Absolutely it is the best chair ever. Fewer back problems leads to more productive scholarship.

Agreed. Well worth every penny.

I sat in one of those chairs once. I've been talking about that experience ever since...

When I was in politics, obtaining such a chair demonstrated your importance more than any mere title could. When I was a mere bureaucrat, such chairs were of course unavailable. When I became an academic, there were lengthy negotiations involved in getting the chair. Which I really, really love.

Interesting to hear user reactions. We once had ergonomics consultants come to help us with our work environments. They spoke disparagingly about those chairs, suggesting that they lacked proper support and were bad for the back in the long-term.