Introduction
Over the last several years, there has been a shift in the DIY computing industry to one that’s focused almost entirely on gaming. Gamers and content creators alike spend untold hours in front of their computers trying to make a living. In a sense, I’m no different as I work two jobs that are both dealing with computers. One of my favorite hobbies is PC gaming. Between those three things, I’m essentially in front of the computer most of the day.
Obviously, our readers spend varying degrees of time in front of the computer, but if you are like us, you find yourself there a significant portion of the day. While you can often get away with a cheap chair from your local office supply store in your early 20’s, as you age investing in a good chair for your computer starts to make more and more sense.
Of course, there are a lot of computer-related peripherals targeted towards gamers. There has been a rise in “gaming chairs” over the last few years. Today, we are taking a look at the Secretlab TITAN 2020 Series, specifically the (Secretlab Dark Knight Edition), and seeing if going with a gaming chair makes sense or if chairs with a gaming slant are just gimmicks.
Background
Being that this is our first chair review, we don’t have much in the way for comparisons. However, I have used the Raynor Ergohuman ME7ERG and Herman Miller Aeron extensively. While not gaming chairs, they are higher-end options for office use. These are ergonomic chairs designed for use over extended periods of time and make good comparative baselines as far as chairs go. These two models are often considered some of the best options available and even pop up in gaming chair threads as recommended options.
Gaming chairs are so popular, that Herman Miller has even created a special version of the Aeron chair that features Logitech branding and is indeed marketed as a gaming chair. It’s $1,500, but near as I can tell it’s the same as any standard Herman Miller Aeron aside from one or two cosmetic changes.
About Me
While I loathe talking about myself a whole lot, in this instance it’s necessary. After all, chairs are highly subjective territory. When we are talking about motherboards or CPUs, there is objective data. Chairs are largely subjective. My physical characteristics are therefore pertinent as chair sizing, weight ratings and certain medical considerations become relevant in that case.
I sit in chairs for anywhere between 10 and 20 hours a day. Just to give you an idea, I am six feet tall and 230lbs. As you can imagine I’m hard on chairs. Most office chairs are simply not designed for people as heavy as I am. I’ve been heavier in the past as well which hasn’t helped my old chairs last. I have back issues as well. I need a chair that’s comfortable and for me to use it without back pain, I need unparalleled lumbar support. In fact, my personal search for a new chair largely led to this review’s existence.
Secretlab
Secretlab is a company well known in the gaming industry for providing comfortable and well-made chairs that are often adorned with logos from various video game franchises. Other companies such as Noblechairs are getting in on the action, but Secretlab pioneered the practice or at the very least, made it famous. the Cyberpunk 2077 chair is frighteningly yellow, but it made headlines in tech news outlets and sold out pretty quickly.
The company has a good reputation for quality, durability, comfort, and style. However, it’s not as though the company hasn’t had problems from time to time. I’ve heard of issues occasionally which the company reportedly takes care of quickly. That said, the 2019 models were known for having some issues with the PU leather versions. This was supposedly correct for the 2020 models. So far, I haven’t heard of any issues with the current PU leather chairs.
The company offers a range of models. The Secretlab Omega is the standard model that’s sized for average people. By that they mean, more average height and not overweight. The TITAN and TITAN XL are designed and spec’ed to handle greater weight limits and therefore have some design differences and cost a little bit more. All Secretlab chairs come in a variety of colors, fabric choices such as Softweave fabric, PU leather, and Napa leather. However, for some reason, most of the choices are restricted to the Omega and standard TITAN models. The TITAN XL has only two fabric and color choices listed on the website.