If you’re looking for a top-knot office chair, you’ve certainly heard of Herman Miller vs Steelcase. It can be difficult to decide which one is the correct option for you between Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron.
Let FittingChairs show you what difference of Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron. Read on!
Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron. The Story Behind
Herman Miller vs Steelcase are two of the biggest brands in the office furniture industry.
About Herman Miller, being 100+ years in the furniture business, this big brand has placed itself in the top charts worldwide, providing service and looking after the well-being of its customers and employees.
Read our list of the best Herman Miller office chairs to know more about this big brand in office furniture market!
The company created pieces that would become industrial design classics in collaboration with talented designers like George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames.
“We updated the Aeron Chair, adding ocean-bound plastic to the body – all without compromising what makes it the best work chair on Earth.”
— Herman Miller
About Gesture chair from Steelcase, it’s also in the market for more than 100+ years and it was named one of Fortune’s 2020 World’s Most Admired Companies in the Home Equipment and Furnishings industry area in January 2020.
“Inspired by the movement of the human body, Gesture is the first office chair designed to support our interactions with today’s technologies. Gesture is created for the way we work today.”
— Steelcase
Steelcase also contributes to the company’s brand value to provide high-quality ergonomic furniture. Whilst, this Steelcase Gesture chair achieved an excellent grade in terms of design, simplicity of assembling, and quality.
Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron. What’s the Same?
Steelcase Gesture
Thanks to excellent performance and design, it’s one of the best office chair you should consider buying. The Steelcase Gesture chair will provide you the ultimate comfort you need for a long-time sitting position.
Herman Miller Aeron
Herman Miller Aeron is one of the best ergonomic office chair ever made. Its top-of-the-line build quality, flexibility, and comfort make it an excellent choice for any home office or gaming setup.
In terms of popularity, not only brands are among the best in the business but also the Gesture vs Aeron are top-knot options from Steelcase chair vs Herman Miller.
When it comes to the environment-friendly factor, both chairs are made from a percentage of recycled content.
It’s not difficult when seeing that both chairs have earned several environmental certificates. They include design, materials and emission factors.
Besides, both Aeron vs Gesture are also excellent choices if you’re looking for a modern task chair with full adjustability, comfort, ergonomic shape and posture support.
Specifically, they have adjustable armrests which make users comfortable while sitting all day long.
Herman Miller Aeron vs Steelcase Gesture provide a headrest as an additional feature, so you can go with it if you will spend some more money.
With the ability of alleviating back discomfort, poor posture, hip, and sacrum pain, both Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron chair are meant to adapt to the user’s shifting postures and spine motions to support posture adjustability.
Overall, both these outstanding chairs from Steelcase vs Herman Miller seem comfortable and look great in terms of appearance.
Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron. What’s the Difference?
Weight Capacity & Size
You can find the Aeron Chair in size A as the best office chair for petite person which has a weight capacity of 300 lbs. The other two options in Aeron sizes B and C that have a weight capability of 350 lbs.
Whilst, the Steelcase Gesture is larger and wider, with dimensions of 44.5′′ H x 29.05′′ W x 23.63′′ D. Moreover, the Steelcase Gesture Chair can support a maximum weight of up to 400 pounds.
Ergonomic Features
Commonly, in terms of ergonomic features, there is a fact that few chairs can compete with Herman Miller Aeron chairs.
This Herman Miller desk chair offers PostureFit SL back support technology, it gives you a better posture and less muscular fatigue.
Besides, eight zones of variable tension within the back and seat can eliminate circulation-restricting pressure points, making your seating position pleasant.
However, even when you move, the 3D LiveBack mechanism completely mimics the motion of your spine and molds your back.
Related to the latter option, the best features of the Steelcase Gesture chair are the armrests and the headrest.
Frankly, among most office chairs on the market, Steelcase Gestures features the best armrest adjustability. The armrests can be moved lengthwise and widthwise, as well as rotated inward and rearward.
With this Steelcase office chair, even when using your smartphone, you may adjust the armrests to maintain posture and avoid the possibility of developing any type of body soreness.
While the Aeron chair has its adjustable seat, back, and arms, the Steelcase Gesture does a wonderful job of supporting your posture and becoming a winner in this field.
Design & Comfort
Not only that, the Herman Miller Aeron has several features that make sitting more pleasant with fully padded cushions and thicker chairs offer a more pleasant sitting experience. So, when it comes to comfort, what’s difference between Steelcase Gesture vs Aeron?
Although the Aeron chair is available in three sizes, many customers say that the lack of seat depth adjustability is inconvenient, especially for those who spend most of their time sitting.
Its seat depth is fixed. Besides, this Aeron chair also has a semi-contoured seat with fewer sitting positions. It lacks a headrest as well.
Hence, in comparison to Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron, the former will lose points easily.
Steelcase Gesture features 3D LiveBack technology, which makes you comfy and simulates the full range of motion of the spine and delivers all-day back support.
