Herman Miller Embody Ergonomic Office Chair | Fully Adjustable Arms and Carpet Casters | Black Rhythm

The bottom line on this chair is that it is unexpectedly miraculous. After just 3 days, I've found it is unconventionally comfortable and the thing that makes it unique is that it renders adjusting it a normal part of its usage. I was originally like most folks, I presume - set the chair and then see how it does - but this chair demands that you use its intuitive controls to change things around as your needs change during the day. It is so easy to do, and that is where the magic is. I graduated from an excellent budget chair, the Alera Elusion high-back that is very adjustable. After over 5 years of pretty heavy usage, though, it was showing its wear, and I was really starting to feel the cushion every time I sat on it. I also started to experience some neck, shoulder, and lower back discomfort, and decided it was time to graduate to a better solution. I did not consider the Embody chair initially. At first glance, it looked a bit weird, and it was also on the expensive side, so I blew right past it. My initial starting point was the Aeron. I had used one at work years ago, and I recalled its adjustability. My body was much younger when I had used it, so I didn't experience its ergonomic benefits as well as I should have. I also looked at Steelcase models as they had some good reviews. Steelcase didn't fit my requirements as well as the Herman Miller solutions, so I gravitated strongly to the Aeron and was about to push the trigger on the order. A last second search on YouTube led me to the Embody and I was intrigued because of a couple of factors: the intuitiveness of the controls and the emphasis on the flexibility of the back and seat. The people that loved it REALLY loved it, and that, compounded with the Herman Miller return policy interested me enough to try it. So, here are some findings from the past 3 days: First, the seat is incredibly comfortable. The pixellated solution flexes with the weight that is applied to it, and it makes you feel as though you are suspended with no uncomfortable pressure points - this completely resolved the issue I was facing with the old Alera. It breathes well, is cool, and just invites you to sit down. The seat length adjustment required a little strength, but works well - you are not stuck with just the default length that might be either too small or too large. I had to adjust a couple of times to get just the right length. Once set, I don't foresee having to adjust it often. Second, I have found that I change the recline setting on the chair frequently. When I am typing, I set it so that it is relatively rigid, and when I am mostly reading, I set it so that it flexes more. There are several aspects to this - for typing, I set the tilt limiter to the position that allows the least possible movement or the next step down. I tighten the recline knob to keep me more upright, and adjust the back to a comfortable setting. It is all really easy, and the chair gives immediate feedback to ensure a good setting. When I am reading, I set the recline to setting 2 or 3 (more recline) and relax the recline a bit. That gives me the opportunity to lean back as needed and move around, with full support. If I am watching YouTube, I go to the most relaxed recline setting, and adjust the back to a less aggressive setting, and it is very comfortable. Setting/resetting all of the controls is responsive, easy, and intuitive. I never thought that this would be so required in a good seating experience. Third, I fiddled with the height of the chair to find the most comfortable setting. I use an iMovR standing desk and a Kinesis Advantage keyboard. I initially set the chair/desk combination so that my feet were flat on the ground and so that my forearms were angled downward slightly - supposedly more ergonomic. I ended up with some discomfort in my right wrist. Through experimentation, I found that raising my table or lowering the chair so that my forearms are angled a bit upwards got me in the correct wrist position for the keyboard, since it has wells. I am more upright with these settings, and am finding that my back is much more in contact with the chair, providing great and flexible support. This may not work well for folks using normal keyboards, but it is great with the Advantage. I also adjusted the height of the monitor so that it is a little higher than most ergonomic folks would recommend. I had found that by keeping the top of the monitor strictly at eye level as recommended, I was moving my head down to read the lower part of the screen, and this was causing some neck discomfort. My current setting is very comfortable. I have spent long hours in this chair over the past few days, and I am very impressed. My experience with the Alera and Aeron, both excellent chairs, is that they unwittingly promote the initial set and don't adjust paradigm, simply because adjustments, though technically possible, are not as integrated into the seating experience - you have to bend, get up, or twist unnaturally to do the adjustment. The Embody chair, on the other hand, encourages adjustments while you are in the seated position because the controls are few and easy to reach. This allows adjustments that correlate to the changing needs of our bodies throughout the day with immediate feedback because all of the controls are so well placed and simple to use. Flexibility and consistent support are inherently part of the design. No doubt that this chair is expensive, but with the generous 12 year warranty, this chair is about as good an investment you can make for your back and your general health if you spend significant time in a chair.

