HON Ignition 2.0 vs Haworth Zody

You can find it for around your budget of $250 and he'll be MUCH happier with that chair long term than any "gaming" chair or cheap Office Max chair.

is in that price range.

Easy to assemble, 10-15 min tops. They were clearly thoughtful about how to make this as convenient as possible for the customer. Overall, chair looks good (simple design), it's stable, and it's adjustable in the right ways except one: The handles only adjust up and down (not sideways). Comfortable for a 6'3" person

You'll also see mentions of the Haworth Zody or Nightingale chairs. Almost as importantly, the comment section is pretty much an echo of this sub's daily routine of people "seeing the light" of good ergonomics while working.

This is more of a seat than a true arm chair. Knowing now what it offers I would buy a less expensive chair with similar qualities. I am learning that sometimes you can trust the NY times column "The Wirecutter", where I read the recommendation for this chair and sometimes you've got to do your own research. The materials that went into manufactoring this chair and the design for sitting comfort don't IMO justify the 400 dollar price tag

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about sitting normally and having the back locked without sway. Some will tell you it is good for a chair to have some sway but I don't like it and this Zody has too much of it. Overall not a bad chair

With less wobbly armrests and wheels that roll in style, this thing is smooth silk. You won't have to get used to the seat as it offers great support ...

For this reason I believe, my Fern's recline strengthens as I move backwards. This is unlike steelcase chairs but also the Haworth Zody itself, and that's why I think this is optional. Yet I may be wrong.

First off - assembly was easy! Only had three screws :) Rolling is extremely smooth! Maybe this is just what any new set of wheels feels like and my chair was old, but this is definitely nice to slide around in. The back is pretty nice. When the product describes itself as having "lumbar support" It's hard to describe but I guess it's like a difference between a back that is cushy and gives-in, versus a region that remains firm; as opposed to a lumbar you'd find in a car or recliner that pushes into your back. The seat is really nice and I appreciate this fabric over the "fake leather" stuff my old chair is currently flaking all of the floor

I got it in 2 days (during Covid times), and got assistance in assembly by the seller. So for both seller and the chair, I give 5/5 stars!

Now for the negatives, The arms aren't that solid feeling and can shake when applying pressure. I'm 5'8 and this chair surprisingly doesn't go low enough to provide proper ergonomics for my legs. It only needs to go down a couple more inches but it is what it is. My biggest complaint is the "Chair Base"

With your budget, I recommend looking at used/refurbished high end ergo chairs. Steelcase Leap, Haworth Zody/Very, etc. These are quality chairs that will help your posture and alleviate any pain.