HARDWARE REVIEW

SecretLab TITAN Gaming Chair Review

by Luke Walsh, November 5th, 2017

SecretLab’s gaming chair is slightly different than your usual gaming or office chair, they’re selling point is aimed at the larger gamer.

Now, I’ve spoken about the importance of gaming chairs in my other chair reviews, something I feel is left as a last thought but is definitely coming more of a considered purchase. The Singapore based company already has a premium gaming chair in their catalogue the Omega but if you are taller and broader or a heavier individual the Titan has bigger dimensions, improved loadbearing and lumbar support.

Much like other bigger gaming chairs like the noblechairs ICON, it comes in a giant heavy box flat-packed awaiting assembly. Someone else to hand would be ideal if you plan on putting this chair together or even just carrying it to the right location. It is possible to build it on your own as I was able to assemble it no problems without any outside help.

Building a TITAN is easier than your standard office chair as they come in fewer parts for you to piece together. The instructions are clear, there are also online videos showing you how to put it together, and you get the tools provided, realistically 20 minutes is all you’ll probably need. When building the chair though do be careful of the backrest lever, without the weight of the chair attached, it would snap forwards causing you’re a pretty nasty injury. SecretLab has plastered this warning on almost every piece to make sure if it does happen…you were warned.

Design wise, the TITAN is very similar to the Omega as you can see they kept the two look almost the same. Placement of the logo, the coloured areas of the Amber (the one we reviewed) are almost identical but on a broader chair which makes sense really.

Three different colours options are available, Stealth which is mostly black with some red stitching, Tempo that is a blue and white combination and Amber that is similar to the Stealth variant but with orange highlights on the edges of the chair and base. Personally, I think the Stealth is the nicest looking if you’re a minimalist or matching your existing setup. Amber is nicer than it sounds with a dash of deep orange that makes it look more of a racing chair than a gamers chair. It has a slightly different tone of colour than your usual reds, blues and neon colours that feels a little fresher.

Similar in build materials the TITAN is covered in PU Leather which is the look of real leather without the upkeep such as oiling or special cleaning products, plus it’s vegan-friendly. I’ve found that chairs which have PU Leather tend to not get as hot as cheaper versions, so if you sit in your chair for long periods of time, which we know we all do then it should be a little more breathable.

The seat and backrest are made from cold cured foam, a process designed to make foam that is moulded rather than cut to size. The benefit of this process if that the foam is tougher and should last longer without losing shape. Waste is also minimised as you’re not throwing away offcuts and it created a much firmer seat.

In practice, this will give you a much more solid chair, probably one you are not used to if like me before gaming chairs you purchased the cheapest office chair you could find. It’s firm but comfortable without that “sinking” feeling other chairs would have made them sometimes feel uneven. Ultimately it should give you better support as it pressed against your back rather than it being pushed around you.

Armrests are also made from PU Leather so they’ll be much easier to clean and are resistant to liquid to some extent in case of any accidental spillages. Unlike the backrest and seat though they feel a little softer which should provide more comfort for your elbows and arms.

More PU leather can also be found on the wheels, yes, the wheels that help protect hard floors such as wood from being damaged and improve grip as you move. Having hardwood downstairs and carpet upstairs, I tried out both services and the TITAN worked perfectly fine on either providing more grip than standard chairs and feeling just a little softer.

Branding on the chair is minimal but not as much as the noblechairs ICON I looked at previously. There’s T logo on the backrest, SecretLab on the headrest and on the back is another SecretLab logo and TITAN logo. Understandably, SecretLab was formed by pro-eSports players so they understand the usual need for exposure from brands and have covered seeing the make whether you’re in the chair, out of it or looking in front or behind it. In the Amber version, we reviewed it’s much more noticeable than you’d find in the Stealth version due to the font colouring.

TITAN having a slightly different angle than most, supporting the larger gamer it is no surprise the chair size is big. Measuring 86cm for the backrest and 54cm for the seat, the chair will accommodate people easily between 5 feet 7 inches (175cm) and 6 feet 4 inches (195cm) in height. It will also support weights of up to 20 stone or 130kgs.

The massive support of height and weight comes from thicker casters on the base and although I am only really on the lower end of the height for the chair, it felt absolutely solid to sit on. I think the chair could support people who are even taller or heavier than their recommended but it probably sits outside the companies “safe” usage.

Customisation on this chair though is magnificent if you like to be able to tweak everything you want then the TITAN is for you. Nearly everything on the chair can be moved in one direction or another and there are also additional options I’ve not really seen on a chair before. You can feel the premium elements come out in build quality but also extensive versatility.

You can adjust the height of the base, recline the backrest while being able to lock it into place but you can also adjust the resistance of the tilt mechanism to determine how much force you need to lean back. The armrests can be moved in many different ways; slid forwards and backwards, angled outwards and inwards and be brought higher or lower. You can also bring them closer to the chair or further away by moving the arms which mount them.

One of the neat things about the TITAN is the built-in lumbar support, what other chairs usually give to you as a cushion, the TITAN goes one step further. On the side of the chair is a knob which controls an internal “cushion”, turning it will control how far it protrudes out of the PU leather in the backrest. For those long gaming sessions or if you just sit awkwardly, then this can help give you a little more pressure on your lower back to elevate aches. You do still get a pillow but not the lumbar kind, a headrest pillow is also included for free which is usually standard for chairs at this price point. Free is always a bonus and it is nice and soft.

The SecretLab TITAN is usually £449 but being recently released over in the UK currently, you can get £120 off it making it £329.00, closer to the price of other chairs in the UK market. It does still sit at the higher end for gaming chairs but is made up of quality materials which will last you a lot longer than cheaper alternatives. Being specially designed for larger gamers is also a good selling point if you do fall into that bracket and have been looking for a chair which is built more for you. Being only £50 more expensive than their Omega chair also makes it much more worthwhile to weight up the option of having it. It also comes with a two-year warranty and is cheaper according to SecretLab because they cut out the middlemen which like to take a cut of the profits.

Overall though, the SecretLab TITAN is a decent gaming chair for large people or regular sized as it is firm but comfortable and has a lot of different options for customising the chair to get it at your prime position needed for gaming. If you like colourful options then have a look at the Amber or Blue but for those who are more conservative, I’d suggest the Stealth which is the most toned-down option.

I’ll keep pushing for more gamers to appreciate their derriere and not take it for granted over that new graphics card or additional stick of RAM. You sit on it for hours and hours every day, take it from me your backside will thank you for splashing some more than worthwhile dollar on this chair. Even more so while it is on offer in the UK and Europe.