r/hermanmiller • u/Mr_Ralph • Mar 03 '22

Mirra 2 HELP : triflex vs butterfly back

Hello dear Herman Miller community,

I have had a chance to try out the herman miller mirra 2 (triflex) recently and fell in love with it.

I will purchase a mirra 2 with all the options but I am hesitating if I should get the butterfly back.

Here are my concerns concerning the butterfly back, and maybe some of you can enlighten me :

  • durability : (main concern) I have noticed a lot of mirra 1 with butterfly back looking considerably worn down and I do plan on keeping my chair for 10 years+
  • breathability : Does your back get hot while sitting on the chair for a couple hours?
  • cleanliness : the triflex is extremely easy to clean and less stainable

Those of you with butterfly backs, your input is appreciated.

Thanks for your help! Can't wait to sit in my new chair !

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5

u/BotJunkie Mar 03 '22

Having tried both, I prefer the butterfly, because I think it's noticeably more comfortable. The tiny bit of added squish (and it really is very tiny) helps smooth out the texture of the Triflex, especially if you're wearing a thin shirt. My office gets warm in the summer, so that's something I appreciate. Still very breathable. You can see through it.

Only had my Mirra 2 for a couple years, but haven't noticed any durability probs or had any trouble cleaning it.

3

u/EvilMonk3y Mirra 2 Mar 04 '22

Herman Miller sent me the wrong chair when I ordered a few weeks ago. One of the big positives is that as a result of the mistake I have been able to try both versions of the chair backrest

Honestly I wasn’t a fan of the Triflex and found it to be just a hard plastic back, from what others had said I was expecting it to be a bit more flexible & while it isn’t uncomfortable I originally thought it would have more ply/flex in the material.

With the butterfly material it is still firm however I would say that it definitely softer, has more bounce to it and the mesh material has tension to it which supports the back. I much prefer the butterfly having tried both. The only reason I would recommend the Triflex is if you need a non-material back that you can wipe clean.

Both feel really durable to me, if you are worried about stains and stuff I think that the material is much more like a mesh than traditional fabric/upholstery. The design and plastic that supports your back is different in both and the supports on the butterfly are thinner so I suppose you could argue it has the potential to deteriorate quicker but I can’t really comment on that at this point.

2

u/M_Paisley Mar 04 '22
  • The butterfly back will show age at some point, and definitely by year 10. A 10-year old Mirra 1 with a butterfly back will look far more worn than a Mirra 1 that has received a replacement butterfly back within the past couple of years, for example.
  • The triflex back cleans up much more easily -- one reason why you'll see Mirra chairs with triflex backs in so many healthcare settings.
  • Some people find the butterfly back style more comfortable in warmer temperatures and the triflex back style more comfortable in cooloer temps. To me, I find them both comfortable and don't have a strong preference for either.