Founded in 2020, Mavix introduced the world to its line of ergonomic gaming chairs. These chairs blend the best of gaming and ergonomic worlds, delivering a chair that is quite unique in the current market. I've spent the last few weeks with the Mavix M9, its flagship model, and have been impressed. It's not perfect, but it is a chair that's more comfortable than your average ergonomic chair and more supportive than your average gaming chair, Which makes it a compelling choice when you don't want to sacrifice good looks for good support.
Specifications
- Current Price: $899 (Mavix, Amazon)
- Key Features:
- Cool gel M-Foam™ seat keeps you chill under pressure with open airflow and balanced weight distribution.
- An extra wide 22” seat provides all the space you want with all the comfort you need.
- M-Breeze fabric promotes fresh air circulation while the Advanced Tensile Recovery (A.T.R.) woven multilayered nylon gives responsive body support.
- FS Wheels provide an almost frictionless, quiet-glide movement that can carry you across any surface, including hardwood, vinyl, carpet and more.
- Dynamic Variable Lumbar (DVL)® automatically adjusts to your body with every move.
- REVOLVE Extended Recline Technology allows for a supreme 127-degree arc angle in full extended recline.
- Adjustable backrest height lets you find the perfect vertical alignment from your lumbar up to your neck.
- Four-way armrests allow you to switch up the height, depth, width and angle without pressing pause.
- Independently adjustable headrest helps you hone in height and angle for optimal support.
Mavix M9 - Design and Highlights
The Mavix M9 is an ergonomic gaming chair. Its design immediately reminds me of an office chair in its contours and integrated supports and adjustments, but there's no mistaking one key fact: in pure style, it looks far more like a high-end gaming chair.
It really shouldn't come as a surprise. Mavix as a company has a lot of history designing ergo chairs. Its About page describes the company's creation as being rooted in a love of gaming. So the two worlds come together and culminate in a line of chairs that are far more supportive and designed for your body than the average gaming chair, but that utilize features like mesh and dynamic lumbar support. You can see both inspirations in every model even at a quick glance.
It's worth noting that even though we are reviewing the flagship M9 model, the company actually offers four different versions within this series. The most affordable is the M4, which uses a mesh back and foam seat and retails for $400. After that is the M5, which jumps to $500 and offers options for rotational arm rests and extended seating (mesh on this model), as well as support for the company's Elemax insert that offers heating, cooling, and massage within the backrest. The M7 starts at $700 and adds more color and wheel options, and an extended range of support adjustments. The M9 is the cream of the crop at $900. It features a cooling gel enhanced memory foam seat, the full range of adjustments and color options, Brisa ultrafabrics (a softer, more breathable leatherette), Dynamic Variable Lumbar support, and locking 127-degree recline.
I was sent the black and white model. Fully built, it's one of the most stylish gaming chairs I've ever seen. At this point, I have to admit to something. Looking at pictures online, I was genuinely concerned that the company may have invested more in looks than actual comfort. Even sitting in it for the first time didn't dispel this worry. With enough time, however, I have really grown to like it and place this alongside the LFGaming Stealth, a $1,695 full memory foam gaming chair, which is probably the most decadent gaming seat I have ever reviewed. Yet, for $800 less, the M9 is much more supportive and suited to daily use.
So, let's look at what you're getting here. The M9 is designed to support your body in the proper way to prevent soreness over extended sitting sessions. At the same time, it's designed to promote proper posture and prevent common risk factors associated with prolonged sitting. it uses premium materials and fabrics, has a lengthy warranty, and seems made to last in the majority of ways. If you are picky, there are areas where it seems like Mavix could have gone a bit further with durability and reassuring you about the premium nature of your purchase. But against other chairs in this price bracket, and especially those targeted toward gamers, it has done an impressive job of making this chair feel like something special.
It offers a number of adjustments to make sure it matches your body and your preferred sitting style at any given point. The armrests move up and down, in and out, and can tilt like most gaming chairs, but the fabric on top is soft enough that you can lean on them and it won't hurt your elbows. The seat adopts a waterfall design and can be adjusted in and out so your back meets the lumbar support at an inappropriate angle. This adjustability also means that you can keep enough space between the edge of the chair and the crook of your leg to allow proper blood flow to your legs (about three fingers is recommended).
The backrest uses what Mavix calls its Dynamic Variable Lumbar support. This breaks the backrest into two parts. You have a wider contoured section for your upper back and a more forward contour for your lumbar. This latter section can move in and out as you sit and adjust your position, ensuring that you always have the proper support. This type of system isn't unique to Mavix (though its integration probably has some unique elements) but it's a tried and true way to ensure that the stress of sitting doesn't land on your lower back.
It’s also able to be adjusted for height across four ascending notches simply by lifting up. These automatically lock into place. When you reach the top, the mechanism unlocks and the backrest can freely slide to its lowest setting again. This makes it more accommodating for gamers of different heights and back lengths.
On the top of the backrest is an optional headrest. This can be moved up and down and adjusted for angle to match where it is most comfortable and supportive for users of different heights.
Of course, you also have the expected adjustments. You can adjust the chair for height, and using the knobs and levers on the underside of the chair, adjust the rocking tension or lock it at different angles.
One of the most unique aspects of it, and a clear inspiration from gaming chairs, is that you can actually recline the backrest. Having reviewed a number of ergonomic chairs, this is pretty much unheard of (and there's a good reason for that). The vast majority of ergo chairs do allow you to lean back but the mechanism doesn't work with the lever like the average racing seat. Instead, it's spring tensioned within the bass of the chair itself.
