Noisy office chair.

[steve30]

I got a Humanscale Diffrient World chair back in 2015. Its nice and comfortable, but it is extremely noisy.

I put a video on YouTube to demonstrate the noise. Does anyone have any ideas on how to quieten it?



Thanks .
steve30.

[rdl]

I've bought a lot of office chairs over the years, spending anywhere from $80 to $400, and every one of them turned out to be garbage.

[frozenfrogz]

Wow, that would annoy the hell out of me!

One thing you could try is to impregnate all the crevices with glycerol.
I am proposing glycerol in favor of mineral oil, because it is water soluble, so it does not permanently stain your clothes if you happen to apply it a bit too generously.

[Ampera]

I personally would never notice this. I have a fairly cheap office chair, so squeaks and noises happen, but I don't tend to move around much while sitting down (as normally the point of my sitting down is to do nothing for extended periods of time)

I also use headphones, so these sorts of noises don't affect me as much. Perhaps you could live to ignore it.

[DimitriP]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to quieten it?

Send it to  TwoOfFive!
He would't notice it, he uses headphones, and he doesn't move around too much and if all else fails, he can get used to living with it.

For plastic creaky sounds, dishwashing liquid, or talk powder  sometimes works depending on ...well...everything

[nctnico]

I've bought a lot of office chairs over the years, spending anywhere from $80 to $400, and every one of them turned out to be garbage.

You can't buy a decent office chair for that kind of money. I always buy the (real) professional grade second hand ones which cost like $1000 when new. Forget about the crap they sell at Staples or Ikea.

[NiHaoMike]

I've bought a lot of office chairs over the years, spending anywhere from $80 to $400, and every one of them turned out to be garbage.

You can't buy a decent office chair for that kind of money. I always buy the (real) professional grade second hand ones which cost like $1000 when new. Forget about the crap they sell at Staples or Ikea.

Why are very good chairs so expensive? Maybe it's time for April Wilkerson and/or Laura Kampf to design an open source version that can be built using common woodworking tools.

[Halcyon]

I bought a few Ikea 'Flintan' chairs. They are completely silent and move with a nice fluid motion. Reasonably comfortable for a cheap chair, even after sitting for long periods.

[Ampera]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to quieten it?

Send it to  TwoOfFive!
He would't notice it, he uses headphones, and he doesn't move around too much and if all else fails, he can get used to living with it.

For plastic creaky sounds, dishwashing liquid, or talk powder  sometimes works depending on ...well...everything

Lol, it's a bit of a pedantic thing to say. I'd say I agree with the glycerol guy if it's all plastic rubbing on plastic (which it sounds like). The bonus is that when the chair inevitably fall apart, you have a nice candy coated disassembly and recycling process.

[paulca]

Mine does the same thing, but it hasn't quite hit the tolerance levels for me to do something about.

I was thinking of just covering the adjustment clutches in a plastic bag and hitting the chair with PTFE spray.

[steve30]

I do have various sources of noise in here, so its not noticeable all the time. However, I do notice it a lot when everything is quiet.

It might be worth contacting the manufacturer, but as an engineering type, I was wondering if a squirt of grease in the right place might be easier  .

[paulca]

I just readjusted mine and it seemed to stop it - at least temporarily.  This leads me to think the noise is coming primarily from the adjustment clutches micro slipping.

[G7PSK]

All the office chairs that I have ever had the misfortune to come across have played havoc with my back. I had to sit on one for an hour and a half last week for a meeting. The next day I could hardly move and it took three days for the effect to wear off. That was the first time I had to use such a chair for several years, i avoid them like the plague they are. Who ever designs them should be sat in one for the rest of their life.

[nctnico]

I've bought a lot of office chairs over the years, spending anywhere from $80 to $400, and every one of them turned out to be garbage.

You can't buy a decent office chair for that kind of money. I always buy the (real) professional grade second hand ones which cost like $1000 when new. Forget about the crap they sell at Staples or Ikea.

Why are very good chairs so expensive?

Quality materials. Real office chairs need to be designed to have someone sit on them for like 8 to 10 hours per work day for 10 years or more.

[frozenfrogz]

Slightly OT but since we have the mighty crowd of chair enthusiasts gathered here: What model // manufacturer can you recommend leaving the price aside for the moment.

I am looking for a decent chair for my new workbench and was thinking Miller Aeron for a while now - Suggestions welcome

Edit: I saw, that this will conclude my 666th post here on the forums!

[rdl]

The three biggest flaws I've found (almost invariably) in the cheaper* chairs:

1. Poor quality/insufficient cushioning (feels fine at first, but you often begin to "bottom out" within a month or so).
2. Pneumatic adjustment fails (gas lift becomes leaky and will not hold position).
3. Noisy, loud creaking and popping sounds with every movement.

