Posted By Paul Leadbetter Jim Fixed arm rests are an abomination as people will try to use them however inappropriate the height; this can cause problems whether the arms are too high or too low. Adjustable arms are better but, as you say, can prevent the chair getting close enough to the desk unless the arms slope markedly towards the front. Your users are better off armless (so to speak!) Paul

Posted By Peter Taylor14 Again this is down to personal choice, one size does not fit all and assessment will reveal what an individual requires. I prefer arms.

Posted By Alison Melrose I would generally recommend chairs without armrests unless there are mitigating circumstances e.g. the user has difficulty rising from the chair due to injury or disability. Avoid fixed height armrests (which normally interfere with the edge of the desk resulting in the user either lowering the chair - to get under, or leaning forward in the chair to view the screen). If a user does want armrests go for "elbow" rests if possible as the person will hit the desk (so to speak)before the armrests do! ;) Given that; 1) Chair company brochures normally show chairs with armrests (a chair from the side without armrests looks as if something is missing if next to one with armrests so the photos etc usually show a chair with armrests). 2) The rep from the chair company is on commission so the more armrests, the better for him or her (armrests normally cost extra!) 4) Those buying the chair are often more concerned with the chair being the corporate colour than with comfort etc Is it any surprise there are so many chairs in offices with armrests that get in the way! (call me cynical!)

Posted By David Hicks Agree totally about fixed arm rests. They keep people away from the desk, so they lean forwards and complain of back ache. The fixed-type are usually quite cheap construction/materials, too, and since it's difficult to persuade people not to use the arm rests for support when getting up, every so often one gives way under the weight. I'm lucky that our new standard office chair (Kinnarps*)has good adjustable arm rests. Many people do like to have some sort of arm rest, and these both raise/lower and slide backwards so they can tuck in fairly close to the desk. They're padded too, so I sometimes set them up to encourage staff who persist in using the mouse at arms' length to keep elbow closer to body. They also come off simply and easily if required. I suspect there's a subconscious expectation that all chairs should, in general, have arms on them because that's true of almost all the chairs you ever see. Leading on from this I also suspect that if office staff were automatically supplied with armless chairs ("Arms on request from your H&S/facilities dept")it would be braodly perceived as economising at the expense of personal comfort. *I'm not on commission, but, if the Kinnarps rep is reading this, I am fond of Glenfiddich...