Have A Seat: Choose The One That Best Suits You

For the past two or three months I've been doing a lot of sitting around on the job.

It's all been in the line of duty, mind you. I've been ``beta-testing'' office chairs, which comprise one of the hottest topics around these days. Among the first questions you get asked, when people find out you write about computers, is, ``What kind of chair do you use?''

The reason is simple: There are an awful lot of truly bad office chairs out there which, as the boomer generation ages, are not only causing discomfort but are contributing to debilitating lower-back injuries, eye strain, repetitive-strain injuries and other woes of the working wounded.

It was after I wrote about these disorders, in fact, that Ian Chong, a Seattle ergonomics consultant, got me started on my chair-test campaign. Chong, who has worked on office ergonomics with ABC Corp. and the Seattle mayor's office, says proper chairs allow better concentration, reduce neck and back ailments as well as headaches, and otherwise buffer the stresses of deadline work.

By now I've managed to test more than a dozen chairs, not only giving them a whirl myself but sharing them with other Times staffers. I've learned that, like people, no two chairs are alike. It stands to reason, then, that no two people will like the same chair.

My test chairs were provided by MBI Systems, Bank & Office Interiors and an independent representative, but they can be found at a variety of vendors listed in the Yellow Pages under ``Office Furniture Dealers.''

The chair at the top of my list - the Equa from Herman Miller - was judged too hard in the seat by a hard-nosed Times colleague. I happen to like a hard (or, as the vendors say, ``firm'') chair; she doesn't.

We reached our opposite preferences only after test-sitting for a day or two. This is a crucial point in choosing a chair: You can't just plop down in one for a few minutes and make up your mind. Most consultants recommend at least half a day of concentrated sitting.

Chairs today come with a variety of configurations, including seat tilt (some will tilt forward for VDT work, then adjust backward for ordinary desk tasks), height, tension (how much ``give'' there is when you lean back), armrest height (some allow you to remove the armrests altogether). Many come in multiple seat widths and back heights, crucial points for the broader and taller among us.

Adjustability is essential because, consultants say, the best ergonomically designed chair is worthless if it isn't tailored to your own physique and work habits. By the same token, the right chair isn't necessarily a cure-all for repetitive-strain disorders: Other factors such as lighting, desk orientation, keyboard configuration and even lifestyle habits must be addressed as well.

Most chairs come in a variety of fabrics and leather; I didn't care for leather. It looks impressive, very executive-like, but tends to stick to the skin after awhile. Besides, if your wit, charm and good looks don't impress someone, your chair is not going to turn the tide.

As for cost, you're looking at the $350-to-$600 range for a good office chair. Although that's more than the $100 or so for which you can get a cheap chair, you'll save the difference in terms of comfort and durability over time.

The Equa is a ``passive ergonomics'' chair. In other words, it fits itself to your body: there aren't many gadgets to adjust back height, seat pan tilt, etc. And when you lean back the seat slides with you as though it were part of your body.

I'm not the only one who likes the Equa: Time magazine gave it one of its ``Design of the Decade'' awards. And two other office cohorts gave it a thumbs-up.

Steelcase has come up with a model very much like the Equa. Consequently, the Sensor was a close second on my list of favorites: It too conforms to you like a body glove, and it wasn't as firm in the seat as the Equa (a minus for me, a plus for others). I particularly liked the Rhapsody Twilight fabric with Grotto base and Waterfall arms. (As Dave Barry would say, I'm not making this up.)

People who do strictly VDT work might take a look at the Grahl, which had adjustable cups to support the elbows while at a keyboard. The chair looks unorthodox, like ``something out of a gynecologist's office,'' as a female co-worker put it, but I found myself quickly liking that elbow (and shoulder) support.

This chair could not be shared among several employees, however, because of its precision adjustments. Nor would it be appropriate as a meeting or desk-task chair.

Two particularly particular colleagues liked the Sit Rite, which offers fine-tuning for every feature - height, tilt, pan, etc. - and also should not be shared. It's so ergonomically correct that orthopedists and physical therapists prescribe it for disability claimants with lower-back injuries.

Other chairs worth investigating come from Vitra, including its Figura, Imago and Persona lines. The Imago offers good support for the lumbar region, the lower-back area that so often falters under deadline and extended performance. The Persona is a sharp-looking chair with good back support.

Finally, I'm not ready to write off the front-kneeling Balans-style chairs. I've used one in my home office for years. Again, they're not appropriate for shared work station situations and are an acquired taste, but I know folks who have happily used them in office settings, and they come in a variety of configurations.

One nice thing about chair-shopping today is that dealers have test models on hand to try out for a few hours or more. And that's critical: Given the expense of a good chair and the health and well-being factors at stake, you might as well be deliberate about making your choice. It's a decision you'll have to live - and sit - with for a long time.

NEWS BYTES

Cablearn, the educational Channel 27, will repeat its popular ``Beginning Mac'' course on Macintosh computing starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. A companion manual to the five hourlong segments airing weekly is available for $5 from the University of Washington, Nuclear Engineering, BF-20, Seattle WA 98195. For more information call 543-2754 . . . If you want an environmentally safe personal-computer dust chaser, PerfectDuster II with Ozone Guard is available from PerfectData for $8.95. It won't hurt the ozone layer or your computer.

TIP OF THE WEEK

A quick and easy way for Mac users to copy a file to a different folder is to press the option key as you drag the file between folders. (Thanks to Dr. Fred Taub and the Downtown Macintosh Business Users Group.) Have a tip, question or suggestion to pass along? Write this column care of The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle 98111. Paul Andrews can be reached on CompuServe at 76050,161 or via fax at 382-8873.

User Friendly appears Tuesdays in The Seattle Times. Paul Andrews is a member of The Times staff.