In The Box

This review is for an AK Racing chair which has been provided to us by AKRacingEurope

Test rig for this chair: One human adult male. 6’3 (190cm), 16 Stone 5 (229 pounds, 103.8kg).

Intro

There are really two things we pay for in this world. The first is pretty easy, we pay for performance. Performance is of course generally measurable. We look at a 0-60mph time a car can do, how many frames per second we can get in our favorite games from a graphics card, how many discrete channels of sound our home cinema system is capable of putting out and how much distortion is created in the sound, which schools get best grades, which fund gives the best return. League tables exist for countless things so that people can understand relative performance.

However, it’s the second thing we pay for which becomes a bit more subjective, namely comfort.

Comfort. That one word says a lot. We pay a lot of money for comfort, relatively speaking. Generally more comfortable things are perceived as being better. So whether comfort for you is flying Singapore Airlines Suite class on an A380, a Herman Miller Aeron desk chair, a Bentley, The Garden Room at the Lanesborough, having your shirts pressed at the Imperial, a water bungalow in the Maldives or simply your old broken in pair of walking boots, it’s pretty likely that you value your comfort highly, regardless of whether it’s something expensive you can buy or something you’ve had for years that you’d hate to give up.

Many things today promise comfort. Some achieve it, some don’t. Given that we all come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as having different tastes and preferences, it’s perhaps unsurprising that this is the case. What’s comfortable for one person is not necessarily always going to be comfortable for another. Often we look at things in terms of performance, but today, we’re looking at a desk chair (specifically the AK Racing Premium V2 Gaming Chair) and to me, that’s about comfort.

I’m a fairly big guy, so do please keep that in mind when reading the review.

In The Box

The box is big. But that’s quite obvious, given this is one of the larger chairs AK makes. The measurements (of the chair, not the box!) on the AK website here are broadly accurate when measuring the one I received in the mail, with the sole exception being the A measurement (shoulder width area) which came in at 575mm instead of 580. What I did find myself wondering though was some other measurements that I like to consider when buying a chair. I'm referring to usable back/seat space as opposed to total distance including frame etc. For the sake of completeness, I’ve measured mine and put them below:

Interior of the “D” dimension on the AK site (top of chair down to the seat): 860mm

Interior of the “E” dimension on the AK site (where back meets base to “F”): 480mm

There aren’t a huge amount of pieces. The five pronged star base, wheels to attach onto it, a gaslift mechanism, the base, back and a couple of allen keys and covers. Assembly is pretty straightforward once I realize that most of the screws are pre-fitted and in just over half an hour I’ve got a newly assembled chair.

Time to try this bad boy out…

Initial Impressions

I’ve had a few days trying the AK Racing Premium V2 Gaming Chair in a variety of different ways. The first thing I notice when sitting in it for the first time is that it’s comfortable. And I don’t say that lightly. Straight out of the box, no adjustments and it is way comfortable. I wonder how much more comfortable it could be…

I’ve used a lot of desk chairs over the years. Most of them have been relatively expensive (for what I consider the value of a chair to be) and I’ve never particularly found one that I love that I contemplated spending that much money on for myself at home. The closest I’ve found are the Herman Miller Aeron and Mirra chairs, but I’d not consider paying that kind of money for a chair personally. I’ve tried some chairs bought by friends and family at a price much closer to the few hundred pounds I’d consider, but all of them feel pretty lacking, shoddily put together, slightly wobbly with a bit too much play in them.

Well, I can safely say that the AK suffers from none of those problems. It’s a big chair (floor to top with chair on highest setting is 136cm), but it feels extremely well put together, there’s virtually no wobble in the base, it’s nicely padded throughout and perhaps most importantly, as a big guy, I don’t feel too big for the chair.

What’s Bad?

All this isn’t to say that the chair is without faults. Let’s face it, nothing is perfect, but for me these are very minor compared to the overall strengths of the chair. So, the few things I’d mention to be aware of if you’re considering the AK Racing Premium V2 Gaming Chair.

1. As with most chairs which are not based on a mesh design, the chair can get slightly warm when sitting in it for extended sessions. Not uncomfortably so and the pleather does a reasonable job of dissipating heat, but it’s something to be aware of.
2. The armrests, although adjustable in terms of height, lack the twist in/out capability that some desk chairs have to aid typing. That much said, this chair is aimed at gamers and for me when I use my Razer OrbWeaver Chroma and mouse to the left and right of my keyboard, the parallel arms work a treat.
3. The chair is a big chair and I’d say it’s aimed at big people, depending on the setup. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but with the lumbar support and head cushions, several shorter/smaller people than I found it difficult to get comfortable with them. Without them, they were fine.
4. The chair comes with wheels by default which is great, but I’m on a hardwood floor. They don’t roll so much that the slightest movement sends me flying across the room, but it would be nice if they shipped with some pads for those that don’t want wheeled feet.
5. The Premium V2 has a base tilt mechanism, but you’ll spend quite a while screwing/unscrewing the attachment under the seat to adjust it. Luckily it’s got a hand grip so you don’t need tools, but it can still get tiring.

Realistically though, these are small things. Overall, there is little to find wrong with the chair and once you've got it set up to your liking, chances are you'll be happy with it.

Back To The Good

I’m a big fan of lumbar support and the adjustable cushion on the AK Racing Premium V2 works well. It’s comfortable to lean against, softly padded but offering the support you need. The elasticated straps with clips do a reasonably good job of allowing you to accurately position the support where you want it. You squeeze them through the between the base of the chair and the back of the bottom section, and the gap around the neck on the top to connect them at the back. It remains to be seen how long the elastic in the straps holds, but at the moment it’s in place nicely and you can slide the cushion up or down without difficulty.

There is also a small neck/head support cushion, also with an elasticated strap which goes around the top narrow section of the chair. It’s also nicely soft and supportive and feels great to me at the top of the neck area.

As someone who in the past has moaned about some sports cars being too small for me and feels a bit claustrophobic in standard sized Recaro sports seats, I’m also pleased to say that there was again no such problem here. Even with the lumbar support removed and my back slotted into the chair between the jutting sides, the basic comfort of the chair was still there and I didn’t feel squeezed in between the sides. It’s obviously more fitted than a standard flattish car seat, but it’s broad enough that the jutting supports on the sides of the back and the base area aren’t an intrusion.

For those into modding, there are two screws underneath each armrest at the front and back, additionally there are two further (quite thick) screws at the base of the armrest and another four thick screws to attach the armrest into the seat of the chair. What this means to me is that I could conceivably mod this chair to attach some plates onto the front of the armrests or bring a central one up between the legs.

“But Adrian, why would you contemplate such crazy things?!?!” I hear you ask. Well, personally I’d consider it to attach the HOTAS (that’s Hands On Throttle And Stick), for example.

Adjustability is good. Armrests have about 7.5cm of vertical motion, base height goes from approx. 45cm to 54cm above the floor (to the top of the seat) and the back can lie almost flat.

Wrapping Up

For me, the AK Racing Premium V2 is in pole position. It’s comfortable and has a lot more flair than a standard office desk chair. If you’re a tall or broad person looking for a large, supportive and easily adjustable chair, I highly recommend it. At the price point (Amazon US $379.99, Amazon UK £267.50, also of course available from the AK site itself linked in page 2), it provides considerable value in my opinion. Modders will also delight at the potential mounting points for their gear underneath the chair and in particular for taller/broader people, it's an extremely comfortable chair. No, it's not cheap, but at the same time it is significantly cheaper than many less comfortable alternatives. Chairs should last a long time.

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