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Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

hermanmiller.com

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Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#151
post #142
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess I should actually review the chair. I think the Aeron is ok, but I haven't sat in another chair that I think is notably better. I also haven't ever sat in an office chair that felt 100% right. I have short legs and a long torso. I'm 5'8" and I wear a 29" inseam pant. I do sometimes notice the front bar putting pressure on my legs. Most of the time I put my legs up on something. and have my knees slightly bent…

> Perfect for those looking to spice up their life, or those with health concerns looking for greater comfort. Funny how the 2 main use cases for the "Liberator" chair which you linked to are as a sex aid for those looking for adventurous positions and as a therapeutic chair for those who are injured and at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It's like having a minivan which does 0-60 in 2.5s

I think it ended up being canceled, but one of the first projects Fiat started working on when they bought Chrysler was a Dodge Caravan with a Ferarri engine.

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- More adjustable arm rests (they go back and forward too) - New mesh material which is apparently more supportive - New back support mechanism which is a combination of the two previous options (which you could not put together) - both the lumbar and the pelvis supports - Chair is angled 1.8 degrees further forward - Tilt mechanism causes the chair to hug your body more, with less latency - A new white-ish color opt…

yeah I went and read... looks like it's just "upgraded" components. Never know if that means cheaper for us or actually better. looks like it's rev 2 of the ergonomic adjusters. There were a few things like the tilt adjust that did wear out when you toss your full weight back against one ratchet mechanism, it's going to get messed up. As for feel stuff I just try before I buy. Buy them on craigslist at market price,…

Herman Miller is actually pretty good at improving the quality of their products over time

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#153

Ironically, a couple of articles below this one this headline shows up: > The Tech Bubble Didn’t Burst This Year. Just Wait (bloomberg.com) Do others have this strong association with the first internet tech bubble and Aeron chairs? For me there is a strong visual link between the floundering tech companies of that era and the images of the seemingly ubiquitous Aeron chair in the offices being cleared. Not to belittl…

Oh yes, there is a huge association. but for me? It is nostalgia of a pleasant sort. I was a 17 year old kid in 1997, and the next four years were brilliant.

I mean, if you have experience or a good education, now is even better, but a lot of us got our start during the first dot com, and it really was glorious, while it lasted.

I am sure investors have different associations, but for a lot of us it was a very positive experience.

(It is also why I keep predicting another crash. The experience was so formative that I expect much more radical boom and bust cycles than have materialized in this industry since.)

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if all or most stores will let you do this, but I went to a Design Within Reach store in Cambridge, MA and they let me bring in my laptop and work off their wifi for a full day. I'm sure they wold have let me spend a couple days there if I needed. I doubt you'd be able to get an in home trial, though.

> I doubt you'd be able to get an in home trial, though. It seems odd that every decent mattress store will allow you an in-home trial--some as many as 4 months. Maybe because the return rate on chairs would be a lot higher?

Probably. I imagine the sheer hassle of returning a mattress is friction for a lot of people, and that they don't get many returns.

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#155
post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's seriously flawed, to the point of being a ripoff (especially considering the price). Specifically, I think that the two, radical flaws, are not just due to my personal shape: 1. the lower back support is very hard; anything around the waist will push against the pelvis/lower back. It took time to get used to, even using cotton trousers, I can't imagine people wearing a belt ever feeling comfortable. 2. t…

I agree. The Embody is a great chair if you have pretty good posture. It is pretty rigid in the center (all the flexibility is on the sides), so that it forces your back into the 'proper' shape like a plastic mold. The problem is, it's a pretty hard chair, so if you have any 'irregularities', like, say, a bit of hunchback (thoracic hyperkyphosis), the hard plastic "pixels" will just dig into your back in all the plac…

I summarize something similar to all this in a deep reply above to the top comment along with some other observations.

I will say that when I was first assigned an Embody at work, I went through a period of comfy->uncomfy->comfy-again, so sometimes sticking it out works. Going through the setup guide (think it came with a DVD even) and putting some work into making it just right helped. Ultimately it became such an important part of my workstation ergos that I dropped a few hundred on one so I could work from home in the same chair as work, and haven't regretted it.

But I totally agree with you--you either fit the profile for it or you don't. I think it's incredibly important that you test the Embody before buying it. If it fits you it's going to be the best chair on the market, hands down, bar none. If it doesn't it's going to be a serious pain.

Regarding reclining, the tilt knob isn't really for active reclining, if I recall their setup guide correctly, more to set the right resistance so you float at an ergonomic 110 degrees while allowing wiggle room to fidget. At the very least, that's how I set mine, and it works pretty well. I feel kind of suspended in the chair that way.

The tilt limiter is set so I don't have much room at all beyond that--that lets me push backwards against the limiter and then arch my (and the chair's) back to stretch.

The arms are crappy. I can't argue there. They sit too far back, and there's too much play in the spread adjuster joint. The height adjustment on them is excellent--they drop well below my elbows so I can use the chair "without" armrests--but the rest of the adjustment is poor.

(To the parent poster, btw, I wear a pretty thick leather belt with mine fine--really does depend on how you're shaped).

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a $100 chair, and then I bought a Herman Miller Aeron. The $100 chair is much more comfortable. For one thing, the seat pan is padded cloth instead of mesh. Even my coworkers prefer it, so we outfitted the office with the $100 chairs, and nobody wants to sit on the uncomfortable $800 Aerons.

what's the $100 chair, tell me plz

See my cousin post above.

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#158
post #19

Is it only me who thinks the design of this chair is aesthetically awful? It looks like it belongs to something like hospital not an office...

No, I find them really off putting. I much prefer the look of Haworth Zody office chairs, and they offer similar adjustability. http://www.haworth.com/products/seating/desk-chairs/zody

How is the Zody quality? Is it as high as Aeron and Steelcase? It looks somewhat easier to find at a decent price.

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#159
post #112

I've sat in Aerons for a few years across various jobs and they were always just OK - I felt like they could have been great if I could just adjust a few more things to fit my body better. When it came time to get a "real" office chair for the home office I decided to go with the Steelcase Leap[1] and I have not regretted it. I had no idea a chair could fit me this well. Everything is adjustable and actually labeled…

How's the Leap with heat retention? I've found that most solid backed (and seated, though less so) chairs I've used annoy me with how much they hold heat in. I find mesh backed chairs to seem more comfortable to me in that regards since they have much more airflow against my back.

Yea your assumption is right. What's worst is I have to put a tshirt on my back so my sweat won't transfer to the fabric-back.

Re: Herman Miller Launches New Aeron Chair

#160

Wow, this is just full of people who don't like the aeron. I agree it's expensive. I just buy used ones on craigslist for $375. I just wait till there is one. I've got 3. I've had a work aeron since 2002. Love the things they work for me. I know plenty of people they don't work for. I used several other ergonomic chairs and they pinched the nerves at the back of my knees and caused the outsides of my feet to go numb.…

Agreed, I bought a used one 10 years ago and I'm sitting on it right now. Before that I was replacing foam office chairs every few years due to wear or degassing, but not so with the Aeron. The only maintenance I've had to do is replace the foam at the seat's edge and clean it occasionally. The build quality of these chairs is amazing when I consider the tens of thousands of hours I've been sitting in this thing.

Where did you get the foam? I have this problem as well.
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