I think this video should've included you guys experiencing and reporting on a high-end soft cushion chair to self-report/verify on the quotes you just read. E.g., just find several people to sit on some super comfy soft chairs for several hours and then do a survey. You guys always do this when you review chairs, but it's missing here.
4:56 "allowing you to move around and change positions on seat". Herman Miller Aeron fans however say that the chair is training you to stay in the good position by hurting you or limiting you whenever you do want to change positions.
I appreciate all the points that are being made but honestly they still dont really make sense to me Objectively a softer seat pad is more comfortable to sit in i cant really find anyway around that. For example ive used both the ikea jarvfjallet and the markus. Overall i like the jarvfjallet more for its extended features and adjustability since im too tall for the markus but just short enough to not be too tall for the jarvfjallet. and lets be real. The main difference between the two aside from the arm rests is the seat cushion. The jarvfjallet is firm and the markus is soft. And even tho im too tall for the markus' headrest it is BY FAR the more comfortable seat pad to sit in. I just dont get it. The most comfortable mattresses are the softest foam ones that envelope you and mould to your body to support it. And the best couches are the ones you feel like you can sink into Soft is more comfortable than firm and thats just an undisputable fact imo The point about "no seat is gonna be comfortable to sit in for 8-12 hours is kind of pointless because thats not the point being made by anyone. Its kind of irrelevant. Obviously sitting in the same position for that length of time is gonna be uncomfortable, no one disputes that but for $1000+ the time that you DO spend in a chair made mainly from plastic better be the most comfortable hours of my god damn life.
It may be an undisputable fact for you but that fact applies to you, not everyone. Some people do not like softer things. I personally hate couches that I sink way into and have to struggle to get out of. It destroys my lower back and after about 30 minutes, I've had enough. Softer does not equal more comfortable for everyone. -RB
Thats fair although i feel like generally if you were to ask any member of the general public they would all say softer = more comfortable Whether thats because they havent had the experience of sitting in one of these super high end ergonomic chairs though who's to say Similarly maybe they've also never had buyers remorse denial from spending $1000 on a seat thats uncomfortable and hard Not going to make assumptions, the most expensive desk chair ive ever tried was sihoo's higher end full mesh lineup
@@TheAdaoo7 Softness has diminishing returns because too much results in very little support for the body's natural ergonomic shape, especially for extended periods of time. These high end chairs were designed with 40+hr/week office workers in mind, not for relaxing lounge sessions. Their research is based on studying the long term negative health effects of sitting all day and how to prevent them.
I just bit the bullet and ordered an ERA Newport chair with like 6 inches of padding. They make seats for long haul truckers and RVs so I'm really hoping its comfy! I guess it's like mattresses, firm is supposed to be better but I HATE them. I have a super thick memory foam mattress that I sink into and LOVE it! I tried a Leap Plus chair and my butt went numb in like 30 minutes! :p
@@Brian.M The ERA chair has been good in regards to cushion--very comfy. The Leap made my butt go numb in about 15 minutes. Two things I don't like about the ERA though. First is even when in a locked upright position the back still reclines quite a bit, maybe 10 degrees or so. The second is when unlocked to recline back it's all or nothing. You can't lock a reclining position in place, so when I just want to lean back a little I wind up all the way reclined with my feet off the floor (I"m 6ft') and feeling like I'm about to flip over. No matter how much I adjust the tension knob there seems to be very little if any tension while reclining, so now I keep it locked upright all the time! It's a comfy chair but if I had to do it again I would find something else for the price.
@@SgtSnagglePuss Hey thanks for replying and letting me know your experience with it. It's hard to find a chair that's just right. I'm 6'2 and about 240lbs. The Leap leaves my butt numb after a while too but I do like the back support and the way the tension works. It would be nice to find something similar but with a little more cushion. Thanks again, have a good one!
The most comfy chair I've had is a custom upholstered bottom on a car seat office chair. The padding was THICK. But they shut down shop and I haven't been able to get a new one since.
