Good computer/gaming chair

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zeek55

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Mar 12, 2013
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I know this may seem like a silly question to some, but which chair would you guys recommend for gaming/comfort ? Looking to spend <$400
 
I bought one of these:

Costco Wholesale

lifetime warranty, very adjustable.

IMHO the DXRacer type chairs are only popular because the companies pay a lot of streamers to promote them but they are overpriced for a PU vinyl "leather" chair and they are not really ergonomic just thickly padded.

They can be comfortable but for the money it is worth it to compare to other chairs, I looked at a lot of chairs and too many of the "gamer" chairs had cheap parts like plastic screw covers and people often mentioned screw holes that didn't line up or stripped parts and I didn't like the idea of paying a few hundred dollars on a chair and have it be kinda crappy from the start versus having a quality item to start.
 
I got a really nice steelcase leap off of CL from a startup that was closing their doors. After trying numerous cheap chairs and even a Herman Miller Aeron, it's by far my favorite.
 
undermined said:
I bought one of these:

Costco Wholesale

lifetime warranty, very adjustable.

IMHO the DXRacer type chairs are only popular because the companies pay a lot of streamers to promote them but they are overpriced for a PU vinyl "leather" chair and they are not really ergonomic just thickly padded.

They can be comfortable but for the money it is worth it to compare to other chairs, I looked at a lot of chairs and too many of the "gamer" chairs had cheap parts like plastic screw covers and people often mentioned screw holes that didn't line up or stripped parts and I didn't like the idea of paying a few hundred dollars on a chair and have it be kinda crappy from the start versus having a quality item to start.
Click to expand...

This is so wrong and I had to reply to it, since comments like this almost made me NOT buy a DXRacer chair. Yes, twitch gamers sometimes gets a DXRacer chair for free if they have enough subscribers, but they don´t get paid (though its almost the same thing in my book too). BUT, these chairs can stand on their own merits.

After a long search over several months, I finally took the plunge for a DXRacer chair, despite that I have been a traditional "office chair" user. Problem with (even high quality) office chairs, is that they excel in providing support for a static position. The moment you deviate from that position, the ergonomy goes down the drain and they become crap to sit on. Seat support is focused on the center of the chair and lumbard support only exist if you sit straight. The mesh chairs that are popular here are some of the worst in that regard. Move your butt off center and after a while you feel the uncomfort on your butt. Move your back an inch to either side and you start feeling uncomfortable in your back. Many of the office chairs can be reclined a bit, but a lot of them makes you feel you cannot really lean back without being constantly aware of a tipping point. They are one trick ponies and for people that drift or move around in chairs a bit, they are only ergonomic parts of the time you sit on them.

DXRacer chairs comes in different shapes and sizes, and so do people. I can´t speak for all of their chairs, since I have only tried one, which I chose according to my body size and sitting style. So, I am only speaking about the DXRacer Iron series chair:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7629/dxracer-iron-series-gaming-chair-review/index.html


Lets start off with the seat:
Its 10cm thick, padded with a high density foam, evenly spread over the whole seat. The seat is firm, not soft and cushy. Body heat makes it form a bit after your butt, but still gives you a firm support. Since its evenly spread, you can put your butt anywhere you want in this seat and still feel comfortable.

Back:
It has a high back, padded with high density foam as well. It gives me full back support. The "wings" on the bottom maintains my posture, but with the included lumbard pillow between them, I can get comfortable back support with more freedom to move and sit off angle. .
The "wings" on the top are angled so wide that it gives me shoulder support without pushing sholders in.

Base:
The base has footrests on them, but the feet are not wide enough for them to be of any use for me. Its build like a tank though. Rated to support up to 900kg and I can recline the chair with feet up and still not feel I can tip the chair. It gives much peace of mind knowing that I can lean back safely without any concern of leaning back too far.

Removable pillows:
There are two pillows included. One is for lumbard support and the other for neck support.
The lumbard support pillow seemed big and hard to begin with, but its filled with dense foam that shapes and gives you support when your body heat warms it up a bit. Its locked with velcro, so you can fill it with something else if you wish, but I prefer to use it as it is, now that I have broken it in a bit. Gives good lumbard support when positioned correctly and still supports well if you move off center in the chair.
The neck support pillow can be attached with a butterfly lock. It can move a bit then to adjust to the position of your neck. Its filled with cotton and has a zipper lock so some cotton can be removed if it feels too big.

Adjustability options:
Tension knob: First thing I had to do, was to turn this. I want some resistance when I am rocking the chair and default was too loose.
Free tilt lever: On the left side, there is a lever I can choose wheter I want free tilt or lock it in any tilted position. With this chair, you can rock the whole chair, instead of just the back as you only can with many office chairs.
Height adjustment lever: On the right side, there is the standard height adjustment lever.
Back rest angle handle: On the right side, you can adjust the angle of the back rest. With it, you can almost lie down flat without the chair tilting. Its not a zero gravity chair, but almost and with the free tilt adjusted, you can reach a gravity point where weight point is adjusted and you get that relaxation.
Arm rest buttons: There are several adjustments to the armrest. Up and down, back and forth, angle adjustments and sideways. Seems pointless at first, but when I adjusted the left armrest first upwards, then sideways, then outwards with an angle inwards right, and the right armrest upwards, then sideways, then outwards, but straight, I got a good resting position for my WSAD keys and mouse for FPS gaming.

Conclusion:
There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to chairs. DXRacer have a huge lineup with different chairs for different body types that proves that. Reddit has a big "which (DXRacer) chair is right for me" thread:

Herman Miller chairs, Steelcase chairs, ergohuman chairs and other premium ergonomical office chairs, are chairs that I have been researching, since I didn´t have a limited budget this time. But, they are made to excel at one position and though they do that very well, I do more infront of my computer then to just sit statically and work or game.

For my body type, purposes and sitting style, the DXRacer Iron chair does so much more for me. Best chair I have ever used. I feel better in my back after long hours after using this chair then I did before I sat down. If you look past the "racer" and "gaming chair" buzzwords, this chair have earned its right to be called a great chair. That some twitch games gets them for free as a promotion doesn´t change this.
 
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