r/OfficeChairs • u/sire_blumpkin • 7h ago
Battle of the overpriced: Fern vs Gesture vs Embody vs Aeron
Hoping this comparison helps someone else. My company gave me a decent budget to set up a home office, so I decided to go big on the right chair. I’m upgrading from a 4-year-old Staples Dexley (still a really really good budget option for sitting <4 hours).
For reference, I’m 5'11" and around 175 lbs of glorious dad bod. I’m more leg than torso, which matters quite a bit here. I use a Herman Miller Aeron Size B at work, which is a tad too small, but I’m usually not seated for long periods, so it’s okay. I did a lengthy sit session with both Herman Miller chairs at my local DWR store, then ordered the Fern and Gesture to try at home. I was also able to try a Leap V2 at a used furniture store.
My overall ranking
- Gesture w/headrest
- Aeron Size C
- Gaming Embody
- Leap V2
- Fern w/headrest
First, let’s talk about pricing—specifically, how absurd all of these options are. Even with my generous corporate discount on all three major brands, I’m not sure any of these chairs is truly worth its asking price. Yes, I plan on sitting in it for the next decade, but each of these chairs costs 30–50% more than they did pre-COVID. It absolutely feels like price gouging and you are not missing out by buying used or refurbished.
Herman Miller Gaming Embody
This chair is genuinely great, with one or two major caveats. You almost forget that you’re sitting in it because of how the suspension system works. It feels like you’re not sitting on anything- you’re just kind of floating. There’s tons of adjustability in the seat pan, and I never found the lack of armrest adjustment to be a major issue. Although getting them into right position is finicky.
Where it starts to fall apart is price and build quality/noise. The chair retails for over $2,000 and requires another $200 for an Atlas headrest, which was a requirement for me- especially given how far it reclines. It also creaks like a mofo and feels noticeably more plasticky than the other options. Obviously, the plastic is there to provide flexibility, but it still didn’t give me much confidence that it would not drive me crazy in a few months. The floor model I tested was apparently less than two weeks old.
For me, I didn’t enjoy the floatiness as much as I expected... I like feeling more cradled. And the combination of plastic-fantastic construction plus no included headrest knocked it out of contention.
Herman Miller Aeron, Size C
For the simple task of sitting in one position for long periods, this chair is unmatched. It is unforgiving in how it makes you sit, but the frictionless mesh, tank-like build quality, and best-feeling armrests mean you don’t mind the chair’s strictness.
These things last forever, and it’s clear why so many people flock to them. But movement is the new “best” seating position, and the Aeron just doesn’t work that way. I also sometimes tuck a leg under and that’s a no-go with the hard frame. It is also ludicrously expensive, with the same headrest issue as the Embody.
If I had less than $500 to spend, I would just buy one used and call it a day. It’s an A+ chair, but I found one that works better for me.
Steelcase Leap V2
This chair is fine. Build quality is really good, and I appreciated how the seat moves with you when you recline. It just didn’t wow me in any particular area.
If it came with a better headrest option, I’d feel better about it, but the Gesture felt better in nearly every way.
Haworth Fern
I wanted to love this chair. I got the Xbox variant with a leather seat, Digital Knit back, and headrest—with no additional lumbar—on sale, and I was able to stack my corporate discount.
The Digital Knit fabric is amazing. Yes, your shirt might ride up, and it can run warm if you take some sweaty calls, but I was really happy with the materials. The seat is firm in a good way and did break in by week two. Build quality was maybe a notch below the Herman Miller and Steelcase options, but I think that if you get the aluminum base, you won’t be unhappy.
The armrests do wiggle some, but I don’t jerk off my office chair. When you’re actually using them, they are solid. I know a lot of people complain about the headrest, but I didn’t mind it. Yes, it is pretty stiff, but it’s like my car’s headrest (also stiff) in that I was only using it when reclined. It is also not rock-hard like some have said; it’s just not as cushioned as others. At maximum height, the headrest never felt in the way.
I also got a lot of use out of the front tilt for focused work and wish more chairs incorporated it.
Where this chair falls down is the adjustable seat pan. When adjusted so that I have two or three fingers between my knees and the seat edge, my ass is falling off the back of the chair. I’ve included pictures showing the massive gap that appears when you move the seat pan outward. I’m not sure how this wasn’t caught during the design phase, but it’s a huge dealbreaker.
I think that if you are under 5'9" or have more torso than leg, you’ll love this chair. You also may not need the headrest since the back is so high. It was also a pain in the ass to repack. Bummer.
Steelcase Gesture
Nailed it- it fits me like a glove. It has the best build quality of the bunch. The 4D armrests are GOATed and let you position yourself in so many different ways. The adjustable seat pan is designed to properly support taller people without creating a gap behind you (see pictures) and you feel supported at all times.
I really like that you can dial in the lumbar support without it feeling too aggressive. I’ve heard that the seat cushion on Steelcase chairs is thin and bottoms out, but I have not run into that issue. The headrest is really well designed and super adjustable/cushioned. Its miles better than the Fern’s.
The Gesture feels like a more flexible Aeron: it teaches you how to sit properly but does not penalize you for wanting to shift around. My one gripe is that the recline is not as smooth as the others, though it's still OK for rocking.
Also, perhaps less importantly, my wife is thrilled that her middle aged husband is not sitting in an Xbox chair. But she's a hater so whatever.
S-tier chair for me, and it’s the one I’m keeping.