Do I Need An Aeron Chair?

Designers Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf set out to revolutionize what a chair ought to be, studying the form, function and the materials. In designing the Aeron chair, they conceived of something that interceded on the sitter's health when they sat for longer than was recommended. In regards to function they felt that a chair should move and adjust with the sitter as naturally as possible. They also wanted a chair that was durable, easy to repair and easy to take apart. The Aeron chair supports all body types and offers healthy comfort and balanced body support thanks to the innovative suspension and adjustment controls. The design of the chair is excellent for the way the human pelvis naturally tilts forward, and the chair's high, wide and contoured back was designed specifically with the human spine in mind. The armrests glide downward and the "waterfall" front edge of the seat keeps blood circulating in the thighs so that the sitter stays alert and focused. But the Aeron chair isn't without its faults. Some feel that the chair is too complicated to adjust; there's also the fact that the chair can only perfectly fit one person at a time. If someone else were to sit in the chair they would have to adjust it to their comfort. The truth is that many people simply won't bother to set their chairs up correctly as it's simply too complicated and takes too long. Another downside of the chair is the steep price. Some alternatives to the Aeron chair are the Leap chair from Steelcase. The Leap chair's LiveBack feature supports the entire spine rather than focusing only on the pelvis; it's even managed to convert some people from the Aeron chair. Another option is the Freedom chair from Humanscale which has a wonderful ergonomic design in addition to a self-activating weight feature which allows the user to automatically set their body weight. HAG chairs also have a self-adjustment mechanism which allows the user to simply lean back and let the chair calculate and calibrate the tension without the user having to lift a finger. The Herman Miller Aeron chair is the king of office seating, almost the iPhone of office chairs. When shopping for a chair you have your own personal needs and requirements to consider such as health conditions, weight, office space and budget. Do your homework and see if the Aeron chair is the perfect fit, or if you should shop elsewhere.