Herman Miller x Logitech Embody gaming chair
Herman Miller x Logitech Embody: One-minute review
We don’t know how else to put it: the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody is the bee’s knees of gaming chairs, the cat’s meow of thrones, the fox’s socks of gaming seats. This premium offering from none other than Herman Miller, office seating extraordinaire, may be out of most people’s budget, but we’d honestly love to see gaming chair knock-it-before-you-try-it haters find new and creative ways to complain about it.
Gaming chairs get a lot of flak for merely existing, even though they’ve come a long way from their trivial beginnings, and there are now many out there that are on par with the best office chairs when it comes to price and comfort. You see needlessly strong opinions on the internet making fun of them, even though most of those people are probably just regurgitating what they’ve read on Reddit and have only probably tried a total of one (or zero) gaming chair in their whole existence.
So, we’d honestly love to see them try and knock this one down, as it’s already as close to perfection as a chair, any chair, can get. There’s no trace of that bucket seat design that seems to infuriate detractors. There’s an abundance of support and comfort, the lack of which seems to be the main grievance gaming chair critics have put forward. In fact, this is one of the most comfortable chairs, gaming or otherwise, we’ve ever sat on. And, the materials used are all premium and robust, so they can’t moan about how it’s cheaply-made either.
Yes, it’s on the pricey end, but hey, if you’re happy to spend money on something that’s worth it — and the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody is truly worth it – then go be happy. Forget those chumps; they don’t know what they’re talking about.
Herman Miller x Logitech Embody: Price
- How much does it cost? $1,795 / £1,496
- Where is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US and the UK
Dimensions: 29 x 29.5 x 45 inches (L x W x H)
Materials: Die-cast aluminum frame, texture powder coat, Sync (100% polyester) fabric upholstery, two spring layers, self-skinning thermo-plastic urethane foam
Assembled weight: Not available
Max capacity: 300 lbs
Adjustments: Arm height and width, back fit adjustment, seat depth and height, tilt tension, tilt limiter
There’s no sugar-coating it: as with most Herman Miller products, you’ll be paying a lot for the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody – specifically, $1,795 / £1,496 in the US and the UK respectively. Many gaming chairs are under a third of that price. And, it’s certainly a lot for most people, especially in this post-pandemic economic climate we’ve found ourselves in. And, especially if you’re not used to seeing that price tag on a single piece of furniture.
But, before you close this tab in contempt, let’s be real: the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody is just one of many premium chairs out there. Humanscale, for example, wants you to fork out at least $1,634 / £1,036 for its entry-level office-slash-gaming chair, Freedom. Meanwhile, the Steelcase Gesture starts at $1,348 and can set you back as high as $2,456 with customizations. Heck, this reviewer once contemplated spending $500 on a beach chair that had no other functions but to be a beach chair.
We definitely do understand the need to spend less – not all of us can spend more than $500 / £500 on a chair, no matter how comfortable and luxurious it is. However, if you have that extra money in the bank or can easily save up for it, we can honestly say that this is a worthwhile investment.
Just not to folks in Australia as it doesn’t seem to be readily available there.
- Value: 3.5 / 5
Herman Miller x Logitech Embody: Assembly
- Literally no assembly involved
Pop open the box and take the chair out. That’s it.
The Herman Miller x Logitech Embody comes blissfully pre-assembled so there’s no reading of the manual, no figuring out which screws to use on which threads, no heavy-lifting involved, and no low-key crying because you can’t find the hole underneath the seat when you slot the cylinder in. You don’t even need to lift the chair out of the box as it is brilliantly packaged so that one side of the box drops flat on the floor and you can just roll the chair out.
- Assembly: 5 / 5
Herman Miller x Logitech Embody: Design
- Beautiful modern form
- Excellent materials
- 300-pound max load
If you’re tired of the bucket-seat design that most gaming chairs sport, you’re going to appreciate the attempt at swimming against the current here. The Herman Miller x Logitech Embody isn’t exactly novel, however, as Herman Miller has simply taken its original Embody chair and given it that gaming flair. Still, as far as gaming chairs are concerned, it’s an entirely new way of doing things.
There isn’t, for instance, a headrest or a head pillow, which many chairs for gaming come with. And, in lieu of a lumbar pillow or a lumbar ‘bump,’ the entire back rest has what Herman Miller calls a “pixelated” Backfit design.
It looks very much like a massive printed circuit board with all the components slotted, but in attractive cyan instead of green. (If you don’t like the cyan back and prefer neutral colors, you’ll be glad to know that it also comes in the black/white colorway.)
Looks-wise, it's beautifully and elegantly executed, but it’s its functionality that really deserves high praise. The lines on this backrest are designed to expand and open up to actively mould to your back’s shape as well as provide support where you need it most. And, because of that, the backrest essentially adjusts to every movement you make, which also helps eliminate pressure points. It’s a pretty ingenious way of offering the right back ergonomics.
