Which Leather to Choose for My Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman  

Leather
Images of leather swatches for the 670/671 are here.
You can order samples from that page, too... But you won't get them before Monday.
http://www.hermanmiller.com/CMF/CDA/index.html#pid=47

That would have been good to...
That would have been good to know a couple of weeks ago. I may try and call HM on Monday and ask if they are in the process of phasing out an older leather for a newer one, and if so why.
I will also have a change to see the swatches on Monday. I was just wondering what people thought or know about the quality of the HM leather over the upgrades.
DPN

Not sure I can help too much...
Not sure I can help too much but I have a 4 year old chair that I bought second hand.
I was very suprised how soft and smooth the leather is on these new chairs, they are beautiful to the touch, but the thickness of the hide does seem very thin!
My only experience of these chairs before this was with vintage chairs which seem to have a much thicker hide but less comfortable.
Its to early to say how well this leather on the new chair will wear but it is very sumptuous.

Herman Miller Leather
According to DWR: Herman Miller is discontinuing the base grade leather for the Eames Lounge and moving up a notch to a slightly different leather that they make.
Design Within Reach is opting out of Herman Miller's leather all together, and is using Spinneybeck leather instead. Both the Spinneybeck and the new Herman Miller leather are going to be the same price I'm told. DWR's reasoning is that the HM leather gets shiny and plastic looking. I think it has more to do with them getting an exclusive style of leather...but thats just me.
I got my chair with the HM leather, which is good. But I used Spinneybeck to reupholster an Eames Aluminum group and it's awesome. At this point I'm not going to spend 2k to change my cushions, but if both options were available to me I think I would bump up to the Spinneybeck.
Edit: Just reread and saw your comment about the texture. The Spinneybeck leather is much more textured than the HM stuff. HM is very smooth.

Working for DWR, I wasn't an...
Working for DWR, I wasn't an expert on leather, but I can tell you this. HM dropping that base HM leather is a good thing. We had one in ivory and black in our studio and the leather did get all shiny and like plastic, and we took good care of it (cleaning products, leather conditioner, etc). I realize we had high traffic, but both chairs had bad signs of wear after 2 years(some major cracking). I would always try to get my clients to use a Spinneybeck or Edelman. So... if you can afford it, certainly go with the Spinneybeck. Hope this helped in some manner.

I picked up the samples of...
I picked up the samples of the Edelman leather today and like the Dream Cow and All Grain texture as much as the Spinneybeck I saw at DWR. However I don't see the benefit of getting into the All Grain at twice the cost of Dream Cow.
The shinny wear of the HM leather is a definite turn off and I will certainly be upgrading. My guy is bringing in a few other samples for me to see including the leather that HM is moving forward with. I can not remember the name.
As for the laminate finish it's a toss up between the Palisander and Walnut. Well not a toss up really, I want the Palisander. But I have to be careful b/c the discount I am getting may very quickly be eaten up by the upgrades I am considering.
Thanks for the input everyone. I am excited about this chair and appreciate the info.
Don

Leather Choice
I am also currently looking at the leather choices. The one offered at DWR is a corrected leather from Spinnybeck made in the USA. While the Herman Miller type 9 leather is from Austria and is a full grain leather.
Based on that info, isn't the one offered at DWR more of an inferior leather based on that the leather is corrected and not top of the line full grain?
Anyone had any experience on the new base leather that is offered by Herman Miller, the type 9, is it still shinny with heavy use?
Mike

Yes,avoid grain corrected leather at all costs!!
The grain corrected leather has a phony shine and creases quite severely,doesn't last as long as full grain.No such thing as patina with this grade.

So what's wrong with shiny leather?
Shiny leather was the norm for most of the production life of these chairs. To my sensibilities, the matte leather of the newer chairs never looks or feels right. You can't slump correctly into them because the leather grips your pants.
Save that floppy glove leather for gloves.

I think shiny leather is...
I think shiny leather is more of a personal taste. What I am more concerned about is the quality in the base leathers.

DPN, which leather did you end up choosing?
I'm shopping around for an Eames Aluminum Group Executive Chair and I don't know which leather to choose.
DPN, which leather did you end up choosing?
Also, can anyone pls answer, which leather is the "softest" and "smoothest":
1) Herman Miller stock leather, Category 9 - #2109
2) DWR's Spinneybeck Vicenza leather
3) Edelman Dream Cow leather (VC18)
Tx.

leather options for Eames Lounge Chair
Hi Everyone,
I'm about to get an Eames Lounge Chair but don't have a showroom nearby with the different sorts of leather options. I'm thinking mostly about the black MCL and the Edelman Dream Cow. Any thoughts? Having looked at some samples, they seem similar: both are full grain, analine dyed but semi-analine finish, with a similar grain. The only difference I could tell was tht the MCL felt a bit more stretchy and rubbery, whereas the Edelman, while just as soft, wasn't as stretchy. Maybe that means it will wear better over time? Has anyone seen these side by side or seen how they wear over time relative to one another? Many thanks for any feedback.
JMW

Eames leather options
I was choosing between some of these options myself, and eventually decided on Edelman's all grain leather. I am really happy with it. In comparison to both the HM standard leather and Spinnybeck's Vicenza, the Edelman leather just has a superior hand, and I believe it will wear much better.
The MCL seems like a bit of an unknown, since it has not been on offer for very long, but my only thought about it was that from the sample, it seemed a bit more vulnerable to staining and light changes, and the finish seemed a bit more matte. The Edelman leathers have a beautiful sheen to them that is just right. I would recommend Edelman based on my experience, but so much of this is personal preference, of course.

JPG: Many thanks for your...
JPG: Many thanks for your post! I'll go with the Edelman. I was leaning that way after talking with a Herman Miller rep., but this seals the deal. I agree with all your points. Glad to know it also looks good. By the way, I was interested in the oiled walnut but just can't afford it. Plus the normal walnut looks quite nice. I'll be getting black with the walnut. Any thoughts on that or the oiled walnut (though I'm almost positive I can't get it!). Thanks.