Embody Chair by Herman Miller - Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Herman Miller Embody Chair is one of the most expensive office chairs on the market after millions of dollars were spent for its research and development. There is a lot of hype around it as if it's the best office chair ever built, but very few critical reviews by consumers who aren't trying to sell it.

I purchased the Embody because X-rays revealed back and neck problems. I work on a computer all day every week and saw it as a long-term health investment. I did a lot of research online, but I didn't have the luxury of sitting in one or testing it for a week before buying it. There are no local outlets.

I was surprised when it was delivered that no instruction manual came with it. All I saw was a red sticker on the back of the black Embody with the web address of the Herman Miller website where you can learn about adjustments. That's a good idea, but for the price, you'd expect to find printed instructions.

The website instructions are brief and insufficient. There are instructions for each part of the chair that can be adjusted and customized.

1) The arm height is easy to adjust by clicking a lever underneath.

2) The arm "width" (horizontal position, i.e., how close to your stomach) is more difficult to change. There is no lever; you just hold an arm with two hands and push/pull slowly. It requires a little more force than you might expect.

3) The chair height is easy to adjust like most good office chairs, but harder to find. It's a clear plastic lever in the middle of a knob underneath the chair on the right in the middle. Pull up. The chair can go very low, but not as high as I expected. (It only just gets to the height that's right with my desk.)

4) The chair seat depth is more tricky to adjust. It is a unique design where you have to sit back, raise your knees, and lift two side levers to a distance, the guide says, at least two/three finger widths from your calves/knees.

5) The tilt limiter is easy to adjust with your left hand, but it's a health risk (more on that in a minute).

6) The "backfit" or lumbar support is easy to change with a knob on the bottom right part of the Embody. But the instructions are too generalized. How do you know if you have a "flat" or "curved" back!?

7) The "tilt tension" or tightness of the chair back is changed by a knob in the middle on the right. It can be turned many revolutions, but again there isn't much guidance on what setting will suit you best.

The problem is finding the "sweet spot" by some unknown configuration of three different variables: tilt limiter; backfit; and tilt tension. There is such a huge range of motion between the stiff and loose positions. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be to find one position that was comfortable that I could stick with. In fact, a setting that worked for me at the end of the day felt too rigid the next morning. I've had it for several days already and I'm still experimenting!

Unfortunately there are no "memory" settings like with some high-end car seats. So if you find a sweet spot, you really need to write down your settings. I find when the tilt limit is set to zero, it is often too stiff and uncomfortable.

Embody was supposedly designed as the first chair that is better than health-neutral. It is supposed to help your health.

The health risk with the tilt limiter is adjusting it from 0 to 1 or 1 to 2 (or accidentally changing it by two positions) can produce a huge and dramatic sense of falling off the back of your chair! It's unlike any other chair you've ever had. In the last position you could probably hit your head on the floor! That rapid motion of falling back and trying to catch yourself from falling (because you can't sense when the chair will catch you or its end point), is similar to the motion that can cause whiplash injuries. Warning: Be very careful how you adjust the tilt limiter.

The seat has been described by some owners as fairly stiff. There is no cushion. It has special material that supposedly distributes your weight, but it can still feel hard after you've been sitting in it for hours. The solution may simply be to add your own cushion.

I've had the Embody Chair for less than a week and already it creaks like an old rocking chair! What's the deal with that?

The all-black Embody looks so much better than that Mango disaster in many ads! Not only the front but also the plastic at the back is black. It is mesh material that ventilates quite well (not as well as the Aeron) but you can't see through it. It hides the dirt much better than the Mango.

I've read complaints about the aesthetics of the Embody, but I find the black one is sexy, whereas the mango is ugly. Viewed from the front the only thing that stands out as odd is the plastic parts to adjust the seat depth. The back itself looks narrower or smaller than most office chairs but it's not ugly.

I think much of the success of the Embody Chair could depend on the right footrest, so I'm getting a few footrests to test. They can make a big difference for your center of gravity sitting in the chair.

It's been said in advertising by Herman Miller that the Embody encourages movement while you work. This is true. I often feel like rocking or stretching in different ways at different times. Sometimes a short rock; other times a full rock.

I'm interested to know the long-term effects of the Embody on spine health if the different motions it encourages are performed by the owner frequently during the day. Whatever short-term benefit you get from increased blood circulation caused by movement may be offset by long-term back problems. Or maybe your back will get straighter by more exercise? Who knows?

The arm rests look firm, and are pretty firm, but I find there's enough give to them to make them comfortable. There's nothing like having adjustable arm rests set to the perfect ergonomic height for using a mouse and typing. If they aren't right, you can mess up your spine and neck, because you'll inevitably shift your weight onto one side.

Disclaimer: I have unresolved back and neck problems so my experience with the Embody could be different from yours if your neck and spine are perfectly straight. You may find it perfect. I may yet find it perfect after more testing--soon, hopefully!

This chair needs to be tested by and reviewed by leading chiropractors.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Embody Chair by Herman Miller -

Product Description:
The innovation of the decade, the magnificent new Herman Miller Embody Chair, redefines ergonomics and resets the bar for seated comfort!

Get 20% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about Embody Chair by Herman Miller - now ?