Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner Add-On review: Gaming chairs just got relaxing

Secretlab has been impressing us not too long ago with its growth into equipment for its gaming chairs and desks. The Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner Add-On is the newest addition to the roster, and it permits you to connect a leg-supporting recliner perform to your Titan Evo gaming chair. It’s not an inexpensive possibility nevertheless it’s mighty snug.

As a maker of probably the greatest gaming chair designs round, within the form of the Titan Evo 2022, Secretlab is not any stranger to discovering methods to enhance the consolation of its gaming chairs. Nevertheless, this new recliner add-on converts your gaming chair into an entire new class of consolation. Just like the Secretlab Heavy Responsibility Monitor Arm, it has a perfunctory title and a reasonably excessive worth, nevertheless it’s constructed to a excessive normal and delivers on its obligation.

Design

There’s little actually to talk of relating to the design and options of this system. An unobtrusively designed, black leg cushion supplies help in your legs, whereas a intelligent mechanism of hinged arms, a fuel elevate cylinder (a mini model of the one used to elevate the chair), and a management lever/paddle mix to mean you can prolong the cushion out to simply shy of in-line with the chair seat (80 levels from vertical), or tuck it again beneath the chair.

The management paddle finally ends up sprouting out the best aspect of the chair simply behind the principle fuel elevate lever. It’s a extremely spectacular feat of engineering to retrofit a system like this onto a gaming chair and never have it look ridiculous (non-matching cloth varieties however).

That’s all there’s to it, although. There aren’t any additional features or options. It lifts, it drops. It helps your legs or it doesn’t. Crucially, although, it has a completely reversible and tool-free set up course of.

Set up

Set up is remarkably straightforward. You simply want to tug off the 2 major adjustment levers from beneath the seat (for simpler entry), then connect 4 pink plastic clips to the present metallic framework of the chair. The old-school, truck-like construct of those chairs, with their rectangular metallic tubing for a chassis, means you might have a simple place to affix additional options. Some chair designs, equivalent to on the Fractal Refine, have a molded plastic underside that isn’t really easy to work with on this manner.

With these items fitted, you then simply take away a few transport lock items from the principle recliner unit and basically clip it into place, pushing down the lengthy pink plastic clips to lock it into place.

With the principle recliner add-on clipped in, you may take away a hook and loop cable tie, which acts as a security cease to forestall the unit from increasing and catching a finger, then you definitely’re all however good to go. Simply flip the chair again over, connect the 2 present levers, push on the recliner’s lever, and also you’re away.

Consolation

The recliner add-on couldn’t be simpler to make use of in and of itself, however there’s a little bit of a trick to creating it work total. The easy bit is that you just simply pull up the deal with and the recliner add-on will push itself ahead and up. Or, with the deal with held down, you may push the cushion again into place beneath the seat together with your legs.

The place it will get just a little extra concerned is that, in an effort to get the recliner to return up totally flat, you need to both pull your legs up out the way in which, or unfold out your legs to the perimeters, as any additional weight means the recliner can’t fairly push itself up totally. By and enormous, it’s straightforward sufficient to do, however some customers could discover these maneuvers a contact awkward.

The opposite issue is that extending the recliner alters the stability of the chair, so if in case you have the lean unlocked, and are simply tipping backward in a relaxed place, however then increase the recliner, the purpose of stability will change, tipping you ahead. To get again to a tilted place, you then should recline the seat again just a little. I discovered it took three or 4 notches on the seat recline adjustment management to re-balance the chair.

These elements apart, the recliner add-on is remarkably snug. The padding is broad, deep, and extremely mushy. In reality, it’s considerably amusing simply how stark the distinction in padding is in comparison with the chair itself which comes extra from the “agency help is nice in your posture” strategy to seat consolation.

With the recliner add-on totally prolonged and the seat again reclined a lot of the manner, I discovered I might fairly simply nap on this chair, getting very near that full feet-up, mendacity down on a sofa feeling – it’s shocking how a lot it immediately lulls you to sleep.

It’s additionally fairly nice to simply have the recliner add-on gently supporting the backs of your legs whereas sitting considerably tilted again – a bit just like the “unwind” place urged in Secretlab’s promo materials. I truly discovered I might work like this, with my head resting again on the Titan Evo’s super-comfortable head pillow. You simply should ensure you lock the lean perform on the angle you want earlier than elevating the recliner, to forestall that tilting ahead difficulty.

The additional bulk beneath the seat is noticeable and does get in the way in which from time to time, nevertheless it’s surprisingly unobtrusive, assuming you totally tuck it again – it takes fairly a little bit of hamstring effort to push it again.

For all its spectacular consolation, although, there’s one broad argument one might make towards this add-on, which is that in lots of conditions the place you’re contemplating mendacity totally again together with your toes up, you may be higher off getting up off your chair, momentarily stretching your legs after which mendacity down on a mattress or sofa for a couple of minutes.

Not solely is that this doubtless to supply a fair larger profit (extra snug and toes raised even greater), nevertheless it additionally will get you away out of your laptop and desk. Nonetheless, in the event you’re fortunately listening to or watching one thing in your laptop, and simply need to sit again and luxuriate in it, the recline add-on is a good way to make these moments much more stress-free.

Worth

The Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner Add-On is launching in two preliminary variations, with differing costs. The restricted Founder’s Version worth is $249, which features a cooling gel high layer, triangle aspect sample, and a metallic tag, and this would be the first model that can be that can be purchased. Then the Commonplace Version worth  is $199 (reviewed model), which drops the extras, and for which you’ll solely register curiosity at this stage.

Verdict

The Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner Add-On actually does remodel your Titan Evo chair into an extremely snug recliner. Having the ability to increase and help your toes is transformative for moments while you simply need to sit again and chill out.

The toolless retrofit design can also be fairly outstanding, contemplating how strong the add-on feels. Your gaming chair received’t win any class awards after this add-on is connected, however in the event you simply need to add a recline function, this unit completely delivers.

It’s costly, although, with an eyebrow-raising worth of a minimum of $199. Nevertheless, that’s a worth price paying in the event you’ve already invested $500+ right into a Secretlab gaming chair (or one among a number of different manufacturers that use the identical superstructure as this chair, with which we suspect this accent could be appropriate), and really need that recline function.

For extra methods to finish your gaming setup, try our greatest gaming desks information, which is led by Secretlab’s personal Magnus Professional however features a host of different choices for a variety of budgets.