What that chair costs per hour

Why the lifespan field is the one that matters

Halve the years and you double the hourly cost, which is why the cheaper option so often is not. A chair that lasts three years before the foam flattens costs more per hour than one at twice the price that lasts twelve — and you sat in a worse chair the whole time.

What counts as lasting

Not "still functions". Still doing the job you bought it for. A gas cylinder that sinks, a desk that wobbles at standing height, a mesh panel that has gone slack — all of those are the end of the useful life even though the thing is still in the room. Warranty length is the closest thing to an honest estimate, because the manufacturer is betting money on it.

Where this argument stops working

It assumes you keep using it. Spreading the cost over ten years is only real if you are still at this desk in ten years, and it does not make an expensive thing affordable this month. Cost per hour tells you whether something is good value; it says nothing about whether you can spend the money now.

We publish no prices, so the number above is yours — which also means it never goes stale. For where the money stops buying anything, see where desk gear hits diminishing returns.