Review: Herman Miller Aeron Chair

Herman Miller Aeron

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Price: $1277 (list) $750 (street)

Pros: Sturdy construction, good looks, super adjustable, 3 different sizes match to different builds, 12 year warranty

Cons: Only colors choices are shades of gray, hard lip on the sides of the seat, cable driven controls can be unreliable, basic lumbar did not work well

Notes: This is the one that started it all. It's still very popular and seen in TV shows and offices everywhere. I fit best in a size C, which is a big chair. Adjustments are nice and I was able to dial in just what I liked. The basic lumbar adjustment was pretty easy, but the foam block you move up and down or flip tended to move throughout the day as I moved, and almost fell out. The demo chair I had seemed to have much more wear on the lumbar foam then the rest of the chair. The PosterFit support might be the best option although I only tried it for 5 minutes in the store. The recline tension adjustment is too fine and literally took me 100 turns to tighten it enough. The deal breaker however was the hard lip in the sides of the seat. I found I sat to the side or with my legs spread enough that after a day of use my thighs had bruises. I really noticed it the next day when I sat down and my thighs hit the edge again. A coworker who sits with his leg pulled up under himself cracked his ankle on the lip. I really like this chair and would have excused all issues except the hard raised lip on the seat.