It’s been almost three years since we got the Herman Miller Embody. After all that time, I’ll take you through some of the features of the chair and let you know exactly how it’s fared over the past 1,000+ days.
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1. Build Quality
For starters, the build quality on the Embody is top notch. It incorporates the most advanced technology in office chairs and is made of the highest quality materials throughout. This chair has gotten a ton of use in our office over the past three years and only the fabric is showing any sign of wear. The frame, functions, and arm pads are all in pristine condition.
Some people complain that the Embody can be noisy and while I agree that the plastic can be creaky due to the pixelated system, I don’t think it’s any louder than other high-end chairs like the Leap and Fern. I thought the Embody was one of the best chairs I’ve ever seen from the moment we took it out of the box – and I feel the same way three years later.
2. A seat
The seat is one area where I changed my mind a bit after putting a ton of time into the Ebody. I think the design of the seat is very good. There isn’t much padding, but the pixelated system provides a softer feel than I’d expect from a chair without padding. The seat is also large and flexible, allowing you to move around, stretch, and sit cross-legged.
Seat depth adjustment is minimal, especially for a chair that costs around $2,000. I’d much prefer something like what’s available in the Gesture, but the adjustment gets the job done and ensures the seat will fit perfectly. After a long period of use, I started to feel pressure in my tail area – that’s why I put this chair on rotation rather than using it full time.
3. Arms
In addition, I really like the arms of the chair, which tend to get a lot of criticism and make me feel like I really have to drive them. I think a lot of the hate towards arms is unjustified. The biggest complaint is that they are stiff and not adjustable enough. I agree that the arms are more complex than many other options in this class, but this can be mitigated if you know how to adjust them properly.
The arms are large, but this is on purpose – it prevents the arms from moving once they are in place. If you pull on them a little before moving them in and out, they are much easier and this removes a lot of the feeling of irritation. The pads have no depth adjustment – I wish the pads came with a depth adjustment so I could put them back, but I can easily make them work because the width and width are great. I also like that the pads are large and comfortable, with little give and a nice, flat design.
4. Stay
The recline on the Embody is at the top of its class and still works as well as it did three years ago. This is one of the main reasons why people choose Herman Miller chairs. Literally the one thing that keeps me coming back to Embody and why I always try to use the Aeron in our conference room – I love sitting in these chairs.
You can sit straight or you can easily lean back. It is so smooth and easy to use that there is nothing else like it. This is the best seating you can find in an office environment because it offers deep relaxation and a comfortable place to work or play.
5. Back
For many people, the back on an Ebody is what makes or breaks a chair. Personally, there are things I like and hate about the backrest. I love the narrow design and the pixelated system that gives you arguably the most range of motion of any office chair – you can really move your arms, bend, and stretch because you’re not restricted by a rigid chair frame. This is emphasized by the highly flexible material and it is great how far you can travel in the seat.
However, I am not a fan of lumbar fixation. The back has a natural curved feel backed by a hard plastic. The lumbar is more than I would like, but still tolerable. After using the chair for a long time, the combination of hard plastic, lack of adjustment, and the so-called lumbar is starting to make my back hurt.
The back curve also tends to make me uncomfortable. The seat has a large inward curve at the top, which can push your shoulders forward – making me feel like my chest muscles are being cut.
The Bottom Line in the Ebody Chair
Overall, these were the main features that made me open to trying new chairs. The Leap and Fern are now the seats I appreciate. Hopefully, my experience with the Ebody can help you decide if it’s the right chair for you.