[ojkelly]

A former colleague once gave me some of the most important advice I’ve ever received a few years ago:

> Spend your money on what goes between you and the ground.

For about a decade I sat on a version of an IKEA chair, with a mesh neck and foam cushion. They’re good for the price, but I wish I upgraded sooner. The foam only ever lasted about 2 years.

The Aeron is a nice chair, but use one first before you buy. They’re often available second hand for cheap, which is great value. For me, I found them to be a bit uncomfortable.

My main chair now is a Herman Miller Cosm, with the high back. I love it, it looks great, and the leaf arms are the first chair arms I’ve ever left on a chair. The main draw for me was the single mesh across the whole chair. I find mesh more comfortable, and it doesn’t wear like foam.

I also have a qor360 active sitting chair. These take getting used to, but they’re pretty good. Definitely keeps me alert.

Finally I got one of the cheaper folding desk treadmills (walking pad I think?). I found I can walk for hours if my brain has something interesting to do.

Overall I spend most of the time in the Cosm. I’ve spent more on fixing back pain than any of these, and each has meaningfully improved that.

As our bodies all vary in shape, size, weight and proportions, you need to try as many different options to find what features are best for you.

The Cosm and qor360 ain’t cheap, but they’ve been worth it for me.