Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Embody
Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Embody: Mammoth Battle
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Eric L
- | August 31, 2020
Confused between Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Embody?
I must say; you have a great choice if your consideration has stopped between these two mammoths.
Yet, both these chairs have their own ups and downs, though mostly ups. Both chairs are well-designed and offer great comfort; no matter which you choose. They are also a notch-above the other chairs we might see in the similar price range.
Hence, picking between Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Embody was a task on its own for me too. Now, without wasting any time; let’s proceed with the meat of the subject, and we’ll see which chair excels between the two.
Shall we?
Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Embody
First Impression & Design
#1 Steelcase Gesture Office Desk Chair with Headrest Plus Lumbar Support
Beautiful, classy, and chic are some of the words that spring to mind when you first lay your eyes on both the Steelcase Gesture and Herman Miller Embody office chairs.
They live up to the term executive office chair to a tee.
From behind, they’d both look right at home at a space ship thanks to their futuristic support mechanisms.
Steelcase Gesture with Headrest
However, the Steelcase Gesture retains some elements of the traditional chair – a solid backrest with a fancy frame. The slim ergonomic backrest curves gently to accommodate your spine curvature while offering you adequate back support.
Meanwhile, the Herman Miller Embody eliminates the traditional backrest design in its entirety. Instead, this office chair uses a pixelated support system that mimics the human back – a spine with flexible ribs.
The seat and the backrest comprise of an intricate matrix of pixels infused into a robust and durable fabric material. This makes the sitting surface and backrest on the Herman Miller Embody noticeably slimmer. It also adds a considerable wow factor.
- New Gesture Chair with Headrest Plus Lumbar Support - A new sitting experience designed with a back...
- Arms move like a human arm which allows users to be supported in any position
- Seat has comfort all the way to the edge with a flexible perimeter to allow users to sit in a range...
On the other hand, the Herman Miller Embody chair uses adaptive technology that molds your butt and adapts to your movements.
Steelcase Gesture’s adjustable armrests ‘Arm 360’ technology seems to float in the air since they are attached behind the seat. Herman Miller Embody’s armrest protrudes on the side but gently curvy towards the seat to give it a classy, comfy feel.
- The control mechanism in the Steelcase Gesture is expertly tucked underneath the seats, giving it a clean executive look. Due to its unique construction, Herman Miller Embody's control mechanism is considerably bulkier than Steelcase Gesture's.
A side view of the chair reveals its intricate control mechanism but doesn’t mar the chair’s aesthetics.
Both chairs ride on the standard five-point wheelbase with caster wheels that glide well on your floor and won’t ruin your carpets.
Pros & Cons of Steelcase Gesture
- Superior quality build with a custom-made support mechanism
- Thin, comfortable foam padding with air pockets for exceptional sitting consistency
- Highly customizable Synchro-tilt technology for seamless reclining ability
- Super adjustable armrests that mirror human movements
- Comes with a high-quality and supportive headrest
- Beautiful ergonomic design with intuitive controls
- 12-year warranty on the chair
- Carries a hefty price tag
- Thin cushioning on the headrest
Built Quality & Performance
#2 Herman Miller Embody Ergonomic Office Chair
A considerable amount of research went into the creating of both seats resulting in masterpieces that let you sit for hours on end while skyrocketing your productivity.
Herman Miller Embody dispenses with the traditional padded seat design in favor of a hammock styled supportive surface that hugs your body.
The backrest and the seat comprise of a four-layer fabric that’s infused with plastic coils. Dispensing with a solid foam-padded surface; eliminates fatigue to lets you sit comfortably for hours on end.
The backrest resembles the human spine complete with a central spine and flexible ribs. That lets you strike a neutral, balanced posture all day while stimulating blood and oxygen flow through your body.
Consequently, the chair eliminates unnecessary stress to keep you cool and lets you focus on your work. Steelcase Gesture chair sticks with the traditional design but makes considerable improvements to let you sit comfortably all day long.
The chair comes with slim comfortable padding on the seat and backrest that distributes your weight equally on the chair. Specially created air pockets beneath the foam padding make for a consistent, comfortable, and supportive sitting surface.
The pockets also help to distribute your weight evenly on the chair’s ample surface.
While both chairs provide a comfortable sitting surface, the Herman Miller Embody is geared towards personal use. See, the chair tunes into you to let the backrest adapt to your body movements and will adjust automatically to your actions while seated.
Steelcase Gesture uses a synchro-tilt that lets you tilt back the chair without twiddling with a knob. The mechanism tilts the entire chair – backrest, seat, and armrests – to let you maintain a comfortable ergonomic posture even in the reclined position.
