DXRacer Classic Series gaming chair review

DXRacer began life around the turn of the 21st century manufacturing seats for high end luxury race cars, and that DNA is evident in their gaming chairs. Even the Classic Series, which is aimed more at the office market (but is also definitely suitable for gaming) shows the lines and form factor of a seat designed by a company best known for making racing-inspired chairs. 

Properly the DXRacer Classic Series DOH/CE120/N Big and Tall Chair, this is a massive, impressive looking seat, both wider and significantly taller than most of the best gaming chairs which tend towards higher backs anyway. It's a monolithic looking beast, but doesn't exhibit the kind of stony discomfort you'd expect from such an obelisk. While it does begin a little on the firm side out of the box, once I'd properly broken it in after a few days of use it's one of the most comfortable chairs I've had the pleasure of testing—not because it's plush and conforms itself to your body so much as because it's on the firmer side and supports your posture and spine. 

It's clearly designed to support people with larger frames, which is evident from the first moment you lift the shipping box. Weighing in at an impressive 66 lbs., the Classic Series is crafted from heavy, sturdy industrial materials that are clearly meant to endure long term stresses and abuse without folding. Assembly was a breeze—the backrest aligns well with the attachment points on the seat and the casters slide easily into the wheelbase. You may need a hand hoisting the combined seat and backrest up onto the post jutting up from the wheelbase, given its weight, but even by myself I had no difficulties securing it in place. 

I find that the backrest, even without the additional support of the included lumbar pillow, molds itself well to the shape of my lower and middle back, and the built in head pillow cradles my neck and shoulder blades when I lean back. The seat, while firm, has just enough contour to be accommodating and, at 19 inches deep and 21 inches wide, is big enough to suit frames up to 300 lbs. (and likely more, but that's the maximum weight endorsed by DXRacer). Likewise, the backrest, clocking in at a towering 33 inches in height, is high enough for sitters well in excess of 6 feet tall (DXRacer recommends it for anyone between 5'9" and 6'2"). It's big enough that more petite users could easily curl up in it catlike while they work and game, and anyone could probably snooze away a few hours reclining back in its supportive embrace. 

I find the chair's aesthetic really pleasant as well, as someone uninterested in flashy neon orange or luridly colored logos. Eschewing the more garish designs of traditional gaming chairs (including some of DXRacer's own products), the unit we were sent is a attractive matte and gloss black, with the backrest molded into an appealing shape highlighted by a rectangular design that runs down the centerline. While the logo does appear on the backrest, it's a relatively subtle white and not so massive as to be an eyesore. The Classic Series is also available with grey and orangish-gold highlights, but looking at images of the other color options online, I strongly prefer the black-on-black patterning. It's the sort of chair that would fit in without comment (except perhaps on its size of excellent design) in a professional working space as easily in your bedroom or game room. Even the angular wheelbase is pleasant looking and thoughtfully designed.

Naturally, there are a few caveats. For one, the faux leather vinyl material that the chair is covered in doesn't breathe particularly well, so it tends to get a little warm, particularly on your lower back. While this can actually be a boon in my freezing office space, in a warmer room it might be mildly discomfiting. The armrests, which are otherwise wonderfully adjustable in three dimensions, don't raise high enough for my taste either, meaning that I largely ignore them and end up resting my forearms and wrists on my desk (on the opposite pole, they do go very low in relation to the rest of the seat). 

These are very minor quibbles though, and on the whole this Classic Series offering is a fantastic chair. It's become my main seat at the office and dethroning it looks like a steep challenge, and as someone with a larger frame myself, a more generously proportioned seat is extremely welcome—especially one as well-designed and pleasant-looking as the Classic Series.