Best Office Chairs: An 8 Year Test

Over the last 8 years we’ve tested 7 different office chairs at a range of prices, from the ultra expensive $1.5K designer chair, to the budget friendly $300 value options, and several models in the middle. Is it really worth it to spend over $1,000 on a chair? Or can you get similar performance for less money?

We’re going to score, rank, and compare these 7 chairs and hopefully help shed some light on which is the best office chair for you.

Between our 5 person team we have 7 different office chairs that see regular use. The oldest 2 chairs have been in service for 8 years, while the remaining 5 chairs have been in service for 2 to 7 years. Most of these chairs are the single and primary chair for a single member of our team. As a result, they get the most wear and tear and we’ll have the best durability and longevity data for those chairs.

While these 7 chairs aren’t all encompassing of the entire office chair market, they do represent a wide price range with models between $300 and $1500. In addition, we have a number of chair types, including the high end designer, gaming, ultra plush, and more traditional options. The 7 chairs that we’re looking at today include the Herman Miller Aeron, DX Racer OH and DOH (now known as the Formula series), Oak Hollow Aloria, IKEA Markus, Branch Ergonomic, and Serta Smart Layers Jennings.

In This Guide
How We Tested | Chair Rankings | Herman Miller Aeron | Oak Hollow Aloria | DX Racer OH | DX Racer DOH | Branch Ergonomic | Serta Jennings | IKEA Markus | Summary

How We Tested

Our analysis is going to be focusing more on long term use and durability. Most chairs, even mediocre ones, will feel pretty good within the first several months of use. However, it’s the long term performance, durability, and comfort that really separates the okay chairs from the great chairs. Our scores and rankings are focused on how the chairs have performed over years of daily use.

Across the wider internet most seem to agree that a quality office chair should last 7 to 8 years. As a result, much of our analysis will be using the 7 to 8 year benchmark for durability ratings.

Lastly, because it’s impossible for 1 person to do long term tests on a large number of office chairs, we brought in our entire team to help provide insights, scores, rankings, and comparisons for these 7 chairs.

Office Chair Rankings

First up, we’re going to start with a tier list. We’ve scored each chair against what we think are the 4 most critical performance factors, including comfort, support, durability, and adjustability.

Chair	Comfort	Support	Durability	Adjustable	Overall	Price	Link
Herman Miller Aeron	A	S	S	S	S	$$$$	Check Price
Oak Hollow Aloria	A	S	S	S	S	$$$	Check Price
DX Racer OH	B	A	S	A	A	$$	Check Price
DX Racer DOH	C	B	B	A	B	$$	Check Price
Branch Ergonomic	B	B	C	A	B	$	Check Price
Serta Layers Jennings Super Task	A	B	C	C	B	$$	Check Price
IKEA Markus	D	C	D	C	D	$	Check Price

S-Tier

Our team of testers were all in agreement that the Herman Miller Aeron and Oak Hollow Aloria were the top choices and easily earned their S tier ratings. Both of these chairs have been in service for several years, maintained strong durability, have incredible adjustability, and create great comfort and support.

A-Tier

In the A tier we have the DX Racer OH. This chair has been my personal daily driver in the office for 8 years. Despite 8 years of use it has held up amazingly well. Support, comfort, and adjustability aren’t at the same level as our S tier chairs, but considering it’s nearly half as expensive, it’s a solid value.

B-Tier

In the B tier we have the DX Racer DOH, Branch Ergonomic, and Serta Layers Jennings. The DX Racer DOH is seemingly very similar in design to the OH model. However, it had notably worse durability compared to the DX Racer OH. Performance on the Branch and Serta were a bit of a mixed bag, with durability being quite mediocre on both.

D-Tier

We had no chairs in the C tier, which brings us down to D tier, where we have the lone IKEA Markus. Despite this chair’s seemingly widespread popularity across the internet, our testers found it extremely disappointing. With just 2 years of use the chair has already lost essentially all of its padded cushion, creating an uncomfortable and unsupportive feel.

Individual Office Chairs Analyzed

Next, we’re going to discuss the specifics of each chair. For each office chair we’ve included both insights from our larger team as well as insights on performance and durability from the Modern Castle team member who uses that chair as their daily driver.

Herman Miller Aeron: S-tier

First up, we have the Herman Miller Aeron. We bought this chair in 2016 and it was the daily driver for my wife, Samantha, for 4 years in our office and then in the last 3 years has become my daily driver at my home office.

When it comes to performance the Aeron excels in most areas. The chair has an incredible level of adjustability including the seat height, arm height and angle, tension tilt and lock, lumbar height, and more. All of that adjustability allows a user to fine tune the chair to their specific needs and preferences, creating improved support and comfort.

