Colored Union & Scale™ Ayalon Task Chairs on rare sale

I assume you don't own this chair specifically.

No, I do not own every chair that has ever been made. I have a Sealy Posturepedic chair which I bought at Staples around 5 years ago. The chair had a regular price of $300 and I got it on sale for $200.

As I said, the seat cushion on almost every chair will wear down over time. Some faster than others. Which is why I went with my own custom cushion. The cushion cost around $50 and is 19" x 18" x 6". I have had it so far for 6 months and is really comfortable.

You DO NOT have to be tall. The minimum seat height is 17.6 inches. That's good for 5'6" people with typical proportions per BIFMA [ergonomictrends.com]. Anyone shorter or with shorter legs can supplement with a cheap footrest. Besides, the average 29"-30" tall desk is too high for anyone under ~5'10" to sit in healthy posture without a footrest anyway.

Calling the armrests' range of motion "limited" is seriously underselling it. They can be shifted into perfect positions for the vast majority of people. And the armrest caps are more plush than practically any new chair in the $300 price range.

I'm not claiming the Ayalon is on par with Herman Miller. I am claiming that this is a fantastic value for a new chair that approaches high-end quality and functionality. The only way to get higher quality at this price is to buy used high-end chairs, many of which still cost more than a brand new Ayalon.

Nope, I disagree. I'm 6 ft tall and the minimum height barely cuts it for me. I just got the chair this morning, I'll keep it because it is comfortable enough, but I believe I might end up needing a footrest. If the chair went a bit lower, it would be perfect.

Look into the HON Volt Task Stool!

It is similar to the Vera but not exactly a carbon copy. It appears to be similar to the Eurotech Exchange as well. Don't be fooled by the "Eurotech" name, either--Eurotech is simply a brand slapped on chairs coming out of China from a company called Comfort Seating.

That being said--this is easily the most impressive chair that Staples sells. So impressive, that I, as someone who usually deals with only Herman Miller/Steelcase/Haworth/Knoll chairs, went to Staples to buy one of these Ayalon chairs at full price ($299+tax). I had to give it a shot at home for an extended period of time.

The backrest is very comfortable. It's not using screen-window style mesh like on the Staples Hyken/Dexley/other cheap mesh chairs. The mesh here on this chair actually has some level of elasticity, unlike the mosquito-screen mesh on your Hyken/Dexley chairs.

However, there are some important caveats to note about this chair:

1) You have to be tall. I'm 6'0. My feet were barely touching the ground while seated in this chair on its lowest setting. If you're significantly shorter than I am, then you are going to have a bad time in this chair unless you do something like get a footrest. Trust me: you don't want your feet dangling off a chair, unless you like numb thighs.

2) The armrests are "4D," but feature a limited adjustment range. Sure, they move in the same directions as a Steelcase Leap's 4D armrests, but the range of motion is even more limited than the 4D armrests on Haworth chairs. This is not a dealbreaker--but don't be fooled into thinking that you're getting Steelcase/Haworth functionality at bargain-basement prices.

3) The armrests aren't very plush. Prob not a giant deal to most people, but again--you're not getting the nicely padded armrests on Steelcase/Haworth chairs at this price point.

4) The foam seat is OK in comfort. It's made of thick, cheap foam so it feels good for the first 30 minutes but it'll start compressing in longer-term use. I'd give the seat maybe half-a-year before it significantly compresses. The thick foam is a "party trick" to make you think "wow, this is so padded and comfortable" for the 30 seconds you sit on the chair in the store. Good, dense foam unlike the foam used on this chair will last forever. I've sat in Steelcase chairs with 1/2" of 15-year-old foam and the foam still felt great.

With all that out the way--don't get me wrong--it's a good chair, but if you're like 5'5, then don't blindly order the chair without sitting on it in a store first--it's simply way too high even on its lowest setting. This is just one way in which the "real" ergonomic office chairs are separated from the cheaper office chairs--the real chairs are designed with the 5th to 95th percentile of the population in mind--that means everyone from the 5'0 secretary to the 6'4 ex-NBA player in your office. This chair feels like it was designed for people 6'0 and above.

Help me find an alternative to this ayalon. I sat on it in store yesterday. I loved the back. And the seat was super thick & comfortable but you said it will decrease. And it doesnt have a headrest.

Anything similar in price that has that super silky mesh back and a super padded big durable seat? I have a bony ass.

Headrest too if possible or high back.

Alternative is to make enough money that a $200 chair won't break you.