I started off with a gaming chair pl6800 vertagear that fell apart pretty fast and was abusing my body for a year. (metal jabbing, foam sinking, etc.)
Swapped to a Knoll Generation (renewed for 300 from officelogixshop with issues, they definitely arent remanufactued, seems like they buy them used and clean the main bits to make them look like new) Its pretty amazing as someone who fidgets a lot, being able to stretch with my arms back is insanely comforting because the bucket seat was making me a hunchback. This chair specifically was the best move going from a gaming chair because the back bends, its like the exact opposite of a gaming chair.
It is used and definitely feels off, they sent me a replacement and told me to donate the first one (height adjustment didnt work, new one creaks) But even then its a massive improvement over the gaming chair that was supposedly made for big ppl. (im 240 5’10) The seat while thin is suprisingly comfortable for 8 hours of use daily and I can sit with one leg over the other. I might buy a cushion tho. This was my first “real” chair purchase and its suprisingly decent not being a steelcase amia/leap (havent tried both but its all anyone on reddit talks about)
I’ve been using an Ikea Markus for about 15 years, which I’ve been really comfortable with and is not super expensive. It’s not massively adjustable, so if it doesn’t fit your body shape, it might not be for you; but at the same time, it’s fit me and works really well and has enough adjustment that I’ve been able to shift through quite a few different changes in my life over that time. The ‘pleather’ is flaking now, and the padding has completely collapsed, but I’m looking to replace with another one of the same because it’s been good to me, which is probably the highest rating I can give something… it’s worn out from massive amounts of use, and is now due for replacement with exactly the same product.