hansen@pegasus.UUCP (Tony L. Hansen) (12/03/84)
I recently had the pleasure of trying out one of those wierd looking chairs where you rest your knees on one part of the chair and rest your derriere on the other part. I found it very comfortable and felt no back strain. I do tend to get a very sore back from just about everything, so this seems pretty neat. My question is, are they REALLY all that good for you? Or is it just a quack fad? Would anyone who knows anything about this chair or has any comments on it please mail them to me, as I'm considering getting one. Thank you, Sonya Hansen ihnp4!pegasus!hansen
hosking@convexs.UUCP (12/05/84)
I assume you are talking about Balans chairs, which are available in almost
any Scandinavian furniture store, and are often copied by other companies.
[If you can't find them, drop me a note and I'll mail you the address of
the mail order place where I bought mine.]
Are they any good ? Well, let me put it this way. I'm sitting on one right
now. It's my normal desk chair at work, and I have only one complaint about
it. It keeps vanishing because others around here borrow it when I'm not
around! (Are you reading this, Alan ???) One of the people who used to
borrow it liked it so much that he bought one for himself, and many others
would buy them if the price dropped.
I bought my Balans chair almost two years ago, and have been using it at
work ever since. I find it much! more comfortable than many other chairs.
They're supposed to be great for people with bad backs. (I haven't had any
back problems for several years, so I can't really say how true this is.)
If you're interested in getting a Balans chair, be careful to get a REAL one.
There are a number of knockoffs floating around. A REAL Balans chair has
a curved bottom which makes it somewhat like a rocking chair; the knockoffs
generally have flat bottoms. A REAL Balans chair is made of beechwood;
knockoffs are often made of cheap plastic. A REAL Balans chair goes for about
$175; knockoffs often go for < $100.
I could say a lot more about the chairs, but the best thing I can say is
to try one. The standard reaction of those who try them is that they look
strange, feel strange at first, but are very comfortable after the first
few minutes... if you can keep one around long enough to enjoy it.
Doug Hosking
Convex Computer Corp.
{allegra, ihnp4}!convex!hoskingal@genrad.UUCP (Al Gudaitis) (12/07/84)
> I recently had the pleasure of trying out one of those wierd looking chairs > where you rest your knees on one part of the chair and rest your derriere on > the other part. I found it very comfortable and felt no back strain......... > I have recently purchased one of those chairs and I, too, find it comfortable for my back. However, my knees are killing me now. This may be a problem due to the manufacturing philosophy of one-size-fits-all. I find that my knees have to be bent at considerably more than 90 degrees when sitting on this chair and that places a constant force exactly on the kneecap. Perhaps if the knee-rest were higher relative to the base of the chair, more of my "forward- sliding-weight" would be supported by my shins instead of by my knee. I haven't yet had a chance to experiment with this possibility but I'll let you know if it helps. Al Gudaitis decvax!genrad!al
andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) (12/07/84)
On the other hand, if you are the type who likes to put your feet on
your desk (makes the blood rush to the head and stimulates thinking
:-)) then this chair is definitely not for you.
-- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew) [UUCP]
(orca!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay) [ARPA]luria@ucbvax.ARPA (Marc Luria) (12/09/84)
The REAL Balans chairs run about $175, and I admit that they are better than the lower priced versions. However, has anyone had any experience with the lower-priced versions for those of us who are not willing to shell out that kind of money. In particular, has anyone had any experience with a particular kind called the "Back Chair." It is flat on the bottom, and seems to made of some veneer. A few of the office supply outlets around here advertise it at $69 on sale. Price Club has it for $23. Is it better than a normal chair for work at my desk or terminal? Is it much worse than a Real Balans chair? (Price Club is a chain of warehouse discount stores out here in CA).
