# Desk Chair: Arm rest or none



## Saaby (Apr 12, 2009)

I've been at school. In a few weeks I'll return home and to my employers office for the summer. (They graciously allow me to work from school when I'm at school).

Ergonomics are a problem! My desk at work is not comfortable. I'm a pretty short guy. I think Ergonomics is somewhat of a buzz term and overused a bit, and that posture is just as, if not more important, but at the same time I know if I am on a good height chair at a good height desk (for me) then I can work for hours. If the desk or chair combo isn't working, I'm fidgety and uncomfortable all day. 

At work we have those super cheap leather chairs...the kind that are like $59 at Staples. I guess if you're the exact right body size those might be super comfortable, but for me they are atrocious. The non-adjustable arm-rests are always getting in the way, the seat cushion is too long... :sick2:


The plot thickens though...I swung by the office today and noticed that the chair at the desk I normally sit at has been replaced by one of these buddies.

Now if you think I'm going to spend ~500 hours this summer glued to Jules...you're wrong. I could pester my boss, but I'm sure the best I'd do is Jules with Wheels...or somebody else would get a better chair and I'd get one of those leather monstrosities again.

Am I whiney? Perhaps, but if you have to sit in a horrible chair hopefully you can relate.

Anyway I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm just going to buy my own chair. That doesn't bother me so much...if I'm comfortable at work I'll enjoy work a lot more, and when I come back to school the chair can come with me too.

I've basically decided on a Steelcase Leap. They are pricey yes, but you can find gently used ones for very reasonable prices and they're built like a tank. I had a former employer who provided us with LEAPs, and I love it. There are some people who don't like it, but I found it to be super incredibly comfortable. The only thing that might be better is if we could take the seat out of my Saab and put it on casters.

Now that you know the back story...I can save a little money by getting one without arms. I'm naturally hesitant to that, but when I stop and think about it I realize that all the chairs I use here at school are without arms, and so long as the chair height, the work-surface height, and my height are all working together...it doesn't really ever seem to be a problem.

So do you have arms on your office chair?


----------



## Tom_123 (Apr 12, 2009)

Well, I' working on the PC most of the time, so my arms rest on the table anyway.
Never got the meaning of arm rests on office chairs, but that's just me.
Furthermore, for most quality chairs the arm rests can be ordered later on,
if you feel that you need them.

If you don't mind some further suggestions:
If possible, find yourself a dedicated ("brick and motar") store
and get an in-depth consultation.

Not every chair fits everybody and sometimes you pay rather for the design than for the ergonomics.
So IMHO, the only way to choose the right chair is to sit on them.

BTW, I got me this one:

http://www.girsberger.com/en/office-collection/swivel-chairs/reflex/

It's perfect for me and worth every cent that I payed for,
but as I'm tall and heavy it may not be the best choice for you.

regards 

Thomas


----------



## UncleFester (Apr 14, 2009)

I took them stinkin' arms off. The interfered with using the computer. My elbows kept hitting them.


----------



## Sub_Umbra (Apr 14, 2009)

I'm always sitting *parallel* to the edge of my desk instead of facing it. My monitor sits at the far end. I always *take off just one arm rest* because it's in the way. I voted *yes- Just how I like it* but I guess that's only half true... rollseyes


----------



## Illum (Apr 14, 2009)

Its so hard to find a desk chair that fits me...but I finally found it on a medical catalog

its a round foam padded stool. NO ARM REST or BACK REST...why chairs must have either or both is illogical to me:shakehead. You shouldn't be slouching on your chair anyway.

When I was young dad had a chair made for me that only had the two back legs and no back rest. Its a home remedy for teach me to sit straight...pity he didn't patent it. It happened to be one of the first things I succeeded in mastering:nana:


----------



## RA40 (Apr 14, 2009)

Hal no to Jules! Sit in one of those long enough, you get pressure points on your 6 and those kinks aren't amusing in the least. Not to mention poor back support if you need to lean back, no adjustable work height blah-blah. Looks like torture.  Both my chairs have arm rests, I usually lean on the left side the most. 

One of the guy's I know that sews utility items has a chair that costs about $1K. He says he spends 8-10 hour shifts in it and it isn't a problem. No pressure points, sore-stiffness...easy time. He's in his mid 60's. My other buddy his home office chair is a Recaro. I'm working my way up and figure that a modest $150-$200 chair lasts just short of 3 years with 2 being average depending on quality. The foam compresses or something eventually breaks. I'm not big guy at 150#'s either. 

