Herman Miller Aeron Ergonomic Chair - Size A, Mineral

I have spent countless hours and months browsing for a new chair and have narrowed it down to what I see as the top in this market from the industry titans, Herman Miller and Steelcase. The Aeron, Embody, and Leap are what I and I'm sure many others see as the best of the best. However I eventually came to the conclusion that I wanted the Aeron over the others. Why? It is the most utilitarian of any other chair. It brings a sleek, modern, industrial design while seamlessly blending both form and function. It also has the best and accessible third party additions such as the Atlas headrest (which I STRONGLY suggest you purchase as well as it is easily the best headrest on the market and incredibly made.) This chair does away with features that are, in my honest opinion not needed on a chair that yourself will use at home such as seat depth and arm width. These are ergonomic features that are great but with the three sizes you can find the perfect sized chair for your height and weight. Think of it like buying a great pair of leather shoes. If they are the correct size, they are the best fitting and most comfortable thing you own. But because of this I once again STRONGLY suggest you find a nearby seller that carries this chair and specifically the remastered edition as the chair has some size differences from its previous model. This will allow you, just like you would try on clothes, to find the right size for you in person. You could always buy this chair directly from HM or a dealer as well but purchasing through amazon is by far the best option as the delivery is so fast. I had the chair withing a few days after ordering. If I ordered through HM themselves, I would potentially have to wait weeks or even a month. You should absolutely be getting all the features on this chair regardless and since the fully kitted model is all they sell on amazon its the best way to go. At this price range you want every possible feature and adjustment they offer. Now what should you expect if you do go through with this purchase? I will be sincere and brutally honest. It will be uncomfortable. You will most likely experience pain for the first week or two owning this chair. Now I know what you're thinking. Pain? Isn't that what you don't want? Of course but here's the deal. I would easily say 99% of people working from home or have any sort of office space in the homes at all have been sitting in fairly inexpensive chairs without the absolute best knowledge in ergonomics. Most chairs we sit in have regular padded seats or we seek comfort with big cozy armchairs or the classic large executive chair. Yea they are comfortable but they actually lack the right support for our bodies in the long run. For example, it is better we sat in firmer seats that can in turn properly support our pelvis and base of the spine. The classic padded arm chair, executive chair, or basic office chair causes us to sink more into the chair. This doesn't provide the support we need which can lead to back issues. Yes it's comfortable in the moment to veg out but it isn't great for our bodies. We aren't built to sit for extremely long periods of time so we need to have the most support we can get. When I first sat in this chair my butt hurt, it wasn't used to the firmer sit. But gradually over time it went away as my body adjusted and now it is extremely comfortable. I should add that one of the main reasons I was looking for a new chair was to fix the circulation of my legs being cut off from sitting in previous chairs. This fixed that right away. The back support was also uncomfortable at first and took a bit longer for my body to adjust to but it has gotten much better and fixed issues I wasn't even aware of. I thought my posture wasn't terrible for the most part. I consciously sat up straight and looked for proper support where I needed it. But I was actually doing it wrong. Lumbar support is supposed to be right around or above the belt line, not below it. I , for as long as I can remember was putting the lumbar in the small of my back which of course felt more comfortable but, instead it was pushing my lower spine further inward along with causing more tilt in my pelvis. This is called anterior pelvic tilt and actually it is extremely common in people without them actually knowing it. This chair corrected this issue. Now it wasn't an extreme condition of it, but none the less I can easily see that my posture and pelvic alignment has adjusted to a more neutral position within a few weeks of using it. It corrected an ongoing and potential growing issue that I was doing to myself over years of poor seating in just a couple weeks. I attribute this to the PostureFit SL system that provides both support to the mid-back/actual proper lumbar position as well as support to the sacrum providing proper natural tilt to the pelvis. This is something I truly didn't notice or understand till after I figured out what it was doing. The only chair I can honestly say that may do the same thing in some way is the Embody as it does provide that full on back support. But I don't thing it necessarily provides it as strongly which I think is what people actually need. The Leap doesn't have any sort of pelvic support as there is a gap between the back of the chair and the seat pan. There really is only the classic height adjustable lumbar support along with depth tension (which the PostureFit does provide). However as I finally figured out, if you don't know how to properly align your lumbar support and only put it where it "feels good", it could do more harm than good over time. Some things to note, I love the arms on this chair and find them to be the best arms ever made. Yes they are better than the Leap's and by far and away better than the Embody's. I actually think the Embody arms are the worst designed arms of any chair, especially for a chair of that caliber. The seat recline is also something to be experienced as it is unique to Herman Miller chairs and I believe even the Aeron's is even more special. I can honestly go on about this chair for more but the main take away is that, yes this chair is 100% worth the price just for the build quality and ergonomic prowess this thing brings let alone the massive 12 year warranty that covers everything on the chair. Herman Miller provides some of, if not the best customer service for their chairs in the business.

