Reviews You Can Rely On

Herman Miller Embody Review

While it might be hard to justify spending this much on a chair, this one is a top performer for a reason
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Herman Miller Embody Review
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $1,960 List
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Manufacturer:   Herman Miller
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Jun 30, 2021
77
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 14
  • Comfort - 50% 7.6
  • Adjustability - 35% 8.0
  • Durability - 10% 8.9
  • Ease of Assembly - 5% 4.7

Our Verdict

The Herman Miller Embody scored exceptionally well in our tests and is a premium office chair. It's incredibly comfortable, and our testers had no complaints about sitting in it for a full day. This chair boasts an excellent set of adjustable features, allowing it to be customizable for many body shapes and sizes. While well-built, the Embody is far from the easiest to assemble. The biggest downside is the price tag, though if you sit at a desk regularly and need a comfortable, high-quality chair, this one is easily worth the cost. Check out our office chair review to see how the Embody stacks up against the competition.
REASONS TO BUY
Durable
Comfortable
Very adjustable
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Harder to assemble

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Office Chair
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Best Buy Award
Best on a Tight Budget
 
Price $1,960 List
$1,900 at Amazon
$1,299 List
$1,039 at Amazon
$819 List
$617.60 at Amazon
$180 List
$132.00 at Amazon
$97 List
$76.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line This chair is one of the top performers but its high price tag may be a hinderanceOur favorite year after year, this is one of the highest performing chairs on the marketThis chair boasts both comfort and high-quality features, though there is room for improvement in terms of providing additional adjustment optionsIt's not fancy, but this is our favorite budget-friendly chair for the moneyWith this model, you get what you pay for, which isn't much
Rating Categories Herman Miller Embody Steelcase Leap Steelcase Series 2 Modway Articulate E... Amazon Basics Class...
Comfort (50%)
7.6
8.7
7.7
6.0
4.0
Adjustability (35%)
8.0
9.1
7.6
5.5
4.9
Durability (10%)
8.9
9.0
8.9
4.5
2.9
Ease of Assembly (5%)
4.7
10.0
9.7
5.7
6.3
Specs Herman Miller Embody Steelcase Leap Steelcase Series 2 Modway Articulate E... Amazon Basics Class...
Adjustable Seat Pan Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Adjustable Lumbar Support Yes; you can adjust the amount, but not the location Yes Yes Yes; the backrest moves up and down Yes
Adjustable Armrest Width Yes Option available Option available No Yes
Recline Lever No No No Yes No
Tilt Limiter Yes; 4 stop points Yes; 5 stop points Yes; only locks in the upright position Yes; locks you into a position Yes; 3 stop points
Swivel Armrests No Option available Option available No No
Armrest Depth Adjustment No Option available Option available No No
Tension Knob Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Lumbar Support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Embody is a high-end and well-designed chair. If the price tag isn't a stopping block, we think you will be pleased with this product and what it has to offer.

Performance Comparison


herman miller embody - while most testers rated the embody very highly for comfort, one...
While most testers rated the Embody very highly for comfort, one 5'11" tester struggled to dial in its lumbar and back support, giving this premium chair a love it or hate it reputation in our lab.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Comfort


Our testers rated and scored their overall impression of each chair after using each one for 8-10 hours. We also evaluated how comfortable the backrest, armrests, and seats were, and each tester determined how long they could comfortably sit in each chair without their body protesting. The Embody wasn't the highest scorer, but it fared quite well in our lineup. Most of our test team was happy to sit in it for a long and full day.

herman miller embody - the embody is a comfortable and well-designed chair.
The Embody is a comfortable and well-designed chair.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

For most of our testers, the Embody has an exceptionally comfortable seat and backrest, though — as we all know — comfort is highly subjective. One of our judges disagreed, rating this chair poorly in every single one of our comfort tests. For this very reason, this metric encompasses many different kinds of tests, and we try to assemble a diverse testing team. We then average out all the results to give you an idea of a general trend. The bottom line is that the Embody is well-liked by many, but — as with anything this personal — we recommend trying before you buy or ensuring whoever you order from has a good return policy, just in case you agree with our lone dissenting tester.

herman miller embody - the armrests weren't universally lauded by our testers, but are...
The armrests weren't universally lauded by our testers, but are still quite comfortable.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Adjustability


This metric focused on each chair's backrest, seat, and armrests, and we scored each product based on the available range of motion. We also looked at the reclining mechanism and if you can easily configure the chair so you are sitting according to ergonomic guidelines. The Embody again did well. The backrest on this chair has lumbar support, though we were quite disappointed that you can't adjust its height, only the amount of curvature. The backrest comes up quite high, and it has four different stop points that you can set as tilt limiters when reclining.

Most components on the Embody are adjustable.
Most components on the Embody are adjustable.
We like the different tilt limiter settings you can engage on the...
We like the different tilt limiter settings you can engage on the Embody.

The armrests are quite adjustable, allowing you to move them up and down or closer or further to you, but you can't move them forward or backward or swivel them.

herman miller embody - unfortunately, you can't move the armrests on this chair forwards or...
Unfortunately, you can't move the armrests on this chair forwards or backwards or pivot them.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

However, the seat offers a full range of adjustability, letting you move the seat pan forward or backward. It also has a generous range of motion when moving the chair up and down. Additionally, the reclining tension adjustment knob is responsive and very accessible, and we didn't find it to be a hassle at all to get this chair into a position that allows you to sit ergonomically.

herman miller embody - it's easy to reach all of the adjustments on the embody.
It's easy to reach all of the adjustments on the Embody.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Durability


For this metric, we evaluated how durable and sturdy the chair felt. We also included our own impressions of how it held up during our testing procedure and analyzed various user reviews. Some reviews indicated that the chair arrived damaged, though this was rare. The Embody is noticeably sturdy, and we experienced zero issues during our extensive testing process.

herman miller embody - the embody is sturdily constructed.
The Embody is sturdily constructed.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ease of Assembly


We judged each chair on how much of a hassle it was to unpack and build. The Embody arrives mostly assembled, but it still takes some time to finish getting everything set up. We spent over 45 minutes and struggled to get the screws in, hampered by a few sloppy tolerances and deformed threads. We were very grateful for the Torx screw heads, as we are convinced that we would have stripped them if they were Phillips-heads.

herman miller embody - the embody took a little bit of time to get together, but overall...
The Embody took a little bit of time to get together, but overall wasn't too much of a hassle.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Value


The list price of the Embody is high and seems to increase yearly. That said, if you sit at a desk for a large portion of the day and are looking for a stylish office chair that provides excellent comfort and a high level of adjustability, this one could be a worthy addition to your shortlist.

Conclusion


The Herman Miller Embody is a nice office chair that mostly doesn't disappoint. We think this is a solid contender if you're patient with assembly and can stomach the price point.

David Wise and Austin Palmer