Ergonomic Office Chairs

Does Aeron still rule among ergonomic chairs?

With so much work done on computers, office workers are sitting for longer periods without a break. That's why investing in an ergonomically designed desk chair can play a big role in comfort and in helping to prevent back problems, carpal tunnel syndrome and an array of other musculoskeletal disorders. The best chairs meet or exceed design and construction standards developed by The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA), and are approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also developed ergonomic standards.

No single event has had more of an impact on the office-chair market than the 1994 introduction of the Herman Miller Aeron chair (*Est. $950 and up). It so revolutionized the workplace that the Aeron has earned a spot in New York's Museum of Modern Art and is the subject of a Trivial Pursuit question.

A breakthrough in ergonomic seating, the Herman Miller Aeron has been praised in reviews not only for its innovative Kinemat tilt feature and easy adjustability, but also for its use of a mesh-like material called Pellicle, which allows air to flow freely through the back and bottom of the chair. Despite the fact that this design is now 15 years old, it's still rated highly by some reviewers, and some prefer it to another Herman Miller offering, the Mirra (*Est. $650 to $850).The Aeron chair is adjustable for lumbar depth, lumbar height, tilt tension, seat-pan angle, seat height, armrest angle and armrest height, and also offers a 12-year warranty.

However, according to a few reviews, the Herman Miller Aeron's moment in the spotlight has passed. Its design -- once so revolutionary and high class -- now looks a little dated. Staffers at Slate.com say the Aeron is still a good chair and testers still like the mesh fabric, but the Aeron isn't very adaptable. If you like to recline, the Aeron can feel a bit "tippy," and its contoured seat doesn't adapt well to different types of sitting postures. If you like to tuck your ankle under your thigh, for example, the Aeron isn't flexible enough to be very comfortable. Some testers are annoyed at the number of dials and levers on the Aeron.

Owners of the Herman Miller Aeron seem to fall into two opposite camps. The Aeron comes in three sizes (A, B, C, or small, medium, large), and users say the right size is critical to comfort. Those who are essentially stuck with an incorrect fit (primarily those whose offices purchased Aerons in one size for all of their staff) are very uncomfortable. "Maybe those who love it received a matching size. For the rest of us, it's a nightmare," says one Amazon user. So while reviews do say that the Aeron is still a very good office chair, if you're considering an Aeron, you might also give a few other chairs a try.

The less expensive Herman Miller Mirra office chair comes in two flavors, Basic and Loaded. The basic chair has very few manual adjustments. Rather, it has a "Harmonic Tilt" mechanism which adjusts automatically when you lean back in the chair. While the $650 Basic version has a fixed seat depth, the Mirra Loaded (*Est. $850) includes adjustable seat depth, adjustable armrests and an adjustable tilt limiter, but costs $200 more. The Loaded version does get better ratings from owners reviewing it at Amazon.com. Unlike the Aeron's multiple size options, the Mirra comes in one size designed to shape itself to each user, requiring only minor adjustments to fine-tune the fit. As one Amazon owner puts it, the Mirra Loaded is "a more modern variant of the classic with all the features" of the Aeron. Notably, many Amazon reviewers test drove both the Aeron and the Mirra office chairs before buying, and opted for the Mirra for its comparable comfort at a somewhat lower price.

Herman Miller's latest chair, the Embody (*Est. $1,600), became available for purchase in March 2009. Jason Chen at Gizmodo calls it "the best chair we've ever sat on." The plastic backrest is built on a "matrix of pixels" that are said to conform to movement. It's too soon for owner reviews for this office chair, but some professional reviewers are wondering if a very expensive chair can be successful in these economic times. Wired's Leckart calls it "kick-ass comfy." This chair has a more upholstered look that nods to 1960's lines and colors.

Although Herman Miller pioneered the industry, a couple of Steelcase chairs may be a better choice. The Steelcase Leap (*Est. $850), introduced as a competitor in 1999, has the innovative features of a gliding seat and flexible back that conform to the sitter's spine, allowing reclining without pulling away from a desk. The Leap is named the best of five models tested by The Wall Street Journal and is praised by Slate.com editors for its smooth reclining action. Steelcase offers a lifetime warranty, with the exception of 10 years for seating mechanisms and three years for fabric. One downside is the "whoopee cushion" effect of the seat if you sit too quickly, noted by testers at Slate.com.

Steelcase also makes the popular Think (*Est. $600 and up) office chair, which has received some good reviews. The manufacturer has dubbed it "the chair with a brain and a conscience" because it was designed both to adjust to the seating habits of the users and to make as little long-term impact on the environment as possible. (Herman Miller is also working on making its chairs' components recyclable.) According to materials on the Steelcase website, the Think is up to 99 percent recyclable by weight. It also contains up to 44 percent recycled materials and absolutely no PVC, CFCs, solvents, benzene, chrome, lead or mercury. While regular user reviews of this chair are hard to find, it did earn raves from Wired magazine, and editors at MyBusiness magazine dubbed it the choice chair for "tree-huggers" in addition to being "good for your back."

The Humanscale Freedom (*Est. $850) has fewer adjustment knobs than the Aeron and Leap chairs. Instead, the Freedom responds to the sitter's movements through an "intelligent counter-balance recline mechanism" that automatically provides support and ergonomic positioning. Testers at Popular Mechanics say "it's like having a second spine." Unlike most other models, the armrests can be positioned below thigh level for close-table work. Like the Steelcase Leap chair above, the Freedom comes in just one size. Humanscale offers a five-year warranty on fabric and cushions and a lifetime guarantee on all other parts. The Freedom is available in leather or fabric.

Rather than the Aeron or Leap office chairs, Slate.com's testers prefer the Humanscale Liberty (*Est. $775). This chair is similar to the Humanscale Freedom, with the same self-adjusting recline, but the Liberty has a slightly higher contoured mesh back rather than an upholstered back seat pad. The mesh back gets its shape only from seaming, rather than any plastic or metal lumbar supports. Reviews say this makes it more comfortable and flexible than other chairs. One drawback is that you can't adjust the armrest height. In fact, you can't make any adjustments at all; the point is that you shouldn't have to. Rather, the Liberty uses your body weight as a counterbalance.

Chairs from Neutral Posture are mentioned favorably by reviewers. Owned by a mother-daughter team, Neutral Posture is the only woman-owned seating company in the United States that we know of. Neutral Posture has five product lines, starting from very basic to executive-type chairs, in a variety of colors and styles. Editors at MyBusiness magazine say the Neutral Posture 8000 Series (*Est. $850) will fit anyone, "whether you're short or tall."