Don’t Be Fooled By Herman Miller Gaming Chairs
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Herman Miller is a popular office chair brand and many have said great things about their chairs. The Aeron and Embody are both featured prominently in our office chair rankings by category, which is context worth having before evaluating the gaming versions.
However, they have also moved into the gaming chair world designing various types. While many have gotten excited about this, I have to question their intention. Today I am going to dive into the nitty gritty of these gaming chairs.
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1. Herman Miller Aeron
The Aeron is extensively covered in our Aeron vs. Leap long-term comparison if you want a non-gaming frame of reference. Starting off with the Herman Miller Aeron, this chair is the most popular of the brand and the most expensive. This chair has great qualities all around. It has nice side bolsters and can recline a decent amount. The arms are highly adjustable so it will make it easy for gamers to position how they need to. They have soft and cushioned arm pads as well for long periods of gaming. This gaming chair is priced the same as the original and comes fully loaded, the only difference is the gray color not being an upcharge option, rather the same price as the black.
2. Herman Miller Embody
Next in the lineup is the Herman Miller Embody. There was some research and thought when this chair was designed to make it different from the original. It currently stands in my top 3 office chairs to sit in. The first big change is the logos and branding on the chair. This is unique from what Herman Miller usually does because they stray away from gaudy branding. I think there is a great balance between the two chairs.
The next noticeable change is a thicker seat pad and pattern style on the seat and back. It makes the chair all around more comfortable to sit in. Aside from these few changes, the rest of the chair remains the same. The price is similar as well so regardless if you go with the gaming or original you won’t break the bank.
3. Herman Miller Sayl
Moving onto the next known gaming chair is the Herman Miller Sayl. There are no functional design changes between its original and the gaming chair. If lumbar matters to you, the standard Sayl or the full Herman Miller Aeron alternatives lineup are better places to look. However, the gaming chair does not offer a lumbar adjustment and you get more color choices. So the look is really the only thing that changes. To me this chair doesn’t feel like a gaming chair, it doesn’t have the side bolsters or thickness of a gaming chair.
4. Herman Miller Vantum
The final gaming chair I want to present is the Herman Miller Vantum. I think this is the first chair that really looks and feels like a gaming chair. There is not an office chair version of the Vantum. With that being said though, the Vantum is a downgrade to the chairs I previously discussed.
The materials feel cheap and the seat is small. The headrest is also too intrusive making the experience not great. I feel like there is a ton of room for improvement and the overall quality doesn’t feel like something Herman Miller would make. One positive is it does seem like an upgrade for bucket style racing chairs like the Secret Lab Titan for example.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, the gaming chair category continues to boom so that is why brands like Herman Miller are dipping their toes into the gaming world. I think this brand can stand on its own without trying to design gaming chairs that really aren’t all that different from its originals. In a way, it’s a shortcut that isn’t needed. There are plenty of gaming chair brands out there to produce well thought out gaming chairs. If you want the best seating for long sessions regardless of the gaming label, our breathable mesh office chair guide covers the options that actually hold up for 8-hour use. We should leave it to them.
Source: btod.com
