I’ve never been into the plush symbols of gamerdom. I have nothing RGB in my house. I get by with a fairly basic gaming laptop. I hold bothJoy-Conin separate hands like a schmuck instead of buying a Pro Controller. I’m fine with this. But I’ve always considered my chair to be an extension of this ethos, and for the entirety of my time at TheGamer, and my career in games journalism prior, I never had a gaming chair. Until the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition arrived aand I realised how wrong I was.
First off, it’s very comfortable. I mean, obviously it’s comfortable, it’s a chair that retails at over $500. But I must say I am surprised by how much of an upgrade it was on my old chair, which I always considered comfortable enough. The Titan Evo NanoGen Edition has a more luxurious feel, with controlled lumbar comfort rather than just being a nice place to sit, and is not only comfortable moment to moment, but has done wonders for my back.
Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition Has Excellent Lumbar Support
This lumbar control is adjustable with dials on either side, but this is more of a personalisation to your height and sitting position than it is something you’ll regularly adjust. This makes a major impact on the comfort level, so you’ll want to get it right. The back is not the most sensitive area of a person, so going by feel alone I needed to tweak what I thought was perfect a few times to get it right. Once I did though, the chair felt incredibly supportive, while the hybrid leatherette material was soft and smooth.
This is backed up by the swivel and tilt system. The Titan Evo NanoGen Edition is bulky, and at times can feel almost like a throne, yet is surprisingly fluid. The wheels roll without issue, and it tips back with ease, but not so easily you can do it by accident. It makes, once more, for a blend of comfort and support. It’s easy to sit in, which is kind of the whole point of a chair.
The throne feeling also comes from the arm rests, which are highly adjustable. But again, they’re the sort of thing you fix once and leave alone, rather than endlessly fiddle with. Height, distance forwards, and angle inwards can all be adjusted, but I went for simplicity. As low as possible, as far back as possible, and straight ahead. For anyone using this professionally in a job with lots of typing, that’s going to be the best selection. Raising them may help as more of an ‘elbow rest’ while gaming, but the adjustability here is less valuable than it is for the lumbar support.
The Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition Is Highly Adjustable
The one element that detracts from this feeling of comfort and control is adjusting the lean angle of the chair itself. Straight-backed by design, there is a small lever on the right that lets you push it back. The problem is it always feels like you’re about to break it off. It’s the only lever that feels stiff, and when you pull it, nothing happens nothing happens nothing happens, and then suddenly a spring sounds and the backrest jerks away from you.
From here, you can hold the lever and let it ease back into position, still allowing you control, but it goes against the otherwise sleek and luxurious feel the Titan Evo NanoGen Edition offers. I never did break it, and was likely not in danger of doing so, but it’s still a slightly worrying thought every time you want to move the chair’s position.
Sleek and luxurious also describes the look. With an all black design, it seems a lot more understated than some of the themed gamer chairs, which will be perfect for those just in need of a good, professional sit. Everything looks smooth and elegant, without being flashy. There are definitely more exciting Secretlabs options out there, but I don’t really want my chair to be exciting. It feels more professional than sitting on an IP crossover, though there’s nothing wrong with a bit of whimsy.
Careful When Building The Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition
Building it is designed to be simple, but unfortunately so am I. As we all do, I saw the instructions suggesting two people and decided that instructions were for wimps. Building it solo, the chair is a little unwieldy, especially if you’re going to build it in the office it shall live in.
This is recommended if said office is upstairs, as the chair will be heavy when built.
Despite being fairly cramped in the office, the large parts of the chair slot together fairly easily. There’s just a bit of a balancing act getting the seat and backrest at the right angle to keep both sides aligned until fully attached. There are also parts of the armrests that arrive attached to the chair and must be unscrewed so that something else can be attached in between. I don’t necessarily mind this, but if it was an attempt to keep the large screws together, two of the four fell out in the box during shipping.
The instructions suggesting you unscrew all four were therefore confusing when there are four on each side, meaning I spent a long time on the task. After quickly and painlessly unscrewing the four (actually two since the others fell out) I needed to unscrew, I set about unscrewing the four I didn’t need to unscrew and grew frustrated at the difficulty, before eventually realising my error when I was three quarters done and screwing them back in. I’m a moron and others are therefore unlikely to face this issue, but I include it a) as a warning to other fools, and b) because nothing else interesting happened in this gripping anecdote entitled ‘Building a Chair’.
But despite these minor difficulties in solo construction Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition is a premium chair that feels sleek, comfortable, and highly personalisable. Professional and luxurious, it’s a great addition to the Secretlab lineup, and my back has never been better.
