World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is right around the corner, and Secret Lab has released two faction chairs in collaboration with World of Warcraft: the black and red Horde, or the blue and gold Alliance. Secret Lab is generally known for the quality and care they put into their products, but they’re also a bit pricey for the general consumer. As you can probably guess, this was my first official run-in with their gaming chairs, so I was excited to confirm with my own cheeks as to whether or not they lived up to the hype.
Before I did that, I had two important decisions to make: which faction I wanted, and which version of the chair to get. Secret Lab has an Omega and a Titan chair, both of which have memory foam support pillows but have different lumbar support. The Titan’s lumbar support is actually built in and can be adjusted with a knob on the side, and has a thicker cushion to sit on, so I ended up going with the Titan. As for the faction...I still haven’t recovered from the burning of Teldrassil.
I can already hear the groans from a mile away. I’m not actually a faction loyalist. I have characters in both factions that I play equally. So for the love of Azeroth, why did I pick the Alliance version of this chair? Well, there were a couple of reasons. First, my living room area where I game is primarily filled with blues, grays, and some browns. While the Alliance chair has gold in it, I felt like it would fit in better with the general aesthetic of my gaming setup as opposed to the stark red contrast of the Horde design. The Horde version of this chair also just looked a little too generic for my taste; it just screams edgy gamer to me, and that’s not really the vibe I wanted for my space. The blue PU leather of the chair mixed with the golden thread just felt a little more unique. You can find a black and red gaming chair just about anywhere, but I have rarely seen the blue and gold combination done as well as this.
Specifications
- Type: Secret Lab TITAN 2020 Series
- MSRP: $520
- Direct Pricing: $489
- Color: Alliance (Blue and Gold)
- Upholstery: PRIME 2.0 PU Leather
- Foam Type: Secret Lab Cold Cure Foam
- Adjustable Armrests: Multi-tilt with soft PU coating
- Hydraulics Gas Piston: Class 4
- Head Pillow: Memory foam with cooling gelLumbar Pillow: Integrated adjustable lumbar support
- Base: ADC#12 Aluminum Alloy
- Caster Size & Material: XL PU coated
- Warranty: 3 Years Base (Extendable to 5)
- Recommended Height: 5’9”-6’7”
- Recommended Weight: <290 lbs
Packaging and Assembly Experience
What I didn’t expect was for so much attention to detail to be devoted to the first moment you receive and open the chair. The package came in a large, matte black cardboard box with the parts inside methodically placed and cushioned. Even though it probably didn’t need so much protection, it was a good thing they packaged it this way because the delivery service did a number on the box itself.
Obligatory cat pic for scale
Inside was the largest instructional card I’ve ever seen, complete with fully colored pictures and detailed instructions. As someone who writes instructions for a living, I was kind of in awe of this for a few minutes. There was absolutely no way you could lose these instructions due to their massive size and glossy sheen.
A small Secret Lab toolkit was included to help you assemble the chair, all tucked away in a nice plastic box that you can keep to store them afterwards. An Allen wrench, handheld screwdriver with swappable magnetic bits are all included. Assembly probably took me less than thirty minutes or so after lifting out the moderately heavy pieces and swatting my cat away from the screws repeatedly.
Quality and Comfort
I’ve put enough gaming chairs together at this point to get a feel for when companies start to cut corners on chair parts, and I can honestly say that Secret Lab has done an incredible job when it comes to sourcing the various parts and pieces of their Titan chair. Sometimes you can just hold a piece in your hand and think, “Yep, that’s cheapy cheap.” You can just feel it and tell. But, as I was assembling the chair, I was frequently pleasantly surprised by the quality and durability of all the pieces. From the sturdy plastic and magnetic attachments on the side covers, to the soft PU leather-covered armrests, I felt pretty confident that this chair would last me for a long time once it was fully assembled. The one “mediocre” part, if you could really call it that, was the casters. The casters felt pretty generic to me, though they were described as PU-coated. That doesn’t mean that they were bad, they were just alright, nothing special.