In the 7 years of use the chair has held up extremely well. There are no noticeable signs of wear and tear and it functions as well today as it did on day 1.

4 out of our 5 testers rated the comfort in the A tier, with 1 tester rating it at S. Most of our testers found the mesh seat to not be as comfortable as more traditional padded seats. Overall, our testers were impressed with the performance and durability, earning the Aeron an easy S tier rating.

Oak Hollow Aloria: S-tier

Next up we have the Oak Hollow Aloria. We got this chair in 2020 making it 3 years old. When we first got the chair I used it as my daily driver in the office for 6 months and since then it’s been used as my wife’s primary chair in our home office.

The Aloria had similar scores compared to the Herman Miller Aeron. Like the Aeron, it too has an incredible level of adjustability. Arms move up, down, forward, back, in, and out, the seat can slide forward and backward, there’s a tilt lock, lumbar height adjuster, seat height, and headrest that adjusts height or can be detached.

When it comes to office chairs, being able to make these fine tuning adjustments is essential as it allows you to create the specific ergonomic conditions that work best for your body.

In terms of durability the chair is holding up well. After 3 years of use there is no significant performance degradation. Our version of the Aloria is equipped with a leather seat cushion. While it’s clearly broken in, the cushion is quite thick and feels nowhere near the end of its life.

Notably, the Aloria is available with a padded fabric seat, padded leather seat, or the Aeron style mesh seat.

3 out of our 5 testers rated the Aloria’s comfort at the S tier, with 2 of the 5 rating it at an A. Most of our testers preferred the padded cushion of the Aloria versus the mesh seat on the Herman Miller.

DX Racer OH: A-tier

Next we have the DX Racer OH. We bought this chair in 2015 and it has been my daily driver in the office for 8 years. In terms of overall performance this chair lags behind the Herman Miller and Aloria chairs. However, given that it’s around half the price, some of that performance difference is understandable.

The DX Racer has good, but not incredible adjustability. Arms raise and lower, the seat goes up and down, there’s a tilt lock lever, and the head pillow can be adjusted or removed. The relatively limited adjustability certainly puts a limit on the ergonomic, support, and comfort performance compared to office chairs with more adjustability.

In terms of durability, the DX Racer OH has been incredibly impressive. This is the single oldest chair we’ve tested. Despite this fact, the chair is still comfortable, supportive, and all of the adjustable elements still function.

However, there is definitely some cosmetic damage. In addition, the armrests are a bit loose and the padded seat is at the end of its usable service life. Even so, for a chair that’s 8 years old it’s fair to say that it has been extremely durable.

When it came to comfort our testers were split with one rating it at an A, two Bs, and two Cs. Support was also split with three A tiers and two Bs. When all of the scores were averaged together the DX Racer earned an A tier overall.

DX Racer DOH: B-tier

Next up we have the DX Racer DOH model. We bought this chair in 2015 and it was the daily driver for, Chris, one of our now departed team members, for 4 years. In the last 4 years this chair has been at one of our workstations in the studio, meaning it only gets used 2 to 3 times per week and only for a few hours at a time.

In terms of adjustability it does all the same stuff as the DX Racer OH with adjustments for arms, height, and tilt.

Seemingly the DX Racer DOH and OH are very similar. However, the durability was notably worse on the DOH compared to the OH model. Around 2 years ago one of the armrests broke and it can no longer be raised. In addition, the padded seat cushion has severely degraded, especially towards the very back of the chair, causing you to feel the harder support base.

Based on our years of testing and usage I would say the chair was a strong performer for 4 years with waning performance for years 5 and 6. However, the failing arm rest and declining comfort performance due to the seat cushion have really spelled the end of life for this chair.

Our testers were in agreement that the comfort of the DOH model was firmly in the C tier, with support being split across 3 tiers. We were also in agreement that the durability earned a B. While the chair is clearly at the end of its life and has been for at least 2 years, it did have 5 to 6 years of great performance, earning it a B tier for overall score.

Branch Ergonomic: B-tier

Next up we have the Branch Ergonomic. Branch is a newer direct to consumer brand that sells chairs, desks, and other workplace essentials. This chair has been the daily driver of Nathan for 2 years.

It has a number of adjustable areas, but it’s definitely not at the same level of adjustability as the more expensive Herman Miller and Oak Hollow Chairs. The adjustments include upper back, lumbar, seat height, tilt, tilt tension, and seat depth.

At only 2 years old the chair is still quite new. Even so, the seat is already showing noticeable signs of degradation. Nathan estimates that the cushion only has another 2 or 3 years of use before it will simply be too compressed to be comfortable. In addition, some of the adjustable components are a little looser than they were originally. However, they are all still functioning well.

