Introduction
Due to the perpetual COVID-19 lockdown here in California, many of us have been forced (or blessed with the option, depending on your point of view) to work from home. As my personal rig is far superior to what I’m provided at work, I considered myself fortunate in the current environment. This meant a proper home office was needed to maximize productivity, and the first step towards this conversion was upgrading my chair: possibly the most important piece of furniture in any office. I had originally been considering new chair for a several months, but hadn’t found a suitable replacement for my already excellent DxRacer (DxR) chair.
Though arguments could be made for the superior ergonomics of office chairs from Herman-Miller, Steelcase, Autonomous, Humanscale, or etc., those won’t be covered in much detail here since they aren’t the focus of this review. I personally own a couple of Aerons and a Leap, but still prefer a gaming chair for primary use. Most high end office chairs are admittedly more ergonomic, but lack certain features I deem vital, such as the ability to fully recline. Still, gaming chairs do share some significant drawbacks, and my biggest gripe with the DxRacer was lumbar support. Most gaming chairs, including my DxR, come with a lumbar pillow of some sort and while it’s better than nothing, they’re too easily moved out of place and are often also excessively hard or soft. I wanted one that featured lumbar adjustments integrated into the seat, and eventually found it in the Secretlab Titan that was on sale.
Founded in 2014, Secretlab was already well known and popular among the gaming community, though I initially didn’t view them as much different from some of the other major gaming chair manufacturers (DxRacer, Maxnomic, etc). Their designs tended to be more similar to Maxnomic than DxR (typically its closest competitor) due to their wider and deeper seat pan. At the time of my purchase, the regular “PU Leather” version was available for $400 and the Napa for $800. In comparison, a new DxRacer in my size is around $350 while a used Aeron goes for about $300, new Ergochair for $350, and used Steelcase about $250. For reference, I’m a pretty average 5'11" Asian guy weighing about 170lbs.
Since my current chair was already PU leather and vinyl, it made sense to go a step up to real leather for a new chair that I intended to use for a long time. Having already been familiar with the texture and feel of Napa leather in luxury cars, I figured it would be nice to have as the seating surface for my home office chair. I opted for a leather/leather-like material over the more comfortable cloth version since I like to snack at my table, and cloth chairs tend to get dirty or stained fairly easily. It’s also usually easier to resell leather/PU leather/vinyl chairs than cloth ones, and even my 3 year old DxR that I ended up selling still looked good as new.
Initial Impressions
The box is heavy, REALLY heavy. I actually felt sorry for the poor guy who hauled it out of the truck. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any unboxing or assembly pictures, but to be honest it’s actually very easy to put together. Secretlab recommends two people, but one person can easily set it up as long as they’re able to lift the top half with the seat. Really the only concern is making sure you don’t touch the recline lever until you put the chair together. It’s easy to see why, as the snapping force of it could take your finger off (or just be extremely painful). Luckily, there’s warning labels plastered all over the chair.
Once fully assembled, the first thing I’d notice is the new car smell. It has a nice fresh leather scent, and if that’s something you want to preserve I’d recommend getting some leather cleaner/conditioner to maintain it. I use the Chemical Brothers combo you can get off Amazon.
The backrest has some subtle logo stitching, which is nice if you also expect to use it in a professional space. It’s a pleasant subdued look, and I have a friend who got an identical one for herself just because it appears very executive and comfortable (even though she’s only 5'5").
Build Quality
Build quality appears superb, especially in terms of durability. I didn’t experience any flexing or loose movement where there shouldn’t be. The rubber casters roll very smoothly, and the star base is solid metal.
I also didn’t see any rips or tears that may have occurred during production, even though my box arrived fairly torn up.
My only complaints include the misalignment of some of the seams, as well as uneven distances between the armrests and the sides of the seat, as you can see below.
For the seams, this is purely a cosmetic issue and doesn’t effect functionality of the chair.
The issue with the armrests, however, does somewhat impede on usability. When both armrests are moved into their identical lowest and closest positions and the seat back is lifted, one side of vertical bolster will touch the armrest and the other side won’t. This can restrict movement of the seat if you position it vertically or slightly forward, though tilting the armrests inwards will still allow the seat to reach those positions. I don’t know if this is just an issue present in my chair or a general design flaw, but I welcome any comments on that.