Front and back view of the gold threading on the Alliance Titan chair.
So, let’s talk about how the chair actually feels. Secret Lab uses their own brand of cold cure foam (typically used in movie theaters and car seats), which allows you to sit for longer periods of time while still maintaining its firm shape. Since I opted for the Titan, there’s also a little bit more cushion to take advantage of as opposed to the Omega. As I’m writing this, I’ve had the Titan chair for about three weeks now, and it is still just as comfortable to work in as it was the first day I assembled it. If you like an extremely plush seat, you probably won’t like this, but it isn’t hard by any means; it’s just firm. I have noticed an extreme improvement in my posture, and generally have an easier time staying focused and alert during the day since I have the proper support for my back and neck.
Neck and Back Support
Another core difference between the Omega and Titan is the lumbar support cushion. Both Omega and Titan have memory foam support pillows that feel heavenly on your neck, but the Titan actually has integrated lumbar support that can be adjusted with the twist of a knob. The placement is a little awkward, but once I had it set, I generally found that I didn’t need to adjust it again unless I just wanted to relax a little more and lean back in the chair.
Both versions of the chair come with a memory foam neck support pillow.
I really, really enjoyed the integrated lumbar support, because that meant that I wasn’t having to deal with a support cushion moving up and down or heating up my back too much. As someone who typically suffers from pain in the lower lumbar area, I found that it gave me plenty of support throughout a long work day, and even ended up alleviating some of the pain that I had been experiencing previously from poor back support.
PU Leather Armrests
Armrests are pretty important to me. Most chairs that I’ve encountered have hard plastic armrests, so I was initially kind of concerned when I saw the promotion picture for the World of Warcraft x Secret Lab chair. However, the armrests aren’t actually just hard plastic. They’re covered with a nice layer of PU leather that has some gentle give for your elbows to dig into.
The armrests are covered in Secret Lab’s PU leather to give them a little more cushion.
The armrests are also adjustable to an appropriate height, and can swivel inwards for customized support. I didn’t think I would use that feature much, but once I started, I found that my elbows kind of naturally end up in that position, and I liked to work with them supported at that angle.
Cost
Let’s address the elephant in the room: cost. The MSRP for the World of Warcraft x Secret Lab gaming chair is $520, which is more than likely out of the immediate budget of most folks looking to upgrade their chair.
The embroidered lion symbol adds a touch of elegance for Alliance players.
The standard Secret Lab Titan chair in the color black runs about $500, so you’re paying $20 extra for the limited edition colors and collaboration. That’s also additional upcharges if you just go with the standard 2.0 PU upholstery; there are other options if you pick one of their standard colors, but the World of Warcraft collab only comes in 2.0 PU leather. I think a majority of people would probably turn their noses up at the price and think it’s just because of the brand name and that it’s severely inflated. That’s usually my initial reaction when I see something that pricey.
Summary and Final Thoughts
With that in mind, I do feel that this chair is one of the best gaming chairs if not the best gaming chair I’ve ever had in my setup. As I mentioned before, I saw a pretty substantial increase in my posture and a decrease in the pain in my lower back, and was able to focus for long hours at a time without worrying about that slow throbbing pain that starts to creep into your joints when you don’t have good support. All of the working parts and pieces were also of incredible quality, and I couldn’t find any obvious spots where the company cut corners. While my warranty lasts for 5 years, I have definitely considered saving up to buy a full-priced chair from Secret Lab when this one inevitably loses its luster. The quality, comfort, and assembly experience was well worth the price in my opinion. Still, it is pretty expensive, but I genuinely feel like you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for something cheap to only last you a year, this probably isn’t the chair for you, But, if you can wait and save up the money for it, I think this would be a fantastic option for those able to put away a little at a time. It will last you for much longer, and the comfort and support will be well worth your money.
The product described in this review was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
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