Comfortable computer desk & chair?

[turbo6bar]

Getting tired of this squeaky Office Depot chair and cheapo computer desk. My wrist is aching from using the mouse. I know some of you guys work on computers all day. What would you recommend for a brand or type of hardware to make computer use comfortable? This is for a home office. I would prefer to buy a new wood desk, but I'm not sure if I need a special keyboard/mouse platform (adjustable height and tilt) instead of the simple 'keyboard drawer.' I definitely don't want the keyboard and mouse on top of the desk, which is probably what's killing my wrist.

My brother mentioned Herman Miller for chairs.

Need help. Point me in the right direction. I don't mind spending bucks on quality equipment, but am looking for value over luxury.
jurgen

[jyl]

I like the Aeron chairs (Herman Miller) but there must be good copies out there. Try getting a trackball and switching between that and the mouse. Keyboard on vs below desk is less important than keeping wrist flexed down (straight line from elbow to palm will not go through the arm). Raising the edge of keyboard that is closest to you will do that, as will a high keyboard position.

[jyl]

Oh, dual monitors make a huge difference. Change your graphics card if needed, but get dualies. I work on triple monitors in the office, sometimes use the laptop as a fourth. At home I have duals.

[masraum]

Yes, I second getting a good Trackball. I've always used Logitech pointing devices (first mice, but for many years now only trackballs). I used to get a sore wrist until I switched to trackballs.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/trackballs/&cl=us,en
I use one of these at home

and one of these at work


And I have one of these on another computer at work.


A wrist rest for the mouse and possibly keyboard would also help. I actually have an old ergonomic keyboard that tilts away from you and found that it is much better than most of the rest that tilt toward you. I think I saw a Microsoft version the other day that did the same.

I've always liked the microsoft keyboards.
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=043



I used to use keyboards like those above, and really liked them, but I use something much different these days.
I would happily recommend these, but probably only for the really geeky that puts in a lot of keyboard time. They're a bit pricey when you can get most keyboards for $10-60.
http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/contoured_usb.htm


And here it is compared to a regular ergo keyboard.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by turbo6bar

My wrist is aching from using the mouse . . . This is for a home office . . . I definitely don't want the keyboard and mouse on top of the desk, which is probably what's killing my wrist.

I developed carpal tunnel in my right wrist from mousing in my home office. I did 3 things.

I bought a mouse pad with a wrist rest - moderate success.
I cut the legs off my desk to lower it to the same height as the arms on my chair - (so my arm is level) - moderate success.
I changed mouse hands & use my left - the best solution.

Now, I don't have carpal tunnel - unless I get lazy & mouse with my right hand. It only takes 20 minutes & it starts to return . . .

Ian

[turbo6bar]

Hmmm, gotta give the trackball a whirl, and do some work on the computer setup to get a better wrist position.

I've tried using the mouse with the left hand to give the right a rest, but I end up reverting back, because I can't use the two buttons on the side of the mouse.

Dual monitors would be really nice, but I don't think my computer can fit two video cards.
thanks, guys
jurgen

[jyl]

You can get a single card that supports two monitors. Just search "dual monitor card".

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by jyl

I like the Aeron chairs (Herman Miller) but there must be good copies out there. Try getting a trackball and switching between that and the mouse. Keyboard on vs below desk is less important than keeping wrist flexed down (straight line from elbow to palm will not go through the arm). Raising the edge of keyboard that is closest to you will do that, as will a high keyboard position.

+1 for Herman Miller Aeron. They are simply amazing - simple elegant design too (actually most of the Herman Miller stuff tends to be). Any chair that I can sit on for literally 12-14 hours straight on with no discomfort and without thinking about it is a good chair. Ventilation is good too (no "hot spots" in the middle of your back or butt).

[Jim Richards]

+2 for the Henry Miller Aeron chair. It's the best chair I've ever owned.

[masraum]

Here's an interesting article reviewing various office chairs. I found it in a search for the Aeron.

http://www.slate.com/id/2131646/

[Soterik]

I've been dealing with RSI injuries off and on for 6 years. My job means constant use of a keyboard, and at one point I was off work for 5 months trying to heal.

I've been through bio-feedback to determine my best positioning, and have had ergonomic guys at work do my keyboard, monitor and mouse to fit me.

A lot of good advice so far, particularly about keyboard height in relation to arm positioning.

Also note that your monitor should be read at such a position that you are looking straight at your monitor, or slightly higher, rather than down. Your head is heavy and puts additional strain on your neck and shoulders when tipped forward.

I'm using a special mouse that uses arm motion as opposed to your forearm muscles, and found that it literally saved my job, its by 3M. There are other special mouses out there, as well as key boards etc.