I’m planning on going to a showroom soon to try out various Steelcase, HM, and Haworth chairs. I’ve never owned a high end chair. The professor mentioned the two minute softness test making people think a chair will be comfortable, but how else are we supposed to test to find the right chair for us? If it takes a couple weeks to get acclimated, how can we go to a showroom and choose a chair without an extended test? What are the signs we should be looking for besides softness when all we have is a few minutes in each chair?
I'm heavy, 5'8" 295 pounds, only 28inch inseam but a tall torso, which also makes the armrests useless on all office chairs I've tried. My tailbone hurts when sitting in a chair without an added cusion. I have the Tempurpedic TP9000, which I thought would be enough when I started full time telecommute in 2015, because it was softer than the Hayworth office chairs at the company. But within a few weeks, I was back to using my 2inch memory foam chair pillow again. So what's recomended for those of us that thin and firm chair pads are just painful after 30 minutes?
Firm and soft is not like a toggle switch. There's various levels. For me personally I need a little extra padding to my build and weight. If there's not the correct density and amount of padding I end up over compressing the cushion and it feels like I'm sitting on concrete. IMHO its not just about firm or soft.
Another great vid with high production value! Real question is how much time was spent meticulously placing those chairs precisely so the transitions would look seamless.
Yeah. My car seat is by far the best seat i have. I'd LOVE an office chair exactly like that. I was in a car accident 20 years ago and have a damaged back and when it flares up i actually go for a drive because the seat is comfortable and ergonomically adjustable.
I think it's crazy how good many car seats are in comparison to what you can find in terms of office chairs. You pay 1500$ for an office chair and it's still a 50/50 whether the armrests are hard plastic or whether it'll squeak after a week
Car seats can weigh several times as much as an office chair, they don’t need to be able to roll around, they don’t need to be mesh to be breathable, etc.
Going to have to disagree for us who are heavy with no "natural" butt cushion... tail bone is hitting the bottom of a leap V2, less cushion is just an excuse to cut costs. I have an 10+ old steelcase chair with a cushion that is much more comfortable even after all it's use.
So you’re saying ergonomists colluded with major chair manufacturers to put out thin seat pad propaganda to save a few bucks on foam? That feels like a stretch to me -GK
@@btodtv the seat I had, a series 1 "core", didn't have any problems for me with ergonomics for the time it lasted. I think that it's easier to design an ergonomic chair that doesn't acomedate thicker supporting foam with long range racheting backs and very adjustable lumbar support.
This made me wonder if anyone will eventually make a chair with a purple / wondergel seat instead of foam. Then I noticed you guys have a video on almost exactly that topic!
I have a chair with a thin mesh seat and my ass hurts like hell. That's actually why i'm researching chairs. I'm gonna have to sit in one of these before buying at these sky high prices.
Everything is a scam, thats why. University people are just arrogant mldwlts and universities are simply pr0p@g-nda institutions with zero critical thinking and no support for unorthodox or diverging ideas.
In theory, firmer seat pads are great, but implemented poorly, and you'll have even worse blood flow and nerve compression. If the base of the seat has metal bars, rods, or other extreme pressure points, a thin seat pad will cause you to feel the underside more and lead to more nerve compression and reduced blood flow. This is what happened when I tried the Think V2 - my legs and feet would fall asleep because of those extreme pressure points. I had the same problem on the Sitonit Vectra. Now, the Leap and Amia have the flexible base without the hard pressure points, which allows those firm seat pads to work for a lot of people. My only problem with the Leap and Amia seats are they aren't wide enough and cause pressure points on the sides of my thighs and butt. Also, they mention a firmer seat will displace the pressure better. Ok, but then having seats contoured so much, like the Leap V2, doesn't displace the pressure unless you are near the perfect width where everything hits you perfectly. This may work just fine for someone who is 6'0 or shorter. However, for people my height, 6'5, we have unnecessary pressure points on the side of our butts/thighs from the contour. In theory, firmer seats are better if everything fits you perfectly. Unfortunately for me, none of them fit me perfectly, or even close to perfect, and some actually caused me harm.