Our testers were split on comfort, but 3 out of 5 agreed that it fell within the B tier. 4 out of 5 testers also agreed that the chair fell within the B tier for support. Overall the Branch Ergonomic Office chair earned a B tier rating.

Serta Jennings: B-tier

Next on our list is the Serta Smart Layers Jennings Big and Tall. This is a more classic style, super plush leather office chair. The chair is 4 years old and is the daily driver for Kyle. The adjustable options are pretty limited on this chair, but it includes adjustments for height, tilt, and arm height.

Durability is a bit of a mixed bag. Without question the biggest durability issue is the exterior leather. Over time it has gradually dried and flaked off.

In addition, Kyle noted that the hydraulic piston that allows the chair to raise and lower its height has weakened over time. While the height can still be adjusted, it will very gradually lose its height and eventually need to be raised up again to Kyle’s proper level.

Despite these issues, the chair itself remains quite comfortable and the foam padding materials are holding up well. 4 out of our 5 testers rated the comfort within the A tier. Our testers were mixed on the support rating, but 3 out of 5 agreed that it was B tier.

Compared to the chairs we’ve discussed thus far the Serta Jennings feels pretty far behind at a C tier. The value is also not so great as the price point is far from inexpensive. While the super plush material design does improve comfort, it lags behind in support, durability, and adjustability.

IKEA Markus: D-tier

The last chair on our list is the IKEA Markus. This chair has been the daily driver of Alex for 2 years.

The chair can adjust seat height, tilt tension, and tilt lock. Notably, the arms are fixed and cannot be adjusted. The fixed arms were a major detractor for Alex, as a result, he simply decided to not attach them.

The biggest problem with the IKEA Markus is durability and comfort. The seat has a relatively minimal level of padded cushion. Even after just 2 years of use the cushion has completely degraded to the point that you’re sitting on the hard metal and plastic base. 4 out of our 5 testers agreed that the comfort rating was within the D tier.

For a padded seat to only last 2 years is far south of what we’d hope for. As a result, all 5 of our testers agreed that the durability of the chair was also within D tier.

This is the least expensive chair on the list. However, it’s not so inexpensive that this level of performance is acceptable. As a result, IKEA Markus earned a D tier rating.

Summary

Buying a new office chair is especially challenging in today’s world as so many chairs look similar, with knock offs emulating high end designer chairs, an endless carousel of white label gaming chairs, and an extremely wide price range.

During the course of creating this best of list we compiled 34 years of chair testing experiences across our 5 person team. In our view, there were a number of clear design, material, and price choices that would be helpful guidelines for choosing your next office chair.

Price

First up, price. Based on our testing experience, it’s clear that price isn’t everything. While the ultra expensive Herman Miller Aeron was the best, it was tied with an Oak Hollow Aloria, a chair that’s nearly half as expensive. Chairs we tested in the $400 to $500 range were generally quite good as well, even if they did lack some of the bells and whistles.

That said, it was also clear that the more budget friendly chairs aren’t necessarily the value they appear to be. The relatively inexpensive IKEA Markus and Branch Ergonomic didn’t have anywhere near the durability as the more expensive chairs, while they also lacked some adjustable components.

In our view, an office chair in the $400 to $700 range is the sweet spot as far as value goes.

Adjustability

Next up, adjustability. It’s not enough for a chair to just raise and lower. The office chairs that have a full range of adjustable components allow you to create the ergonomic conditions that work best for your body. A chair that properly supports your back, body, weight, and arms all at the correct height ensures better posture, support, and pressure relief. A chair that fails in these areas is likely to lead to discomfort during longer sitting sessions.

Adjustability is largely associated with price. In our testing, we saw more expensive chairs had greater adjustability than less expensive chairs. However, as with total performance, chairs in the $400 to $700 range generally have enough adjustability to create those ideal ergonomic conditions.

Material Types

Lastly, let’s talk about materials. In our view, the biggest material factor is the padding on the cushion. It’s a significant area that once it degrades the comfort of the chair will rapidly decline. Chairs with thicker and higher density foam padding will be comfortable for longer.

Our team was largely split on this issue, with half preferring padded foam and half preferring mesh. The advantage of a mesh seat is it won’t compress and degrade in the same way a foam seat will. As a result, you’re likely to get a greater number of usable years from chairs with mesh seats.

Even so, it’s clear that mesh isn’t for everyone, so if you do opt for a padded seat make sure to look for one that is sufficiently thick, as the extra thickness will most likely result in the greatest longevity.