Commercial office chairs come onto the second-hand market in quantity, and a good one bought used outperforms a new budget chair by a wide margin.
Why It Works
Contract office chairs are built to be used eight hours a day for a decade and tested against durability standards accordingly.
Offices close, refit or downsize, and those chairs are sold in bulk for a fraction of their original price. A chair that cost several hundred new is frequently available for the price of a budget new one.
The mechanism, the base and the frame are the expensive parts, and they are usually the parts that have not worn.
What to Check
- The base, for cracks, particularly on nylon ones
- The gas cylinder, by sitting and seeing whether it holds height
- Whether every adjustment still works, not just height
- Foam, by sitting for several minutes rather than seconds
- Armrest pads, which wear first
- Any wobble, which is usually loose bolts
Where a listing for a new chair states its weight rating and adjustments, of the kind published per model at stellamia.org, that is the comparison to hold a used chair against rather than judging it on appearance.
The Consumables Are Cheap
The insight that makes used chairs worth buying.
Gas cylinders, casters and armrest pads are standard parts costing very little, and all three are the things most likely to be worn.
A chair with a good frame and a sinking cylinder is a small repair rather than a rejection.
Cracked Bases Are Not Repairable
The one thing to walk away from. A base carries the whole load through five arms, and a crack in one concentrates stress on the others.
They fail suddenly, dropping the occupant. Bases can be replaced on some chairs and matching one is not always possible.
Foam Is the Real Wear Item
Compressed foam does not recover, and a seat that feels fine for thirty seconds can be uncomfortable within an hour.
Sit in it properly before buying. Reupholstery is possible on a good frame and is not cheap.
Hygiene
Vacuum thoroughly, check the cleaning code before applying anything wet, and let it air.
Fabric chairs from unknown environments deserve a proper clean before daily use.
Check the Model Exists
A named model from a known maker means spare parts are findable. An unbranded chair does not.
Measure It
Seat height range and width, against your desk and your body.
Retighten Everything
First thing after bringing one home.