I found this video because I have purchased 2 Herman Miller chairs based off various reviews, the Aeron and embody. Neither work for me. I have pain all over and can’t get comfortable. I spent 3 months with the Aeron before giving up and the embody only 3 weeks. It keeps poking me with herd plastic and I’m sick of it 😂. I can’t hurt anymore , fixing to go back to the big plushy chairs but was searching for one that may be in the middle of plush but supportive. Do you guys do consulting ? I’ve been searching for a great office chair for 5 months now , am $3800 in chairs I can’t use that’s in the garage and am so confused 😒
What they mean is us big boys who work 12-18 a day at the desk and also weight 250+ and want a nice chair. Give me the gesture with double the padding on the seat and locking tilt
So basically....we who want more comfort/cushion in our chairs need to conform to what the industry mandates? You spend an entire video here trying to make excuses to why so many manufacturers make uncomfortable, yet pricy, chairs - which isn't the point and not how things work. Chairs are typically made for "average" body types - with higher rated chairs simply having enough additional structure, minus more cushioning. Those of us who are larger, however - firm seats, those with higher weight bearing ratings - already know too well that the "firm, dammit!" approach FAILS because what might work for smaller folks doesn't for us. How about the manufacturers make what the customer actually *wants* ?? My days of spending over $1k for a buckboard chair with too many options are over. - Ed on the Ridge
I can’t speak for all operator chairs, since there are so many. The 3152 doesn’t have a super thick seat pad. It just appears that way with how they upholster around the seat frame. That chair uses a dymetrol suspension mesh material, with some foam over the top and then upholstery. Concept seating chose this material because of how it promotes good blood flow and an even support for the user. They’ve found it to have good resilience to long term usage as well. You don’t sink in like the CXO from Nightingale -GK
hmmm!!! Well the Serta which is not firm and well cushioned is very comfortable for 8 hours.. these hypothesis are subjective and not something everyone should run with...PLus, like you said at the beginning of the video, NO seat is made to be sat on for 8hours straight.. so that even invalidates their hypothesis..
I prefer my office chair to be at a firmness that feels like sitting in a block of latex rubber which I find the comfiest especially if upholstered in Italian Napa leather or American full aniline leather. Very firm but not firm enough to feel like a wooden park bench.
Thicker foam does not mean softer. Like with the Gesture, I wish they would just put a thicker foam in the seat. Fern seat with everything else the Gesture offers would be my perfect chair.
Wow this is so crazy!!! It’s so nice to see you folks use third party validation! Experts in the field, that what they do, all day everyday, build chairs... I mean you folks are good at what you folks do. But to hear from the manufacturer say the same thing. Says a lot. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I don't like firm seats. Are you sure these companies aren't just saying that firm and thin is better because its cheaper to produce? Are couches better firm as well? What about a thicker memory foam would that work? It's funny watching people having to buy seat cushions and pillows for their ergonomic chairs.
Yes, I'm sure. It wouldn't make sense for a company like Steelcase to pour thousands of dollars into researching the most comfortable and ergonomic way to sit, design their chair with high end components and some of the most advanced chair technology to then skimp out on the foam to save maybe a couple bucks. They design their chairs this way because their research and sales history has shown that most people prefer this type of seat when using a chair for long hours every day. -RB
Great video. Which chair has the firmest or least padded seat? I hurt my pelvis area cycling and need super firm chairs to sit in. I currently am just using a folding chair with very thin padding because all the office chairs I tried are just too soft and plush for me but I need something more ergonomic.
I can believe this, but I wonder if there is some other material which is healthier than soft foam, and more comfortable than firm seats. Such as pocket springs, or a structured gel. I think wheelchair design is probably ahead of office chair design here.
Is it normal to feel pressure at the front of the seat above where the knee bends at the back of the legs causing the legs to be stiff or tingle after about an hour or two of use? If this happens, what causes it?