It was tough to pay full price, but this is one of the finest items I have ever purchased!! The quality, precision and detail are amazing. The Mineral color is beautiful, and it is a nice change from dark colors.The comfort has surpassed my expectations!!! I have never had an Aeron chair, so my experience is only with this newer version. I wanted the latest version that is updated, with the research done on sitting over the last two decades by the company. I am sitting more now at my computer and I was starting to be very uncomfortable in my old chair which had started to feel like a brick. It was good quality, but I have had it a very long time. There is no comparison--this chair is supportive, makes you want to maintain good posture and responds to your body. I am glad I went for the adjustable version for the best fit. The ongoing discomfort I have been experiencing recently while sitting at my computer, has resolved almost immediately. I spent hours researching ergonomic chairs, and all roads kept leading back to Herman Miller Aeron. I figured this purchase is like a bed--I spend significant time in it so I want it to be good for my aging body. It will last for many years.

The Aeron chair is a classic, great chair. However, this seller is clearly selling used / previously returned merchandise without adequately disclosing that these are NOT brand new chairs. Mine came in pieces thrown together in a box with no packing material, no instructions, no allen wrench to attach the back. The wheels were scuffed from having been previously used. And the one plastic cover piece that needs to be snapped into place has one of its corners broken / snapped off. Functionally, the chair is fine. But I would never have agreed to the price I paid if I had known I was purchasing a used / damaged chair. I got scammed. Buyer beware.

When I was looking around for a new office chair I knew I needed to get the Herman Miller Aeron. Working as a software developer I sit for long hours at my desk and I need proper support for my back. At my last job, everyone was provided a Herman Miller Aeron (though it was not this newer model), and I fell in love with this chair. I could sit for 5 hours plus and not feel any pain or numbness in my back or legs. The support this chair provides is out of this world, especially for the lumbar. I am 6'2 200 pounds and this chair doesn't have any issues supporting me and I feel like I am floating in it. The features this chair provides are also fantastic. I especially love how I can adjust the back to force me to sit upright and close to my keyboard in perfect posture. To be honest, there is nothing like this. I've heard that some people don't like the mesh cushion (which can be a preference thing), but if you do like it you cannot go back to any other ordinary office chair. You will feel the difference immediately. Going back to my desk, I actually look forward to sitting long hours in my chair. This chair may be pricey, but the way I justify it, it's like buying a new mattress. You don't want to skimp out on something you utilize so frequently. If you work at a desk for long hours, you need proper support, else you can damage yourself in the long term. The benefits outweighed the cost for me and I don't regret spending the extra dollars for this. If this chair does last me over 12 years like warranty states, its money well spent.

This one ended up as a return. I was really excited to try this chair out but it just wasn't for me. I'm 5'11 / 175 lbs, purchased the Size B (per the online sizing instructions) which I am pretty sure is too small for me. It is hard to say if the Size C would fit me perfectly, or if I am like many out there who find the Aeron chair a poor fit. Perhaps if stores open up again I’ll give the size C a try, but I don’t feel like purchasing online again and going through another return process (although Amazon is awesome for returns). The one thing I loved about the Aeron is how smooth the rocking motion feels, I kept going back to thinking I’d keep the Aeron for this feature alone. However, for being an ergonomic chair the Aeron isn't all that adjustable. For starters, the “posture-fit lumbar support” is gimmicky if you ask me. It does not move up or down so it either fits your back or it doesn’t. If you do a lot of research on this chair on the internet like I did, a lot of reviewers agree that Herman Miller missed the mark on the lumbar support and many just remove the support entirely. That might work if you don’t need the back support, but in my case the chair mesh provides too much give without the lumbar support. The arms are pretty basic with limited adjustments. Adjustment knobs are also somewhat hard to reach, requiring a lot of awkward twisting and bending so it doesn’t feel like a chair you’d want to be tinkering with throughout the workday. I’ve tried multiple ergonomic chairs from Steelcase and Herman Miller. I currently feel the most comfortable sitting in the Steelcase Leap, which I would recommend to anyone looking for the perfect ergonomic chair. A lot of people say “get the Aeron if money were no object” as if it is the end all be all chair, but the Aeron tends to be very polarizing. Either you love it or hate it and there is no in between. That’s not a great chair to be purchasing online, without having the chance to sit in it for a while. Generally speaking people seem to feel comfortable in the Steelcase Leap so I would recommend that as a place to start and only buy the Aeron if you can try the different sizes before you buy.

