Initial thoughts....
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 7:51AM Well that "Rolls Royce" of chairs has arrived, in fact, it arrived late last week, just a couple of days after ordering it via eBay.
If you remember, it's a second hand Herman Miller Aeron chair and I have to say, it's in great condition. You'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't new. It arrived in a Herman Miller box, in just two parts, slotted the back into the frame, tightened four bolts with the supplied allen key and we're ready to rock and roll.
With my son watching, I flounced into the non adjusted chair only to get a bit of a shock as the chair sort of collapsed under me in a controlled way. Bit of a shock to the system but at least it cheered him up for the rest of the day!
No instructions on the adjustments necessary came with the chair but a quick Google brought up a copy of the adjustment card supplied with a new chair.
Boy, is it adjustable!
It's a bit difficult to really know where to start but after a bit of fiddling, I sort of adjusted it to what I though would be the most comfortable. I'm still fiddling 4 days after but only minor adjustments now.
So my initial thoughts...
I can appreciate the engineering in making the chair so adjustable, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for one. It really doesn't feel like £700s worth of chair.
It's still relatively early days but I'm still conscious of the chair and its movement, so it's going to take me a bit longer to get used to than I appreciated.
The one major issue I have, which has the possibility of being a show stopper, is the front edge of the seat. The Aeron doesn't have any padding but uses a webbing made of pellicle. This is very comfortable and allows for air to circulate so you shouldn't get overheated in the chair. However, the front edge of the chair is a hard plastic bar that the webbing is attached to. No matter how much I adjust the chair, this hard plastic bar always seems to be pressing on the underside of my legs - not comfortable at all.
I have the chair adjusted so my feet are on the floor but it still seems to impinge on my comfort.
I'll give it another week or two to see if it's just me, but it's a bit disappointing if I'm honest.
Update: Out of curiosity, I've just got my old chair and sat in it for the first time since getting the Aeron.
It was like sitting on a huge, creaky, flat board.
Perhaps I've been a bit harsh on the Aeron?
Reader Comments (9)
Don --
It may not seem like a £700 chair now (mine was $900 when I got it), but that was 8 years ago, and mine STILL looks brand new. Well, it's a bit dustier than you'd expect a brand new chair to be, but it feels, functions and looks the same. It's definitely something you'll come to appreciate as time passes.
Strangely enough, the sense of appreciation will be subtle, as the chair's best feature is that you forget you're sitting in a chair.
I was very tempted to get one of these on ebay, but you've made me pause for thought.
Can you post an update in a week or two as to whether you think its worthwhile
Ta,
Your knees are supposed to be a little higher than your hips to minimize pressure on the back. I got a nifty footrest when I got my ergonomic chair that really makes it easy to accomplish that. That may help with the edge of the front of the chair being uncomfortable too.
There's definitely not another adjuster underneath the front-edge is there? The one I have at work (not this particular make I don't think) has a lever underneath that front-edge that when squeezed, allows you to 'bend' the front edge downwards, thus making the depth of the chair slight less.
You needs a Laz-Boy chair Don. :-)
http://www.drinkstuff.com/products/product.asp?ID=657
That's the way to roll.......LOL
Great idea Jean! Think I may just do that.
Ergonomic? I don't think so. Mind you, for the lounge.....
I got the cheaper version (Celle) and was in agony for weeks until I worked out some adjustments. It still feels less comfortable than the ikea chair it replaced but I've not had any RSI pain in the shoulder since getting this. I suspect the key difference is the elbow support.
I disagree that your knees are supposed to be higher than your hips. So does my chiropractor (www.regency-clinic.co.uk). She has been telling me to tilt my seat forward approx 15 degrees (induces a natural curve in the spine) and adjust seat height so hip joint is 4-6 inches higher than knee joint. It feels wierd at first but it has had a major improvement on my back/shoulder problems. So much so that I keep the posture poster she gave me pinned near my monitor to ensure I'm sitting correctly. Take a look at this site for information on posture www.homeworking.com/library/posture.htm.
I have the Herman Miller Mirra chair at home. It's the model down from your Aeron and I don't think it has the same adjustment mechanisms, but it does has a bar underneath the front of the seat that allows you to 'drop' the edge of the seat away and back from the legs. Do you have something similar? The Mirra wasn't cheap (approx £500 new I think), but neither is the chiropractor, and there is nothing worse than a painful back except, perhaps, toothache. I really like my Mirra, in fact I prefer it to the more expensive RH Logic 400 my employers bought me for use in the office.
Gavin