Looking for a cheap gaming chair? Well…
When it comes to "gaming" chairs, it is obvious that the opinions are as varied as the ever-growing number of brands in the market. Some companies push for the quick buck with products that are very clearly inferior in one way or another. These companies tend not to last long. Really, that's true for any industry. It's just common sense.

I was never super into the whole "gaming" aesthetic. I am still not. However, I was offered a chance to review a gaming chair from a company I had never heard of before called EWinRacing. I had no idea who they are. I had no idea if they were one of those companies that just wanted a quick buck at the cost of quality or not. Nevertheless, I went ahead and accepted their offer to review one of their chairs for gaming. Even now, I do not know much about EWin except that I now know they make a quality, comfy chair.

I was allowed to choose one chair to review and decided upon one of the Flash XL chairs, specifically the "FLB" model. I went with this one because this particular line of chairs are for "big and tall" persons. I'm 5'11" on a good day, so I'm not particularly tall, but I am fat. Yes, I freely admit it, so it just seemed natural for me to pick one of these to review. I can't very well review a chair I can't fit in comfortably, right?


This particular chair is mostly black with some streaks of blue throughout the design. It was simple and, at least in my opinion, not particularly "flashy." I don't like flashy but I do like the color combinations of black and blue. Those who like designs that are more extravagant or those that like brighter colors should be comforted to hear that there are plenty of options available to you that will satisfy your eccentric tastes. However, I do freely admit that I still have no idea what the shoulder wing things are used for on gaming chairs. Maybe they have some functionality in real racing chairs? I have no idea and never bothered to take any time to look into it. I also do not know why gaming chairs all feel compelled to have raised sides next to the seat cushion. I am sitting still. I am not sliding, so why do I need them? Perhaps they are all just for aesthetics. Maybe they are there for structural purposes.

While I pondered these questions, the EWinRacing chair arrived at my house in short order and I put it together with relative ease. For those who want to see how that went, feel free to check out the video at the bottom of this review. The only problems I had during the construction of the chair pieces is the fact that the instructions do not go left to right on a line-by-line bases. They instead go in a zigzag pattern. It has arrows to follow, but you may overlook those for a while, much as I did at first. The video is both an unboxing and review in one package. It's also 30 minutes and will certainly include additional information you won't find here, particularly if you like visual aids to go along with a review. Anyway, I put it together, sat in it, and almost immediately hated it.


The cushioning felt stiff. I almost fell over because the center of weight felt off. I was a big ball of disappointment that these supposed gaming chairs weren't really all they're cracked up to be. Those who know me know that I do not do reviews without putting in a good amount of time with the product. It is true for games and it is apparently true with chair reviews, much to the annoyance of the EWinRacing rep that I have been in contact with. Thus, I took the time to settle in to this new chair and I am honestly glad that I once again took my time because my current feelings towards this chair are almost a full 180 flip from my initial impressions.

What followed were a few days of me alternating between sitting in the EWinRacing chair and my older and more expensive "leather" executive style chair. To note: The old chair I'm talking about here actually cost about $150 more than this EWin chair does. What I didn't really understand at the start, but I realize now, is the fact that I felt uncomfortable in the EWin chair because I was used to poor posture and support from my old executive chair. Over the years, my previous chair resulted in some horrible back pains at times. This is something that anybody who has ever regularly seen me stream can verify was a common occurrence. Whatever material formed the "cushion" portion of that executive chair went flat and left me feeling like I was sitting directly on the hard wooden slabs that lay under the now flat chair innards. My lower back took the brunt of it with my lumbar and tailbone sitting back against an area of the chair that never had much cushioning to begin with.

Thankfully, I did start to feel more at ease with the EWinRacing chair after a few days. The included lumbar pillow and head/neck pillow offered additional support in areas that I hadn't realized I needed it the most. I made the full move to the EWin chair in under a week, having quickly found some sweet spots when it comes to the angle of the chair back, the height of the chair, and even the height, angle, and position of the arm rest. Sure, I attempted to prop up pillows behind me on my old chair, but they never stayed in place and they tended to push me too far forward on the seat portion resulting in a slew of other issues as I tried to find some semblance of comfort. Even with the added support of the lumbar pillow, it is still important to take some stretch and exercise breaks every couple of hours. Consider this my short PSA for anybody out there who plays games or works at a desk for long stretches of time.


