I spent a decent amount of time researching chairs, as I'm one of the masses that are now working from home full time throughout the duration of the contagion. Bonus points, I also spend probably way more time than I should playing video games and needed (desperately) a better chair for that.
My criteria were as follows:
- Had to be cloth. I have 2 cats that *destroy* leather and PLU.
- Had to be comfortable for long periods of time. I'd be sitting in the chair for up to 10-ish hours on any given day for the foreseeable future between office work and gaming.
- Had to be ergonomically adjustable to my comfort level. I'm a control freak and need to be able to adjust the height, back angle, and arm rests. That last one can be a pain to find at a decent price.
- Had to be affordable enough that my wife wouldn't be angry. See above for conflicting priorities re: arm rests.
This chair ticked all the boxes, based on reviews, so I bought it. I've been using the chair for 2 weeks now and I'm very pleased with my decision.
(EDIT: I've now been using the chair for ~3 months and it's still great. Read on, dear Amazon customer.)
~~~Material/Build~~~
The cloth fabric on the chair is quite nice. The chair comes out of the box feeling quite sturdy and in the 2 weeks since has held up fairly well. The foam is a nice balance of firm to support and soft to comfort. My rear has not been sore sitting in the chair yet, and I've done a 12-hour day or two in it. It's so far retained its shape (2 weeks is *not* a valid testing period for this; if it was already losing its shape I'd be livid).
(Update - 3 months in all is still fine. Shape has retained nicely, I've pulled more 12-hour days in it and have yet to have issues)
The cats have explored the chair but I have not yet seen them try to claw into it. I pray this good behavior lasts, though I know in my heart of hearts it's only a matter of time. The chair does hold onto cat hair, so be advised that if you want a perfectly clean chair you'll need to keep a lint roller nearby.
I have only 2 complaints about the build quality:
1) The plastic pieces that guard the joints for the back are cheap looking & feeling, and I'm confident they'll be the first pieces to break.
2) The arm rests can be a little wobbly. The mechanism to change the angle and the forward distance is simply moving them - there are no buttons for those dimensions. It takes enough force that you won't be accidentally shifting forward and back, but the downside of that is that there's a little wobble in resting positions. It's easily looked past in my experience.
Looks-wise, I got the black chair and it is sleeeeeeeeek. There are only a few logos on it, there are no gaudy bright cushions; I can be in this chair on a webcam and not feel self-conscious that someone is judging my professionalism. That said, my wife's first impression was "whoa, talk about your typical James Bond villain." So there's that.
~~~Comfort~~~
I'll be totally honest, the chair took a day or two to get used to. I had been using fairly flimsy/cheap chairs with little to no support. This chair sits similarly to a car seat, which makes sense given its "racing roots." The seat sort of hugs your thighs, and there are metal supports within that part. If you have wider thighs, I'd recommend looking into the wider version of the chair. For reference, I'm a 6'0, 220lb man.
This chair comes with adjustable/removable lumbar and head pillows, which I immediately put to the side thinking "I'll never actually use these." Boy, golly was I wrong. Within the first couple of days I had found my groove on ways to sit while working or gaming and those pillows are *clutch*. The lumbar one especially has improved my sitting posture and comfort level.
The back has about 90 degrees to play around with, and locks into place about every 10 degrees or so. I tend to hover in the 20 degree range for working and the 40-50 degree range for gaming. Both are comfortable. I've tried leaning all the way back and decided I would not opt to do that again without proper support structures in place. YMMV.
~~~Value~~~
The cost was apparently within bounds of acceptable per my wife.
I've sat in several-hundred dollar office chairs (>$500). This contends with those on comfort and build quality, for the most part.
I've sat in several-thousand dollar sitting chairs. This isn't going to be a revolutionary experience for you if you've been sitting in chairs that have an extra 0 in the price tag.
For what I paid for this chair, I would 100% recommend it on a value basis.
For those of you searching relentlessly for a decent-quality, not-exorbitantly-high priced chair for long gaming sessions or your home office, I'd definitely recommend it.
| Brand | AKRacing |
|---|---|
| Color | Black |
| Product Dimensions | 19.75"D x 27"W x 52.75"H |
| Size | 19.7D x 21.2W x 49.5H in |
| Back Style | Solid Back |
| Special Feature | Adjustable,Durable |
| Product Care Instructions | Wipe Clean |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Recommended Uses For Product | Gaming |
| Maximum Weight Recommendation | 330 Pounds |
| Style | Modern |
| Pattern | Solid |
| Finish Type | Painted |
| Room Type | Game Recreation Room |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Included Components | Chair |
| Shape | Chair |
| Model Name | Core Series EX |
| Arm Style | With arms |
| Surface Recommendation | Hard Floor |
| Furniture base movement | Rock |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Fill Material | Polyester |
| Tilting | Yes |
| Is Electric | No |
| Item Weight | 57 pounds |
| Item model number | AK-EX-BK |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