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (12/10/84)
What is the advantage to the curved bottom? How are these chairs for pregnant women? How about those of us who fidget a lot? I tend to shift my position often, from regular sitting to slouching to taylor position (legs folded under you) to one leg folded under.
lmm@teddy.UUCP (Linda M. McInnis) (12/10/84)
There are adjustable versions of this chair available for less money than the original. I had the same problem with my back feeling better and my knees getting crushed. The adjustable numbers also have more padding on the knee pad. Some have wheels (for those of us who have chair races throughout the office) which is good if you have L-shaped work spaces and like to work at the terminal and then reference something and then go back to the terminal, etc. Most office supply houses in the area carry both the fixed and adjustable chairs for around $100. If you need a source for the adjustable chairs, send me e-mail and I'll get you addresses. -- Linda M. McInnis USENET: genrad!teddy!lmm "I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused."
tosca@ihnp4.UUCP (lyn cole) (12/18/84)
I have a "back chair" bought for $49.95 (+$5.95 postage) from a catalog i received out of the blue from a company called Tapestry, in Hanover, PA (toll-free order number 800-621-5800). It has a flat bottom and is made with a laminated hardwood frame and some sort of polyester fabric-covered cushions for knees and seat. It appears and feels structurally sound, now that i've assembled it, though its finish is poor. That is, the wood is rough, the varnish thin, the cushion material cheap and slippery, and the cushion back a cheap, rough, unfinished plywood. However, it is sturdy and feels comfortable and has some room for moving around and adjusting sitting position. It seems ideal for working at a terminal. Though the curved bottom of the Balans chair is nice for rocking, it certainly isn't necessary and probably isn't worth the extra price. Whether the "cheap imitations" are ultimately as comfortable as the Balans would have to be answered by someone who has had several hours of sitting experience on both (i've tried the Balans, but not for long enough to be able to tell, except that its fabric seemed more comfortable and less slippery). The Balans also has a separate cushion for each knee, while the one i have has one for both. I find that i fidget far less on this chair than i do on others, probably because it's more comfortable (or perhaps because i can't?). In any case, it's usually back discomfort that causes the slouching and fidgeting, a problem that is greatly alleviated by this chair. A friend and his wife bought a special version of the Balans for her when she was pregnant: it has arms and a back to act like a recliner when it is tipped back and like a regular Balans when it is tipped forward. Sounds interesting, but it's expensive. lyn cole (ihnp4!tosca) AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL
faiman@uiucdcsb.UUCP (12/19/84)
Our local K-Mart (or some such store) now has these chairs for thirty-some dollars each - and I imagine the price will continue to drop as the fad lasts, and then they will eventually disappear. Mike Faiman
scott@opus.UUCP (Scott Wiesner) (12/20/84)
> Though the curved bottom of the Balans chair is nice for rocking, it > certainly isn't necessary and probably isn't worth the extra price. My understanding was that Balans has the "rights" to their specific design, which includes the various angles involved. I don't own one, but have tried the balans as well as the imitations, and found the balans to be the most comfortable. The one I liked best was not the rocker model, but the one on wheels that swivels and has adjustable hight. Seems that having it on wheels would make it much better for my little cramped cubicle. Now if I could just talk my manager into the idea that it would pay for itself through my increased productivity... -- Scott Wiesner {allegra, ucbvax, cornell}!nbires!scott
hutch@shark.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison) (12/24/84)
> > Though the curved bottom of the Balans chair is nice for rocking, it > > certainly isn't necessary and probably isn't worth the extra price. > > ... Now if > I could just talk my manager into the idea that it would pay for itself > through my increased productivity... > -- > > Scott Wiesner Well, many managers are favorably impressed by Balans chairs when they see that the price is about 2/3 that of a comparable standard office chair. Hutch
xchar@alice.UUCP (Charles S. Harris) (12/24/84)
My wife has back trouble due to a "slipped" disk.
She bought one of those cheap, imitation back chairs (on sale
at $30 at Drug Fair) and assembled it. It wasn't too bad to
look at, but in only 15 min of using it in front of the terminal,
she started to feel pain in her sciatic nerve (the nerve which
goes down the back of the leg and is often affected in cases
involving disk problems). The discomfort persisted for hours
after she got off the chair. We've returned it, and now wonder
whether the problem was caused by the inferior design of the
chair, the fact that my wife is short (5'2") and the chair
wasn't adjustable, or other factors. Do back chairs help in
ALL types of back trouble--muscular, disk, etc.--or just for
certain kinds of back trouble? Would 8 hours of sitting in a
back chair, in the only position that's possible, be any better
than 8 hours of sitting in a regular chair, in a variety of
positions? Has anyone with disk problems ever tried out the
$175 Balans chair for a long period of use?
--Charlie Harris, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ
(allegra|harpo|ulysses)!alice!xchar