With the market becoming more saturated every day, it can be hard to separate a great gaming chair the masses of imposters flooding Amazon as we speak. Well, today we have the genuine article with the Noblechairs HERO. It’s the latest and, in my opinion, greatest chair they’ve released to date and is on track to be our best gaming chair of 2018. This is our review of the Noblechairs HERO.
Specifications
- MSRP: $439.99 (PU Leather)/$719.99 (Real Leather)
- Materials: Steel frame, cold foam, topgrain leather/polyurethane vegan faux leather (cover), aluminum base, nylon/polyurethane casters, memory foam (head rest), velour (pillows/side strips)
- Integrated Adjustable Lumbar Support
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Larger Size
- Total Height (with base): 137cm / 53.96″
- Seat Pan Height (with base): 48 – 56 cm
- Backrest Height: 89cm / 35.04″
- Backrest Width (shoulder level): 57cm / 22.44″
- Backrest Width (pelvis level): 56cm / 22.05″
- Backrest Width (point of contact): 32.5cm / 12.8″
- Seating Area Width (total): 52cm / 20.47″
- Depth Seating Area (total): 55cm / 21.65″
- Armrest Width: 10.5cm / 4.13″
- Armrest Depth: 27cm
- 4D Armrest with soft PU padding
- Full Inner Foam Construction
- Solid Inner Metal Frame
- Breathable Fabric Cover
- Silent 60mm PU Casters
- Class 4 Gas Lift
- Butterfly Tilt Mechanism
- Intricate stitching
- Recommended Maximum Weight: 150kg/330lbs
- Warranty: 2 year
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When you hear the term “gaming chair” a certain image comes to mind: chairs modeled after bucket seats in high-end race cars. Wings that hug your hips and sides into place. Bright, gaudy colors that stand out on Twitch streams. Noblechairs takes a different approach with the HERO.
Instead of following the trend, Noblechair’s latest entry instead opts for luxuriousness and comfort. It’s their largest chair. The back is wide and doesn’t hug you in for those hairpin turns you won’t actually be taking. The seat is also much flatter, allowing you to comfortably change position or even cross your legs at your desk. Whether you’re a smaller person like myself or 6’5” and burly, the HERO will set you in the lap of luxury and just won’t quit. I’ve spent full work days in this chair and never walked away sore, uncomfortable, or sweaty (despite my office breaking 80F in the summer). Without question, the HERO is the best chair I’ve ever sat it, gaming or office.
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Several items, like the star-base and arm rests have been “unpacked” in the box to save a mess on my floor
When it arrived at my house, I expected a large box but was surprised at how much heavier it was than any other chair I’ve reviewed. It goes with the size, but I would definitely recommend having an extra set of hands for assembly. Unboxing it, Noblechairs met their usual high standard of having everything carefully packaged and individually wrapped to ensure safe travel.
Assembly is straightforward using the included manual which takes you through each step of the process with detailed illustrations. They also include a combined allen wrench/phillips screwdriver in the accessory pack, so you won’t need any tools of your own in the building process. I was on my own, so assembly took about 30 minutes but with even one person to help hold each piece in place, this easily could be cut in half. It’s what I get for building a chair after midnight!
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Anyhow, I love this step in the process because it really lets you see the craftsmanship that goes into a chair like this. The stitching on the HERO is detailed and really well done. There weren’t any visible knots or loose threads and the upholstery was taut without any unsightly wrinkles like I’ve seen on other chairs. It’s these small details that really demonstrate the difference when you buy into a higher quality chair and Noblechairs nails it in every way.
Assembled, the HERO could easily fit into either an office or gaming den. There’s an elegance about it I find much more appealing than most gaming chairs; it’s grown up, made for gamers who value quality and understated looks versus garrishly bright patterns and hues. On the seat and back we find a diamond pattern that transitions to chevrons, a stylish “Noble” badge, and an embossed crown logo. The armrests also feature polished chrome accents, which just look fantastic.
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You’re buying more than just looks here, though. The basic chair comes in PU leather, which is resistant to wear and easy to clean, but is also available in topgrain Real Leather, too. This is the version we received and it is soft. I’ve always used the PU leathers before, which have their own benefits, but the top-grain leather version is much nicer and very breathable.
When it comes to comfort, I’m very impressed with the cold foam used in the HERO. Cold foam tends to be a firmer and lasts longer without losing its shape; you’ll see it in movie theater seats, for example. While some people may prefer a softer chair up front - usually, I’m one of them - I actually found the HERO quite comfortable right off the bat. As the foam softens over time, this should only improve which makes me excited for years of use ahead.
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The other big improvement here is the adjustable lumbar support. I also have to admit to being skeptical. The last chair I had with this feature was a $129 chair from Walmart. The “lumbar support” was tantamount to pressing a rod right in the center of your back. I also love the pillow Noblechairs shipped in past chairs and worried adjustment knob wouldn’t do the trick. I was wrong.
The adjustable lumbar support is so much better than I expected it to be. It’s so good, I don’t use the lumbar pillow they shipped with it at all anymore. It comes down to the build quality. The foam in the backrest is so much thicker, and the support larger, that it filled in the natural curve of my back giving me the support I needed to avoid slouching and back pain. This is exactly the kind of feature that looks small on paper but is huge in practice.
Apart from that, we have our usual Noblechairs staples: 4D armrests that are completely adjustable and soft so-as not to hurt your elbows, a locking tilt mechanism, class 4 hydraulic lift, smooth nylon casters, and a wide aluminum star-base to give you the stable foundation you need. You’ll also be able to recline to a near lay, if you’d like to kick back in the middle of a gaming session.
Final Thoughts
I’ve spent more than a month with the Noblechairs HERO as my main office chair. In that time, it completely replaced my prior chair, and I couldn’t imagine going back. The real leather is simply luxurious and the quality of the craftsmanship in the stitching and upholstering is top notch. The HERO throws a lot of the gaming chair aesthetics out the window and instead provides something refined and elegant, and thanks to features like high-endurance cold foam and the excellent adjustable lumbar support, will keep you comfortable for long hours at work or play. Without a doubt, if you’re in the market for a new chair, this is absolutely one to look at.
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Pros
- One of the best-made chairs we’ve seen, excellent attention to detail
- Large size - great for big and tall gamers
- Comfortable off the bat, more so as foam breaks in
- “Grown up” looks, eschews gamer-chair gaud
- Adjustable lumbar support is fantastic
Cons
- Large size makes it a bit more difficult to assemble
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purposes of review.