TLDR, this is a used so no warranty. You have to do some putting together, comes in a wide square box, came used that's for sure. Gas lift is wobbly and it costs $90 to replace, again no warranty with this chair buying from here. Not a good chair for someone short, and wearing 28 length pants, feet barely fully floor. Tends to make you lean back, so not a good work chair/competitive gaming chair. Lastly, not comfortable, too much ergonomics (doesn't feel ergonomic though, not for me), imagine trying to get work done and in discomfort, half of the discomfort is from the seat, so the discomfort is felt in the glutes. I'm around 5'4". My glutes are uncomfortable and the mid back is uncomfortable. The seat towards the end it has a lot of pressure so its not comfortable for glutes. It just lacks lower/mid back support, I sit as hips forward and upper back backwards it cannot be adjusted so the seat tilts forward which would probably help relive the discomfort in my glutes as well. My feet barely fully on the ground, so just to give idea 5'4", I wear 28 length pants. No tilt, so I'm sitting leaning backwards a lot, the seat edge curves up so uncomfortable on glutens, doesn't go down far enough either. Not a good chair for a short person, but there is hardly chairs for short people too, very frustrating. $1355, wobbly, still not a good chair for short person, some of the features are not present, forward tilt, the back piece does not go back down by itself either, it leans back with the seat. The back rest it only goes in from the very low back, it makes you lean back even more. Probably a gamer chair sitting leaning backwards, but I play video games too. If your playing competitively your not leaning back your comfortably forward. This chair doesn't have that. This is more an MMORPG chair than a competitive video game player chair. Or someone who does IT work and has to get done, seat forward comfortably, not leaning back. I'd list the pros, but the cons far outweigh the pros and I paid $1355 for this, there should be little to no cons. Chair is not comfortable so it doesn't matter what the pros are, its not comfortable for a short person. I need forward tilt on the seat. Leaning back the seat, the whole seat leans back, so the forward edge leans back too, meaning my feet are not fully/comfortably on the ground anymore.

I’ve always wanted a good ergonomic chair for my home office but, since most of my time was spend in the office prior to COVID, I couldn’t really justify spending the money. When COVID shutdown the office and remote work meant spending 10 – 12 hours in my cheapy chair, it was time to look for the home office chair of my dreams. I really had three chairs in mind; the Herman Miller (HM) Aeron, the HM Embody and the Steelcase (SC) Gesture. Why did I settle on the HM Embody? • Seating Material – In the office, the AC is always cranked up so you don’t really get hot even when sitting for long periods of time, so breathability of the seat doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem. Normally, at home you don’t have the AC up as high so there is a higher chance that your butt and back of your thighs will get hot and sweaty. The Gesture is a more traditional office seat design with tight woven fabric on a foam cushion seating surface. You could image it getting hot. The Embody has what I would call an airframe. The seating material is a sort of open weave, porous fabric (Balance fabric) and stretched over a frame. This allows air to circulate freely through the seat. Aeron is similar but a mesh. In this area Embody was chosen because, if you are wearing shorts (no one sees below our chest on a vid call. . . right?) the mesh could be rougher on your skin and not be as comfortable. This turned out to be true. The Embody fabric was much softer to the touch, yet just as breathable as the Aeron mesh. Durability of the fabric is very good and after almost 2 years of daily use there is no signs of wear or color fading. • Ergonomic adjustments – All three chairs have similar seat adjustments with one exception. The Aero and Gesture have adjustable lumbar supports. The Embody doesn’t. It has a sort of lattice structure that has curvatures to cradle your back. You can adjust the angle of the backrest to come in closer to your back, thus giving more lumbar support (and upper back support) or away for less. How this would actually feel was a big question at time of purchase, but I can tell you that it works fine for me and provide the support I need. I also like how the backrest tapers towards the middle. This allows more freedom of movement of your arms and elbows. • Arms - The arms should be part of the ergonomics, but although the Embody has less adjustments here it still provides good ergonomic support. The arms on the Embody move up and down and narrower to wider. They don’t slide fore/aft or pivot in/away from you. The limited arm adjustments have not been a problem. I can comfortably use the armrests all day. If you want more