The Official Swivel Chair Thread

[Pete]

You want your feet to be off the ground?

I want it as an option. I should clarify that not only do my feet touch the ground but the chair is slightly too low for even that, meaning they are always either tucked backwards or hooked around the base somehow.

[BBC LDN]

I'm lucky enough to have one of these beauties - http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Aeron-Chairs.

I was wondering how long it would be until someone rocked up with a sales pitch for those bloody things...

I happen to have one of these very chairs (purchased 1 year ago) and it's decisively unremarkable. It's also already part-broken (the foam lumbar thing has effectively broken in two, 'fixed' using black gaffer tape, and the tilt feature is intermittent).

I shall be replacing it with the Harvey model of chairs from Viking Direct (who appears to be being overcharged there to the value of £19.99 - they offer me one of those chairs for 1p every few years with a stationery order...)

Speaking of Viking, is Ian Helford still in existence?

Gosh, it sounds like you've had a bad experience with yours. Still, given that mine has lasted at least seven years and is still in excellent condition, and I know nine or ten people with around fifteen Aerons of different sizes between them, all in equally good condition, I think it's fair to say - anecdotally, at least - that yours is an exception to the rule.

Beyond the anecdotal of course, it's reasonable to assume that individuals and businesses wouldn't still be paying through the nose for these things, nor would Herman Miller continue to win awards, if all their chairs were nice to look at but fell apart after a few months. Herman Miller chairs are also covered for twelve years, so if yours is in such a poor state after less than a year - and assuming you've not been routinely beating it with a sledgehammer or dropping it from high-rise buildings for YouTube shenanigans, which I believe the warranty explicitly forbids - I'd suggest you get in touch with them.

I can't say I share your optimism that the exquisite engineering of Viking Direct's finest £20 throne will trump one of the finest chairs ever designed or built, but hey, let us know how that goes - and if it's still in near-perfect condition after seven years of continuous use, I'll give you the £20 myself.

That's a BBC LDN guarantee *thumbs up, cheesy grin*.

[Pete]

If anyone would care to have one of beach delivered to my flat I'd be quite happy to report back after 7 years regarding their equivalent performances. ta

[scottishtv]

So, is the Aeron chair the type that Dimbleby/Bio-Dimbleby sits in on Question Time? I have admired it in the past, esp when they've done that 'swoosh' around the back of the panel at the start of the show with the steadycam. I also stare at it when I mute the sound because someone is still droning on about the illegal war in Iraq.

I don't really care for that big base kinda thing underneath though. I guess that's what balances your weight or something?

Maybe I should start a news presenter's chairs thread over in the other place.

[bilky asko]

Viking Direct is now owned by Lyreco - and its now the retail arm of the supplier, where Lyreco deal with offices using reps in the traditional way.

Viking Direct is still a subsidiary of Office Depot, and I'm quite sure neither Viking nor Office Depot has anything to do with Lyreco.

[Gavin Scott]

You might be right. My rep from Lyreco (a nice chap called Tim) has jumped ship to Office Depot.

He was telling me about the trading divisions - but I could have sworn he was talking about Lyreco.

[Pete]

I dream of the day I have a stationary rep at my beck and call.

[bilky asko]

You might be right. My rep from Lyreco (a nice chap called Tim) has jumped ship to Office Depot.

He was telling me about the trading divisions - but I could have sworn he was talking about Lyreco.

Viking Direct is in two divisions - Personal/Home Office (Personal), and Small/Medium Business (Business). If the business is larger than a medium one, then they will get to deal with Office Depot.

[Nick Harvey]

All rather amusing though, as the only obvious difference between Viking Personal and Viking Business is whether the prices are shown inclusive or exclusive of VAT. All the products and end prices are exactly the same.

[Gavin Scott]

I dream of the day I have a stationary rep at my beck and call.

Aye, you'd like Tim, too. He's tall and handsome and gives me cracking discounts.

And as such, I'm moving my business from Lyreco to Office Depot - once his "restrictive covenant" lapses and he's allowed to visit my my office again.

All rather amusing though, as the only obvious difference between Viking Personal and Viking Business is whether the prices are shown inclusive or exclusive of VAT. All the products and end prices are exactly the same.

The list prices may be, but the difference is I can negotiate.

Box (5 x reams of 500 sheets) 80gsm white paper - RRP £16.80 - Lyreco Price to me £12.00 - Office Depots new quotation £10.00. All plus VAT obviously.

We're currently going through 13,500 sheets of this paper alone per month, so I suppose buying power has a lot to do with it.

But I'm dragging this off topic.

I'll take some pics of the chairs my ass currently enjoys.

[Nick Harvey]

The list prices may be, but the difference is I can negotiate.

Would you care to act as middle-man for my next chair?