Indeed, with the latter office chair, you can sit comfortably at a desk and while working on your smartphone away from it.
In closing, although both chairs appear to be comfy and attractive, the Herman Miller Aeron will lose points because of the lack of a headrest and seat depth.
Build Quality & Durability
Herman Miller Aeron is the best-built chair on the market. Even in hot weather, the breathable mesh back improves airflow and makes you more comfortable.
Die-cast metal is used to make the frame and base, which can be matte, polished, or powder-coated. The arm cushion comes with the polyurethane foam.
In the comparison of Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron, the candidates from Steelcase using high-quality materials. It’s especially made of 100 percent polyester fabric material and high-quality plastic.
Of course, with these high-quality materials, Steelcase Gesture chairs will last a long time.
In terms of wheel quality, both the casters of Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron are excellent for both carpet and hard floors.
All in all, this Herman Miller desk chair also comes with a wide range of roll technologies. This best office chair from Herman Miller easily outperforms the Steelcase Gesture chair in terms of build quality and endurance.
Pricing
Herman Miller Aeron chairs are available in three sizes with its own pricing. Adding enhanced features can increase the price from $955 to up to $2,000.
Similarly, Steelcase Gesture is also a costly chair, with a headrest costing up to $1,500. You can, however, purchase one without a headrest at a lower price.
Hence, when it comes to comparison of Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron in terms of price, the latter may come out on top.
Warranty And Return Policy
When it comes to return policies, Herman Miller Aeron has a 3-day refund policy with receipt, while Steelcase Gesture offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Anyway, in terms of this point, Steelcase is a winner.
What’s customer say?
Here are some reviews for each option between Herman Miller Aeron vs Steelcase Gesture from customers:
Steelcase Gesture Review
Positive Review
Senlo: “Comes fully Assembled just like the official site. Brand new no issues! Very Comfortable!”
“I used to have a DX racer office boss series big and tall chair and after 5 years the seat cushion on it was destroyed so I wanted something that was better for my back and bottom. This chair fit the bill. I was very pleased to see it delivered fully assembled saving me so much time and effort. This chair compared to Embody chair is very similar. If you are 6’2″ or higher this will prolly be fine for u but not embody. My shoulders would poke the top corners of it at times where as here not. I ordered an aftermarket headrest and will update once I have tried it out here and will update this as well if any questionable issues occur but for now I love this chair and so does my body.”
Show more +KJD: “Great chair, well worth the price”
“Did a lot of research and reading of reviews (including here on Amazon) before buying. I took a leap of faith and am very pleased that I did. I bought this chair to upgrade an inexpensive mesh chair purchased from an office supply store. That chair was good, however the mesh started to sag and the chair ended up giving me back and hip pain after long periods of sitting.
I settled on the Gesture after reading reviews and finding a decent price on Amazon. I find that the chair works just as I’d read. It arrived well packaged without any dents, markings, or missing pieces. Its a supportive chair, especially in the back area.
The seat is fine, definitely more firm than I’m used to. Its not plush at all but more of a supportive feel. It took a little bit of time to set up everything to my liking but now that I’ve got things dialed in, I can sit in this chair for an entire workday without back and hip pain.
If I had to come up with a complaint, the arms, while very adjustable, are not my favorite. They have a bit of a convex shape to them so my arms tend to slide off when I lean on them. Otherwise, great chair and I would recommend purchasing if you’re considering it.”
Show more +Negative Review
Allison: “Defective seat”
“The chair looks great, but when I sat on it, there is a palpable bump/ crease under my left thigh. No amount of adjusting would make it go away, and there’s no way to get into the seat to try to straighten it out. I requested a new chair but was told it couldn’t be done. I then tried to return it, but shipping alone was $350 out of my pocket. So now I have a $1000+ defective chair I can’t use but can’t send back.”
Show more +SouthTexasqqqqqq: “Not For All Backs”
“I did a ton of research and I was pleased to see Steelcase ranked so highly. I’ve had several (very old) Steelcase chairs in the past and took a chance on this one, even at its high price point.
The ability to change positions was nice at first. After about three days of continuous use and many attempts to change positions however, I could not bear the back pain. My lower back felt as if its being crushed from above. I was having trouble walking and sleeping.
The chair is sitting in a corner of my office and has been replaced with a chair that costs 1/10th the Steelcase. This model will be returned and I’ll eventually find someone who can refurbish my 1980s Steelcase chair. Until then, I need to find a good chiropractor.”
Show more +Herman Miller Aeron Review
Positive Review
Kevin: “Awesome Chair! No con’s at all.”
“The Aeron Chair is worth every penny. Like most people in office environments, work study, play WOW have issues with finding the right chair. Having a chair that is actually sized more for your height and weight makes a huge difference by itself as opposed to one size fits all, I’m 5’11 /155 lbs, ordered the Size B, building a chair on the Herman Miller site to assure proper fit for me.
