found the perfect chair for you. Also if you know any chair that feels similar as the old persona front seat, let me know.

I bought Okamura chair costs 2.4K way back 5 years ago or more.
now costs much more.

What u need is a chair with adjustable lumbar support and not too hard but not too soft.
Good seat thickness if possible the seat is adjustable (forward or backward).
Adjustable arm support.

Chair height must be both feet touching the floor (knee 90degrees).

Make sure your table and laptop/monitor is at good height too.

last but not least dont sit too long must get up do stretching.

go see chiropractor to adjust bone and physio learn how to strengthen ur back muscle.

I am using steelcase leap v2 and it is good enough for me
I tested it by sitting on it for a long time in the showroom before decided to splurge on it. You can try it out at showroom to see if it fits you

I was using a china mesh seat at half the price of Leap but cannot stand it because the mesh is sticky to the skin and is not strong enough to stay flat. It felt like the heavy parts of body are sunken into the seat.

another note here is you need to consciously maintain an ergonomic seating position

ive seen many people buy expensive chairs only to sit like this.. such a waste

getting car seat + custom rail + wheel. not difficult too

how much of a difference was it ? the jump from china rebrand chair to steelcase leap?

i pretty much do office work 8 hours straight sitting like this guy

Why not you go for physiotheraphy and try to heal the back pain?

I spend most of my waking hours in the office. I figured that a proper back support for 8 hours+ would be the easiest way to live with the back pain. Plus the pain can go away with the proper chair.

wah, are you watching couples of cctv monitors or something?

hmm then i would suggest the usual tip of every 20-30min you standup and walk around before sitting again

sitting too long is bad, standing too long is bad also. need to adjust accordingly

Nah, I do a lot of typing and reading documents on the monitor. My chair wont allow for more modest recline.

invest on equipment/physiotherapy to strengthen your lower back would be better.
chair can only do so much to help.

Go nitori and try their chairs

my china chair is from this brand
Ergroup

my model has been discontinued but it looks similar like current model

my Steelcase allows me to stretch once in a while like the picture above and the i can adjust the strength of the recliner and also the depth of my seat to accommodate my thigh length. my china chair also allows that and the seat will glide forward too when i recline. But its rubbery mesh made my body hard to glide while reclining as it is a bit sticky to the skin, and worse if i am not wearing a shirt with sweaty skin. The mesh is also not able to distribute my body weight properly. It felt like my weight was pinpoint on a spot.

steelcase is a good longterm investment i would say..i would rather buy once and cry once than keep buying but regret

since steelcase is so expensive, i made sure i tested it kao kao at the shop before ordering.

This post has been edited by smokey: Jan 22 2025, 07:36 AM

I have slipped disc and using IKEA Markus. No matter your choice, best to test it out first before buying

Sihoo M57

I'm using this chair actually. Comfy good headrest, other aspect is just so-so. Can't get the lumbar support right, the way it's designed, it leaves a bit of space at the very end of my back and hip bone unsupported, had to put something to hold my butt. Recline only locks in 3 settings. Armrest won't hold your weight if you happen to push it down when rising up from the seat.

TS need to go exercise. Not buy chair.

Maybe consider also adjustable table height which you can work on sitting or standing up. A chair can only get you so far..its time to exercise to activate then muscles on your posterior chain.

This, i tested one of their office chair with lumbar support and its not bad at all.

you may refer to this thread for chair recs

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5078823

I myself got the niture sinc with footrest and quite satisfied with it. build quality is good mesh quality is good, only thing bad about it is when full reclined no place to put my hands.

This post has been edited by Illsense: Jan 22 2025, 02:34 PM

okay, i yolo and ordered a steelcase leap from this company in penang called Ebibca. they're selling 50% off CNY sale. they said it's brand new.

congratz
v1 or v2?

not sure. sure hope its the v2

Your body has very high tech self-healing function. It will healed just a matter of time with your pain.
Of course, by not doing some specific movement/action to worsen it.

Better spend your money on medical bill. These ergonomic chair won't help much in the long run.

Not keen on surgery, company insurance not enough limit. Conservative management by better posture and support in daily life has worked good so far.

pic looks like v2..it is a good price

sofa and chair do have industrial standard and regulation. it would be better if your chair have this kind of certified.

standards: EN 1335 and ANSI/BIFMA X5.1.

including seat, posture, etc .. and the material use.


u can look at IKEA chair.

more budget up to u. better test and ride it.

I know one guy that does this.

every morning come to office, cannot see his head hidden by cubicle wall.

Before you make any decision on products from IKea or Nitori if you value your long term health and posture - be sure to go to Xtra showroom at Midvalley/Gardens to compare.

Ah, just got mail from them have to wait up to a month for production. They dont have in stock. Hopefully it is brand new not refurbed.

My unexpert opinion. This is probably the reason you have back pain.

That's why you cant sit proper.

When you sit like this, you are not sitting on your butt... you back gets stretched, this stresses your back over time.

Nope, it takes away all the vertical load off the spine transfer to the my back. I am sitting on my butt bone.
My lower back is fucked, that's a fact. By not making it bearing the weight of the upper body for 8+ hours a day is the only way I can do office work.