What's a great office chair?

I dig the Aeron -- Sit for less has them for under $1k: http://sitforless.com/aeronchairs/aeronchair.php (Under $800 if you're okay with no lumbar support)

I'm currently sitting in a Haworth X99, which is priced similarly to the low end Aeron. It's quite a nice chair, but sit in it for a while (10 minutes?) to decide if you like it or not. (I'm not a huge fan of them, but we got them to match the rest of the office decor)

Here's the perfect chair; slightly above your price range (~1.5K). But the lumbar support and various adjustable parts preserve your parts, and make it easy to concentrate on work and not on spine. It is money well-spent and if you prorate cost over several years, it's not so bad. I have mine at home now that I've retired. Other cheaper choices at backsaver.com;

http://www.backsaver.com/shop_detail2.asp?pid=ESC300LADJ&Category;=work

My cost comes to about $149/annum. Pretty good.

Second the Aeron.

Aeron-definately and go the extra step and have the chair "fitted" to you. The Aeron has a lot of adjustments and you want to make sure you have it set up properly to fit you and your desk.

What'd I'd recommend doing is finding a local store that carries the Aeron and some of its competitors (like the Steelcase Leap or the Mirra also by Herman Miller) and spend some time in these chairs. There's only a handful of high end ones, but they vary quite a bit.

I've had success at Design Within Reach. They carry many of these chairs and are conveniently located (near many urban areas). They're not the cheapest , though, but they can help you find what you want.

Kool Kolors Task Chair from Target. I love it, my co-workers want one too! ($69.00)
You will need to sit up straight to appreciate! I had horrid lower back pain until I bought this. I don't like to share my chair because other people sit different and mess up the dynamics, but with this one that can't happen.