Personally, it’s not really a big deal. Minor build issues like these are reminiscent of Tesla and I can attribute it to growing pains of a relatively new company. It wouldn’t be as excusable to have on a DxRacer or Herman Miller chair, in my opinion.
Features
Of course the headline feature of this chair is the leather, so I’ll begin with that: it is superbly comfortable. From what I can tell, at least the seating surfaces and bolsters are Napa leather, which can easily be felt as very soft and supple. The back and non-seating surfaces feel a bit different, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Secretlab had used PU-leather in those areas like they did with previous generation Napa chairs. A major difference between this real leather and my DxR pleather chair is that the surface warms up much more quickly. I can easily lay my bare back onto the seating surface without being worried about that initial “cold shock”. It’s also much more comfortable in extended use, as my back or extremities don’t become hot or sweaty.
The chair’s recline lever is easy to operate, and basically the same as you’ll find on any gaming or automotive chair. Just be sure to keep your fingers clear of the bottom: the snap back is pretty strong.
The bottom of the chair has a tension knob for the tilt, and is also pretty straightforward to use. Once fully reclined and tilted, the chair essentially lays you at 180 degrees. With a small footrest or pouf, it’s actually quite comfortable to nap in.
Like previously mentioned, integrated lumbar support is a major reason I opted for a Secretlab chair instead of another gaming chair manufacturer. When dialed all the way up, the lumbar support is quite substantial. The knob is easy to twist, and you can feel the soft clicks as it locks each setting. The only issue I could see people having is that since the lumbar support extends outwards from only one location (you can’t shift it up or down), someone who’s very short or tall may not find it lining up properly with their back. However, its default placement should be suitable for most people and worked fine for me.
The armrests are highly praised by Secretlab, and I have to admit they are an improvement over the ones in my DxR. The adjustment controls are now all metal with a chrome finish to provide a premium look and feel. They can be adjusted in every direction (height, side to side, forward and back, and angled) and are wrapped in a soft, plastic-covered foam. Though my DxR armrests were equally adjustable, these do provide a more comfortable resting surface. Armrest adjustment options are one area where gaming chairs typically excel over office chairs.
Comfort
Comfort is always subjective, so I’ll attempt to outline my impressions by comparison. In the simplest terms, the chair is quite comfortable. If the lumbar adjustments suit you, it can be exceptional even in long seating periods. It doesn’t offer the breathability of mesh chairs like the HM Aeron, but it’s about as soft as one. The cushioning is typical of gaming chairs: it’s a bit stiffer than most office chairs, but expect it to break in over time. I would say it’s about the same firmness as a DxR and stiffer than a Steelcase.
I’m was actually quite impressed with the size of the seating area, since even I could easily cross my legs on the chair without hanging over the edge. In DxR’s, the side bolsters of the seat are part of the metal chassis, so there’s very limited room for lateral movement. This is not present on the Titan as the bottom side bolsters are just foam and are not significantly elevated.
Again, the leather is also extremely comfortable. Sometimes I like to just chill in my boxers, and the seating surfaces don’t get hot or uncomfortable at all. They feel nice against the skin, and make it even easier to just fall asleep reclined.
One complaint is that I do wish the neck pillow hung a little lower. For me, it sits more on the back of my head than the neck. I can’t imagine how someone shorter than 5'11" would deal with it, and it’s not an issue that I had with the DxR. Of course, Aeron and Steelcase chairs don’t even provide head and neck support (without attachments), so that’s not really comparable.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the purchase. Minor build/design issues aside, it’s a high quality chair. The Napa leather is nice and thick, and the design is less constricting than a DxR and its equivalents. I honestly don’t know why those are made to be so narrow, since you’re not being thrown around a track like in a real car. In terms of price, they’re a bit more expensive than DxR for the regular models and whether that price difference is worth it is debatable. However, the only other gaming chair company that offers leather seating is Noble Chairs and I’ve seen too many consistent complaints about how hard the seating area to consider them, even though their chairs actually look much better. Honestly if you’re contemplating something at the $350 price point, a high end office chair might be more suitable. However, if you’re willing to splurge a little, I’ve found the Titan Napa to be well worth the purchase. I’ve used it for about a month now with no regrets.
