Geartest.com Herman Miller Aeron chair real world review [4]

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Aeron chair - front elevation, casts a shadow

Aeron chair: Flaws & Benefits

For a chair that was designed to help prevent workplace injuries, a new Aeron has the potential to exacerbate, or even cause them. The tilt tension adjustment knob is tucked low and beneath the chair, forcing an awkward posture if you are trying to adjust it while seated. It's also stiff, making it difficult to turn for people with even minor arm, back or hand problems.

Adjusting the lumbar support and the armrest height unassisted can be a challenge. To properly adjust them without incurring a strained wrist or pulling a back muscle (as did one otherwise healthy Aeron user at a high-tech company) requires you to step out of the chair, adjust the component, sit back in the chair, test the setting and repeat the process until it is just right. That stand-adjust-sit-test cycle quickly becomes tedious.

The armrest swivel remains stiff even after several months of use, requiring the application of an inordinate amount of force to properly adjust the arms. Fighting with the furniture is a stressor most people would prefer to live without.

After 10 months of use the tilter developed a loud clicking sound when reclining, and the tilt lock on our test model sometimes released unexpectedly, violently pitching the chair's occupant backwards.

We were suprised that no models of the Aeron come with a headrest or head-support. While this feature is not common on most office task chairs, its absence from an ergonomic engineering effort like the Aeron is astonishing. We hope this oversight will be corrected with the next generation of the Aeron.

Also absent is a control that prevents the chair from tilting forward from a reclined position. This can be annoying when you want to kick back and relax, only to feel the chair bob forward when you change position, even slightly.

The documentation that comes with the chair -- or inexcusable lack thereof -- appears to be the most glaring oversight. While each chair comes with a basic graphical instruction card that describes how to use each of the chair's controls, there is no mention of care and maintenance anywhere. For the money one pays for this chair, some simple instructions on how to care for the mechanical parts of the chair are a must.

And then there's the price. It is an exorbitant amount to pay for a task chair. However, while you could buy an entire set of furniture for the cost of one Aeron, it's best to view purchasing an Aeron as an investment in your health. Aches, pains and injuries resulting from poor ergonomics and the resultant lost work time --and consequent lost wages or salaries -- are eminently avoidable. The Aeron can be a good tool to help you achieve that goal.

Even with its flaws, the Aeron is a very good, durable task chair that can last a lifetime if properly cared for. Be warned, though: once you use an Aeron for even a few days, no other chair feels quite as comfortable as it used to. Sitting in one of Geartest.com's traditional foam and fabric, top of the line, ergonomic adjustable chairs felt surprisingly similar to sitting on a park bench after experiencing the Aeron.

The price of the chair has come down since Geartest.com began evaluating its first set of Aerons. They now cost a paltry $ 749 US, as opposed to the $ 1150 US at which they were previously listed. It's still a pretty penny to pay for a chair, but, oh, what a chair!

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