The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 might be just enough to challenge your assumptions about how comfortable a “racing style” gaming chair can be.
As PC gaming and Twitch began to take the internet by storm, chairs meant for long gaming sessions weren’t exactly common. This left creators with few options, many of them being racing seat style chairs that provided little to no support while sitting.
More ergonomic choices have become more popular since then, making it harder to get excited about racing-style chairs, but Secretlab has continued to innovate and provide comfort to gamers all around the world.
Secretlab launched their Titan Evo 2022 in July of 2021, and upon testing it, this reviewer is ready to throw his old ergonomic chair out the window.
Assembly
Unless you’re diving into the high-end side of the office chair market with Herman Miller, every single chair on the market will require some sort of assembly. As someone who’s gone through five chairs in the last two years, saying that Secretlab has the best assembly is an understatement.
Most of the Titan Evo arrived pre-assembled. The armrests are securely attached to the seat base right out of the box, which leaves you with just a few easy tasks to assemble your new throne.
The XL version we reviewed does weigh over 80 pounds put together, but we didn’t have any issues. You likely won’t either — especially if you opt for one of the smaller, lighter sizes.
Design
Gaming chairs are best known for their high back designs and racing-style bucket seats, but Secretlab continues to release chairs that are a breed of their own.
The company has focused on high-quality build material with the Titan Evo’s steel frame, as well as their custom-designed SoftWeave Plus fabric that does wonders to prevent sweat during long hours of gaming or working.
Secretlab’s attention to build quality doesn’t end there, with an aluminum alloy wheelbase and armrests that feel like they can withstand being dropped from my second-story window.
The Titan Evo 2022 also brought a handful of new features to the Secretlabs lineup. The head pillow, backrest bolt covers, and even the top of both armrests are held together by neodymium magnets.
The biggest magnet-powered feature of the chair is the cloud swap armrest covers. At first, they seemed very gimmicky, but then I looked at the scuffed up, worn down armrest of my old chair and realized that being able to replace the armrests of a nearly $600 chair isn’t exactly a bad idea.
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Being able to throw the head pillow on the back of the chair without having to adjust an elastic band that will eventually wear out is a very welcome feature, as well.
All in all, Secretlab’s Titan Evo 2022 is like upgrading from a Honda Civic to a Lamborghini Huracan.
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Comfort
Sure, ergonomic chairs have taken the gaming community by storm over the last few years — especially with collaborations between Logitech G and Herman Miller. However, the Titan Evo 2022 is the first chair I’ve ever had that has actually helped me improve my posture.
This is very much thanks to their new four-way L-ADAPT lumbar support that takes away the reliance on a pillow and instead, offers a more ‘dialed in’ approach to back support, offering adjustments via the knobs on both sides of the backrest.
Being someone who works from home eight hours a day, I constantly find myself almost immediately adjusting whenever I slouch — more than I have before, even with my ergonomic chair.
Underneath the wonderfully breathable SoftWeave fabric lies Secretlabs (also custom) Cold Cure Foam mixture, which provides a medium but firm feeling that the company says helps promote proper posture, reducing back pain in the process.
I initially thought the chair was way too firm for my existing back issues, but even after a week of constant use, my pain has nearly completely disappeared. It’s not just the seat base that has helped, however, as the Titan Evo features recline up to 165 degrees, as well as a tilt lock that has allowed me to keep the chair at an angle that relieves pressure from my sciatica nerve.
The stock armrest padding offers plenty of support while you’re using it, in our testing. But if you disagree, Secretlab offers a technogel upgrade for a whopping $90, and thanks to the power of magnets, the upgrade takes seconds.
While the magnetic head pillow is absolutely amazing in theory it falls slightly short of being perfect. It’s not entirely clear where the best place to attach it is, and it often falls loose if it slides down too far.
Review rating: 8.5/10
We’ll be completely honest here, as much as we’ve praised the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, there’s a glaring issue — it’s not cheap. Ranging from anywhere from $519 for the small leatherette option all the way up to $1,099 for the XL in Napa Leather, it’s not exactly an easy purchase for most users.
However, we can say that it does have a premium feel, and although it has a few quirks, we can comfortably say that the Titan Evo 2022 is the highest quality gaming chair this reviewer has ever used.