arm adjustability, the Gesture offers more, but from my use of the chair in the office, some of it like the pivot function, just get in the way. • Seat structure – All three have solid, durable structures. I have not had any problems with the base, casters, or seat frame itself. I expect it to last a long time. Now, everybody’s body is shaped differently and that matters when choosing a chair. To my knowledge the Embody and Gesture only come in one size while the Aeron is available in three. I am assuming that the Embody is designed to fit people within a certain average height and weight range. If you fall outside of that, the comfort and fit won’t be as good. In that case, you might want to look at the Aeron which offers different height adjustment ranges, seat widths, etc. You might also be a borderline so consider this example, I’m on the shorter side and with the Embody at its lowest position, I am just barely at the correct knee position. It works for me, but I have no margin. However, if I have chosen the Aeron size A, I would have additional space to lower the seat, but would also have to consider the narrower seat body. To sum it up. The Herman Miller Embody was well worth the price paid. The seat is very comfortable, breathes well, offers great support and is built to last. I would recommend this chair to anyone who is looking for a premium quality ergo chair, but as you can see, there are others that are just as good and may even fit your better. I hope I have been able to give you a good comparison that can show you the difference between a few of them so you can determine what is most important to you. However, no review can ever replace in seat (no pun intended) experience. If at all possible, find place where you can actually try them out. This is my 100%, guaranteed, best recommendation!

I was very hopeful for this chair. It has good build quality. It's made of good material. Unfortunately, I am an older bigger guy. And I'm dealing with a couple issues. One after sitting in the chair for a bit it causes pain on the back side of my hip right at the transfer into the legs. A lot of chairs have this problem. I've been looking for one that doesn't for a while which is why I got into the ergonomic chairs. The mechanism that extends the actual base of the seat out so that you have more of a sitting area has a release and pole mechanism both on the left and right side of the seat pan. It is a hard point and it digs into my legs. The armrests were never designed for someone my size. I have them set to the highest point and the widest point and they barely work. If they could go up a little bit higher it would be more comfortable. And with how they're set for the width, I can barely fit in the chair. They are touching my sides. It might just be the one that I got but the chair sits slightly forward so it's tilted down just a little bit. This makes it so that as you're sitting in the chair, you're sliding a little bit when you just do slight adjustments and you don't feel quite comfortable. Which causes you to move even more. Overall nice chair but not for me. Honestly, it was one of the easiest chairs to assemble. But like I said, unfortunately not right for me

PURE JOY? Words can't actually express it… …so why try. Just say that after a quick and painless assembly of the back onto the chair base, and within mere minutes of sitting in the chair, I knew why it was worth the price in terms of both quality and comfort. I instantly knew it would benefit so many others with a range of different shapes, sizes, and complaints about sitting (especially long periods.) 5 minutes of sitting in the chair and my neck felt different, better... 10 minutes that and my back -- the actual SPINE -- felt no other way than I can describe but "better" because there was no weight on it, no pressure I didn't even realize was there previously in other chairs, and yet it was fully supported. Moving in the chair is also a pleasure -- I can reach back behind me a bit for a tissue on a shelf and the chair curves with my back! in fact, just about any way I move my back at all, the chair moves with it like fluid, providing support and comfort, and without getting in the way! You can spend some time with all the various adjustments (all very simple to operate and understand, but there is an AMAZING amount of flexibility in the configuration for this thing..) So many adjustments! Even for my mom who prefers chairs that tilt forward -- there is an adjustment for that. Curved back or straight? Adjustment for that. Elbow height? Adjustment for that. Long thighs? Adjustment for that!! (yes, the seat fabric can take the good range of movement for this adjustment!) You'll also note quality construction in the frame and casters, and arm rests and how they are attached to the base, and in the tension (also adjustable in several places) in chair movement. Those who need to put weight on their chair arms to sit or get up can easily slide the arm rests down -- and actually