Having sat in a variety of "cheap" chairs during this pandemic for a home office, the biggest issue I faced was lower back pain. Both my work and my hobbies are at home on the same desk so overall sitting time could be upwards of 16 hours on extreme cases for example. This type of lifestyle usually destroys your back if you aren't sitting in a good chair; and it did for me. I couldn't wake up and sit on the chair right away without feeling uncomfortable on my lower back. Lo and behold, I did a round of both work and gaming, which is about 16 hours; went to sleep, and was able to sit on it comfortably after waking up with surprisingly NO back pain at all. The mesh seating, while it might look cheap, relieves a lot of pressure from your tailbone. Combine that with the lumbar support, which makes sure your lower back isn't being overused as well, absolutely saves your back. The only thing I can complain about is that the carbon edition I purchased didn't look as clean and polished as I hoped. The plastic parts looked a bit smudgy when received it. The chair was also covered with dust and other very small materials that made it look "cheap" when I opened it the first time. So you'll definitely want to expect it looking a bit scuffed when you receive it. After a round of cleaning it does actually look decent, I'll admit. Lastly, if you're on carpet, getting the wheels to move on the chair is a bit of a pain. So you'll probably want to invest $25 to buy herman miller carpet casters and replace the wheels. Closing notes: Objectively it does what it's supposed to - help with my back pain. The assembly was super minimal and it was able to withstand a 16 hour session with no problems. I have no choice but to give it a 5/5 for my standards. Not having back pain is godsend.

I carefully researched this chair because of its high price; however, comparing chairs in a retail store vs reading online reviews and the manufacturer's marketing materials would've been more helpful. The 2 stars is based on the high price vs quality of features. Cons: Insufficient packaging, exterior & interior packaging damaged, but no obvious damage to chair 2 stars based on cons vs price: Cons: Adjustment hardware (arm rests angle/height, tilt adjustments, backrest tension) not much better than that of the $200 chair it's replacing. Arm rests can be inadvertently moved back/forth, arm rest height adjuster levers difficult to reach and up/down movement isn't smooth or easy) My opinion, after using numerous types of office chairs for decades, is that $300-$400 would be a fair price. Pros: Time will tell, just received it today: Very comfortable back, seat, arm rests (once adjusted); good back support; highly adjustable (but see cons). High overall quality of materials (but not adjusters) that will hopefully last for years of heavy use. Rolls very smoothly. Tilt controls good, but takes a bit of practice, not so easy to reach. Attractive, graphite looks great. Comes completely assembled, thanks for that!

So I decided to write a review, after I saw some negative reviews here, first of all I don't work for HM nor Amazon and have no association with them. I used the first Aeron chair about 20 years ago at a job for about 9.5 years, I am big/tall (6'4" / 290lb) and I thought that was one of the most comfortable chair I ever had at a work place, especially for the 40-80 hours / week job as a programmer. Fast forward today, I've been looking for a home office chair since my $200 office-depot chair I have been using for the past 15+ years has been taking a beating, is missing an armrest, and has got some serious noise issues, but I had kept it since I had got used to it over the years, but it’s very uncomfortable since I started working from home. I looked at many online reviews (wirecutter, reddit and youtube) and narrowed down to the Steelcase Gesture and Leap and HM Aeron and Embody, but since I couldn't find any local dealer to test them, I decided to get/try the Aeron directly from amazon since I know I could trust them. First of all, I didn’t want to assemble the chair and when you buy from amazon directly, it’s assembled already and comes with a big box, you just open it up and roll the chair out! By buying via amazon directly, you also do get peace of mind in terms of warranty from HM (I called them to make sure of that) and the chair was brand new and never used. So this chair comes with the Posturefit support, the one I used back during my work days was with the lumbar support. I liked the lumbar support quite a bit since I could adjust it up/down, the only downer for that was if you pushed it up too high up, it could fall off and come out, so that was annoying. The Posturefit on the other hand is fixed and doesn’t move up or down (I wish it did, and for that reason I drop 1/2 star), but you can change its support engagement with knobs. I personally pushed them out and I am not using them as they feel a little bit weird on my back. But the basic support is there if you leave them as is. The other adjustment settings are simple enough to follow via their printed guide or youtube video (which I watched) As far as the cost, this isn’t an inexpensive chair and I am not going to remove stars based on that. It’s like removing stars from a fully loaded Audi because it doesn’t cost as much as a Volkswagen, or a Ford. What you get though is a Made in the USA chair, excellent/courteous customer service with very good repair service stories I’ve read online, and a chair that will last a long time that is definitely good for your posture / health. Though unfortunately I’d have to drop another 1/2 star, that even though this is a V2 remastered version of the original chair I had, they did not make it with a headrest which would have been totally amazing for this chair, and I actually had to buy one separately (I chose an Atlas headrest) to go with this. I wish HM had actually gone this way, since having a headrest by default would have made this chair totally perfect! Still this is an amazing buy for such a chair and I would totally recommend it. Though if you have never sat on one, it's probably best to find a local dealer to try it first.