You literally also need to be in good physical health to work at a keyboard all day, some people are more susceptible to RSI and carpal tunnel than others. Keeping your muscles in your arms, shoulders and upper back strong and pliable will help you to work and play on keyboards for much longer. Don't forget to take micro breaks regularly to relax the muscles in your arms. Also, slow down a bit in your keystrokes, that can help as well.

Here's the mouse that I use...

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ergonomics/home/products/ergonomicmouse/

[turbo6bar]

Thanks for the info. I am going to take the keyboard and mouse off the tray and onto the desk to help with wrist angle. Sounds like a lot of little things add up to make computer work comfortable, but I will try the cheap stuff first.

Gotta admit the Herman Miller Aeron looks really nice.
Jurgen

[Dottore]

If you're a laptop user check out www.airdesks.com

I absolutely swear by these things. You can sit in your favorite chair and position the lap top exactly where it works best. These things are also very well made (in the US) and the company a pleasure to work with.

I have one of these at home and at our weekend place. It's in the foreground in the picture below.

[rouxroux]

+1 for airdesk. My wife has one in her reading corner. You can configure it anyway you want, swing it out of the way. Great design.

[Rob Channell]

A chair made out of a factory 911 seat is pretty comfortable:

Yes, I know it's not real pretty, but the seat was free and the base cost me $10.

911 Office Chair

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Rob Channell

A chair made out of a factory 911 seat is pretty comfortable:

Yes, I know it's not real pretty, but the seat was free and the base cost me $10.

911 Office Chair

I thought the seats in my old '88 were very comfy. I wish I had a 911 seat laying around. I need a good desk chair.

[svandamme]

imho, nothing beats the original MS natural Elite keyboard....
takes some getting used to though..

to bad it's white...

eyeballing the natural 4000 they have now, since the natural elite gave up after close to 10 years of service...for seat, i have long used a 944 drivers seat, mounted on 2 wheels/tires.... finallly tossed it since the seatfabric was to far gone

[tchanson]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

+2 for the Henry Miller Aeron chair. It's the best chair I've ever owned.

Another vote for the Aeron. Its worth the upfront cost.

Another signifcant factor is the HM warranty. Last week my 7 year old Aeron developed a wobble in the base shaft/cartridge. I'd never paid much attention to the warranty, but I contacted HM and found that its 12 years.

I was fortunate to have an authorized HM repair center nearby, which I visited today, and left with a new shaft/cartridge installed 10 minutes later. No cost, all under warranty. Chair's like new.

Nice service.






Tim

[Paul_Heery]

Pardon me for reviving this old thread.

I recently decided to remodel my home office. I now work almost exclusively from home and needed to make my office more efficient, functional and comfortable. So, first I spent some time revamping the cable plant, telephones, switching and servers.

Then, with that done, I determined that I needed a larger desk. This took a while to figure out what I needed. I looked all around including office supply stores, commercial office furniture dealers, furniture stores, specialty ergonomic design firms and others. Through all of that, I could not find something that I really liked, or would fit my needs. Then, a few weeks ago, I was visiting the home of a friend that also works from home. I went into his office and saw that he had almost exactly what I needed. He told me that his desk was configured with components from Ikea. I was a little surprised that Ikea had what I was looking for. I picked up a desk that is attractive, sturdy and extremely usable for around $550. This was a bargain compared to some desks I was considering.

The last thing that I needed was a new office chair. The one that I had was about 10 years old and was not the best to begin with. Actually, I believe that it contributed to my DVT a few years back as I was working from home at that time. So, when considering a new chair a few weeks back, I decided to search on OT and came up with this thread. The ringing endorsement here is for the Herman Miller Aeron. So, I queried friends and actually went to back/ergonomic stores to evaluate what was available and came to the same conclusion, I needed to get an Aeron.

Now, the Aeron is an expensive chair. But, twice a year, it is on sale either directly or from a Herman Miller authorized dealer. That sale started today June 3rd and continues through only June 13th. The sale gives you 15% off. For the chair that I configured, that gave me a price of $721.65 versus the normal $849. If you are considering one of these chairs, now is the time to buy.

I ordered my chair through Amazon as I am a Prime member and get 2-day shipping for free. But, when checking out, I was given the option of having it delivered next-day on Saturday for $3. I'll be getting my chair tomorrow and hopefully will be done with my office remodel for another 10 years. Here is the one I ordered:

Amazon.com: Aeron Chair - Highly Adjustable Graphite Frame w/ Lumbar Pad - Carbon Classic (Large) by Herman Miller: Home & Garden

[Joe Ricard]

I have a Recaro SRD car seat that I mounted to a regular old office chair bottom. Obviously it swivels rocks goes up and down but also reclines on the seat back. The chair is over 10 years old now and still has superb support. My desk is crap as it is company furnished.