USE them to support themselves getting in and out of the chair due to the quality materials/construction. Within 1-1.5 hours of sitting in the chair after making the many various appropriate adjustments and understanding them, I ordered 2 more of these chairs! I needed one for my lady (so she will spend more time in the office with me!) and one for my mom, who really needs this chair for her back, posture, and ultimate comfort. I imagine she will cart it back and forth between her computer desk, kitchen table, and living room replacing the couch/chairs!!! BUY IT!!! For me personally, I did have issues with my back and I found myself recently constantly adjusting my lower back and how I sit. I have a curved back and slouch, rarely sitting with my butt in the back of the chair (towards the rear of the seat, where it generally should be!) but usually in the middle (even to front at times, towards the forward edge of the seat!) I also have shoulder/neck issues from elbow height and it seems no matter what chair/desk I purchase there is never a chair that is comfortable at the same height it takes to get my large thighs under the edge of the desk, in order to get my hands close to a keyboard without slouching forward. All of these issues were wreaking havoc on me in multiple ways, and ultimately I lost productivity and creativity, working less and less. Also I was tired - ALWAYS falling asleep in my chair. Not great when as a small business owner and software developer, I spend sometimes 20 hours in it at a time, and typically spend some number of hours in it 7 days a week. Would I buy another? In a heartbeat! As mentioned, I already bought two more for the important ladies in my life. Next, I will be buying them as bonuses for my employees, it will definitely help their productivity and it is also a tax deductible expense in that regard! 12 year warranty? I can see that not being needed with this quality, but it's good to know. Now, as the title says, words can't express it - JOY! Easiest thing to say is that all the problems in the previous paragraph? FIXED! (and then some) I could write more - this chair will ensure it, but my time is expensive so I gotta move on. JUST BUY IT!

As others have mentioned, the seat is not comfortable. The cheap looking arms can't be removed without taking it apart, and the some of the plastic is starting to come apart. The back has a lot of unnecessary adjustments. I've had this chair For a year now, and I like it less and less every day. I wanted to like it, and it looks nice, but the controls for raising and lowering are not convenient and for over $1,300 it is not worth it. My estimate of what it should cost is <$130. I'm sorry I kept this chair, I thought it would feel better over time. I'm looking to buy a replacement. I expect more on a $1,300 chair.

Our latest addition to the office is the Herman Miller Embody Ergonomic Office Chair, marking our third acquisition of this exceptional piece. Despite a less-than-ideal experience with the third-party seller from whom this particular chair was purchased, our review focuses solely on the product's merits, independent of the seller's service and packaging practices. It's worth noting that this chair arrived with a broken wheel and a compromised seat extension control, attributed to the seller's unconventional packaging method and the sale of used items at discounted rates. Additionally, there appeared to be discrepancies in the fabric, suggesting it might not be the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) material. Setting aside the seller-related issues, the Herman Miller Embody Chair itself continues to be an unparalleled choice for ergonomic seating. The investment in such a chair may initially seem daunting, yet the benefits it offers to one's back, legs, and overall body are undeniable. For those of us who spend the majority of our day seated, the Embody Chair has proven to be transformative, significantly enhancing comfort and support during long hours of work. The chair's exceptional adjustability, ease of use, and comfort are its standout features. It offers a range of adjustments that cater to personal comfort preferences, ensuring optimal support and posture alignment. The ease with which these adjustments can be made allows users to fine-tune their seating experience to their exact needs, highlighting the chair's user-friendly design. In conclusion, despite the challenges presented by our experience with the third-party seller, the Herman Miller Embody Ergonomic Office Chair itself remains highly recommended. Its impact on improving posture and providing unparalleled support during extended periods of sitting justifies the investment. This chair isn't just a piece of office furniture; it's a proactive investment in one's health and well-being, offering a preventive solution to potential ergonomic-related health issues. For those who prioritize comfort and ergonomic support in their workspace, the Embody Chair is an excellent choice.

