Arozzi Verona Junior Gaming Chair review

If you are not familiar with Arozzi, it's a Swedish-based company that has been around since 2013 that specializes in gaming chairs and gaming desks, having recently entered the fray of microphones. The company is one of many I came across during my time at CES, but was happy to learn more about for a good reason—its Verona Junior gaming chair.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average height for an adult male is 5 feet 7 inches, and the average height for an adult women is 5 feet 3 inches. The average gaming chair is designed to be more physically accommodating to men, so it’s hard to find one specifically designed for anyone of short stature, even among our own best gaming chairs list. SecretLab’s Throne series has a chair for people under 5 feet 3 inches, but that seems to be it. I’ve never known what it’s like to sit in a chair and have my feet touch the floor or to have the top of my head visible over the headrest.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m short, 4 feet 11 inches to be exact. Most normal-sized people don’t understand the pure joy of finding something that fits your body type, like a chair. Arozzi’s Verona Junior may have been initially designed with kids in mind, but as a short, petite woman, it feels custom-made.

Comparing the length of the Verona Junior chair base to my old chair, it’s about an inch and a half shorter. That combined with the lower back pillow, which makes me sit a little more forward, my feet can fully touch the floor even when the chair is raised to maximum height. It may seem like a small thing, but the shorter seat base takes pressure off the back of my knees, which makes sitting for long periods of time more comfortable; I have arthritis in both my knees due to multiple injuries, so having my legs dangle from a chair puts pressure on the joints, and it gets painful after a while. A shorter seat base means being able to sit closer to my keyboard, which brings me to the next benefit of the Verona Junior.

Having only used standard sized office chairs before, I developed a habit of sitting up straight after many years of slouching so I could hopefully reverse or stop some back problems I was starting to develop. The only issue with was that my shoulder and back muscles would start to spasm after sitting like that for too long, sending what felt like tiny, electric shocks through my nerves. Since the Verona Junior also has a shorter seat back than the average chair, I can position both pillows in exactly the right spots so I can keep a good posture while gaming and not have to deal with muscle spasms. Rather than resting the back of my head on the top pillow, I can place it against my neck, which automatically pushes my shoulders back and doesn’t force me to reach for my keyboard.

As to how adjustable the rest of chair is, the recline has four lockable increments that goes up to 165 degrees. I like to keep the seat back straight up and down for the most part, but I was able to lean back, put my lower legs up on my desk and take a comfortable power nap. The armrests are easily adjustable with a button on the underside of the rest itself. They can also turn in three different directions—straight, outward, and inward—depending on what position is most comfortable for you to rest your arms. There isn’t a way to lock the armrests in place this way, however, like there is for vertical adjustment. With my old chair, I got into the habit of pulling it by one of the arm rests away from my desk. I started doing the same with the Verona Junior, but the armrest would pop into another position every time.

Another issue that some shorter individuals might run into is the recommended weight limit. Arozzi recommends that the user should not exceed 130lbs for maximum seating comfort. The chair’s frame is reinforced durable metal, but with a maximum recommended height of 5 feet 2 inches, it’s not a stretch to say that the 130 lbs limit is a little on the low side. The CDC reports that the average weight for an average-sized adult woman is 168 lbs, so while the weight limit would make sense for kids, for some short adults it could be an issue. Arozzi’s standard sized Verona gaming chair is rated for up to 230 lbs, so it seems feasible that the Verona Junior could also be constructed for a higher rating as well, given that its dimensions are better for shorter adults.

If you are considering buying the Verona Junior Gaming Chair for your kid, be prepared to drop $250. Regardless if you are able to afford it, maybe you don’t want to spend that much money on a chair that your kid will outgrow, especially if they are having a growth spurt or are right on the cusp of the maximum recommended height. But if you are a short adult like me, $250 is a good investment when it comes to health and comfort.