Adding more to your comfort, both the backrest and the seat have a refined fabric upholstery that houses a thin foam layer, which provides all the cushioning you need. Not that the seat itself is only made up of that. It also comes with two spring layers plus one mat layer. Altogether, those effectively give the support you need to prevent back pain as well as offer enough bounce for your rump to feel cushy.
Your arms will feel just as comfortable. Both armrests are topped with self-skinning thermo-plastic urethane foam to ensure they’re not resting on hard surfaces.
At 45 x 29.5 x 29 inches, this chair isn’t the biggest, which we actually love. That slim profile makes it ideal for those with small spaces but also gives it a stylish and graceful look that allows it to fit in an office setting. It might seem delicate next to all those gargantuan gaming chairs, but don’t let that slim design fool you. It’s got a maximum load capacity of 300 pounds.
- Design: 5 / 5
Herman Miller x Logitech Embody: Performance
- Easy but not intuitive adjustability
- Incredibly supportive and comfortable
- Wide user height range
Prioritizing your comfort is clearly at the heart of the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody with its Backfit backrest design and layered hybrid (foam and spring) seat. We’ve spent about a month in this chair, using it for work and play. And, even when we’re burning the candle at both ends, it has kept that promise of comfort.
It helps, of course, that it has a height range of 16 to 20.5 inches, which makes it inclusive not just of people within the average height range but also petite users 4’11” to 5’3” and those on the very tall end over 6’2”. Not a lot of gaming chairs have this range, so it’s definitely a point for the Embody in terms of height inclusivity.
Truth be told, its adjustability isn’t the most intuitive. However, that’s mostly due to the off-the-beaten-path Herman Miller has taken here. You’re not really getting the usual controls other gaming and office chairs have, and you’re not getting the same types of adjustability either.
You are getting the usual arm height (11.2 - 14.4 in) and seat height adjustments, for example, and those have the usual controls. The casters are also just like other casters; only, the roll smoother and more easily.
The other adjustments are more nuanced. The BackFit adjustment, for example, which is designed to work with every user’s specific spinal curvature may be stiffened (tightened) or made more flexible (loosened) by turning the right rear knob clockwise or counterclockwise.
Meanwhile, although you still turn a knob (the right front knob on this chair) to increase or decrease tilt tension, you’re also getting additional tilt adjustment: the tilt limiter. By toggling the rear left level, you’re getting four levels of tilt angles, which sets just how far back you can tilt the backrest.
Setting the armrest width (11.5 - 21 inches) is also slightly different, as instead of simply pushing the top of the arm rests in or out, you’re tilting the entirety of the chair arms at an angle to give you more or less space.
Though perhaps the strangest of all of these adjustments is the seat depth. This one might be the most non-intuitive of all. At its narrowest, the seat gives you 15 inches of space. At its widest, you’re getting three inches of additional seat surface.
While other chairs keep the same amount of seat surface, only “extending” that depth by allowing you to slide the seat forward and giving you a bit more of actual space in the back, the Embody is designed so you can roll out additional seat surface in the front, which is actually pretty nifty. We have actually been utilizing this additional three-inch surface area for when we want to sit cross-legged for a bit.
Essentially, the seat has a front mechanism that allows it to roll out an additional three inches of seat surface (or roll it back in when you don’t want it). The problem is that how you get that additional seat surface isn’t obvious. We’ve had to dig around a little ourselves, as all the info we got was “slide the seat forward or backward.” Not only that but the mechanism also doesn’t work if you’ve got your leg weight on it.
We’ve tested this so many times, and the only way that mechanism works is by lifting your legs up a little first then grabbing both handles, pulling them up, then pushing them in or out, depending on whether or not you want the extra surface area. So, while we do really appreciate the extra bit of seat we’re getting when we need it, it’s also a very inconvenient and rather clunky way of doing things – especially on a chair that’s so elegant and seamless to use otherwise.
- Performance: 4.5 / 5
Should I buy the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody?
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Herman Miller x Logitech Embody: Report card
| Value | The Herman Miller x Logitech Embody is a premium gaming chair, but it’s worth saving up for. | 3.5 / 5 |
| Assembly | There’s no assembly. It is pre-assembled and ready to be used out of the box. | 5 / 5 |
| Design | It boasts a sophisticated design that’s both attractive and functional. | 5 / 5 |
| Performance | Comfortable, supportive, and with easy adjustments and very responsive casters, it’s hard to find something to complain about. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Total | The only thing that really holds the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody back is its premium price, but we can honestly say that it’s worth saving up for. | 4.5 / 5 |
- First reviewed November 2022
How we test
We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.
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