Convinced its directly related to health at the end of the day, so I won’t say I wish it was cheaper because it probably wouldn’t be the quality that it is and I would be wanting to swap it out right away. Plus it looks a lot better in person, noticed I don’t lean forward, or twist and turn as much as I normally do.
The chair came in a box fully assembled as others mentioned, I did swap out the casters, not that the original ones were bad; honestly didn’t use them but to move 5 feet and back, the carpet with roller blade type casters seem to move across 1/4″ carpet a little easier.
I have never been 100% happy with any chair without finding flaws just after a few hours, being in IT and previous sales, have sat in my fair share of chairs as most of us have. I’m certain I will continue to buy this chair from now on for home use.”
Show more +Justin: “The only thing that fixed my lower back pain.”
“Switching to working from home has caused me to not only be sitting more often, but to be sitting in my subpar desk chair. This has caused me to get lower back pain since it has no lumbar support and is not very ergonomic.
In my search for a solution to the problem I have tried 3 other chairs: Steelcase Leap v2, Herman Miller Embody, Autonomous Ergochair 2.
All of these chairs were OK but had major flaws in comfort for me, especially considering the first 2 are very expensive chairs. The Leap and Embody both reclined too far back which caused upper back pain. The ergochair 2 was definitely kind of cheap in construction and was only ergonomic fully upright.
For me being kind of short and liking to sit upright the Aeron is the only chair that offers everything. And it is the only thing that has helped my lower back pain since lockdown.”
Show more +Negative Review
Micheal Mathews: “Not even close to built for tall people – Caused Sciatica issue”
“When you pay $1300 for a chair built for big and tall people you really expect it to offer support for someone your size.
I am tall but not big, that seems to be a curse when looking for a chair.
At 6’5″ I weigh around 220 so while I don’t need 300lbs of support or an ultra wide seat, I do need a tall back and an adjustable lumbar.
Well while the tension on this lumbar adjusts, the height does not. It presses into my sacrum and upper glutes, and offers no support for my lower back. Consequently after enough long days I started to develop severe sciatica issues.
At first I didn’t want to blame the chair (having spent as much as i did) but after eliminating my sciatica issue the first time I went back to my desk and working for 8 hours again, stood up and, almost fell over from the pain.
Another 3 days of stretching and heat/cold ensued.
This time I ended up rolling up a pillow and pressing it down to where I needed support and after a full day of work, no issues.
What’s most frustrating is that this seems to be the trend with most “Big & Tall” chairs.
They should actually just read “Big”. This chair is not designed for a tall person. I would say if you are over 6 foot (maybe 6’2″), keep looking.
The overall build quality really isn’t that impressive compared to my last chair and while some of the adjustments are nice; This is NOT a $1300 chair.
I’ve sat in much nicer chairs with a plethora of adjustment options that cost slightly less.
An adjustable lumbar height, seat depth slider and a higher back would’ve made this a chair for a “Tall” person.
As it is now, it is built for a “Large” person but will only give “Tall” people a lot of aches and pains.”
Show more +Aaron Reed: “The chair will feel ok for a month”
“My work bought this chair for us when we transitioned buildings. It felt so much better on my tail bone due to the mesh fabric that I bought this one (the one I am reviewing) for my home office brand new.
I alternate between this chair and standing at my desk periodically. What I found is it is causing mid-to-lower back issues for me. My back aaaaaaaches now due to the chair not having lower back support. The mesh fabric allows your lower back to roll to the back of the chair.
The controls that should provide support to your lower back are very poorly built and actually put a little pressure above the lower back. It’s in the wrong spot. Don’t buy this chair. It’s way too expensive for this much back pain. Find a chair with lower lumbar support if you have a desk job.”
Show more +Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron. Pros and Cons
Various ergonomic adjustments.
Supports a wide range of positions.
Very comfortable.
Less expensive.
Mesh material keeps cool.
Wide range of sizes.
Limited padding.
The Bottom Line
Both Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron are iconic and flagships. We can see these two chairs on almost any list of the best office chairs.
Both are well-made and feature straightforward designs. They are not intended for those who prefer elegant and enticing patterns.
Although the Aeron chair outperforms in terms of build quality and back support, the Gesture executive chair outperforms its competitor in terms of flexibility and seat comfort.
Anyway, what works best for you is determined by your preferences for upholstery type, adjustability, pros and cons, and your financial budget.
Pick Herman Miller Aeron if you want a chair with a higher build quality and more functions.
If you want a more ergonomic chair that fits right out of the box and has more ergonomic adjustable features, the Steelcase Gesture is a good choice, as it also offers somewhat more adjustable options.
See more:
- Herman Miller Aeron vs Embody: Which One Is Best?
- Steelcase Gesture Vs Herman Miller Embody: What Would You Choose?
- Ergochair 2 Vs Aeron: Which Is the Winner?
FittingChairs hope that you clearly understand what is ideal for you based on the difference between Steelcase Gesture vs Herman Miller Aeron that we presented in detail. Hope you know which option is best for you!