He explains it in the video. When seating on a thick seat or a short seat where your butt sinks in the seat, it cuts the blood circulation going towards your knee. That's why you should always make sure your seat isn't too thick(padded) where you sink in it nor too short where some part near your butt is supported but not near below your knee(rule is if you can put 2 fingers between your seat and below your knee, then it's the right depth of a seat for you).
Just found this vid and honestly the reason the seating is firm is to properly support the spine from the base. Soft seats don't have as much support and while comfortable it can bring fatigue to your back.
I have to disagree with these companys, i dont think a thin firm chair is for everyone, i personally spent 450 dollars on a remanufactured steelcase leap v2 from Crandall Office and for me personally it gave me bad leg pain so i took out the lumbar and it helped a little but not much, so i had Crandall upgrade to a thicker foam but it didnt help so i bought a seat cushion and it seemed to help for awhile untill it wore out some, but once Crandall started adding there own virgin foam to there chairs i decided to buy 1 from them and trade in my old seat, if im completely honest it felt no different and i was out 50 bucks, but for me i felt the bottom on all these chair cushions and everytime i try to sit in it without a seat cushion i get bad leg pain, now im not saying the chair is bad in anyway, it just did not work for me, and to be fair im about 240 pounds and have a history of leg pain, so its prolly just me, but thicker foam has always been better for me, and id love to find a chair thats super thick if anyone knows any that is, id appreciate it
if you have nerve pain issues then yes, I would think you would need thicker seat pads. I'm 31, sat on crappy overly padded office chairs my whole life and finally bought a Steelcase Amia and have been experiencing a sore bum and legs but nothing major. The seat is indeed firm but the thing I notice is, after I get up from the chair, there is no tingling in my legs like the padded cheap office chairs. As the video states, it takes time to adjust to a firmer chair so I guess I'll stick with it.
Ive never sat in any of these high end chairs. do any of them bottom out and can you feel the wood or metal underneath? Mostly every chair i tried at staples, besides the ayalon (eurotech vera), you can immediately feel a hard surface underneath the seat bc the padding is so thin. Same with high ends?
Cool study. But definitely does not fit everybody. Looking at the comments below it may be a big chunk of the population. My guess is that chair manufacturers also take into consideration longevity. Like soft mattresses, soft chairs will deform way quicker than harder chairs.
I don't know what to think after this video: I just got a steelcase gesture and the seat is so firm is hurt my bone tail after 5 min (at the end of the day my bone tail is in fire), and after a full day the rest of my butt is hurting me like crazy. If I follow well the video I will have the same issue with any High end office chair ?? I am now totaly lost on finding a chair that dont make me want to stand every 5 min. any advice ?
important video. I've been trying to find a good drum throne I can use for 3 hours at a time, and it's hard to do. drum thrones manafucacters aren't as up on ergonomics as office chair ones. I can sit in my steelcase gesture chair all day with no problems soft cushion = asspain
As a reviewer, your research findings and knowledge, even if obtained a hour ago, should be of your own words. There is nothing more helpless as reading a list direct , albeit, generic and repetitive quotes. Such a display suggests your role is redundant. Always, at minimum, synthesize tour findings, especially when they all lead to prove the same point. A brief synthesis gives way to more product visuals and experience.
It’s not my research and it’s not my findings. I am simply letting people know why these manufacturers choose to do what they do. Their direct quotes are much more powerful than me summarizing their opinion into something that feels like it is coming from me. -RB
@@btodtv Suggestion, those statements from Cornell, if science based, should have published research papers showing those specific results and health benefit. They should have pointed you to those. Would be great if you could cite the research rather than researchers and manufacturers opinions. Could you share what they provided on this if it's public?
@@markkapij6747 The manufacturers came to the same conclusion as Cornell. They have experts working for them and spend millions on R&D. The Aeron alone has sole over 8 million units. These companies just don’t dump a chair on the market.
