DXRacer has long been the dominant name in the world of racing-style gaming chairs, and while some of their older chairs failed to hit the mark, the brand-new Craft series brings a reinvigorated sense of quality to the brand.
There was an era in gaming where it was impossible to breeze through Twitch or YouTube without running into a creator sat in the not-so-soft embrace of a DXRacer.
Founded in 2001, the brand had a chokehold on the gaming chair market well before most of its competitors had even joined the race. Since then, you could argue that DXRacer has been eclipsed by brands like Secretlab, which is one of the best gaming chairs that you can currently buy.
Our first experience with their products about ten years after that, where we came away unimpressed by DXRacer’s offering in just about every way. But, times have now changed, and the DXRacer Craft Series gaming chairs does give the brand with a newfound blend of form and functionality. However, coming in at $479, does the DXRacer Craft Series gaming chair manage to justify the price?
Assembly
The Craft series does require some assembly work but it couldn’t be easier to understand. The first thing inside the ultra-large box the chair was shipped in was a detailed diagram of how each piece fits together.
Even those who struggle to put together the most basic furniture can easily follow along with the instructions. There is also a YouTube video that breaks it down even further, for those who prefer a bit more visual guidance.
It took about 20 minutes to go from an unopened package to a usable chair, which is already a big upgrade over similarly priced alternatives, which can be more difficult to put together.
Design
The decision to use polyurethane leather on the body of this chair is fully indicative of DXRacer’s philosophy as a company. This material isn’t uncomfortable, but it does prioritize a clean look over the longevity of mesh fabric, which numerous brands have started to use.
At first this was a big turn-off, but after more than a week of use, we’ve done a full 180 on it. The firm PU leather upholstering plays nicely with lumbar support to keep you feeling supported even during the most intense of gaming sessions.
While playing Apex Legends, I was able to sit through multiple grueling ranked sessions in this chair without ever thinking about the health of our spine as the RP burned in front of our eyes.
The other features of this chair, like the adjustable seat height, a 135-degree recline angle, and rotating arm rests, keep it feeling as functional as any other rival chair on the market. My one nitpick of the chair is that the optional neck pillow is still being attached to an elastic band. This seems primitive in comparison to more modern upgrades, like the magnetic solution offered by the Secretlab Titan EVO 2022.
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Where the Craft Series truly stands out is in the plethora of looks that the chair is designed in. From the uber-clean gold-and-black style of the Classic Edition to the aggressively patriotic America Edition, you’re sure to find an option that fits your taste no matter how relaxed or over the top you’d like to go.
The decision to roll with large embroidery printing over the less-attractive screen printing method gives these chairs a look that can’t easily be replicated, and that will boldly stand out even against other DXRacer products.
Comfort
For some people, the firmness of this chair might not meet up their expectations of comfort, but it has worked through and through for us. Our posture has already improved tremendously, thanks to the lumbar support, which takes away a lot of the impact of sitting for long hours.
Because we sit in place for eight hours a day for work, most chairs leave us feeling a bit sore by the time we call it a night. But, after more than a week of use, we haven’t noticed that pain at all.
Being able to recline back to an absurd degree has also been a nice way to break up the monotony and relieve the pressure that would typically cause us to question whether or not it was time for a seating upgrade. The aforementioned neck pillow may be a bit of a relic, but it’s still effective in terms of support.
Should you buy it?
This isn’t the option for someone who wants to feel like they’re sitting on a cloud, due to how firm it is. But, if you’re looking for a good option for an office chair, you could certainly do worse than the DXRacer Craft Series gaming chair.
For as much as this chair gets right, it does run into a few walls along the way. Some of the supporting pieces of the build feel a bit flimsy for a product released in 2022, and it could stand to have a few more premium trimmings.
7/10
For the asking price of $479, it does enough to carve out its own space in the field of competition and will serve anyone who uses it well, but ultimately, I feel like we’re in the niche set of users who prefers the more rigid feel of this build to the more comfort-focused brands of the world. DXRacer has come a long way.
The DXRacer Craft Series gaming chair is available now.
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