Buy what is comfortable. Also helpful is a few ab and lower back exercises (exercise in general) goes a long way in preventing the inactivity as promoted in office environments.


----------



## flashfan (Apr 14, 2009)

No arms for me.

I don't use one, but some people swear by the "ergonomic" knee/kneeling type of chair that is supposed to be good for posture, IIRC. My mother has used one of those for years and years now, but she does _not_ spend copious amounts of time on one, so YRMV.


----------



## Sub_Umbra (Apr 14, 2009)

flashfan said:


> ...I don't use one, but some people swear by the "ergonomic" knee/kneeling type of chair that is supposed to be good for posture, IIRC...


I was facinated by those chairs and I used one for a couple of years. I found mine ok with one exception -- they completely tie up one's feet. I couldn't just pull it up to my industrial sewing machine and sit in it while I sewed a sheath or bag. I eventuslly got rid of it.


----------



## Burgess (Apr 15, 2009)

Like Sub_Umbra, i've also removed ONE armrest from my chair !


Nice to know i'm not the *only* person who is "unusual". 




_


----------



## chmsam (Apr 15, 2009)

I prefer arm rests myself because I tend to lean forward and like the bracing they provide. However, the last time I had a real desk job was in the early 90's. That chair was a Gunlocke that my boss decided he didn't like - great old style heavily padded executive desk chair. Of course I had really lusted after a Recaro desk chair but for some reason no one wanted to pony up $1300-2000+.

The only problem with a really nice desk chair these days is tracking down who stole it after you left the night before.


----------



## HoopleHead (Apr 15, 2009)

Most definitely arm rests! I guess I've been spoiled, almost having always used an Aeron chair my entire career, even across different companies and clients.


----------



## Saaby (Apr 16, 2009)

I'm pretty settled on the LEAP...like I said, I've used one before (Part time job so...21-30 hours a week for a year and a half.) and I know I like them. 

The thing I don't like about Arms is they sometimes get in the way! AS has been noted here.

The thing about the LEAP though is the arms can be adjusted, and when they're at the lowest level they're basically gone.

Sooo...even though it's a fair bit more expensive, I guess I'm leaning towards arm rests now.


----------



## brucec (Apr 17, 2009)

HoopleHead said:


> Most definitely arm rests! I guess I've been spoiled, almost having always used an Aeron chair my entire career, even across different companies and clients.



I've always had those in my office too. Comfortable, but they are quick to wear holes in your rear pockets.


----------



## ichigo (Sep 16, 2020)

guys, I use simple office recliner


----------



## bykfixer (Sep 16, 2020)

Right now I'm leaning forward using my folded legs as elbow rests since there are no arm rests with where I'm sitting, so I suppose if the chair doesn't have arm rest I brought some with me.


----------



## Jean-Luc Descarte (Sep 28, 2020)

My desk chair at home is actually a loaner from the dining table, and I like it way better than any office chair I ever purchased  The wooden seat is comfortable for a few hours but more than that, it reminds me to get up and stretch and simply _move._

At work I tend to go for chairs with arms, because I work in a reception counter and having work to do is not always a thing. The arms are good for resting my elbows when I'm perusing the web on a tablet or reading a guidebook or anything, really.


----------



## turbodog (Sep 28, 2020)

FYI, this thread is 11 years old, the OP has been gone 9 years, and one poster actually died.


----------



## Katherine Alicia (Sep 28, 2020)

No arms, either in the studio or the workshop, they just get in the way and that`s not good if you`re moving fast.


----------



## Jean-Luc Descarte (Sep 28, 2020)

turbodog said:


> FYI, this thread is 11 years old, the OP has been gone 9 years, and one poster actually died.



:shrug: Nobody told the thread necromancer to knock it off, and the subject is practically timeless, so I figured it's alright.


----------



## idleprocess (Sep 28, 2020)

turbodog said:


> FYI, this thread is 11 years old, the OP has been gone 9 years, and one poster actually died.



... bumped by a user with a single post who joined the forum 2 years prior.


----------



## bykfixer (Sep 28, 2020)

Sure beats starting a new thread about the exact same thing


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner (Sep 28, 2020)

CPF decorum - Play nice or move on.


----------



## ledbetter (Sep 28, 2020)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> CPF decorum - Play nice or move on.



Irony from the guy whose hopes for the future include mass incarceration.


----------



## archimedes (Sep 28, 2020)

Hard to believe we now have to even lock silly threads like this one, due to arguing and "politics" :shakehead


----------