* Apparently $400 is still considered cheap?

[GreyWoolfe]

I just bought a Serta Jennings Big and Tall Manager chair, regularly $329 USD at Office Depot on sale for $229 USD.  Dead quiet and a very comfortable chair for one sold by a mattress company.  We will see how it holds up as I am both big and tall.  Most big and tall chairs, I find, don't adjust down low enough.  I have very short legs for my height.  This is the first big and tall chair that adjusts low enough that I am not sliding to the end of the chair to put my feet flat on the floor.  I would love to have a Herman Miller Aeron but even if I could afford a 2nd hand chair, the weight limit won't work.  I buy what fits my weight and replace as I need.

[rdl]

My last chair purchased was okay until a weld broke a couple of weeks ago. I'm back to using its predecessor, which is noisy and has a gas lift that's not trustworthy. There's an Office Depot a few miles up the Interstate, I may have to go check out that Serta.

[nctnico]

Slightly OT but since we have the mighty crowd of chair enthusiasts gathered here: What model // manufacturer can you recommend leaving the price aside for the moment.

Usually the big brands you find in an office: Ahrend, Dauphin, etc. My current chair is a Dauphin. When I need a new chair I go to an office supplies store which has a huge amount of used chairs. I tell the sales guy I won't leave without a chair but my ass is doing the shopping today so he shouldn't expect a meaningfull conversation 

[GreyWoolfe]

  I tell the sales guy I won't leave without a chair but my ass is doing the shopping today so he shouldn't expect a meaningfull conversation 

 

[nanofrog]

I've been looking at these lately...

National Public Seating 6224HB Grey Steel Stool with Hardboard Seat Adjustable and Backrest, 25"-33"


National Public Seating 6318HB Steel Stool with Square Hardboard Seat Adjustable and Backrest, 19"-27", Grey


Sturdy. Durable. And both are under $60 shipped.   

[Electro Detective]

...When I need a new chair I go to an office supplies store which has a huge amount of used chairs.

I tell the sales guy I won't leave without a chair but my ass is doing the shopping today so he shouldn't expect a meaningfull conversation 

   Giggle Of The Month Winner! 




In the office supplies shop, once I've chased off any chatty coffeeholic/ice snorting salestards  or cranky old meathead that thinks I'm an easy Mark,
I sit on the most expensive overpriced corporat target market models, and the weirdo fugly shaped ergonomic ones  ,
then hit on the cheapies till I score a good one that supports the lower back with little to no upward pressure on the back of the thighs,
that feels comfortable, supportive and relaxing. 

You would be surprised how good some of the cheapies are, ranging in price from $25 AUS to $100, and don't forget sales clearouts
and scratch and dent to get a one-off floor stock bargain that may need some TLC and a dust off

If you assemble a new boxed chair slowly, carefully and properly, lubing screws and friction parts along the way with WD-40 brushed on and working it in, you should have absolutely NO PROBLEMS for years 

A pack of cheap different sized metal washers can improve things too, to help screws and bolts seat better and behave


My current chair is awesome, it cost me $5 at a Vinnies opportunity shop which I spotted during a donation dropoff

After a dust off, disassembly, lube and re-assembly it works like a champ, I can sit on it all day without any issue or fatigue

It was probably some $666 ratass CEO's chair that squeeked once during a BS meeting, got tossed into the dumpster (unfortunately without the CEO attached) 
a passer by yanked it out, used it for a while, then donated it to Vinnies

Anyways, it's good for 10 years or more  and a challenge to find one better

Guys, get the chair business down pat if your butt is parked on one all day,
why blow money and lost productivity via health issues caused by bad posture and support down the track,
when a few hours of effort shopping wisely and proper assembly NOW can save you all that ? 

[Distelzombie]

Have you tried putting a big ferrite bead around it, steve30?

[Electro Detective]

steve30, I think the easiest and fast fix path is a can of dry lube spray

It should sort that out if the chair can't be disassembled without grief to pack some light grease in there to get rid of the creaking

It's a few minutes work every year or so if you use the spray on dry lube, which is the stuff used for seized car and door locks too btw


Anyway, good luck with it and if you go the ferrite bead route as suggested, make sure your door opening is sufficient   

[HighVoltage]

In my experience, a good chair starts at around 700 Euro
Never look for good chairs in office supply stores, they all suck, no matter how much they cost.

I have been using  BIMOS chairs for the lab and the office.
Look for "clean room industrial chairs", they are usually of very high quality.
https://www.bimos.com/B/ch-de/news/2688/arbeitsstuehle-in-der-industrie---der-perfekte-industriestuhl

Sometimes you can find them used for very low prices.