Herman Miller Embody also uses a knob-less tilt technology that allows you to achieve your desired recline level by simply leaning into the backrest. The chair features adequate controls that let you control the recline angle, the amount of effort necessary, and even lock the tilt angle.
The reclining technology in both chairs enables you to lean back on your chair without ruining your comfortable posture. On the other hand, Steelcase Gesture uses a Granular Core Equalizer that affords you just the right amount of lumbar support you need when reclining.
- Herman Miller Embody's tilt technology supports your body in the three crucial zones – thorax, thighs, and the sitting bones. This is to eliminate unnecessary pelvis rotation while relieving pressure from your arms and legs.
A 12-year warranty on both chairs is quite telling of their superior build quality. The manufacturer guarantees that the chair won’t quit on you.
The warranty covers even them most vulnerable parts, such as upholstery, caster wheels, and foam padding.
Adjustments & Functions
Steelcase Gesture has drilled down most of the chair’s adjustment to two handy buttons on the right side of the seat.
Herman Miller Embody has controls on both sides of the seat. The tilt-tension and backrest-tilt knobs are on the right side, while the tilt limiter lever is on the left side, behind the seat. A pair of handles at the front of the seat adjusts the seat depth.
Both chairs let you adjust the seat height between 16 and 21 inches above the floor, which is ideal for short person, and maintain a 90-degree angle bend at your knees.
- RHYTHM fabric is tight, smooth soft to the touch, and prevents heat buildup
- INNOVATIVE ERGONOMIC DESIGN - More than 20 physicians and PhDs in the fields of biomechanics,...
- BACKFIT ADJUSTMENT - Embody’s back is designed like a human’s, with a central spine and flexible...
Herman Miller Embody uses a two-handed locking mechanism on the sides of the seat to adjust the seat depth and improve blood circulation in your lower limbs. You need to step on your tiptoes to lift your thigh weight off the seat then disengage the locking mechanism to extend or retract the seat.
- Steelcase Gesture uses a more efficient and intuitive seat adjustment mechanism that rolls the seat back and forward without needing you to raise your legs.
The 2-part back knob on the Steelcase Gesture controls all aspects of the chair’s backrest. Turn the outer knob to customize the chair’s tilt resistance – forward for more and backward for less. The inner knob is the Variable Back Stop and lets you lock the chair in each of the four reclining positions.
Herman Miller Embody comes with three control features to let you recline the chair to your most preferred level. The Tilt Limiter lets you lock the backrest in an upright or a partially reclined position when carrying out different tasks. The Tilt tension on the right side of the chairs determines the amount of force you need to recline the backrest.
BackFit Adjustment knob lets you adjust the backrest independent of the recline function. It makes the lumbar section more pronounced to allow you to maintain the proper spine curvature when leaning back on the chair.
Simply lift the level below the armrest and move it to your preferred position. You can also grab and slide the arm pads backward and forward for your seating comfort.
The armrests on the Herman Miller Embody have limited adjustments compared to the Steelcase Gesture’s 360 Arm, but the contouring makes them quite comfortable. You can only adjust the height and width to relieve pressure in the shoulder and arms.
- Steelcase Gesture's 360 Arm are designed to support the full range of motion of the human arms. They come with a single level release that allows you to adjust the height, depth, width, and pivot the arms as you deem fit.
Pros & Cons of Herman Miller Embody
- A beautiful, futuristic, yet functional ergonomic design
- Uses adaptive technology on the backrest and seat that moulds your body
- Eliminates sitting fatigue to give you a weightless feeling while sitting
- Highly customizable, knob-less reclining technology
- 12-year warranty on all parts
- Considerably costlier than the Steelcase Gesture too
- Some people feel the pixelated system on the seat and backrest
Conclusion
Both Herman Miller Embody and Steelcase Gesture are high-end office chairs that are specially crafted for people who spend more than 8+ hours a day in the office.
They come with intuitive controls and sitting surfaces designed to reduce strain and fatigue during prolonged sitting spells.
Both chairs are suitable for use with a wide range of modern devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PC.
The Herman Miller Embody office chair makes the perfect choice for the battle-scarred office warrior battling back and joint pains. The innovative seat and backrest hug your body to make you feel as if you’re floating on the chair. That prevents further injuries while allowing your body to recover.
Steelcase Gesture is a perfect choice if you prefer a traditional chair design but looking to eliminate sitting fatigue and use a broad range of communication gadgets.
However, the Steelcase Gesture is the outright winner of this Steelcase Gesture Vs. Herman Miller Embody battle. Because it offers an excellent design-spin on the traditional office, yet doesn’t make it seem an outcast in an office environment.
