Too late, the fuse has been lit
I appreciate your advice, but I've already ordered it, and paid the tax.
I COULD weasel out of the deal (& cancel), but I'd trade the sales tax to avoid the ugliness of such a situation. (I did, after all, test their chair on their premises -- seems only proper that I give them my business. I'm a cheapskate, but never at the expense of manners.)
Where were you a week ago, when I was asking for suggestions?
I've seen a lot of other interesting looking chairs online, but when all is said & done, one can only consider buying a chair that they've actually sat in & tested.
The Grahl chair's intriguing, it looks like a pair of lungs:
the Grahl... or an...
the Grahl... or an insect.
I like it. Especially in orange, but you made a good choice.
All of the choices are good, but important to 'test drive'.
Visually i like your pick. I've struggled with this issue myself.
At work i have a couple of steelcase. And a row of Warren Mcarthur
folding chairs for visitor seating. Adjustments are important.
At home is another issue. We use a vintage University type aluminum and
oak library swivel. Probably Goodform(?). Very difficult to find a visually
appealing home office chair. Works for now. Has a great worn-in squeak.
(W-D does not help)...comforting, but not for extended hours at the computer.
...We tend to travel around the house and deck with laptops.
I hope it works for you. Please give a report after a trial period...
If it makes any difference,
I have promoted HiveModern, Retromodern and Highbrow before over DWR, because of DWR's sales taxing and the fact that even though they are proper Knoll and Herman Miller distributed, it was THEY who decide to only offer certain Knoll and Herman Miller pieces.
Go figure.
Barry-
I might have taken your advice and bought from Retromodern (to save the sales tax), had I not already paid for the chair. Others reading this may learn from my mistake, however.
I don't fault DWR for offering some- but not all- Knoll/ Herman Miller designs, why should they? They're a boutique.
Rockland-
That goofy Grahl chair is growing on me, too-- it does resemble a ladybug or a beetle. A quick online search leads me to believe they're not easy to find in the USA, though.
I'm sure you'll love your chair
and DWR is a professional business.
It's interesting, though. When I started looking at what was available from Knoll and Herman Miller, I looked at their website and started to check out their dealers.
Hive, Retromodern and Highbrow did not carry everything in their stores...they're like DWR's.
But, unlike DWR, the other three list (or think they do) all of the products that can order from either company. THAT'S the way to do business.
DWR will order for you, but their website is very selective and they give the impression that they can only get what they've chosen to show on their website.
That puts me off and I don't buy from them.
I don't see anything clever about boutiquing their business.
What's even more interesting is that DWR has stores all over and the the above three have single retail stores and rather complete websites.
Of all of them, Hive seems to be the complete.
Any idea what this one...
Any idea what this one is?...(dark photo so i'm posting the article link)
NYTimes last sunday.
"Favorite item in house: My ergonomic office chair. It is based on the tension you put on it. I swear by it. I love it. It brings down my blood pressure."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/magazine/04wwln-domains-t.html?_r=1&sc...
That goofy Grahl chair is quite possibly, I believe...
the proto-type for all the high end ergonomic computer chairs that have followed. Bought mine in 1992, I believe.
Someone who knows their high end computer chair legacy stuff fill us in on the history of the high end computer chair.
Barry
Rockland - thats a Liberty Chair from humanscale.
Barry - first off, let me disclaim I'm a little biased towards DWR because I've become good friends with one of the guys that works there, and I've had really good experiences there. So...
I asked my friend and he told me DWR can get anything from Knoll or Herman Miller. The stuff they carry 'standard' is usually warehoused, which means you can get it quicker than the lead times Hive & others are held to. If you buy something out of DWRs standard line-up you need to wait the same lead time as other websites. Also - just the fact that I can try things out before buying them is completely worth paying shipping. I would NEVER have spent 500 bucks on an LCW if I hadn't been able to try it out first. (just like I wouldnt buy a pair of shoes if I couldnt try them on)
And this may betray my bluer than blue liberal leanings - but I like taxes. They pay for important things like roads and police officers and such. Here in MA the state sales tax is directly related to how much funding our subway system gets. I couldnt in good conscience bitch about the lousy quality of the subway if, at the same time, I'm subverting their funding system by buying from an out of state vendor.
DWR provides a valuable service
by maintaining so many stores where one can try out the goods. It's discourteous to manhandle their samples and waste their sales staff's time if you intend ultimately to buy it online.
(I might have committed this moral faux pas had the online-savings been greater, however. I'm no saint-- I just play one, on the internet.)
You're both right about DWR...
but I had a less-than-excellent experience at my vocal DWR; there was a older bag there who thumbed her nose at anyone who wasn't spending big money (they finally showed her the door).
Also, when I bought my 36" square Eames work table last year (during the Herman Miller sale), I bought it from hive because they were the only ones showing it on their website.
It's a nice table; grey lamenate with a lighter grey edging. It works well down in my record room.
Back a few years when I went into DWR the first time, I was enquiring about the Eames Sofa, and since they didn't have it on their website, that old crum-bum told me it could not be ordered.
Go figure.
Finally, as far as sales tax goes, I put out a lot of money for sales tax all year long, and buying from someplace like Hive or buying on eBay and saving the tax makes me feel warm all over...I'm a liberal guy, but I also like a bargain!
We all love a bargain
Im sorry you've had bad experiences there. I've been snubbed myself - but only in the SoHo store in NYC. Ugg.. I gagged on the pretension as soon as I walked in the door. But the Boston & Cambridge locations have always been more than friendly.
Anyway... here's a little secret of mine: Make friends with the people at DWR and you'll get some good deals. I've gotten an Eames wire table, an Eames LCW, a Navy chair and a few other odds and ends - all at deep discount prices when they have their floor sales. Some of the stuff is dented or dinged - but honesly - I'm going to do far worse damage in my day to day life. The only caveat is that most of the big name pieces go to employees before they even are listed.
one more "too-little-too-late" recommendation . . .
First off, I should disclose I work for the manufacturer, but did you happen to look at the Haworth Zody chair? I've worked in a couple of the chairs you mentioned (the Leap and the Freedom), and I actually have an Aeron at home, but the Zody (what I sit in at work currently) has been, overall, my favorite so far. I have back trouble (I know - in this day and age, who doesn't?), and it's helped tremendously in that respect (it was actually the first - and might be the only, I haven't checked to see if there are others - task chair endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association). It's also very "green" if that's of any importance to you.
I admit, it does have a couple of drawbacks (I prefer the mesh seat of the Aeron to the upholstered seat on the Zody, and the adjustable armpads move around a bit too easily). But like I said before, so far it's my favorite.
One more note for everyone: don't be afraid to spend a little money on a decent task chair (whichever one you like best). If you spend any amount of time at all in it every day, it will be worth it in the long run.
http://www.haworth.com/Brix?pageID=148&product_sakey=98
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