Our little poll on the best office chair ever is over and we have a winner: Unsurprisingly, it’s the Aeron Ergonomic Office Chair by Hermaqnn Miller.

As promised, here’s my personal take on it:

I have had my Aeron ergonomic chair for about three years now and I can honestly say that I am very happy with it. I used to use cheap office chairs but, since I work from home all day as a freelancer, it is important to be comfortable. I think it was a good investment and I am glad I bought it.

The Aeron looks good and is stylish. It looks nice in my home office. I suppose it looks rather retro now since this chair has been on the market for years but it is a style I happen to like. Looks certainly aren’t everything but the Aeron has a high comfort factor too. It wasn’t the cheapest chair available, far from it, and I tested one in the showroom before I bought my own. I tried a few other chairs, too, of differing styles and prices but I did love the Aeron. I personally wouldn’t order something that I hadn’t tried because chairs are quite individual and what suits one person might not be comfortable for another, although the Aeron is adjustable so everyone should be able to alter it to suit their own needs. If you suffer from back problems or RSI, this chair is very supportive, for the whole back and for the shoulder blades too. The Aeron comes in three sizes so do test it out before purchasing.

I do like the fact that the chair is adjustable. It has lumbar support and arm rests and you can set everything to your own measurements and preferences. It forces you to have a good posture, which is important if you tend to slouch a lot. You can recline or sit up straight. There is a setting, which can hold it in the upright position, or you can adjust the tilt tension and have the chair recline if you want. You can also swivel and it is on wheels. The Aeron comes with an instruction manual so you can find out how all the adjustments work and set it up perfectly for yourself. If you spend some time customizing the settings how you want them, you will be as comfortable as possible. You can adjust the seat height, Kinemat tension, forward tilt, tilt limiter, lumbar depth and height, arm angle and arm height but it is vital to read the instruction manual rather than just fiddle with everything and hope for the best. Kinemat tension refers to the special tilt mechanism the Aeron chair uses.

I like the fact that it is made from pellicle material instead of leather or plastic which can make you sweat. It is supportive and easy to wipe if you spill your coffee on it. Pellicle is a high-tensile open polyester mesh and it stretches to support your body, distributing weight evenly.

The frame of the Aeron is made from sturdy plastic which at first I thought was metal. There is also metal blended into the frame. This chair is very strong but also lightweight. There are no unnecessary parts and it is very streamlined. I like the fact that it has plenty of features without being unnecessarily fussy.

There are a couple of minor drawbacks, the first being the price. Not everybody can afford hundreds of dollars for a chair. For me, it is necessary for my work and I love the comfort factor but the fact remains that this chair is not cheap. Also, when I put my feet on the desk, the Aeron does not seem to like being in that position and feels a bit tippy. The lumbar support bar can be uncomfortable but you can remove it if you don’t like it. I have got used to it but it felt strange to start with. Crossing your legs under the chair is not comfortable because the knobs and rails dig into you. I suppose this does force you to adopt a more ergonomic position, which is what this office chair is all about. These are relatively minor things and the advantages to the Aeron, for me, far outweigh the drawbacks. The wide plastic lip at the front of the chair is not comfortable if you perch on it but you aren’t supposed to be slouching that way in an ergonomic chair anyway!

If you invest in an Aeron office chair, I would strongly suggest it is for you only. It is not a chair to share because to make the most of it, you have to tailor it to your personal shape, size and preferences. This takes a while but once it’s done, you don’t have to do it again. So, if your wife fancies an hour on the computer and adjusts it for herself, you will have go through all the rigmarole of resetting it to your own preferences again.

On the whole, I would say that the Aeron office chair is extremely comfortable and if you plan to use it a lot, it is a worthwhile investment. If you only plan to use your chair for an hour a day or less, you might be happier with something cheaper but I work at least seven hours a day, five days a week, so it is well worth the money to me. The chair’s suspension changes to accommodate you if you move around so when you get up from several seated hours, you don’t really feel like you have been sitting. You really ought to test this chair out before you buy it to see if you like it.

Try a few positions and spend at least ten minutes sitting in it. For anyone who works at the computer or is a programmer or gamer, I recommend the Aeron ergonomic office chair. The chair also comes with a guarantee of up to twelve years, which is reassuring in case anything does go wrong with it. You can get spare parts for it too. This chair is an investment and if you are concerned about your posture or back health, it could be the difference between being comfortable and being very uncomfortable. You do get what you pay for and I personally wouldn’t go back to a plain office chair now.