Steelcase Amia chair

[Storm]

I'm about to take MT's advice and buy a Steelcase Amia chair.  They are a bit more expensive than my previous office chairs, but I'm thinking it's worth it as I've started to have a shoulder issue due to poor posture and a poor seating arrangement (unadjustable arm rests) in my current chair.

My question, for those of you that have one, is there any difference between the models of Amia chair?  I found a site that is selling  the cloth version for only $429, which seems great compared to paying almost twice that.  Is this a sub-standard version of the chair?

http://www.madisonseating.com/amia-work ... lcase.html

This seems like a huge difference in price from the leather version that is selling at Crate & Barrel for $1,289.  Is there really any reason to justify such an expensive version?

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/steelcase ... ir/s335789

I appreciate the advice of anyone that owns one.  I'm inclined to purchase the cloth $429 version, as long as the ergonomics are similar.

[Benko]

I've started to have a shoulder issue due to poor posture and a poor seating arrangement (unadjustable arm rests) in my current chair.

It may be a wonderful chair, but you might want to check into whether that statement above is true, and even it is, whether a new chair is going to remedy things.

[Storm]

I've started to have a shoulder issue due to poor posture and a poor seating arrangement (unadjustable arm rests) in my current chair.

It may be a wonderful chair, but you might want to check into whether that statement above is true, and even it is, whether a new chair is going to remedy things.

Thanks, I have actually been to an orthopedic surgeon, and had an MRI.  There was no damage that required surgery, but I'm currently seeing a physical therapist that has me doing exercises to strengthen the shoulder and improve my posture.  The short version of the story is that I'm on the computer about 12 hours a day (8 hours for work, plus recreational activity such as this fine forum).  Sitting for such a long period of time is not ideal for anyone.  I need to learn to take breaks more often, and I also need to do daily exercises to make sure my muscles don't atrophy.

Besides that, I want to make sure that my office environment is as conducive to avoiding RSI as possible, as I hope to have many more years using the computer to generate income as well as other hobbies like music and gaming that require computer use.  Until we have direct neural computer interfaces available I'd like to do whatever I can to optimize my environment.  This includes investing in a nice chair and possibly getting a GeekDesk so that I can be standing or sitting most of the day:

http://www.geekdesk.com/

[Storm]

It appears that the description of the $429 chair is "Steelcase Amia Work Task Chair", while some of the slightly more expensive ones in the $600+ range are called "Steelcase Amia Chair."  Is it possible that the "work task chair" is a cheaper, not as good model?

[MediumTex]

I have the imitation leather surface on mine, and the material they use is amazing.  It feels like glove leather and it is incredibly durable.  It's $300-$400 less than the leather but a much nicer surface IMHO than the cloth.

The nice thing about the Amia is that it doesn't take forever to get dialed into the right settings.  I've had other high end chairs that seemed to always be getting out of adjustment.  With the Amia I completely forget it's even there it works so well.

[MachineGhost]

It appears that the description of the $429 chair is "Steelcase Amia Work Task Chair", while some of the slightly more expensive ones in the $600+ range are called "Steelcase Amia Chair."  Is it possible that the "work task chair" is a cheaper, not as good model?

A task chair is not normally rated for heavy duty use, i.e. 6-8 hours of use.  While I can't for the life of me understand why chairs need to cost so much since it is all in the density and life of the foam for the usage rating, I would not buy a task chair for PC use.  Price seems to have very little correlation to quality in furniture.

Between mattresses, chairs and desks, there is a racket going on.  $800 for a simple desk made out of wood?  Since when do trees cost that much, or labor in China to assemble?  Why isn't there more uproar over this?

EDIT: The chair in question is an Open Box item.

[Pointedstick]

Where are you getting $800 for a wood desk? You can get a plastic-coated particleboard desk for under $100 or a solid wood desk for under $200. For example: http://www.amazon.com/Sauder-Shoal-Cree ... words=desk

Maybe you could spend $800 if you wanted a handmade exotic hardwood desk, or got ripped off at a luxury furniture store or something.

[TripleB]

Have you considered a standing desk? I've been using one exclusively for the last 4 months and loving it.

[Storm]

The geekdesk is basically a standing/sitting desk with a motor that allows you to easily raise and lower the platform to whatever height you want.  The larger model supports up to 335 pounds of weight on the platform, so there are quite a bit of mechanical parts that go into designing a motor and gearing system that can raise and lower 335 pounds at will.

It seems that the $429 ($424.99 on eBay) + $75 shipping Amia chair is the same thing as the brand new more expensive one, however, it's an open box item (still new, but previously opened).  I'm inclined to not care very much about the packaging if I can save a few hundred on the chair.

Considering I might spend half of my life in front of the computer, spending around $1,300 on a quality standing desk and chair is money well spent, especially if it helps prevent carpal tunnel and other RSI type health problems from occurring.

By the way, if you do need to buy a mattress, I highly recommend Saatva.  They are an Internet website that sells luxury quality mattresses at very good prices.  There is no haggling, no shady sales tactics, and their mattresses are extremely high quality and have a 30 day money back guarantee.  I got a King size mattress that would have cost $3-4K at a mattress store for just over $1,000 and it's great.

[MachineGhost]

By the way, if you do need to buy a mattress, I highly recommend Saatva.  They are an Internet website that sells luxury quality mattresses at very good prices.  There is no haggling, no shady sales tactics, and their mattresses are extremely high quality and have a 30 day money back guarantee.  I got a King size mattress that would have cost $3-4K at a mattress store for just over $1,000 and it's great.

That looks like a great resource, thanks!

[TripleB]

I bought a Foam mattress on Amazon with free 2 day prime shipping for $300 (and used FICA-tax exempt FSA money with a note from my doctor). It's comparable to a $3k brand name mattress. Hell, it's probably the exactly same mattress made in the same factory.

As far as the standing desk, I'm wondering if you considered just standing 100% of the time rather than switching back and forth. You might need to work up to it over a period of time.

I oscillate between an Aerobic ball and standing. You can also stretch your back nicely by laying down on the ball and getting your spine to curve out the opposite direction from slouching.