Eameshead, I'd happy send my children to you for extended vacations, given you don't just leave them in your shed =)
Tktoo, I've literally lifted up a 670 from every generation and would honestly feel that the older chairs with down and feathers are at least 8-10lbs heavier. I'm sure both the cushion filling and the wood panels contribute to the difference.
Hmmmm…
I suppose there could also be a difference in the density of the metal parts as they were fabricated over the years?
Either that, or the variations in wood thickness might be a lot less consistent than the "one-way evolution" of thicker to thinner that I tended to assume before reading tktoo's comment.
PS Kin, I couldn't possibly leave your child in my shed, as there is no room whatsoever. (It looks kinda like Objectworship's closet shot at the moment)
kin, I'm sure there are many variables that might account for differences in weight such as alloys and thickness of metal parts, density and/or species of veneers, cushion filling, types of leather, relative humidity of environment, etc.
Mine makes a semi-annual trip between floors of my house and I wouldn't call it a lightweight, but I'm not getting any younger and I have nothing to compare it to. For laughs, though, I just put my chair on a scale and it comes in at about 48 lbs.
Again, just for yucks, I put my crappy digital calipers on the panels and they measure a consistent 25/64ths of an inch thick. That's a pubic hair over 3/8ths for pikers. Poor souls stuck on metric can do the math.
I can't count the interior plys because they were painted black at the factory. Panels feature ash face veneers as a custom order. I've heard the finish described as "aniline-dyed", but it's paint, IMO.
Everybody and their cousins has rosewood.
Tktoo, you said you're not getting younger but it seems like you're still in pretty good shape as you were able to haul that chair up the scale. I don't know how you weighed it, but I had to grab and hold it while standing on the scale. It was no small task folks........
Anyway, I got lazy after weighing the 2 old chairs which came out to be around 53lbs each. So my guess was a little off as I said it felt like 7-10lbs heavier whereas it's about a 5lb difference.
On a side note, I also weighed my Dream Chair by Tadao Ando which looks like it could float on clouds but it actually weighs in at 49lbs!!!!
Kin, I'm certainly no bantamweight and I can carry my old lounge chair up and down the stairs once a year without too much grunting. But, I suppose, someday I'll either need to disassemble it, hire somebody, or get another chair to plant near the fireplace for my wife to knit in during the colder months. As much as I love the 670-71, she loves it more. And, truth be told, the set really doesn't work well for me. I'm too tall. Besides, my wife and daughters just look so much better in it than I ever will (less risk of sudden catastrophic shock mount failure, too)!
I weighed mine the same way you did yours. I won't embarrass myself by divulging tare weight, if that's OK.
@kin Awesome collection!!! I, personally, would keep all of your 670's, especially if you still use them (if not, then I would think of some-one who could use one and keep one for mee . But if you'd have to choose to let some (one) go, I'd keep the ones your most unlikely to meet again, meaning that I'd keep the oldest examples 🙂
Guys, this has by far been the best thread on 670's I've ever read on the net!
So I was planning to put my 2 cents in by sharing the weight of my Eurotrash '57 670. It is pre Vitra-made, made by Contura. The weight could be nice addition in the comparison, but, I don't have a scale!(?)
I put my 670 in the garden regularly, to enjoy the sun and a cigarette, and I must say for my standards it is pretty heavy!
Contemporain European ones, by Vitra, feel and sound lighter than mine. I think because of the use of an aluminum feet, whilst the feet of my '57 sounds and feels like cast-iron.
Welcome to the crowd, Snaaf; good to hear that you enjoy the discussion of 670's. I started collecting them a few years ago and since I'm in the US, all I see is HM versions; well, actually I bought a Vitra ottoman last year. But other than that, it's all HM. It's refreshing to see other samples, including the miniature ones.
kin1117,
You may open your very own airport club. My wife took this photo of the American Airlines Admirals Club at O'Hare International Airport last week.
It is good to collect something. No one who "ask" for a chair is deserving (an automatic disqualification unless they are under the age of seven). You must keep what you have and get more.
At first glance, I thought it was some internet cafe in China with a few knockoffs. It's certainly a scene but I honestly don't think the 670's are the best for commercial use. Just imagine some tired and heavy fliers flopping into those poor things. The airline maybe asking for liability trouble.
Niceguy, as much as I like the idea of an airport club, it might cost me a few too many chairs to acquire one. However, I've thought about converting my garage into an Eames "museum". That sounds more attainable.
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