
The Chadwick Chair - shawndumas
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/05/01/chadwick
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RyLuke
Gruber's comment here is a bit ingenuous:

"Don Chadwick is the designer behind both the Aeron and the Chadwick. The
Chadwick is the one he put his name on."

The Aeron was a collaboration between Bill Stumpf and Chadwick. They'd worked
together on chairs before for Herman Miller (Equa chair, 1984 & Sarah chair,
1988). I'm not sure Bill would have appreciated naming any of these chairs
"the Chadwick."

Bill Stumpf was an extremely talented industrial designer. He passed away at
age 70 in 2006. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/obituaries/10stumpf.html>
[http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/hermanmiller/english/pro...](http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/hermanmiller/english/products/designers/stumpf.html)

It's also worth reading some of the backstory on the creation of the Aeron
chair: [http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671789/the-untold-history-of-
ho...](http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671789/the-untold-history-of-how-the-
aeron-chair-came-to-be)

~~~
smackfu
Yeah, I like the implication that the one with his name is better because of
that, even though it's meaningless.

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nmcfarl
I'm in my late 30s and I hack for 10 hours a day in a director's chair from
the '60s at the kitchen table.

I'd suggest getting enough exercise and standing up at least once an hour. And
of course paying some attention to the basic ergonomics of where you work. But
spending ludicrous amounts of money on a chair seems, well, silly.

\- From the directors chair.

~~~
scott_s
I don't consider it a "ludicrous" amount of money. It's about the same amount
one spends on a mattress and boxspring. And we spend about the same amount of
time each day in both.

(I just use the chairs at my office, and I don't like the logistics of lugging
my own chair to the office. But if I was in a situation where I was buying a
chair for myself, I would consider something like this.)

~~~
tibbon
Agreed. Here's something I realized about 5 years ago.

You will spend 95% of your time putting pressure on your: \- Shoes \- Mattress
\- Chair

Skimping on any of those can lead to fatigue, discomfort and pain.

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chiph
The thing I didn't like about the Aeron is that the fabric seating base wasn't
flat/wide/firm enough and the frame edges would roll my legs together. The
Chadwick Chair has the same basic design, and looks like it would do the same
thing.

I found that the Herman Miller Embody was a good choice for me, and a good
value despite the stunning price on them. With their 12-year warranty, it came
out to about 28 cents a day. Three years into it and the fabric still looks
good, and cat hair is easy to remove (always a plus).

~~~
samdk
I don't know that this does, but the Aeron comes in three different sizes. You
can adjust the tension of the fabric base (that's the twisty knob on the
right-hand side), also.

~~~
clauretano
I just reached down and fiddled with that. The knob on the right adjusts the
tilt tension.

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AceJohnny2
Another popular office chair recommendation is the Steelcase Leap [1]. It may
not have the same namedropping power at the Chadwick, but that's not
important. I got mine off Craigslist for about $300, and it's the best chair
I've ever had. It's also way better than the Herman Miller Reaction we have at
my current office.

[1]
[http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/l...](http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/leap/pages/overview.aspx)

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aioprisan
Is there any science behind the design? Studies, analysis, etc?

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tathagata
I used to suffer form frequent backaches. A couple of years back I shifted
from modern office chairs to a solid wooden chair ($50) with no arms at home.
The chair is heavy enough that it does not move as I shift my weight around. I
find myself sitting up straight more often, as against slouching all the time,
and since then I never had any back-pain.

~~~
wbond
I've used an Aeron and tried various other high-tech chairs and had similar
results. I tend to have the best posture and feel most comfortable when in a
hard chair, ideally with four legs I can prop my legs against. The rest of the
time I spend standing.

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kyleblarson
I've been sitting on a $16 exercise ball (55cm) for the last few months while
slowly recovering from a herniated disc in my back. As a former sloucher (and
Aeron chair sitter), I can't speak highly enough about the new setup.

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geekam
I have had a standing desk for almost 6 months now and I couldn't be happier.
I have lower back herniated discs and sitting exerts way more pressure on my
lower spine than standing. The added benefit is that I get to move and stretch
more easily then I'd do sitting.

I do not stand the entire day though. I take short breaks by sitting on a high
chair. I stand for about 2 hours and then sit for 15-30 minutes. This has
worked way better than any ergonomic chair for me.

~~~
praptak
A solution similar in spirit, sitting on an exercise ball:
[http://lifehacker.com/5830748/why-i-switched-my-office-
chair...](http://lifehacker.com/5830748/why-i-switched-my-office-chair-with-
an-exercise-ball-and-what-it-feels-like)

~~~
geekam
I have tried exercise ball and still own one. The only problem is that it does
not work with high table. I'd love to switch to the exercise ball when I have
to sit.

I also like the Kneeling chair[1] which is a similar solution although works
mostly on keeping your back straight where as, exercise ball helps your core
as well.

[1] <http://amzn.com/B000TMK0O0>

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davidedicillo
I often suffer of bad back pains and the only thing that fixed it (or greatly
improved it) was the purchase of an Embody Chair
[http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/performance-
wor...](http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/performance-work-
chairs/embody-chairs.html)

Edit: With a bit of research you can find it used or open box (like I did) and
save some money.

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masklinn
I'm no fan of Chadwick's because both the Aeron and Chadwick look so complex,
there are knobs and levers everywhere. I prefer Humanscale's stuff (Liberty
and Diffrient), the self-adjusting recline works very well, they're way too
comfortable for my health and they've got a lower dust-trap coefficient. They
also look... simpler.

~~~
Hoff
While I don't intend this to in any way to try to sway you from your perfectly
reasonable preferences here — with the Aeron chairs I've sat in — slide the
armrests inward toward your body, and you'll find directions underneath for
the knobs and dials and levers. Which is not exactly the most intuitive, but
it is handy.

~~~
clauretano
You may be thinking of a Steelcase Leap or similar. The Aeron armrests don't
slide in, they just pivot. I just had to look up the guide
[http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hermanmiller/documen...](http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hermanmiller/documents/user_information/Aeron_Chairs_adjustment_guide.pdf)

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tmslnz
The Supporto chair, while more expensive than others is incredibly comfortable
and & good looking. I have both an Aeron and a Supporto. The difference
between the two is like Photoshop vs Acorn on Mac. With the Aeron it sometimes
feels like the designer chose not to choose… which I disagree with!

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gw
I sit in a small wooden folding chair I bought for $30. People cringe when
they see it, especially since I have scoliosis. Yet, I never experience back
pains. Maybe doing squats 3-4 times a week at the gym is a better way to back
health than spending so much on a chair.

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zimpenfish
Much as I love my fat arse, $750 for a chair seems a tad exorbitant without a
doctor's note.

~~~
jowiar
If you're in a decently sized city, craigslist is your friend. The going rate
on used Aeron/Chadwick/Life/Leap/Think/Liberty/Freedom/etc. is about $200-300.

~~~
sutterbomb
Totally agree. Two weeks ago I bought a Steelcase Leap for $300 - only a year
old and in great condition - and I couldn't be happier with the decision.

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abdophoto
I have an Aeron chair, but I actually stand up most of the time now. Much
better than sitting.

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ronilan
Given the source this must be an analogy. The ivePhone is coming!!!

