An ergonomic chair is a must furniture for office, gaming, streaming, etc. Other than providing comfort, each brand is competing with the others over ergonomic features. The same applies to Ergochair 2 Vs Aeron, office chairs designed by Autonomous and Herman Miller respectively.
Autonomous Ergochair 2, is a low-budget ergonomic office chair with flexible lumbar support, adjustable armrests, and a highly adjustable seat. It comes with a headrest, a mesh back, and a soft foam seat. The chair also offers recline and tilting mechanism.
While Aeron by Herman Miller is a most durable, high-budget ergonomic office chair that comes with 3 different lumbar support systems, adjustable armrests, and a seat. It has a mesh-based seat and backrest, and a better recline & tilt mechanism. This chair doesn’t have a headrest.
Ergochair 2 Vs Aeron: Ergonomic features
Lumbar Support
The lumbar support of a chair is considered a top ergonomic factor. Some chairs have removable lumbar pillows/cushions, while others come with more advanced built-in lumbar support systems. Let’s see what type of lumbar system both chairs offer.
Ergochair 2
Ergochair 2, also called ErgoChair PRO has a flexible built-in lumbar support system with a fixed lumbar cushion. The chair comes with a handle to unlock the ideal pressure to help you attain a healthy posture. The flexible system adjusts with your body shape to support the natural curvature.
Aeron
Aeron offers 3 different options for your back support. You can choose anyone at the time of purchase.
- Basic Back Support
- Adjustable Lumbar Support
- Adjustable Posturefit SL
Basic Back Support
Such a chair has a curved back that supports the back of the user to maintain a healthy posture.
Adjustable Lumbar Support
The chair with this system has a cushion pad placed behind the back. The cushion can be moved up and down to get the desired lumbar support. Even, you can easily remove the cushion to switch between thick or narrow sides.
Adjustable Posturefit SL
The SL stands for Sacral Lumbar which means this system supports both sacral and lumbar regions. Such a system has butterfly-shaped pads, each of them flexing independently. The upper pad supports the lumbar, and the lower one maintains the sacrum in its natural position.
The chair with this system has a knob on the right side of the seat. Just move the knob clockwise to apply pressure on your back. Move the knob counterclockwise to release pressure from your back.
Armrests
Adjustable armrests with soft and comfortable paddings help you enjoy the long sitting sessions.
Ergochair 2
You can adjust the Ergochair 2 armrests up and down, in and out, and even forward and backward. The armrests have tabs for up & down, and in & out. But for other adjustments, there come no locks/tabs, which proved quite annoying for most users. Plus, the armrests tend to squeak.
The armrests do not have soft paddings, and even they feel stiff when compared with the Aeron chair.
Aeron
Being attached to the backrest, the armrests in Aeron move with the user when the seat back reclines. Such armrests always prove supportive regardless of user position or body shape.
The Aeron gives 3 options to choose the armrests.
- Stationary Armrests: as the name shows, these are fixed and cannot be adjusted anyway.
- Height-adjustable armrests: You will be able to adjust the height of the armrests by moving them up and down.
- Fully Adjustable Armrests: Such armrests allows you to adjust the height, depth, and angle in different positions. There will be no width adjustment.
The padding of the Aeron armrest is very soft and far better than Ergochair Pro.
The armrests come with 2 upholsteries options.
- PU foam armrests for better comfort and breathing.
- Leather armrests for more style and softness
Backrest
The backrest of a chair may be made of leather, fabric, mesh, etc. other than aesthetics, these materials plays important role in air circulation.
Ergochair 2
The Ergochair Pro has a mesh back which greatly boosts the air circulation between your body and the seat back. The chair with a mesh back is a great pick for humid and hot conditions as it will keep your body cool and prevent sweating.
Aeron
The Aeron also has a mesh-back design to facilitate airflow. The high-breathing nature of the mesh back is considered a great ergonomic feature.
Both Ergochair 2 and Aeron score the same points for mesh-back design.
Seat design and adjustability
The seats of chairs may have different designs and features.
Ergochair 2
Ergochair 2 has a soft foam seat. The foam is wrapped in a breathable fabric. Extensive use of such seats may lead to the deformation of foam over time. Though it feels comfortable to some users, there would be issues with the airflow, especially during prolonged sitting sessions.
The seat of this chair has been found highly adjustable. You can move the seat up & down, slide it forward or backward, and even you can tilt it forward. Different levers located on the sides of the seat will help you to make seat adjustments.
Compared with Aeron, the Ergochair Pro scores more for seat adjustment.
Aeron
The Herman Miller Aeron has a mesh seat. Such a seat proved more comfortable and breathable than the one found in Ergochair 2.
The seat offers height adjustment and forward tilt.
Headrest
Though most office chairs don’t come with a headrest, it is considered an important feature to support the head and neck.
Ergochair 2
The Autonomous Ergochair 2 has an adjustable headrest. You can move the headrest up and down. Plus, the headrest angle can be adjusted up to 45 degrees.
Aeron:
It does not have a headrest. The headrest comes as an optional product.
Backrest Recline and Tilt
Ergochair 2
The flexible back of the chair can recline up to 20 degrees. You can lock and unlock the position anywhere in the middle by using a handle located on the left side of the chair.
Moreover, Ergochair pro has a back tilt mechanism. To control the tilt tension, the chair comes with a rotatable handle (located on the right of the seat). Clockwise rotation of the handle increases the back tilt tension, while anticlockwise rotation will decrease the tension.
Aeron
Aeron has a better recline than Ergochair 2.
The Herman Miller Aeron has an excellent reclining mechanism that allows you to lean back safely as far as you want. A tilt lock on the left side of the seat will help you to lock and unlock the tilt angle.
The tilt tension of the chair is controlled by a long lever found on the right of the seat. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the tilt tension, while anti-clockwise rotation will decrease the tension.
Ergochair 2 Vs Aeron: Specs Comparison
After comparing the ergonomic features, I will explore the specs of both chairs.
Size
Ergochair 2 comes only in one size.
The Herman Miller Aeron, on the other hand, comes in 3 different sizes i.e. A Size (small), B Size (regular), and C Size (plus)), with each size having different dimensions and specs.
Frame and Wheel Base
The frame and wheel base of Ergochair pro are built of very strong plastic.
While Aeron has a durable, high-quality die-cast aluminum frame and wheel base. The aluminum frame and base can withstand heavy loads, and last for years.
Built Quality and Casters
The Aeron has far better built quality than Ergochair 2.
Both Ergochair pro and Aeron have hard plastic casters.
Usability
Pros of Ergochair 2
Cons Of Ergochair 2
Pros of Aeron
Cons Of Aeron
Conclusion
On the basis of the features discussed in detail, we can say that Aeron gets more points than Ergochair 2 both for comfort and ergonomics. The Aeron also proves more durable and long-lasting.
But, we should also know that comparing an Autonomous Ergochair Pro with Aeron is quite unfair as the latter is 3 times more expensive than the former. The Ergochair 2 proves a good chair if you are running out of budget. Some users considered it one of the best low-budget ergonomic chairs.
If you have enough bucks to go for Aeron, I promise you will not be disappointed. Though it is quite expensive, it always proves an excellent ergonomic chair with amazing built quality. Even, many folks who don’t have much cash in their wallets, prefer to get used Aeron rather than going for new cheap chairs.