The DXRacer Console Chair – vFSFA99
DXRacer is a US-based chair company that is renowned in the gaming world as the producer of the most vividly popular “gaming chair” on Earth. I’ve been to many conventions and gaming events over the years and have sat on these chairs often.
I really enjoyed their desk chair models, hell, what desk chair reclines near 180 degrees and has a bucket seat like a real racing car that isn’t a computer desk chair style? Almost no other brand is the answer to that question.
We haggle
Another sight-unseen purchase, I’d asked DXRacer if I could review their chair and if they would be willing to send one for this article, they said no. I asked for a discount ( I’m cheap ) and was told they can give me the basic 15% off that everyone else can get with an online coupon.
I wanted this chair badly because I am a small fella at 5’5 tall and finding a nice, low laying chair is hard for us short guys. With that in mind, I also wanted this specific Console gaming chair (there are different models that offer larger or smaller frames) because of a certain picture they had on the chair’s product page.
This image showed the chair to recline nearly all the way back just like their desktop chairs can. 170 degree recline? Sign me up!
Sadly, the chair doesn’t achieve near that degree of recline and I had a rather extensive debate with the company about it. I was told the chair reclines as shown and as per specs, so I was asked to create a video that shows my chair doesn’t function normally.
After it was viewed by DXRacer, they still said the chair seems fine. I then inquired how that can be and for them to show me a video of their own of another chair reclining to the specs shown on its product page.
To my surprise, they did just that with a short video clip of some dude sitting in the same chair and reclining back. Thanks, DXRacer, that was great of you to record a video for me, but you are still wrong in this debate.
The Recline Problem
Their chair still only reclines to the same position mine did, which is nowhere near 170 degrees as shown in the picture. It was clear nobody actually watched the video they asked me to make for them, as well as the fact that nobody who heard my complaint actually knew the difference between 150 degrees and 170-degree recline positioning.
I later saw that the chair was advertised at 150 degrees in text form in the product description, but the image was photo altered to appear totally flat backward.
Apparently, I am the only human on Earth to notice the chair wasn’t as advertised, I could not find one other person online who reviewed the chair who actually talked about this problem. That fact really made my raise an eyebrow to the trustworthiness of nearly everyone who reviewed the chair so far online.
Turns out DXRacer did a bit of false advertising and Photoshopped this product to appear like it reclines to 175+ degrees and almost totally flat. Weeks later and at the time of this review, that image is still on their website, and even after I was told it was going to be fixed.
I paid for this chair and was offered a refund after whining about this to DXracer’s support, but I declined a refund simply because I don’t trust them to perform simple tasks like clicking the Paypal invoice’s Refund button. I’d rather take a $100 loss and resell it on Craigslist or at a garage sale than deal with them in the future.
This chair sits low to the ground and doesn’t roll, although you can purchase rollers from them if you wish to install them yourself. Short people will love it and it was clear this chair was designed to sit in front of a monitor that is raised well above you.
I am going to be honest here, I question every single other reviewer of these chairs on the entire Internet and wonder what the hell is running through their heads when they write or film a review of this model.
Plastics
The chair also has hard plastic rims near the headrest area that serve no function other than to cause discomfort. The simple fact that a company installed hard plastic pieces right where your head should be, but decided to cover that up with a firm pillow you can strap over that area…is simply baffling to me and should be the red flag that this isn’t a chair that was seriously meant to be used by humans.
If that isn’t bad enough, the chair is lacking enough padding to make it comfortable. I can feel the metal bars under my bottom and right through the padding. Sure, this racing color pattern may look nice, but it is just a metal frame wrapped in some low-quality leatherette with a thin layer of foam: this is essentially the Beats by Dre of the chair universe.
Odd Features
The model also has some odd angular features near your shoulders that force said shoulders forward; you can’t simply sit back in the chair with your shoulders in line with your back…that would be absurd, wouldn’t it? You know…comfort? Bah, who needs that when you have black and red colors on your chair!
The entire base is plastic but is stated to support a high weight limit; it also has Lego-style red pieces that attach to the tips of each leg for more “awesome” flare to your chair.
Those little red pieces feel like they are made of the cheapest plastic mankind has ever produced. DXRacer includes a tiny pillow and a larger lower back pillow, both of which are just too thick and hard to justify actually using.
Southern Style Furniture Electric Recliner ( $599 )
Recently, I hopped over to HHGREG and saw a line of new chairs sitting all pretty in a row near the Television section of this electronics store. I sat in it and immediately told my mother, who was with me at the time, “Yep. I am buying this right now.”
I didn’t spend more than 2 minutes sitting in it before I called a manager over and said that I wanted this floor model. He said sure and gave me a $150 discount. I paid $450 flat for it, they helped me load it and I drove home with a smile the entire way.
Media Room Style
This chair is of a media room styling, meaning it reclines and has a nice footrest, offers two cup holders, and an electric function to adjust the recline position. You often see chairs like this in higher-end movie theaters and rich and classy media rooms, but this is the first time I’ve ever sat in one that used great memory foam padding.
Comfort
My God, this chair is heaven. Not only is it rock solid in build, but it offers extremely soft and supple leather as well as actual memory foam! I know, right?
How can this chair cost roughly the same as the Renky Eames chair and be so vastly superior? DXRacer also has some $499 models that don’t even remotely come to the build quality or comfort of this recliner. It is clear whoever designed this chair intended people to actually sit on it for hours.
The recline angle hits around 170 degrees and far exceeds the DXRacer FA99 chair’s recline position. Sadly, it isn’t really made for tall people and my feet just barely fit on the footrest as you recline back as far as it can go.
Sorry normal size and taller people, you might not be okay with your feet dangling over the edge, but you’ll still enjoy sitting in a normal position due to the incredible sinking in feeling and softness the chair dishes out in droves. Often, I’ve gathered my pillows and covers, reclined back, and fell asleep just listening to my headphones.
This chair fills the void for one side of the coin that is audiophilia: comfortable listening. It isn’t gorgeous to look at, but I’ll be damned if it’s not the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in.
Click on page 3 below for Mid Century Monger Eames Replica impressions
