REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Durable
Easy to assemble
REASONS TO AVOID
Very expensive
No seat depth adjustment
Herman Miller Aeron Review
This office chair is one of the nicer mesh-backed chairs we have tested but it comes at a premium price
The Aeron is a good chair but retails at a premium price.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
RELATED: Best Office Chairs
Our Verdict
The Herman Miller Aeron is a top-tier office chair with a mesh back. It fared well across our battery of tests, earning a score that puts it toward the top of the fleet. However, it couldn't quite clinch an award when up against other top office chairs in our lineup. It's very comfortable, has a ton of adjustability features, is very well-built, and arrives completely assembled. Unfortunately, it has one of the higher retail prices of the group, making it hard to recommend for every user.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Herman Miller Aeron | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  |  | | |
| Price | $1,410 List $650.00 at Amazon | $1,299 List $1,299 at Amazon | $819 List $772.00 at Amazon | $1,150 List | $180 List $139.43 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | If you are looking for a top-notch mesh chair, this one is worth checking out, though it will cost you | Our favorite year after year, this is one of the highest performing chairs on the market | This chair boasts both comfort and high-quality features, though there is room for improvement in terms of providing additional adjustment options | This chair earns high style points and also offers great levels of adjustability and comfort | It's not fancy, but this is our favorite budget-friendly chair for the money |
| Rating Categories | Herman Miller Aeron | Steelcase Leap | Steelcase Series 2 | Herman Miller Sayl | Modway Articulate E... |
| Comfort (50%) | |||||
| Adjustability (35%) | |||||
| Durability (10%) | |||||
| Ease of Assembly (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Herman Miller Aeron | Steelcase Leap | Steelcase Series 2 | Herman Miller Sayl | Modway Articulate E... |
| Adjustable Seat Pan | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Adjustable Lumbar Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Option available | Yes; the backrest moves up and down |
| Adjustable Armrest Width | Option available | Option available | Option available | Option available as a third-party upgrade | No |
| Recline Lever | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Tilt Limiter | Yes; 3 stop points | Yes; 5 stop points | Yes; only locks in the upright position | Yes; 3 stop points | Yes; locks you into a position |
| Swivel Armrests | Option available | Option available | Option available | Option available as a third-party upgrade | No |
| Armrest Depth Adjustment | Option available | Option available | Option available | Option available as a third-party upgrade | No |
| Tension Knob | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lumbar Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Option available | Yes |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Aeron is a really nice chair and one of the most popular options from Herman Miller. With design details to encourage proper posture and coming in three sizes, it also has great airflow. The only real downsides are a bit less adjustability than other options and a high price tag.
Performance Comparison
The Aeron is a great chair if you like plenty of ventilation for your back.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Comfort
To rate and score this highly subjective metric, we had a diverse panel of judges try out each chair for an entire workday and then fill out a detailed questionnaire. In particular, we had them rate and score how comfortable each chair's seat, armrests, and backrest were and comment on how long they would be content to sit in each one.
The Aeron scored fairly well by most of our judges, especially regarding the armrests. They are heavily padded, which gives them a leg up, but they can be difficult to make parallel to one another, as the level mechanism on the back requires both hands to operate. The backrest isn't the most comfortable we have seen to date and is a bit lower than many of the others, so taller testers weren't as comfortable.
The seat is also quite comfortable, with every single one of our testers rating it average or above. The vast majority of them even rated the seat of the Aeron close to the top of the entire group. Overall, the majority of our judges found it comfortable enough to sit in for at least a full workday, though there would be a few more complaints that the overall most comfortable chairs received.
The Aeron offers a significant amount of adjustability, which helped bump up its comfort score.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Adjustability
Next, we looked at the adjustability of each chair and assessed how well each could accommodate a wide range of different body types and sitting positions. We compared how much you can adjust the chair's back, armrest, seat, and reclining resistance to achieve a recommended ergonomic position. The Aeron lacks some of the adjustability of other options, but it still scored decently. The backrest and lumbar support have a wide adjustment range, and the "PostureFit SL Lumbar Support" consists of two pads that conform to the body and support the lower back. You can't adjust the height of these pads — which is usually not an issue since they are quite tall — but you can adjust the level of support and firmness.
You can adjust the pad to change the amount of lumbar support the chair provides for you.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The Aeron has three different reclining limiters that you can set — straight up, halfway reclined, and all the way back. The reclining resistance knob is easy to reach underneath the front of the chair and makes it simple to set your desired resistance. The armrests can move up and down, forward and back, and can swivel, but they can't move narrower or wider. The seat has adequate padding, but the seat pan depth can't be adjusted. However, even our shortest tester (5'3") could put her feet flat on the ground in this chair. Altogether, it's fairly easy to get the Aeron configured for an ergonomic position at most desks, though the armrests are a little thick and can get jammed up depending on your desk.
The Aeron's armrests are highly adjustable but are a little on the thicker side so they can hit your desk.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Durability
Our next group of tests focused on each chair's construction and available warranty. To score this, we researched commonly identified issues and noted how well each chair held up to our in-house testing use. The Aeron is solidly built and scored exceptionally well in this metric, earning one of our fleet's top spots.
We combed through as many user experiences as possible of the Aeron and found no trend of concerning issues. The most common comments involved people complaining about the fit of the chair based on their personal preferences.
We thought this chair seemed exceptionally durable, even with its mesh backrest.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Assembly
We rated and compared the effort it took to assemble each chair for our fourth and final metric. The Aeron is one of the easiest chairs to put together, earning it a top score. It arrived almost fully assembled and only took us 10 minutes to go from the box to happily sitting.
This chair arrived fully assembled.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Value
The Aeron received a decent overall score, but it also comes at a high price. That said, for the right user — namely someone who loves the fit and appreciates the ventilated back — we feel it's worth it. After all, if you sit all day every day for work, you really can't put a price on a good chair.
Conclusion
Overall, the Herman Miller Aeron is a good chair with some nice features. It offers plenty of ventilation on your back and a high level of comfort. The fit isn't as universally acclaimed as other models, and its price tag may put it out of most people's budgets, but if this ends up being your daily seat, we don't think you'll be disappointed.
—
Hayley Thomas, Austin Palmer, and David Wise
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