WFH Chair and Chair Mat Recommendation

ace310 on 27/06/2023 - 11:27
Last edited 04/07/2023 - 17:07 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I am looking for a WFH (working from home) chair (not gaming) which has good lumbar support, height & tilt adjustment with arm rest(adjustable if possible) and high back. Probably a mesh back or breathable material. No leather/faux leather. Budget around $250-$300. I have seem recommendation of Buro & Formway, but they seems expensive. Not really a fan of getting a used chair, but throw in a link and if I can see them(Auckland based) before buying might have a look.

Currenlty, have narrowed down to this Bratech from Pbtech at $302.45.

Ergolux Elliot Office Chair from mightyape also looks good, but the seat is just mesh looking at the photo so don't know how good would that be for 6+ hrs sitting on it.

Also, please suggest a good chair mat as the room has carpet. I currently have one mat which I got few years back and can't recall from where. Need another one.

Thanks.

Edit: Got this mats from bunnings as suggested by Bargain-Hunter and they are great as of now. Let's see how they hold up. Got 2 and placed together, might have to stick them together.

General Discussion Computer Chair

Comments

  • mpc on 28/06/2023 - 08:30
    +1

    A bit more expensive but another option which has worked well for me. Lots of places sell them but here's a link https://unofurniture.co.nz/products/mozart-chair?variant=398…

  • Wakrak on 28/06/2023 - 08:32
    +1

    Second-hand is another option. I'm currently sitting on a Buro Roma 3 Lever Midback. Got mine for $160 off Trade Me two years ago.

    • Tmurder91 on 28/06/2023 - 09:09
      +1

      I will second the Buro option. I've got a few of them. A new one as my main WFH chair, and a couple of used ones from TradeMe for gaming chair, kids desk etc as they don't get used for long periods and so was happier with used.

      Theres a company who does service/repair of office chairs out in West Auckland and they sell refurbed ones on TradeMe for very good pricing. Check them out as I am very happy with the used ones I got from them.

      As for a chair mat, I bought the KMart one not long ago and would advise against it. Its approx $30 and you can tell, it has very little strength and so your chair wheels sink into it. This might be the kind of thing that you need to check out in person to trust the quality (Warehouse Stationary and Office Max etc) as spending more here is worth it for something that is thick enough, and therefore strong enough

      • ace310 on 28/06/2023 - 09:16

        I saw that seller and seems near to me as well, but he doesn't have any buro's with arm rest which I am looking for. Maybe, I should remove the arm rest from my current chair for couple of days and see how it feels. Wife needs a chair with arm rest, so in case I get along fine without it then can look at it else the search continues. Have to decide soon though.

        Totally agree on the mat thickness. Current one I have is also not that thick, but gets the job done. I know the cheap ones are only 2-3mm thick which is useless on soft carpet. I think I need something thicker than that.

        • Tmurder91 on 28/06/2023 - 09:22
          +1

          The TradeMe seller doesn't do anything under their company name - I presume on purpose.

          But their signwritten van etc was parked outside, pretty confident its these guys: https://chairdoctors.co.nz/contact/

          Maybe just contact them directly and ask if they have any with armrests available and you might be able to score a good deal without TradeMe involved.

  • AleBeerenhoff on 28/06/2023 - 09:18

    Re the chair mat - we recently got new carpet in the house and noticed the carpet in our homeoffice had the underside all chewed up/broken (the carpet on the top side still had not failed, but was clear it was certainly close to)…chairs are brutal on carpet…so asked the carpet company and they said a heavy rubber mat is best. Many of the cheaper options are plastic or too light weight….so I went and grabbed on of these - https://www.smartofficefurniture.co.nz/products/looksmart-ru… - and have been well happy with it.
    No damage that I can tell, carpet looks great still and its functional (ie chair moves around on it etc). Would buy again.

    • ace310 on 28/06/2023 - 09:21

      Thanks for that. Will have a look. Don't get why are this things so expensive damn.

      • Tmurder91 on 28/06/2023 - 09:24
        +1

        I wonder if you could DYI something.
        Get a bunch of those 1m x 1m rubber floor mats (for garage/gym etc) and lay them down as the protection/base
        And then use either a small hard rug, or one of the cheap thin plastic mats to go on top so you have a uniform surface.

        • ace310 on 28/06/2023 - 09:26
          +2

          Great idea. I can use the cheap mat in that case on top. Will look something up.

  • PlacidPterodactyl on 04/07/2023 - 10:06
    +1

    Re the mat, I've been using this for the last year. It's been holding up well:
    https://www.amazon.com.au/Carpeted-Multi-Purpose-Protector-A…
    Currently on sale for $105 + $43 shipping, which is pretty much what I paid for it last year.
    There are a few different patterns, and their prices vary if you're not too fussed which one you get.

  • PlacidPterodactyl on 04/07/2023 - 10:08

    Re the chair, not sure about their second-hand availability in NZ, but I've had a second-hand Steelcase Leap V2 for five years now, and it's been excellent. Adjustable in so many ways, really solid and sturdy, and best of all the controls all have words (and sometimes pictures) showing exactly what they do.

    • ace310 on 04/07/2023 - 10:13

      Thanks. But way out of my budget.

  • Bargain-Hunter on 04/07/2023 - 10:25
    +1

    Re floor mat - this from bunnings could be a cheap option: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/axton-1-2m-black-stud-rubber-matt…
    Only 3mm thick though, I'm unsure if this is sufficient enough to stop the wheels from sinking in

    Option 2: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/standard-carpet-1-x-1m-dark-grey-…

    • ace310 on 04/07/2023 - 17:09
      +1

      Thanks mate. Got 2 of this from Bunnings and so far so good.

      The axton one is way too thin. and the other one has bit of thick threads so not that great for moving the chair. But the one I got has nice even threads.

      • Alan6984 on 04/07/2023 - 17:13

        Cheaper than the glass option - think I might go with this too.

  • Alan6984 on 04/07/2023 - 11:33

    The idea of using a pool glass panel is interesting. I would not have gone there without the suggestion, as I'd have thought it would crack too easily, but the (two?) people on OzBargain that say they use it implies that it is not as much of an issue as I would have imagined.

    Pretty sure the CGA would not apply if it does crack though ;-)

    • ace310 on 04/07/2023 - 11:36

      Link? or post on ozbargain?

      Most likely I wont get that due to small kids at home, but just wanna see what it looks like. Thanks.

  • NovaAlpha on 04/07/2023 - 21:50
    +1

    You could consider looking at 2nd hand Herman Miller Aeron. I got my first classic Aeron for about $350 on TM in very good condition. Then I sold that for like $1000 and then bought a brand new Aeron Remaster and it's worth every penny.

    I also have a new Steelcase Leap and it's very good as well. In my opinion, it provides way better lumbar support than the Aeron. I interchange between these chairs depending on whether it's summer or winter. Aeron is nicer in the summer because of the breathable mesh, whereas the Leap is nicer in the winter and has way more adjustability just about everywhere. It's a really nice chair.

    As for standing mat, I just got the one from Dicksmith but I think any of them will do. I think even Bunnings sell decent standing mats.

    If you need recommendations on any other office related equipment, let me know. I've spent probably like $6000 on office equipment stuff and have maxed out everything I ever need or wanted.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join