How We Tested
The Tester
Hi, I’m Jean Levasseur, product tester for Reviewed, writer, woodworker, and avid gamer. Almost every full-time job I’ve ever had involved sitting for most of the day in front of a computer, so between that, my own writing, and gaming, I’ve spent a lot of hours butt-in-chair. I know some of you will ask, so here it goes. Yes, I actually played video games for a lot of this testing. Primarily COD: Warzone, Spellbreak, and Baldur’s Gate 3, which I’ve been waiting for for a VERY long time.
The Tests
Testing gaming chairs, while a long process, was pretty straightforward. First up was assembly and setup. I unboxed everything in my kitchen, set a timer, and put the chair together. All of the chairs were not only easy to assemble but were nearly identical in how they went together. All the tools were provided, and all of the instructions were clear. Once assembled, I brought the chairs up to my office, testing their maneuverability on the way. From there, I sat down and fiddled with each chair until I found a relatively comfortable starting position for the real testing: sitting and playing video games (and some work).
Whether I was gaming or working, I made sure to try out all of the different features of each chair. I reclined, I leaned forward, I tilted, I moved up and down. I tried to sit in each chair for a minimum of three hours over the course of a day, though there were a few that just hurt my back too much to make it that long. I made notes about comfort and adjustability, and how my body felt overall after an extended period of time. When I was done sitting, I had my wife sit down for a few minutes and give me her thoughts. For the most part, we agreed.
From there, I put each chair through a few basic wear tests. The first of these was a scratch test. I took a fork and dragged it over the fabric of the chair a few times, not trying to puncture, but putting some pressure. Then I spilled some crumbs and yogurt on various parts of the chair, let the mess sit, and cleaned it up. I kept track of any damage to the chair, how easy the fabric was to get clean, and whether there were any noticeable stains left behind. With the chairs clean, all that was left was to crunch the numbers and crown a winner.
What You Should Know About Gaming Chairs
There are so many different styles of office/computer chair that it can be difficult to know what you’re even looking for. When it comes to gaming chairs, here are a few identifying features that you should look for:
Ergonomics
First and most important is ergonomics. Gamers often put in long sessions and need a chair that can keep their backs free from aches and stiffness over three, four, five, or more hours. Most computer chairs on the market have at least some level of lumbar support. A gaming chair should take that lumbar to the next level, but also provide ergonomic support all the way up the back and into the head and neck. When I get up from a great gaming chair after a few hours of Call of Duty, I don’t want to hear any creaking or complaints from my bones.
Adjustability
The second feature of gaming chairs is adjustability. Depending on the game I’m playing and the input I’m using (controller or keyboard and mouse), I’m going to sit in a different position, and I need a chair with the flexibility to accommodate that. I want adjustable ergonomics, of course, but also a wide range of height, tilt, and recline options. Some of my favorite chairs even had fully adjustable armrests. The very best had recline and tilt as separate functions rather than one or the other. The more I could tune the chair to my body, the longer my sessions could go.
Aesthetics
The last feature that we felt defines gaming chairs is aesthetics. If I’m going to buy a gaming chair, I want something that looks the part. No simple leather rectangles stacked on rectangles for me. Gaming chairs should make you look and feel like you’re sitting in a race car or spaceship. If someone doesn’t walk into your office and say “wow, that’s a cool chair,” is it really a gaming chair?
The final piece of advice that I have about gaming chairs is to go to a store and try one, even if you can’t find the one you ultimately one assembled in a store. They feel very different on your body than a traditional office chair does, and it’s not a form that works for everyone. So make sure that the style is for you before committing hundreds of dollars.
Other Gaming Chairs We Tested
More Articles You Might Enjoy
Checking our work.
We use standardized and scientific testing methods to scrutinize every product and provide you with objectively accurate results. If you’ve found different results in your own research, email us and we’ll compare notes. If it looks substantial, we’ll gladly re-test a product to try and reproduce these results. After all, peer reviews are a critical part of any scientific process.
Source link