I spotted a new company called Vertagear at Computex this year, and it is determined to put your butt on one of its chairs. Up until now, DXRacer was essentially the only name on the PC Gaming scene. However, more choices are usually better.
Vertagear reps tell me the company's chairs are much higher quality than any other in their class. My first impression is that they're telling the truth. I've sat in a couple of DXR chairs in the past, and although they're initially comfortable, they're either not as adjustable, and or not made with the same eye for detail.
I spent some time examining the material and stitching on Vertagear's offerings and they appeared well made. Interestingly, Vertagear said these chairs are pre-production, and pointed out that some seams weren't actually meeting company standards yet. Without being shown the areas, I would have missed them.
Right now, Vertagear is only talking about two models for sale, the SL4000 which is the racing style chair show in white, and its office-like chair called the Triigger, which comes in 3 different models: 350SE, 350, and 275, starting at $600 for the 275.
Right now I sit on an Aeron, but I can see myself sitting on a Triigger, which has some unique features. Adjustments are done via levers on either side of the arm rest for things such as height, lean position, lean position lock, and tension. I found this to be far more convenient than those on the Aeron, which costs a significant amount more if purchased new.
The racing style SL4000 doesn't have arm-side switch mechanics but does have similar features as well as an auto-tension mechanism for back-lean. The chair will control its resistance based on your weight. I'm about 160 pounds and 5 feet 9 inches (about 1.75m) tall, and found the auto tension to be be suitable for my body. Obviously, it's hard for me to test someone else's body size. The only thing I felt was missing from the SL4000 was the ability to make the backrest do a follow-return lean when it's furthest back-lean had a position lock for maximum lean distance.
Materials on both models feel high quality, and the accents on the Triigger series are made of genuine leather. There's very few plastic bits on the chairs. For comparison, the wheel base, covers, and other parts on a DXRacer are made of plastic, while the SL4000 and Triigger use aluminum.
Those who are interested in the racing style SL will also be happy to know that Vertagear built in small table accessories for joystick use. The company plans to build a full line of attachable accessories to support a full line of flight-sim joysticks as well as racing wheels and foot pedals. The SL also lets you hide your cables when you're using VR headsets by running them through a covered section of the backrest.
Check out our previous guide on our top picks for gaming chairs.
