Herman Miller Aeron Review: Six Months With the $1,400 Chair

$1,400 for a Chair. I Know.

Here’s the thing: I sit in this chair 8-10 hours a day, 250 days a year. Over the 12-year warranty period, that’s about $0.05 per hour. I spend more than that on coffee.

Six months ago, my back hurt by 3pm every day. I blamed my mattress, my posture, getting old. Then I bought the Aeron. The pain stopped within two weeks. Not reduced. Stopped.

Is it worth $1,400? If you sit for a living, yes. If you’re at your desk 3 hours a day, probably not.

Get the Right Size or Don’t Bother

The Aeron comes in three sizes: A (small), B (medium), C (large). Pick wrong and you’ve wasted $1,400 on a chair that doesn’t fit.

Size B fits most people: 5’4” to 6’2”, 130-230 lbs. That’s what I have. I’m 5’11”, 180 lbs — comfortably in the middle of B’s range.

Size A is for smaller frames: under 5’4” and under 130 lbs.

Size C is for larger frames: over 6’2” or over 230 lbs.

When in doubt, go to a Herman Miller dealer and sit in both sizes. The wrong size Aeron is worse than a $300 office chair that fits you.

The Mesh Takes Getting Used To

The Aeron’s seat and back are Pellicle mesh — basically a suspended fabric that conforms to your body. It’s breathable (no sweaty back in summer) and supportive.

But it’s not soft. If you’re used to foam padding, the Aeron will feel firm for the first week. Some people never get used to it. My partner tried my Aeron and hated it — she prefers the Steelcase Leap’s foam seat.

There’s no right answer here. Mesh works for most people, but it’s worth sitting in one before committing $1,400.

PostureFit SL is the Whole Point

The lumbar support on the remastered Aeron is why I bought it. PostureFit SL has two pads — one for your lumbar spine, one for your sacrum — and they adjust independently.

Took me about a week of micro-adjustments to find the right settings. Too high feels like getting pushed forward. Too low doesn’t do anything. Once dialed in, it disappears — which is exactly what good ergonomics should do.

Fair warning: the adjustments are fiddly. You’ll spend the first few days reaching behind the chair tweaking dials.

What You Can Actually Adjust

• Seat height (standard)
• Seat tilt (forward or recline)
• Tilt tension (how hard to lean back)
• Armrest height, width, depth, and pivot
• PostureFit SL (lumbar and sacral pads)

That’s more than most chairs, but less than the Steelcase Leap or Gesture. Missing: seat depth adjustment. The Aeron fits a range of body types, but if your legs are unusually short or long, it might not work.

Build Quality is Obscene

Die-cast aluminum frame. Glass-reinforced nylon back. Every moving part feels like it was designed by someone who expects the chair to outlive you.

I’ve had cheap office chairs where the armrests wobble after six months. The Aeron’s armrests could support a car jack. Every adjustment dial clicks with precision. Nothing wobbles. Nothing squeaks.

This is what $1,400 buys you: the confidence that this chair will work identically in 2038.

Used Aerons Exist

Here’s a secret: Buy used. Aerons last 20+ years with minimal maintenance. A 10-year-old Aeron in good condition is maybe 5% worse than a new one, and you can find them for $400-600 on Facebook Marketplace or from office liquidators.

I bought new because I wanted the latest PostureFit SL system, but the classic Aeron (pre-2017) with original PostureFit is 85% as good for half the price.

vs. Other High-End Chairs

Steelcase Leap: More adjustable, foam padding instead of mesh, similar price. Better if you hate mesh or have unusual proportions.

Steelcase Gesture: Best for people who move around a lot or sit cross-legged. Worse lumbar support than the Aeron.

Secretlab Titan: Half the price, looks cooler, but not in the same ergonomic league. Fine for gaming, not for 8-hour work days.

Branch Ergonomic Chair: Decent Aeron knockoff for $349. I’d buy this before any random $200 Amazon chair.

Who Should Skip This

If you sit 4 hours a day or less: Overkill. Get a $400 chair.

If you hate mesh seats: Try the Steelcase Leap instead.

If you’re on a budget: Buy a used Aeron or the Branch Ergonomic.

If you want something “fun”: The Aeron is black. It looks like office furniture because it is office furniture.

The Verdict

The Aeron is boring in the best way. It’s not exciting. It doesn’t have RGB lights. It looks exactly like the chair in your office’s conference room.

But it fixed my back pain, it’ll last 15 years, and I never think about it while I’m working. For a tool I use 2,000 hours a year, that’s worth $1,400.

Buy it if you sit for a living. Skip it if you don’t.