We’ve all been there; it’s hour 17 of your gaming marathon, and you’re tired but determined to see this thing through. There’s one problem, the constant pain in your back is making this marathon a practice in CIA level torture resistance as your chair is slowly crippling you. By hour 24, as you wonder if your chair is not a permanent attachment to your backside, you finally start to wonder if it’s time to invest in a chair that won’t leave a permanent mark on your posture.
As a long time gamer, I’ve never really invested heavily in my gaming chairs, instead adopting the typical consumer mentality of buy cheap and dealing with the consequences to save money up front. I recently spent some a heaping helping of testing time with the one of DXRacer’s Racing Series gaming chairs and I can honestly say that my buy cheap, use, toss, and repeat mantra is in need of an update. Without further ado, grab that coffee, kick back and check out our review of the DXRacer Racing Series gaming chair.
Specifications
- MSRP: $399.99
- Foam Type: High Density Mold Shaping Foam
- Foam Density: 50 kg/m3
- Frame Color: Black
- Frame Construction: Metal
- Chair Cover Color: Black and Red
- Chair Cover Material: Carbon Look Vinyl+Polyurethane Leather
- Adjustable Armrests: 3D (SP/0148/N)
- Armrest Pad Size: 9.8"L x 3.5"W
- Mechanism Type: Conventional Tilt (SP/0201/N)
- Adjustable Tilt Angle: 3~17 degrees (SP/0201/N)
- Tilt Lock: Yes
- Tilt Angle Lock: No
- Gas Lift Specification: 100/15 (SP/0313/N)
- Gas Lift Class: 4
- Chair/Seat Back Style: High-back
- Adjustable Back Angle: 135 degrees
- Adjustable Lumbar Cushion: Yes
- Adjustable Headrest: Yes
- Base Type: 5-star Narrow Aluminum Base (SP/0404/N)
- Caster Size & Material: 2" Caster/PU (SP/0708/N)
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DXRacer has gone above and beyond with its creation of both gaming and office chairs. Offering a wide range of models to fit practically everyone, they even goes so far as to offer an online shopping guide to help find the best model for your specific needs. Breaking their chairs down by series, the guide takes into consideration everything from shoulder width, height and even weight as it guides you to your perfect chair. As someone who suffers from lower back pain (surprisingly not due to years of gamer hunch) I found this guide to be incredibly useful in finding a chair that would be both comfortable and stylish after several hours of gaming.
Upon receiving my new Racer series OH/RB1/NB, I was impressed at how easy it was to assemble the unit. After unboxing the chair it only took about 10 minutes to set up and that was with a 4 year old ‘helping’ me. The design is smart making it easy to get the chair up and functional quickly. The build quality is above average with every part feeling appropriately heavy and sturdy.
The overall look and feel of racer series is superb with high quality and detail covering the whole chair. The design offers a few different textured materials in a red and black finish. The majority of the chair is covered in a polyurethane treated leather, which is spill resistant and easy to clean, but does hide the actual leather under the texture-printed surface. The seat and trim on the fins are also finished in a carbon-fiber pattern. Combined with the red stitching, the chair is striking and definitely feels like, well, a rally seat in a race car.
DXRacer also offers an additional lumbar pad and head rest that supplement the tall, extra supportive back on the chair. The lumbar bad does wonders for my back. One thing that I really appreciated on the build is how the straps for each can actually be hidden between the back of the chair and the outer hard plastic shell. It keeps the chair looking clean and sharp while still offering additional padding to those that want it.
Another nice feature of the OH/RB1 is that it has a seriously adjustable back angle, reclining up to 135 degrees. I’ve actually slept in this chair. When I switch to console mode (basically me reclining the chair to about 100 degrees and putting my feet up), the chair acts as a nice recliner for some late night gaming. This adjustable angle allows you to really customize your comfort level. Unfortunately for me, my K/D suffered as I caught myself dozing off.
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The armrests offer a lot of adjustment as well, offering vertical and horizontal slides. Coming from cheaper chairs, horizontal adjustment is one of those features I didn’t know I wanted until I had it and now I can’t imagine life without it. The horizontal sliding comes in handy as it allows me to swing the arms in and out depending on what I’m doing. Playing HOTS? Swing one arm in towards the keyboard and the other out for a more natural armrest for your mouse arm. Doing some intense typing while writing that review that's due in 20 minutes? (Ed. note: I think he may have just admitted to something here. - C) Tilt both arms in to give your elbows that extra bit of support. Overall its a great feature that I can’t imagine not having after experiencing it.
My only real issue with the chair is that the foam took some time to break in. At first the cushioning was quite stiff and even the lumbar cushion became a bit uncomfortable after a few hours of work/gaming. However, as you might expect, the cushions softened up with use, and I am now finding it to be very comfortable even after hours spent in the set. With the various adjustable features it also allows you to easily change things up as the hours progress in that latest gaming marathon.
Final Thoughts
The DXRacer Racing Series chair offers a high quality build and a nice array of features for the price point. With the added lumbar and head cushions this chair gives you a lot of options to best suit your gaming life. If you're looking for a solid gaming chair that both looks and feels good, then the DXRacer Racing Series is definitely one to consider.
Pros
- Looks great
- Tons of customizability for maximum comfort
- Fast and easy setup
- Made to last
Cons
- Cushions are a little stiff out of the box (but soften quickly)