Like one of the other reviews has stated, I, too, really wanted to like this chair, and I would have much rather enjoyed using it, than have losing $300 to send this chair back to the company that I purchased it from--(I have to pay for shipping both ways, plus a 10% restocking fee). Furthermore, I now have to begin the process again, for looking for yet another office chair that does not actually cause me physical discomfort and pain to use. To begin this review, I want to state that I have never in my life experienced any sort of back injury, and in general, I never experience back pain. I am a healthy person in my 20's, my body frame is 6 feet tall and weighs 160 lbs, and I wear a size 38 suit jacket. I am a graduate student that spends each day sitting, doing reading and researching online, and I really need a proper ergonomic chair in which to do that each day. I also want to mention, that unlike some people who have probably purchased this chair without trying it out first at an actual Herman Miller retail store, I actually did make two different trips out of my way to a Herman Miller retailer to test this chair out for about an hour each time, before decided to purchase it. Having stated all of that, I will explain some of the reasons for which I rate this chair 2 stars out of 5 stars. The chair caused me discomfort and pain: 1. Ultimately, the single chief reason for which I am choosing to return this chair, is that I cannot sit in it for extended periods of time, without experiencing pain and/or flaring in my back. 2. Aside from that discomfort, the chief reason for which I simply cannot use this chair for extended periods of time, is that it is extremely hard to find a sitting position on this chair that is not actually uncomfortable; the way in which the lower and middle portions of this chair are designed confuses me, as those portions of the chair's letter "H" shaped components are unable to be adjusted, which is very significant, due to the fact that the lower and middle portions of the back of this chair can really cause a lot of discomfort. 3. Problems using the setting for this chair: What is probably the most greatly annoying part of using this chair, is the fact that it is so hard to find a single setting that works, and once one finds a setting that works, it changes and then changes again; and there are no memory settings, so each time one tries to revert back to a previous setting that actually worked, one has to go through trial and error steps that are time consuming and frustrating. 4. The back portion of the chair: The lower back portion of this chair is not adjustable, and it really does press into my back as though it were an elbow. Of course there are ways to adjust the back of the chair so that such an experience can be altered, but when I make such adjustments, the chair is not improved, and only remains equally, if not more uncomfortable in different ways. An example of how discernable the lack of comfort in this chair is, occurred when I had one of my family members, who has spent lots of time searching for a proper office chair for himself, sit in my Embody chair, and he noticed within seconds that the chair was not very comfortable. 5. Why didn't I discover these aspects of the chair when I tried it in the store?: You might be wondering, how is it that I did not discover such uncomfortable qualities to this chair when I tried it out in the store. That question leads me to my biggest piece of advice to anyone considering purchasing this chair: It is imperative that you try this chair out for very extended periods of time before deciding to make this your new chair--that is of course, unless you don't mind spending between $1200 and $1650 for a chair that might not be useable. As for myself, I am lucky enough to be able to return this item, but it is going to cost me $300 to do so. It takes time to really discover the potential that this chair has for discomfort, as well as comfort, so don't expect to really know what this chair is all about from a basic trial of it. 6. Amount of time that I used this chair: Since purchasing this chair I have sat in it for up to 10 and 12 hours a day, totaling well over 150 hours, and unfortunately I have concluded that I simply cannot be an owner of a Herman Miller Embody chair. 7. Some of the positive qualities of the chair: Having stated all of that, I will in fairness, explain in my estimation what some of the positive qualities of this chair are. 8. Craftsmanship: The chair is clearly crafted well and manufactured well, with good quality parts and fabric; the chair is weighs 65 pounds, and it feels solid. Furthermore, the casters that come standard with the chair, work very well--they roll well, and quietly. The arm pads of the chair work well, but I wish that they actually went a little higher than they do; I found my posture being adversely affected by having to rest my arms too low, and for a chair that seeks to be a "one size fits all ergonomic chair," I think it is an oversight to not make the arm pads go higher for people that are taller and have longer arms. Another positive quality about the chair is that it reclines extremely well; with this chair, one is able to really get a full recline, and remain in that position for as long as one feels comfortable, without feeling as though the chair is going to tip over, due to its very substantial weight. 