Retooled to Perform TodaySince Aeron debuted in 1994, we at Herman Miller have learned a great deal more about how best to support people in the varied postures they adopt throughout the workday. With the new chair, we incorporated two decades worth of technological and ergonomic enhancements to improve the health-positive design, and widen the range of cross-performance capabilities. With updates that include a more refined tilt mechanism, adjustable PostureFit SL, and 8Z Pellicle suspension, the new Aeron performs smarter than ever before—so you can too. Get into the ZonesPellicle, the innovative, elastomeric suspension of the original Aeron, eliminated circulation-restricting pressure points and stretched the boundaries of material design. New 8Z Pellicle pushes the material to a whole new zone—eight of them. Across the seat and back, eight latitudinal zones of varying tension—tightest at the edges and more forgiving where the body makes contact—envelope the sitter to deliver increased comfort and ergonomic support.
Stay CoolBy doing away with foam and fabric, Aeron solved one of prolonged sitting’s biggest predicaments: the buildup of heat and humidity close to the body. Pellicle allows air, body heat, and water vapor to pass through the seat and backrest to help maintain even and comfortable skin temperatures. While many chairs have adopted mesh as a way to deliver some performance, there’s only one Pellicle. A Stance Worth BackingIf an active body is at its strongest when standing, chest open and pelvis tilted slightly forward, it makes sense that you would be better off sitting like that too. And that’s exactly where PostureFit SL comes in. Adjustable, individual pads stabilize the sacrum and support the lumbar region of the spine to mimic that healthful standing position. Combined ComfortAll of the enhancements to the new Aeron were designed to work together to comprehensively support the human form. PostureFit SL and 8Z Pellicle represent a higher level of ergonomic expertise and state of the art support to improve the experience for the sitter.
Together they create total spinal support—calculated, localized support that moves the skeletal system into a position that provides ultimate spinal support. This is achieved both when the person is still, and when the person moves, to provide more active support. If You’re So ReclinedStaying in one position reduces the natural pumping action of the muscles that deliver nutrients to the intervertebral disks. The Aeron Chair’s tilt allows it to move with the body in such a natural way that people can shift from forward to reclining postures intuitively. Today’s slimmer, updated tilt mechanism delivers an even more seamless experience of movement (and stasis) to the sitter through a smoother trajectory and optimal balance point. Aeron is designed to keep people in contact with the back of the chair and in control of their continuous movement throughout the entire range of recline. A Seamless ShiftThe new Aeron enables people to shift from an upright position to a full-recline smoothly and simply.
While the original design supported numerous positions and postures, the frame angle has been adjusted 1.8 degrees forward to better support the body in the upright position and across a wider range of postures. Whether a person is positioned forward for typing and intense focus, or fully-reclined for conversation and contemplation, they will find the new Aeron moving with them—without any trouble—to offer proper ergonomic support across a larger variety of tasks.Rear-facing-only infant car seats are the first seat that most parents use when transporting their new bundles of joy, including that memorable trip home from the hospital. And as such, the new parents are least experienced in selecting a seat that offers the best margin of safety, in terms of crash protection, and has the potential for a secure fit in the family car. /carseats with 17 new or revised models. The highest-performing seats now include some new top players, underscoring the need to buy based on the latest data, not just reputation.
The seats listed here have performed well in our crash tests, but they also score well for ease-of-use and fit-to-vehicle ratings, increasing your chances of installing and using them correctly. Additional details on each model can be found on their individual model pages. Once again, these two versions of the Chicco KeyFit top our ratings despite the arrival of new products. Not only do they excel in our new crash protocol, but they also remain two of the easiest seats to install using either the vehicle’s LATCH system or the safety belts. These KeyFit seats increase the odds of parents getting a secure fit. The single-pull LATCH tightening operation and the ease with which the carriers click into the bases are just two features that differentiate the KeyFit seats from their peers. Though similar in design, the KeyFit 30 allows use to a higher weight over the KeyFit, which may allow you to use the KeyFit 30 a bit longer especially if you have a bigger baby, but experience has shown that kids are more likely to outgrow the 30-inch height capacity of either model before they reach the weight limit.
The weight difference is also the reason that the KeyFits score differently in a crash, with the KeyFit getting “Best” for crash protection and the KeyFit 30 scoring a slightly lower “Better.” As with many other higher weight seats, tests with the heavier 30 lb. dummy in the KeyFit 30 resulted in head contact during the test which lowers the KeyFit 30’s score a tad. See the complete Chicco KeyFit and Chicco KeyFit 30 test findings. New to our ratings, the GB Asana 35 DLX is the first—and currently only—child seat offered under the GB brand. Though costly, the Asana scores a “Best” for crash protection in our tests, meaning its injury values and ability to avoid head contact provide a greater margin of safety in our tests than lower-rated competitors. The Asana is also one of the new seats that incorporates the “load leg” feature, which has shown to improve a seat’s performance in our tests. The Asana also rates highly for both ease-of-use and fit-to-vehicle, increasing your odds of getting it right in your own car.
Features like its belt-tightening arm are helpful in tightening either the LATCH or vehicle seat belts. See the complete GB Asana 35 DLX test findings. The Combi Shuttle maintains its position as one of our top-rated infant seats. The Shuttle rates “Better” for crash protection and has easy installation using either the vehicle belts or LATCH. This seat has a 35 lb. weight maximum and a more closely matched 33-inch height limit, meaning your baby is less likely to grow out of it by height before weight. (This seat has a lower weight capacity of 22 lbs. when used without the base.) Based on the performance of infant seats as a whole, we do still recommend moving to a rear-facing convertible on or after a child’s first birthday to reduce the likelihood for a child’s head to contact the vehicle interior, even if they still fit within the seat’s weight and height limits. However, the Shuttle may provide some extra room for taller babies that are younger than one year.
See the complete Combi Shuttle test findings. The Cybex Aton 2 is now joined by its newer counterpart, the Cybex Aton Q. Each achieves a “Best” rating for crash protection, and like the Asana, these Atons include the recommended (but not required) load leg feature, which has been found to improve their crash ratings. Both had excellent ratings for installation when installed with LATCH, using its unique tensioning feature. The tensioning plate feature is best suited to LATCH and can actually make installations using the vehicle seat belts a bit more difficult in some cases, but still secure. All fit-to-vehicle installations were implemented using the load leg to match the crash test setup. See the complete Cybex Aton 2 and Cybex Aton Q test findings. Another new seat to the “top-rated” group, the Maxi-Cosi Mico AP scores a “Better” for performance in our crash tests, and is excellent for its ease-of-use and very good for fit-to-vehicle installations. The Mico AP’s 22 lb. / 29-inch capacity means that most kids will outgrow it around their first birthday, but our tests have shown that moving to a rear-facing convertible at that time is a good bet for head protection anyway.
Its carrier is light, making holding it and baby at the same time less of a chore. See the complete Maxi-Cosi Mico AP test findings. One thing that's clear is that some of the newest, high-performing models in this group come at a premium price. The Chicco KeyFit at $180 provides the best balance of performance and price, and it carries our “Best Buy” designation. The Safety 1st Onboard 35 at $110, while not in this top group, is also a “Best Buy” and a good balance of value and performance. Your babies are your most precious cargo. Even though all child seats provide protection in a vehicle crash, some do it better than others. Crash protection is important, but to gain the optimal benefit, the seat ought to be easy to use and fit your vehicle well. Choosing one of our best performing models increases the potential for your child to be best protected and your odds of getting the seat installed safely and correctly. To learn more about the various types of car seats and for advice on which one to choose, see our car seat buying guide.