Conclusion
I have owned a lot of chairs over the years. I’ve been a computing enthusiast now since the early to mid-1990s. Again, I’ve gone through a dozen cheap chairs and a couple of expensive ones. It’s hard to say how well the 2020 Secretlab TITAN Dark Knight Edition will hold up over the long haul. However, if the first 30+ days is any indication the prognosis for that looks good. My initial concerns about the seat cushion hardness were unfounded. While it’s still somewhat hard when you initially sit down, I now know that’s the secret of how the chair keeps you pain-free after a day of sitting in it.
Beyond that, the chair’s padding has softened slightly leading to an increase in comfort without the supportive aspect of the chair fading away. It’s effectively better than it was on day one.
Of course, people want to know about price, performance and how it compares to other similar chairs on the market. I’ve sat in a few of the standard options out there. The Cougar Armor TITAN, AK Racing, Noblechairs, and two Corsair offerings. Of course, this is the only one that I have spent 30 days or more with. So, it’s hard to make fair comparisons. Based on my initial impressions of other options and my time with the Secretlab TITAN, I can only speculate but I think the TITAN is among the best options out there. It compares very well to my Aeron and ME7ERG. In fact, it blows those options out of the water despite not being quite as adjustable as those are. They have some adjustability that gaming chairs lack.
However, when it comes to comfort and sitting in it all day, the Secretlab TITAN is going to be a hard act to follow, much less beat. It’s expensive in the gaming chair market segment, but it’s a lot cheaper than the afore-mentioned Herman Miller and Ergo Human options I’ve used before. Chairs like this effectively make Logitech’s gaming chair (A rebranded Herman Miller Aeron) DOA.
Now, the chair isn’t perfect. If I had to do it over again, I’d have gone with cloth instead of PU leather. While the leather looks better, it does get hot sitting in it. If I’m at my gaming rig it’s usually fine as I’m right under an air vent and a ceiling fan. Even then, it sometimes gets a little warm. However, when I slide over to the test bench, things get toasty quickly. I’m not a big fan of that.
Final Points
At the time of this writing, the Secretlab TITAN will cost upwards of $500 the way mine was optioned. It’s over $700 with real leather. You can drop it into the low to mid-$400 range with a cloth seating surface depending on the game logo you choose etc. While the Secretlab TITAN is expensive for the gaming chair segment, it’s not by office chair standards. It certainly isn’t cheap by any office chair standard, but options like the aforementioned Logitech version of the Aeron are three times more expensive. The TITAN is also part of the upper echelon of gaming chairs so the price isn’t unreasonable considering the brand reputation and the product quality.
Of course, many of you would prefer more direct comparisons with other options. One day, I hope to be able to provide a wider range of experiences with these chairs to do just that. However, the Secretlab TITAN does keep me pain-free. It’s held up perfectly so far and it’s aesthetically pleasing to boot. From what I’ve seen Secretlab is very deserving of the reputation they’ve built in the market over the last few years. No, they haven’t been totally free of issues but the company seems to respond to them in the right way.
Overall, I’m supremely impressed with the Secretlab TITAN. I’ve come to like it more and more over time. I’m confident that the Secretlab TITAN is worth a look if you are considering trying a gaming chair. Sure, it costs a bit more than some other options but it’s a big part of the computing experience. It’s a huge part that’s almost always overlooked. However, given the time I spend on computers and the toll it has taken on me, I can tell you it’s worth doing it right.
The Secretlab chair is a fantastic chair and while somewhat pricey, there are certainly less economical options and the Secretlab TITAN is a better choice than many of those in my opinion. For its quality, comfort, aesthetics, and features, it receives our gold award.
Discussion
