If you’re a gamer or work in the office (or both), you’re going to do a lot of sitting. Hours and hours of sitting. It makes sense, then, that this is made as comfortable an experience as possible. No-one wants a sore butt, which is why gaming chairs are big business: high end models can cost you upwards of £500.
The Recoil Centurion Gaming Chair retails for less than that, but still aims to tick all of the boxes required for your PC (or console) gaming needs. It’s a recent addition to Recoil’s catalogue of gaming furniture which includes beds and desks. So what delights can you expect for your derriere? Let's dive in.
Assembly
At a hefty 25kg in weight, the Centurion’s box isn’t the easiest to manoeuvre. This is a self-assembly job, which means IKEA fans are going to be in their element, while non-masochists are going to have to take an afternoon off just to be sure. It would be highly advisable to grab a friend to help, but it’s still just about possible to put this together on your own if you have a lot of patience.
The instructions come on a single sheet of A3 and the diagrams are reasonably clear, although the installation of the plastic covers could have used a bit more explanation.
Attaching the back to the seat is the trickiest part of the assembly. The L-shaped connectors are difficult to screw into both seat parts while holding them into place; leaning the back against a wall will likely be the best option if you’re putting this together solo.
There were also a couple of holes which were not threaded to their maximum depth, which meant it was impossible to fully tighten screws into them. Most of the attached pieces have four or six screws and the chair is solid enough to take the strain if this issue affects you too. For the price though, this lack of quality control is disappointing. On the plus side, screws can all be attached with the included allen key, and the rest of the bits slot together pretty easily.
Comfort
There is definitely more of an office chair feel to the Centurion than a lot of gaming chairs. The cloth fabric is more in keeping with a 9-to-5 job. It feels hard-wearing but is also likely to stain easily if you spill your coffee over it. The seat itself is firm rather than squishy, although it was still comfortable after a few hours of continuous sitting.
Ergonomically, there are plenty of options available. A lumbar pillow is loose for you to place behind your back, and there’s a smaller one for your neck which is attached via elastic over the chair back. This is essential really, as without the neck cushion the chair would feel pretty uncomfortable to lean back against. It’s a shame that the lumbar support isn’t built into the chair like many of its rivals. The loose cushions are likely to get worn pretty quickly, as the fabric is softer and more velvety than the upholstered seat.
You can adjust the seat height up and down, as well as tilting the chair almost to a fully horizontal position, which isn’t something you often see in a chair marketed at gamers. Furthermore, the armrests can be lowered or raised, and the arms can be slid out, retracted or pivoted. Though it might not look like it from the pictures, the arms are also padded with a firm covering.
The downside is that the arms are simply too far apart. Personally, I like to rest my arms on the armrests when I’m at the desk and typing. As a slim guy (5’8” / 64kg), it’s practically impossible for me to do this on the Centurion. One or other of my arms needs to be off the armrests when using a keyboard — even when they are pivoted inwards. For me, that’s a deal breaker.
Quality / Value for money
The Centurion feels reasonably premium in its metal and fabric materials. The plastic coverings for the side brackets are a different matter; they look and feel cheap and brittle. The chair markets itself on its ergonomic design. While I appreciate that this would be more comfortable than a standard IKEA office chair, we’re looking at an RRP of £199.99 outside of any discount, and that simply has to be factored in.
Most of the features on offer can be found in any ergonomic chair, which begs the question: what makes the Centurion worth the relatively hefty price tag? And honestly, this isn’t something that can be justified. If you compare it to a more “standard looking” gaming chair such as the Elecwish which retails at almost half the price, has full padding pretty much everywhere, a retractable footrest and — yes — a massage function, the Centurion becomes an even harder sell.
Conclusion
The Recoil Centurion Gaming Chair has quite a few things going for it. It’s robust and solidly designed (plastic coverings aside), with firm yet comfortable padding and upholstering, and plenty of adjustable options for ergonomic support. However, the arm spacing is not going to suffice for slimmer users, and the lumbar and neck cushions are no substitute for built in support. The cost is also prohibitive when you consider there are plenty of competing options on the market, some of which offer everything the Centurion does and more. If the branding was more discreet, I’d suggest that it skews more towards the office niche than gaming in terms of both design and aesthetic, although Recoil fans may appreciate the emblazoned logos — especially if they’ve invested in one of the company’s desks.
A review unit of the Recoil Centurion Gaming Chair was provided by Bed Kingdom for this article.
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