Herman Miller Embody Chair Review by SmartFurniture.com

[WhoChrisLiu]

So can you recommend this? Bear in mind you can get a very nice leather armchair for the same amount of money. I mean $1400 for plastic and mesh, its hard to imagine its worth that much? Your paying a lot for design. I havent sat in one of these puppys but I would imagine it to be divine.

[SmartFurniture]

@WhoChrisLiu I would recommend it. It's a totally unique chair that is very flexible and breathable. The back is malleable and responsive and can be very stiff or have lots of give. The seat is comfy and never feels "hard". If you visit the Embody Chair page on our website you can see some good closeup pics of the area underneath the seat. I think they demonstrate that a lot of thought went into keeping your backside comfortable. ...

[SmartFurniture]

@WhoChrisLiu ... Also, the fabric is very soft and breathable. I know leather is great but if it's a choice between all these features and simple leather upholstery, I would choose the Embody Chair. But that's just me. I hope this helps.

[WhoChrisLiu]

@SmartFurniture

Thanks for your response, there is a Herman Miller store here in my City but I think it closed down, drove by it couldn't find it. Be nice to sit in one of these to see for myself. I mean you can either buy the Embody and go "Ergo" or get Bill Clinton's Oval Office chair from Trinity Furniture and go "Executive"

Decisions decisions...Biggest factor for me is my desk is tempered glass. So the leather chair wouldn't fit real well. But I could change desks too...

[NobbyKNobbs]

Now I just wish I had $1300 dollars to spend on a chair.

[flopt12]

I have now had an Embody for 2.5 years or so and absolutely love it. Easy to use, and extremely functional. IMO, it is a bit awkward visually, but oh well, because it's designed so well I could care less. Lots of colors to choose from...I just opted for a charcoal fabric/black frame with polished aluminum since it would work any place if I moved. There was a small tear in one of the foam armpads when I got the chair, but HM sent replacements without much trouble! Awesome chair!

[SmartFurniture]

@fvrfvr1 Ha- I should have stuck with soccer back in middle school. I guess I do resemble him more than a little bit, but I'm most often compared to Roger Waters circa 1970. Now that was one handsome devil.

[hdgamevideos1]

This chair seems great. However it seems to be a letdown due to the fact it does not have a head rest for such an expensive fully featyred chair. Do you sell anything that is as comfortable or similar to to this chair that has a headrest?

[SmartFurniture]

@hdgamevideos1 It sounds like you are on a well researched track to a new chair. The Embody is made by Herman Miller, a company that doesn’t put headrests on any of their chairs. Other companies like Humanscale and Steelcase have a different opinion and have chairs that have the option of an adjustable headrest. The Humanscale Freedom chair has the largest headrest available. The Steelcase Leap chair and Steelcase Think chair have a much smaller headrest. Message us if we can help further!

[PedalToTheMetalCom]

Mine came in with a simple broken caster. I also own an Aeron. I am one week later with 4 calls to Herman Miller and three calls to different phone numbers I was given and finally a support website that isnt Herman Miller to fill out a form to get my 99 cent (or 32 dollars in Herman Miller world) caster so I can finally use my 1,400 dollar chair. I think it will be my last Herman Miller, the support is not worth the aggravation. Hopefully you support in house?

[SmartFurniture]

@PedalToTheMetalCom Our customers experience the same issue with broken casters from time to time. When this happens, we ask that they contact Smart Furniture directly. We keep casters in stock for emergency situations like yours, and send replacements out within 24 hours of receiving the notice. We believe that ordering parts should be quick, easy and free. Even though you did not purchase your chair from us, we'll hook you up. Feel free to message us and let us know what you need.

[guyNbluejeans]

A lot of chairs come out with lots of bells and whistles, but I would just like a straight-forward chair that has LOTS of firm stuffing. Simple.

[Puzzoozoo]

They are around £800 each.

[Puzzoozoo]

And they do not have a head rest to support your neck.

[lucasderosa]

Hm has a long history of valuing form over function. Unfortunately, its an idea that too many interior designers and office managers buy into. At least until their employees start trading out the $1k+ Aerons they bought for the crappy office chairs they had before because the Aeron is unbearable to sit in for 8 hours a day.

[combostand]

@lucasderosa I sat in my Aeron for over 8 hours a day. It was a pleasure to sit in. The only char I prefer over my Aeron, is my new Embody.

Maybe I got the special function over form versions of the chairs. I should contact HM and let them know their long history is not working anymore.

[SmartFurniture]

Hi hobgoblin707- I'm 5' 11". When I'm at my desk I like to sit as far back as I can with a slight recline (basically how I'm pictured in the video). In the Embody, my upper back gets plenty of support. With the back support adjustment, you can make the chair give a whole lot, or feel "springier" depending on your preference. When I sit all the way back my neck is clear of the chair back. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for your input!

-Matt

[hobgoblin707]

matt, how tall are you? i know that the embody comes in one size that can be adjusted. i was trying to see how much upper back & neck support you were getting. shorter people will get greater upper back support. so i was curious to know your height if you don't mind. thanks!

[SmartFurniture]

Thanks for your question jdumars! We're glad you were able to resolve the issue with your Embody Chair. Sometimes the height adjustment gets stuck in transit due to vibrations of the truck. It's a forceful fix, but it does remedy the situation. Once unstuck the joystick should be easy to use. If you have more questions about using your Embody, we have a user guide on our site that might help you out. Enjoy!

-Matt

[jdumars]

Ok, nevermind. I figured it out. The notch or cut out of the clear lever should be facing down toward the floor but really, I just wasn't pressing down hard enough. You really have to push hard on that little knob, at least on mine. I never pushed that hard since its plastic and I was afraid I'd break it. The thing I found silly was that no instructions came with the chair. Even with the pdf from HM's website, I still needed this review to actually learn & understand everything properlly. Thanks

[jdumars]

I own this chair but I'm having trouble lowering or raising the height. When I press the adjustment lever up or down, it does not move. From this video, I couldn't tell where the "cut out" notch is on the clear plastic handle. I've tried it, lowering it with the cutout in almost any position (it rotates) and I can't get it to lower. After a while, through freak luck, I managed to raise the chair by lifting on the chair just as I sat up from it and now I can't lower it.Can anyone offer any advice

[PedalToTheMetalCom]

@jdumars Little late, I had the same problem, you have to really pull on it hard and it works fine. Like me, you might have thought that pulling it hard would break it. It looks like a joystick. If you got it, maybe it will help someone else.

[kanuck54]

You couldn't have shown the chair reclining, twisting, et cetera? Or compared it to other chairs, such as an Aeron? That was an awfully lengthy review that failed to cover most of the topics I was interested in.

[dquintana01]

i think it should be electic with massage and heat/ac for that kinda money

[revdoglvrs]

@dquintana01 ...is your back worth a $50 Staples chair or $800+? Form follows the function.

[mauriciopxp]

2.200 Euros in Europe. Not exactly cheap.

[2007zire]

Interesante el video! realmente vale la pena tener una silla de herman miller salu2