I’ll be honest – DXRacer has the gaming chair market knocked. It knows how to make a versatile, comfortable product, and has various models available for YouTube and other streaming stars to take advantage of. (It’s ideal for regular gamers as well, especially those looking for something convenient for the long-term.)
That said, it’s always interesting to see a competitor pop up with a familiar model, in an effort to try and have its own two cents on the market. That’s what RapidX has done with its various chairs, including its Finish Line model, which they sent one for us to review. It’s a pretty good chair, but it doesn’t quite have what it takes to compete with DXRacer. At least, not yet.
First, let’s talk assembly. The chair is shipped in a heavy box, around 48 pounds. And I tell you, that is NOT easy to get up three flights of stairs. Once you open it up, you’ll find that a good part of it is already assembled, with the upper half of the chair already pieced together, the lower parts separated in wrapping, and the screws already attached to the equipment, instead of rattling loose inside the package. I liked that.
However, putting the chair together – well, what needed to be put together, anyway – was a bit of a hassle. That’s because aligning all the parts with the screw holes can take a great deal of time. It took me a half an hour just to get one part of the chair attached to the other, and get the screws right in. RapidX would be wise to move the screw holes a little closer so consumers don’t have so much difficulty attaching things together.
I like the build on the bottom, with a simple piston that attaches to the bottom of the chair, along with slick-looking wheels. However, attaching said wheels to the bottom base of the chair was also a pain, mainly because we just had to keep pushing in until they eventually went in. I thought I was going to break one at a point in the chair’s assembly, I got so frustrated.
But I finally got it put together after a bit of effort, and decided to take the chair for a spin for a few hours. First off, I like the ergonomic design of the chair – even though it is a bit similar to DXRacer. I was expecting something a little different, outside of its colors – which in this case were checkerboard red and black.
It’s a decent combination of colors, but I’m not entirely sold on the checkerboard design. RapidX needs to stick with more general color streaks, like its Ferrino chairs have. This just looks…a bit odd.
The arm rests can be adjusted, but they seem a bit too easy to slot out of place in terms of movement, unlike the DXRacer ones, which are firmer. That’s not to say they’re inconvenient – they’re comfortable – but it seems a bit too easy to push in another position.
The chair lowers and raises easily enough, and you can lean all the way back in it if you prefer, with the help of a lever on the side. I dunno who will want to lean back that far – unless they have a big-screen TV attached to their ceiling for some reason – but it’s a neat feature.
However, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the comfort of the chair and its accessories. You can’t really lean back too far in the chair’s general position, unless you use the lever, and the pillow and back cushion feel like they’re not fluffy enough. They’re well positioned, and easy to attach (though the top pillow can slip off if you don’t wrap it around the upper part of the chair if you’re not careful), but I expected them to be a bit softer. They’re almost rock-like in some cases.
The chair has easy maneuverability, and is suitable for long-term sessions, but RapidX still has a little ways to go when it comes to making a comfortable competitor to DXRacer. The Finish Line chair has its perks, but it also has notable problems when it comes to assembly and making softer accessories. If you get a chance, try one out before you buy one and see for yourself. It’s a decent deal for $349, but most gamers may choose to fork over the extra cash and go with a sure-fire winner.