One of the things that took a bit longer for me to get used to is the fact that the chair's center of gravity tends a bit towards the rear of the chair. This creates a situation where you may slightly tip the chair forward when leaning forward and trying to pull your chair forward with your feet. It's not really a major issue now, but it is certainly something you will want to keep in the back of your mind if and when you pick up one of these chairs. I also need to point out that the armrests, despite EWin's best efforts, just aren't up to a level of quality that I feel the rest of the chair is at. It is made of a durable plastic and covered in a layer of soft PU (Polyurethane) leather and they are very securely attached to the steel frame of the chair via a metal bracket and a couple of strong screws.

The construction of the armrests is not the problem. The problem is the fact that I would like the arm rests to have additional cushioning on them. The PU leather is certainly better than just a hard plastic, but it can always be better by perhaps adding in a thin layer of the same foam used in the seat and back? Another gripe I have is the fact that the armrests do not feel like they are long enough. When I am sitting upright, I would like them to be a bit more forward than they are. On the other side, I wish they were able to move back more than they currently do when I recline the seat.

I also notice quite a bit of "give" that can cause the armrests to rattle. The armrests can rotate into three different positions. When locked into one of these positions, the fit remains loose enough to allow you to click manually into the two other positions. However, with how much rattle I've seen and heard, it seems the fit is a bit too loose. I have accidentally rotated the armrests a bit when grabbing the chair to move it when not sitting in it. I even managed to click them into other positions a few times while sitting in it and just leaning on it in various ways. On a positive note, I find that while playing a game, I actually move my right armrest down a bit, so that my arm is more level with my mouse. This is not something I may have wanted about prior to having these "4D" style armrests, but now that I have access to that functionality, it is nice to have.


Despite those few issues, I can confidently say that this EWinRacing chair is one of the more comfortable chairs I have sat my butt in. I know that there are people out there that will get on my case about how they can get a "better" ergonomic chair for them, or they can get a genuine leather chair, or this, or that. Hey, that's great. Good for you! However, I looked at the price of genuine leather chairs that would meet my needs and they ended up being quite a bit more expensive than this EWinRacing chair. I looked at some ergonomic chairs and while the prices may have been fine, it lacked features that I have quickly come to enjoy about this chair, such as the back that can recline almost all the way. Yep, I take short naps in my chair. I did that in my old chair and this EWin chair has actually made it easier to do so. I recline and kick my feet up on the edge of my bed for a little rest and relaxation. It is actually quite comfortable and I highly recommend it. For some added comfort, go get one of those travel neck pillows. Trust me.

To make a long review short: EWinRacing has somehow managed to deliver on their promise to make a quality yet cheap gaming chair. The chair is made out of very comfy and dense foam padding, a steel frame, all sorts of tilting and adjustment features, aluminum five-star wheel base, and plenty of PU leather. So, no, it's obviously not cheap in the sense that it's made out of inferior materials, just cheap in the sense that it probably won't break the bank.


When EWinRacing contacted us for this review, they also provided us with a discount code to share. That code is "TGN" and can be used at checkout. I was told it gives you a discount of 10% off. I will also provide you with an image and a quick glance chart that provides the dimensions of the specific chair I reviewed here (Flash XL, model "FLB"). I'm thinking that I may also come back to this review at some point in the future to provide an update on whether or not the chair has retained the same level of quality over time. I am very interested to see how well the PU leather holds up and I really want to see if the foam padding retains its shape.



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Additional Information
EWinRacing
Starting at $239 (USD) for the EWin Knight model (the Flash XL chair featured in this review starts at $479; Use code "TGN" for 10% off)
This game was provided to Total Gaming Network for review purposes.


Additional Chair (Flash XL) Information


Additional Images