9. Aesthetic: The chair has an exceptional aesthetic as well. Although, if you do decide to purchase this chair, I highly recommend the "Black on Black" color, and do not recommend purchasing the white colored chair. I was one of the many people who initially planned to buy one of the bright white chairs,because the do look really cool, but before I purchased my chair, I read another reviewer state that they regretted buying the white chair, as its brightness served to overwhelm the spaces in which they used it. I ultimately concurred with their recommendation and was glad that I decided to buy the black chair. The white chair looks great, but over time, it is way too much; too bright, too white, too colorful, etc. Before purchasing this chair I looked at every YouTube review video of the Embody chair that I could, to see what they were saying, and it really does seem as though the main reason that is given for purchasing this chair, is that it ostensibly has such a novel and beautiful aesthetic to it--which may be true, but in my estimation, it is not a good enough reason to spend between $1200 - $1650 on a chair that ultimately might have to be returned. When paying that kind of premium money, you're going to need a chair that you can use a lot. 10. Conclusion: I am disappointed that I will be sending this chair back to the company from whom I purchased it. This chair is not your ordinary office chair: it is unique in its objective to mimic the human spine, and it really should be experienced for very extended periods of time, before being purchased. This is a very heavy chair -- 65 pounds -- to be returning, and that combined with the cost of returning it, is why it is not in one's best interest to purchase this chair unless one plans to keep it. Even if you decide to return this chair within the 30 day time frame that is allowed, you will be charged for both ways of shipping, and in my case, a 10% restocking fee (totalling $300). Here is something interesting to keep in mind: At Herman Miller, the employees are allowed to use whatever Herman Miller chair they choose. Yet, on the several (three) different occasions that I called Herman Miller, I learned that there are plenty of employees that choose to use chairs other than the Embody chair, which are a lot more low end, as their own personal office chair. The main reason that I decided to purchase the Embody chair over the Aeron chair, is because of the fact that the Embody chair is supposed to have incorporated all of the research, development, and money that went into designing the Aeron chair, in addition to all kinds of new cutting edge research and development. I therefore concluded that the Embody chair would surely be at least as good, if not better than the Aeron chair. Well, when ones holds the aforesaid idea in mind, it is very curious that there are plenty of Herman Miller employees that choose not to use the Embody chair as their own personal office chair, given the fact that they are encouraged to use whatever Herman Miller chair they prefer the most. Furthermore, it is also interesting that there are not more positive reviews of the Embody chair than the paltry handful of reviews that have been on Amazon since the chair was created approximately five or more years ago. If the Embody chair is Herman Miller's new flagship chair, than why after all of these years of being produced, have there not been more positive reviews of the chair on Amazon? I do not doubt that this chair can be a phenomenal chair for some, if not many people. I can however, only offer my own perspective and experience with this chair. Just around each time that I thought I was finally getting to like this chair, I would then begin experiencing new forms of discomfort and/or pain from using it. Message to Herman and Miller: If any of the designers from the research and development teams from Herman Miller read this review, I want to give you some summarized recommendations: 1. Please try to fix the harshness of the lower lumbar portion of this chair, or at least design the chair so that the letter "H" portion of the lower lumbar area of the chair can be adjusted. 2. Please offer some sort of memory settings for the chair, so that it might be easier to go between settings without having to use trial and error, and lots of guess work for finding a comfortable chair setting. 3. Please consider making the arm pads go a little higher for taller people. 4. Please consider making this chair more comfortable to sit in--and by comfortable, I mean that it might be prudent to put more cushioning on this chair, which may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the current Embody chair model, but which could ultimately yield a much more inviting and rewarding sitting experience for Embody chair users. It really seems as though function in the Embody chair was compromised for the sake of the chair's novel, modern, futuristic aesthetic.