The M9, however, does have this lever. Using it, you can achieve a 127° recline that legitimately makes you feel like you are floating. In truth, it can be a little scary the first time because you almost feel like you're going to tip over. There is no need for concern, though, as it is perfectly stable across its entire reclined range. While other purely ergonomic chairs seem to scoff at this level of relaxation support, you won't be able to go into a full lay like many racing chairs, but the idea of sleeping in a chair is a little bit of a meme and even though some people do it, it's hardly the average use case.
On the bottom of the chair you have the nylon wheel base and a set of five locking rollerblade style wheels. They have a soft exterior that is friendly to all floor types. It also gives the chair a wonderful glide. On that same token, I like that I can lock one or two of the casters with my feet without looking. It glides so well that on a hard surface it can actually wiggle a little bit.
The final element to discuss is the company's Elemax system. Observant readers may have noticed that the lumbar on the M9 is made of mash. This is because the Elemax system inserts into the frame of the Dynamic Variable Lumbar. It's a kind of cushion that includes a heating element, to pass through fans, and haptic vibration motors. It can provide heating, cooling, and your choice of either steady or pulsing massage. It's a neat add-on that comes at no extra cost.
Overall, the M9 definitely looks and feels the part of the premium ergonomic gaming chair.
Mavix M9 - Assembly
The Mavix M9 is available pre-assembled or with assembly required. If you don't want to put it together yourself, Mavix will do it for you at a $133 additional charge. I suspect that a good portion of this would be related to the additional shipping cost associated with the much larger box. But make no mistake, even if you need to assemble it yourself, the box is gigantic.
I would suggest saving the money and putting it together yourself, because it's truly not difficult even for a single person. I was able to do it in about 15 minutes using the included tools within the box.
After inserting the wheels into the base and putting the piston in the center cut out the seat can be set on top of the piston. From there, it’s two screws for each armrest. The back slots onto a bar and slides right into place. Then it’s three more screws. The headrest is another two and a plastic cover to hide the fasteners from the back.
The final step is the Elemax system, which came pre-installed on mine. I did have to adjust it slightly since it shifted during shipping. A plastic cover snaps into place over top and then you’re done.
Mavix M9 - Comfort, Performance, and Overall Impressions
As I mentioned in the first section of this article, I was initially worried that the M9 would be more style than substance, but I shouldn’t have worried at all. Having spent a couple of weeks with the chair and using it for different purposes, it’s genuinely comfortable and very supportive.
The seat is the star of the show. It’s made of cooling-gel enhanced memory foam (M-Foam) and is just as soft and responsive as you would hope it would be. While so many gaming chairs miss the mark and are either too firm or so soft you can feel the edges of the frame, the M9 strikes a perfect balance. This side of the nearly $2,000 LFGaming Stealth, it’s the most comfortable seat of any gaming chair I’ve tested — and reader, I’ve tested a lot over the years.
The Brisa fabrics also deserve mention. These are often used on higher-end furniture (which this clearly is), but is remarkable because of its softness and durability. It has the appearance of leatherette but is so much better. It’s much more comfortable to sit on and pleasant to touch. It’s also very breathable and matches well with the cooling foam that has also been designed for breathability.
The adjustments really make a chair like this and you should expect it to be perfectly matched to your body out of the box. You’ll need to adjust the backrest height to match your actual back first. Finding the appropriate seat depth also is critical to ensure you can sit in a comfortable posture while still receiving a proper level of support. I also found that I had to adjust the recline position ever so slightly backward for it to match my body well. Be prepared to spend some time adjusting it until you find a comfortable fit for the different ways you sit.
Once it’s dialed in, it’s an exceptionally comfortable chair. The seat really enhances the experience and hides the frame well. I was able to cross a leg underneath me without feeling it and it’s wide enough to accommodate different sitting styles (though wasn’t for a full crossed-legged position for me). The armrests are also very good and their adjustability makes it easy to find a match for both mouse and keyboard and controller use.
It’s a pretty great chair, but it’s not perfect. At $900, having a nylon wheelbase just doesn't look good. It might be perfectly sufficient, and both looks and feels that way to me, but for heavier users in particular, these bases can be a point of failure. As a 5’ 8” man who only weighs 155 pounds, it’s not a concern I have, but I have heard enough stories of these cracking that an aluminum base would have been a much better fit for its premium price.
Showing the chair to a colleague, he also remarked about how thin the material is covering the backrest and he’s right. Brisa is durable but it wouldn’t take much of a poke to puncture the backrest of headrest. A cat’s claws would definitely do some damage.
Overall, however, I think Mavix hit the mark well here. If you’ll pardon the pun, the M9 rocks.
Final Thoughts
At $900, the M9 isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s not Mavix’s best-seller, which is understandable at the current price. But it does highlight the culmination of the brand’s designs and aspirations. Nylon base aside, it meshes gaming and ergonomics in a really interesting way that really does bring the best of both worlds. And if the M9 is too much, that’s understandable. There’s a nice trickle down of these features into the more affordable models, so if you like anything you’ve seen here, I would encourage you to take look at the rest of the line-up.
The M9 makes for a good flagship and proves that you don’t need to sacrifice your back to have a stylish, functional, and comfortable gaming chair.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.