Review: My Herman Miller Aeron Chair

While I was a little anxious about ordering through Amazon, I received my Aeron chair promptly in good condition. Assembly was easy even for someone with arthritic hands. The chair came with an Alan wrench to attach the back, and I haven't had to tighten any screws since putting it together.

The casters roll smoothly, and the chair is quiet when you rock or adjust it. Some customers have reported casters have trouble with carpet; I don't know, I've got a plastic mat under mine.

The most surprising thing about the chair is the tough yet springy webbing. There are no cushions: the chair is designed to fit you. The gentle curve on the front of the seat ensures you won't have your circulation cut off by the front lip of the chair cutting into thighs.

I really like the ease of the controls. They're not only accessible when sitting; they have visible, easy-to-understand icons that demonstrate what each adhistnebt is for. Sometimes I like having the chair tilt forward, with a bit of springy resistance so that it bounces; other times I don't want the forward tilt, but like to lean back and rock. You can have both, one, or neither option.

The default lumbar support is no frills but works fine. There's no knob for it, just reach back and lift it up or down. If you want more support, get up and turn it around with the fat side inward. I chose to stick with the basic lumbar support rather than the deluxe posturefit support after reading this helpful, detailed customer review on Amazon.

I like the way the chair arms swing out and in, sticking at one of three positions like car doors. They are stiff so they're not going to move by accident.

When I first set up the chair, I used to fiddle with the controls sometimes, but now like a car seat I tend to leave it as is unless I feel like activating the "springy tilt" feature (a bit like a rocking chair on springs). My back pain is not completely gone: I have arthritis, and a chair however ergo-friendly can't cure it. But it's not worse after I've been sitting in the chair for 8 hours, and it is for every other chair I've tried.

Headrest for Herman Miller Aeron Chair

I haven't found I need this, but then, I'm fairly short. The nice thing about this headrest is that you can actually scoot it up and down like a car seat headrest, as well as adjusting the tilt.

 

Posturefit Pelvic Support for Aeron Chair

This isn't really lumbar support so much as pelvic support, but it's really supposed to help your lower back. I've seen some mixed reviews on Amazon which suggests to me that this pad might work for some people who really need support right down low, but its inability to adjust upwards means it won't work for everyone.

 

Ergo-Comfort Adjustable Footrest

I'm kicking myself for giving away one of these years ago. While my Aeron chair will let me put my feet on the ground, I'm so short that I was having to angle my arms up to my keyboard. This footrest isn't fancy or sexy-looking, but it let me raise the chair and rest my feet. There's an even taller footrest, but unless you're shorter than me (5'1) or have a high desk, this should work.