AKRacing Gaming Chairs: are they any good?

They look a bit bulky compared to our usual office chairs. Some of us thought the newly wheeled in gaming chairs by AKRacing were rather unsuitable for the office. Not just because of the small amount of extra room they need. The large armrests also make it difficult to tell whether someone's at their desk. And the racing design divides opinion.

But beauty and aesthetics aren't the priority here. The chairs don't have to be easy on our eyes, but they should prevent back, neck and other pain. Our marketing team tested out the following products for you:

Gaming chairs

Akracing Core SX

22

Gaming chairs

Akracing Master Premium

26

Gaming chairs

610,76 EUR

Akracing Master Pro Gaming

21

Gaming chairs

Akracing Master Max

22

Gaming chairs

Akracing Office Onyx

10

The test involved one chair from the Core series, three from the Masters series and one from the Office series. At first glance, the design of the armrests on the Core and Masters series is different. The Core series is rounded on the top. The Office series is slightly more subtle and, in contrast to the other versions, has cushions that aren't adjustable. The table below provides an overview of the dimensions. I also think it's great that AKRacing always outlines the maximum recommended BMI.

Naturally, gaming chairs are also available in different colours and sizes. Find the whole AKRacing range here.

Three months ago: converting co-workers and assembly

As I had already tested some chairs, I found the assembly relatively quick. Including unpacking, I took around 10 - 15 minutes per gaming chair. Even if you're all fingers and thumbs, you'll still manage it in under half an hour.

Obviously, one person can't test five chairs on their own. This is why I assembled the chairs in the brand management department in the hope that all of the chairs would find a home. Sina Harms swapped her ancient office chair – her words – for a Core SX in lavender. However, in reality the gaming chair was more of a Milka purple than reminiscent of a fragrant field in Provence. I gave the Masters Premium and Pro models to Sladjana Bekcic and Julia Dürr. We didn't have owners for the Masters Max and Office Onyx, so they would be moving around over the coming months. Both models were also set to be with me for at least 14 days.

Our usual office chairs are far from usual. They're so good that I'd never considered getting a gaming chair for the office until now. Before this test, everyone but Sina had been sitting on a Giroflex model.

Design, material and finish

It's good that all of the chairs have an aluminium base. The leather has a high-end look and the stitching is neat. The first time I sat on it, I noticed that the synthetic leather is considerably softer than on the Corsair T1 Race (in German). The seat also seems to be a little softer than the DXRacer (in German). This made me happy as I sank into my new throne.

However, none of the testers were fond of the armrest material. Virtually all racing chair manufacturers opt for plastic. But we don't think it works with the otherwise high-end finish.

AKRacing offers a relatively wide range of colours and accent colours. And, just as the racing design wasn't popular with everyone, the colours were also a matter of personal preference. We were all agreed on the red model – none of us liked the colour scheme. Accent colours are all well and good, but the pared-back versions without red, black, white and purple are clear favourites. We like the black.

Ergonomics: functions and settings

The different series have almost exactly the same features, with every model having adjustable armrests. The Core series has 3D armrests, which can be moved forward and back, up and down and pivoted. The Masters and Office series boast 4D armrests, whose width can also be adjusted.

As I mentioned, the testers weren't really keen on the armrest material. The functions themselves are good, as long as you aren't too tall. When Julia (5' 11") tried to adjust the height of the Masters Pro chair so that her elbows were at the ergonomically correct angle, the armrests wouldn't fit under her desk. At a similar height, I know the problem. In my case, the chair still goes under the desk, but only by around half a centimetre. But I obviously can't then rest my arms on top, which defeats the purpose of armrests for me too. The fact that this is also a problem for other gaming chair brands doesn't make it any better.

All of the models also have a rocking function. The seat of Masters series chairs can tilt by up to 12 degrees. Core and Office chairs can go up to 18 degrees. The effort required to rock can be adjusted with a rotary knob under the chair. There's a locking lever on the left side of Masters and Office series chairs opposite the height adjustment one. The Core series lacks a lock function.

It's really cool that the chair can be tilted up to 180 degrees. You could even sleep in it if you had to. Just make sure you lock the chair's position so that you don't tilt any further. If you don't, you run the risk of the chair tipping back with you. All of the chairs also come with neck and lumbar cushions. The position of the cushions can be independently adjusted on Core and Masters chairs. The cushion on the Office Onyx can be adjusted to the desired height when you sit down by jamming it between your back and the chair (the rest of the Office series has adjustable cushions). Sina told me that she liked the firmness of the cushions more than the too-soft Noblechair ones she uses at home.

What surprised us over the past few months was that we hardly found ourselves sweating at all in the gaming chairs, even in extremely high office temperatures.

Our verdict on the AKRacing chairs

Even though we're not all fans of the design, we still recommend the gaming chairs with a clear conscience. Aside from the armrests, Julia found the chair really comfortable, easy to adjust and absolutely loved the lumbar cushion. She felt like she was sitting more upright, which prevents back pain.

Sina felt that her chair was reducing neck pain. She didn't want to be without it at work. She described the difference compared to her ancient model as like night and day. And she loved both cushions. In contrast, Sladjana couldn't get on with the neck cushion. It was too big for her and it moved around all the time. However, she did love that the large back support on gaming chairs means that you can always rest your head comfortably. Like me, she also thought the lounging position was really cool. But, unlike me, she emphasised that this isn't conducive to work.

As for whether our current chairs or the new gaming chairs are better, all of our female testers were agreed: the gaming chair wins. I was the only one who found the previous Giroflex chair considerably more comfortable. So far, Corsair, DXRacer and AKRacing have all failed to convince me to switch to a gaming chair. It remains to be seen whether a Noblechair model will manage it, as that's what I'll be testing next.