When thinking of gaming peripherals, most tend to think of controllers, headsets, or monitors. An often overlooked aspect is the seat in which we use. Many gamers opt for cheaply priced chairs or office-style seats. There are, however, many companies that have gamers, or those who spend long hours seated, in mind, offering more premium options. Having previously manufactured sports car seats, E-Win stepped into the gaming chair business. Since 2016, the company has continued to iterate on its four initial series of chairs. For 2023 E-Win has revamped its Champion series line of gaming chairs.
Quick & Easy Setup
My 2023 E-Win Champion Series Gaming Chair was packed well and included an instruction booklet for setup. The instructions included with my chair were clearly for a different model, as many of the installation steps did not apply. After deciding to ignore certain aspects of the instructions and set up the chair myself, I was able to have it pieced together in less than 15 minutes. For anyone who has set up racing-style chairs in the past, the setup was incredibly simple. The included instruction booklet, however, could really use a refresh.
Visual Flair
Taking a look at the E-Win Champion Series Gaming Chair, the model I received is predominantly black with red lightening patterns and accents. It’s a very minimalistic design, albeit a tad generic. The exterior of the chair is covered in stain-resistant 2.0 PU leather, which claims to be superior to industry standards in stability. The PU leather does look and feel very similar to actual leather while retaining more durability. For the wheels, E-Win opted for hub-less casters. These metal ball bearings allow for a smoother glide, as well as being more durable than your traditional plastic wheel. These hub-less wheels are incredibly slick in appearance, with a matching red-on-black tone. They give off a unique touch to an otherwise pretty standard-looking racing-style chair.
Feature Packed
The Champion Series comes equipped with a variety of features aimed at enhancing your gaming experience. It offers adjustable height, catering to users of different statures, allowing you to set it between 20.5 and 23.5 inches off the ground. This flexibility ensures a comfortable fit for a range of gamers. The chair also includes a recline feature controlled by the left lever. This provides a wide tilt range from 85° to 155°. While this range allows for customization, it’s important to note that some users may find it less comfortable during extended periods of use. Additionally, the chair features a locking system for added stability when reclined, a backrest that can be adjusted between 85 degrees and 155 degrees, and handrests with six different adjustment options. These adjustments aim to provide you with options for a more personalized and ergonomic setup during your gaming sessions.
Extra Offerings
To further maximize comfort, E-Win includes two pillows. One for the head, and one for lower lumbar support. The pillows are made up of upholstery foam, and coated with the same 2.0 PU leather found on the chair. While both the head and lumbar pillows are welcomed additions, they both proved to be quite flat. Finding a chair with a solid weight limit can be a challenge. Thankfully, the Champion Series supports up to four hundred pounds, which should prove sufficient for most.
1 Month Later
My Champion Series Gaming Chair was set up at the end of July, giving me a little over a month to use it exclusively as my main gaming and desk chair. While the chair is initially comfortable to sit in, the comfort level quickly drops after the hour mark. Despite the additional head and lumbar pillows to maximize ergonomics, a few hours in the chair results in some back pain. While prolonged sit sessions are always advised against, sometimes it can’t be prevented. Perhaps this issue could be mitigated with thicker lumbar support and head pillows.
Quality Concerns
After using the chair for a week, I noticed that the backrest started squeaking. Although I was able to temporarily fix it by readjusting the backrest lever and locking it back into position, the creak returned and gradually became louder until I adjusted it again. This is a common issue that I have encountered in chairs that cost less than $200, but it is unacceptable in a chair that costs almost $500. I weigh well below the weight limit recommended for the chair, so this should not be happening. Additionally, the E-Win branding on the lumbar support pillow has started to come off. To address this issue, I suggest that future models use a more durable material for printing or pressing onto the PU leather.
Safety Is Our #1 Priority
The most concerning issue encountered with the E-Win Champion Series Gaming Chair was found at the star-patterned base. One of the 5 legs, holding the casters, appears to be lighter than the others. If excess weight is placed on that specific leg, the whole chair tips over. This has resulted in a couple of close encounters with the floor. I believe the issue lies within the actual material being used to cast the leg base being a bit too light. Hopefully, this is an isolated issue, however, it is definitely of great concern for safety.
Closing Thoughts
The Champion Series Gaming Chair retails for $469, but can often be found on sale. (The chair is currently 23% off on the official E-Win website.) While I may state this might be something at least for me, E-Win just doesn’t seem to hold up as well after only a little over a month of use. My major concerns lie with the longevity of the chair. Less than two months in and I’m already having issues with the stability of the casters and a loud creaking noise. While the chair does seem more durable than many other gaming-style chairs on the market, the Champion Series Gaming Chair just doesn’t compare to the competition in the four to five-hundred-dollar range. I would like to see future improvements to later models of this chair when the time comes.
Pick from the best of E-Win’s line of gaming chairs, available now on Amazon and the E-Win’s official website.
An E-Win Gaming Chair was provided for the purpose of this review.
