Home Recording Studio Chair On A Budget

I feel like I’ve been looking for the right home recording studio chair forever. I’ve had 3 different chairs in the last 5 years alone and one requirement has always remained the same; the arms must flip up out of the way so I can play guitar. While my previous chair had the arm thing, the problem was that it didn’t have a waterfall seat edge so it used to cut into the back of my legs.

I’ve heard the chair of choice for professional recording studios is the Herman Miller Aeron. While I’ve never sat in the Aeron model, I can attest to Herman Miller’s quality because a company I used to work for had their Sayl model chairs – and that was the most comfortable chair I’ve ever used, but alas it had fixed arms.

Like most people, I’m not made of money and I can’t actually afford a Herman Miller chair. Even used, the prices are still too much for me to justify. I don’t think I’ve spent more than £100-£150 on a chair, maybe that’s the problem and a false economy in the long run.

My latest acquisition makes me wonder if I’ve finally found the (relatively) budget-friendly home studio alternative to the Aeron chair.

The Fuller Task Operator Mesh Chair With Folding Arms is exactly what I was looking for, featuring:

• Fold up and height-adjustable arms
• Mesh backrest and seat with waterfall seat edge
• Height-adjustable gas lift adjustment
• Tilting action with tension adjustment

I did some research about mesh chairs and apparently, the cheaper ones can be less comfortable and more abrasive on clothes. And yes, this chair seat is more firm because it’s mesh and not foam, but I’m hoping it will soften with more use as it’s rated for 8 hours (which is possibly better than being comfortable to start with and the mesh stretching out of shape over time).

If you’ve found a great home recording studio chair on a budget, leave a comment, as I’m sure others are still hunting for their perfect chair.

Update: I’ve had the chair for just over a week now, and with intermittent use, I can already notice the seat doesn’t feel too firm anymore. I even worked from home for a day and never gave the seat a second thought after an average of 7.5 hours of use. It’s currently winter in the UK, so the mesh seat is a little colder because there is nothing to retain heat, but this will be great in summer. So yeah, I’m still pleased with my purchase.