Regarded as some of the best gaming chairs money can buy, Secretlab seats are high quality and customisable down to the armrest cushions. The Titan EVO 2022 that I’ll be testing in this review adds a handful of design elements – such as replaceable armrests and internal lumbar support adjustment – to elevate the chair above and beyond any gaming chair I’ve tested at this price range.
It’s not often that I replace the chair in my home office (the Anda Seat Kaiser 2 is what I’ve been using for the last 2-years) but after spending weeks with the Secretlab Titan EVO it’s claimed pride of place at my desk.
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Is the Secretlab Titan EVO easy to assemble?
It only took me 45mins of casual assembly to put together the Secretlab Titan EVO, but if I had more space to lay everything out I think I could’ve done it in 30mins.
The main thing to remind yourself of every time you put together a new chair is that patience is key. Thankfully, the instructions that come with the Secretlab Titan EVO are clear, concise, and easy to understand which help make the process less stressful. It’s hard to miss or forget anything as all the boxes are well-marked and the bolts, screws, and tools are all packaged together.
Once you pull all of the pieces out of the box and their plastic it’s only a matter of fitting the wheels and lining up a few bolts to mount the backrest to the seat cushion. From there, you simply screw on the mount for the tilt and height adjustment toggles, press them on, add the strut to the base bracket, flip the chair around and bobs your uncle. My only knock would be the sheer amount of foam and plastic used in packaging.
What materials does it use?
Customisation is king with the Secretlab Titan EVO and you’re able to get the seat in a range of different materials. I tested the standard Secretlab NEO Hybrid Leatherette (AU$749) which the company says is 12 times more durable than PU leather, but you can also get a SoftWeave fabric material (AU$789) and NAPA Leather (AU$1,439) as an option albeit unavailable at the time of writing.
The base of the chair itself is made from aluminium, not plastic, and the wheels are rubberised for use on a variety of surfaces.
Are there any cool features?
The aforementioned magnets are a highlight of the chair’s construction. First, the headrest is super soft and magnetically attaches to the top of the seat, clever. I almost never use these headrests, but this is like sitting in the back of a Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid, seriously.
If I had to point fingers, the pillow could be a little fatter to make it stick out and support my neck just that little bit more. Nonetheless, it’s extremely comfortable.
Then there are the Titan EVO’s CloudSwap armrests that also take advantage of magnet technology. Often the first thing to wear out on any gaming chair, the armrests can be replaced or swapped out for Secretlab Technogel variants (AU$109) or the suede-like Secretlab PlushCell memory foam tops (AU$99) that I’ll be using for the foreseeable future. I highly recommend adding them on!
How does the Secretlab Titan EVO fit?
The Secretlab Titan EVO is available in three different sizes and thanks to the provided size guide it’s simple to find one that’s going to work for you. I went for the Regular size that’s recommended for those 170-189cm and around 100kg in weight. Smaller sizes are recommended for those under 90kg and 169cm tall while the XL size will cater for those up to 180kg and 205cm tall.
In terms of comfort, the Secretlab Titan EVO takes advantage of what they call cold-cure foam. It’s something the brand has been using in their seats for years and it gives the impression it’s going to last a long time with a firmer-than-average feel. Don’t expect the chair to feel like you’re sitting on a lounge cushion. Secretlab has chosen to use a firmer foam as their research shows it helps with posture. In my experience, I haven’t found the firmer foam to be a problem during 10-hour work days.
After two years with my Anda Seat Kaiser 2, I felt the cushion in the front of the seat was flattening out and I was sliding off, but I don’t expect the same results with this chair. If anything changes comfort or fit-weise I will update this review.
I didn’t find any thinness in the foam around the frame edges of the chair and nothing rattles too much or feels unbalanced when you’re sitting, reclining, or moving the chair around. I do wish the armrests were mounted a little further back as my elbows are sitting quite far back on them.
What can you adjust on the Secretlab Titan EVO?
Unlike the Anda Seat Kaiser 2 chair that I’ve been using for the last few years, the Secretlab Titan EVO doesn’t come with a lumber cushion. Instead, this gaming chair makes use of dial-based lumbar support that’s controlled internally by two knobs on each side of the chair. It’s like a car seat.
The lumbar support isn’t as obvious as when you shove a pillow down your back (you can still get one from Secretlab for AU$99) but it’s substantial enough that I don’t miss using the pillow at all.
Armrests can be moved in just about any direction; front, back, side-to-side, up and down. And the typical adjustments are there for the resistance on the recline, locking the recline, the height of the chair, and the amount of tilt or recline through a lever mounted to the side of the chair.
Should you buy the Secretlab Titan EVO?
The Secretlab Titan EVO is one of the best gaming chairs on the market and comes without any real faults. In fact, the only reason you wouldn’t buy the Titan is the price in relation to competitors such as the Cooler Master Caliber C1X (AU$549) and the Anda Seat Seat T-Pro 2 (AU$539). However, neither of those chairs features the same level of customisation in both a practical and visual sense. They do use softer foams.
Your money is going towards the magnetic headrest, customisable and replaceable armrests, and internal lumbar support.
In fact, I’d peg the Secretlab Titan EVO closer to the Herman Millar Embody Gaming Chair when it comes to practicality and build quality. It costs nearly twice the price of the Titan after a few accessories have been added, but offers far greater ergonomics.
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