Are you planning to buy a gaming chair? If so, the first dilemma you are likely to face is how much you want to spend.
Gaming chairs in every price range support good posture and promote healthy sitting.
But, why should you pay more if most of the game chairs are indistinguishable from the naked eye? In this post, we will explain why certain chairs are expensive compared to the other cheaper counterparts.
Hint – Affordable gaming chairs aren’t the worst choice.
Table of Contents
The Real Reasons That Affects the Price of Gaming Chairs
All the gaming chairs will share the standard features. When you invest more, you will find some key upgrades. Below is the summary of those features.
1. Upholstery
Expensive gaming chairs come with superior quality upholstery that has a blend of good softness, breathability, and durability.
Here are the different types of leather used in gaming chairs. This will give you an idea of why the cost of some of the chairs is on the higher end.
- PU leather – Used in cheap gaming chairs as the material is cheap. It offers limited breathability, does not do well in humid conditions, and gives a thin and light feel. The only major benefit of this material is that it is easy to clean and spill-proof. Also, the biggest downside is, it wears off easily
- PVC leather – Used by moderately priced gaming chairs as the material cost falls under the mid-range category. The breathability of this material is poor and gives a thick and elastic feel. But, it is durable, flame-resistant, and easy to maintain
- Fabric – Used by mid-range to expensive gaming chairs as the material offers excellent breathability, and gives a soft, thin, and light feel, The downside is that this material is not very durable and hard to maintain
- Real leather – Used by high-end gaming chairs as the material is expensive, offers good breathability, and is fade-resistant. It also gives a soft, thick, and heavy feel. The only disadvantage of this material is that it is high maintenance
2. Seat Padding
Expensive gaming chairs use cold-cured molded foam padding as it provides great compression resistance. This type of quality padding will feel brand new even when the chair has been used for a long time.
To give you an idea, here is a list of seat paddings that are used in gaming chairs.
- HD36 foam – Used in low-priced gaming chairs and their firmness factor will approximately come around 36. The typical lifespan of such type of padding is 7 years
- Lux foam – Used in mid-priced gaming chairs as it comes with a firmness factor of 40. The lifespan of this padding is around 7-16 years
- Cold-cured molded foam – Used in top-tiered gaming chairs as its firmness factor is around 50 which is considered as one of the highest. It also has an amazing life expectancy of 15-16 years
3. Armrest Adjustability
Many tend to ignore the armrest feature when buying a gaming chair but, it actually reduces neck and shoulder strain that comes from long hours of gaming. The armrest must be properly adjusted in a way where it should offer good support during typing activity and when the back is reclined.
Most of the cheap gaming chairs will offer an armrest that goes up and down to support typing activities. They will either have 1D or 2D support where the arms need to adapt to the limits of the chair.
The difference that can be found in expensive gaming chairs are,
- 4D armrests that can be adjusted to fit the length (recline backrest) and width (bring the armrests closer or farther away from the torso)
- Ability to lock in the adjustments to prevent unwanted movement
4. Tilt Mechanism
Irrespective of the price, most of the gaming chairs have a healthy degree of backrest recline. Cheap gaming chairs will have a single leaver that will either allow to lock the seat or enable the rocking function.
The area where expensive gaming chairs differentiate themselves is through the multi-tilt mechanism which has two levers under the seat. This feature lets you to,
- Control the chair height
- Rock the backrest
- Tilt the seat to lock the angles
5. Other Factors
- Squeak factor – The majority of the ones that make the annoying squeak noises are the cheap gaming chairs. In the high priced ones, the squeak factor will be close to nothing
- Base material – Cheap gaming chairs will use hardened plastic/nylon in their five-star base. Whereas the premium ones will use metal, aluminum, or graphite base
- Warranty – Premium gaming chairs often come with 3-4 years of warranty. The length of the warranty is often a good indicator of the quality of the chair and shows how confident the manufacturer is
- Customizability – Premium gaming chairs are highly customizable. This is one of the main reasons why they cost more when compared to the mass-produced standard chair
When Should you Consider Investing in a Gaming Chair?
You can opt for a high-end gaming chair if you fit into any or all of the following categories.
- Bodyweight must be one of the most important determinants of how much you spend on a gaming chair. If you are on the heavy side, investing in a heavy-duty gaming chair in the high-end price category is advised as it will provide proper durability, padding, and support in the long run
- If you plan to sit for 8+ hours in a day, a high priced gaming chair will be a better choice as it comes with features such as a multi-tilt mechanism and 4D armrests
- If you don’t want the squeaky chair noise to interpret during your gaming experience, an expensive chair will remind silent even after years of usage
- Previously, if you had no luck in securing the upholstery after a few months of usage, you are better off buying an expensive chair
- If you are more concerned about the branding of the chair, it makes sense to invest in premium gaming chair brands
Final Words
We are sure that you are well aware of the many benefits of a gaming chair over a normal chair. But, when it comes to price, both cheap gaming chairs and expensive gaming chairs will provide good value depending on your needs.
In general, if you’ll be using your gaming chair for only a few hours a day, an affordable gaming chair will be more than enough provided you are average built.
On the other hand, a premium gaming chair will have amazing quality, build, durability, and other customization features. It is recommended for full-time gamers and if you weigh more than an average person.
Hopefully, we have given you an idea of why gaming chairs can get expensive and whether you should make an investment in one.