Over 5 years ago, back in February of 2016, I purchased a DXRacer chair for $400. The chair that I ordered was from the Classic Series of the time, with brown accents, and is no longer available. After more than 5 years of use, I figure it’s time to review this thing because it’s getting replaced.
But not being replaced with another DXRacer.
Honestly, the chair has been great. It’s sturdy, and quite well built. In terms of the structural hardware, nothing has failed. The piston adjustable support is still holding strong at full extension (my desk is a little tall) and the foam is still very supportive. It’s still quite comfortable to sit in and this makes me a little worried about replacing it with another brand.
So if I’m giving it such a glowing long term assessment, why am I, in fact, not going back?
It has to do with the cover material and the cheap arm rests.
Let me just get this out there: chair manufacturers need to stop using PU “leather”. This fake “vegan” leather (as it’s sometimes called) is garbage and is probably tons more harmful to the environment than slaughtering a cow. And the shit is everywhere. It needs to die.
The arm rests cracked and started pinching my arms. There’s a simple solution to this, though. [https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01M8F9IYC/?th=1](This armrest cover) fits perfectly and actually adds a bit of comfort. Problem solved.
But the PU leather started peeling. And that shit gets everywhere. I found a piece of it in my bedroom on the other side of the house that likely hitched a ride on me from sitting in the chair. And once it starts peeling, that’s the end of it.
What sucks is this chair is still very usable. It’s still very supportive and functional. It’s just a huge mess.
For now, I purchased [https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B092HGVTXL/](a cover) to contain the mess, and potentially minimize the damage. The cover seems to be taking care of it.
So this is a 5+ year old chair, a model that is no longer available. Does this still apply today? Well, yes. Much like almost all of the gaming chair makers (many of which use the same manufacturer) they still use the same garbage material. I’m sure they still have quite good build quality, but I suspect their materials are likely the same.
However, I’m replacing it. I went with Secret Lab Titan EVO. It’s a bit more expensive at almost $600, but it’s the only brand I could find that appeared to be high quality and durable, and offered cover material other than this fake leather shit. So yeah, I went with their SoftWeave, which appears to be a thick denim-like material that should last.
Would I recommend a modern DXRacer chair? Probably not. They’re fine chairs, but maybe get a mesh or fabric chair instead. Or if you must go with a leather style chair, get one with real leather, which, with care, will last generations. Really, my advice is to just stay away from fake leather materials. They’re just plastic coated fabric, anyway, and that coating wears out. Like I said, those materials are likely a lot more harmful than slaughtering a cow for real leather.