Review: The noblechairs EPIC series
Taking Gaming Chairs to a new Class
It seems that you can’t swing a stick without hitting another gaming-centered chair company these days, with the majority of them in a rebadged-OEM-cloned race to the bottom. One company that sticks out as bucking this trend is noblechairs, touting their German designed chairs which use the same premium materials as the sportscar seats that influence them. Here then is no ordinary chair manufacturer, but one that aims to take the top billing in a crowded market.
OUR CREDO
A chair‘s function is not just to provide a place to sit; it is to provide a medium for self-expression. Chairs are about status. Or signalling something about oneself. That‘s why the words chair, seat and bench have found themselves used to describe high status professions, from academia to Parliament to the law.
noblechairs (note: it’s not capitalized) set themselves up a lofty target in their Credo, conjuring images of seats of power and the people who inhabit them. Looking through the rest of their website, I see understated, premium-looking designs that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern office setting. I also spied a couple of key partnerships with esports gaming franchises SK Gaming and H2K Gaming, both who had fantastic 2017 seasons. In my opinion this is a masterstroke for noblechairs, linking your brand to your audience’s heroes is a move that is near-guaranteed dividends.
Now let’s get on with some content, after all — seeing is believing.
Packaging
You might want to rope in a friend to move the box around, with it clocking in just over 60lbs packaged weight. Everything inside was wrapped in protective plastic, foam or bubblewrap depending on the parts, with nothing left exposed. This attention to detail in packaging choices impressed me from first open, with the companies branding being on the sheeting as a nice touch. The components were flawless when unwrapped, which is gratifying to see. Anyone who’s bought furniture online knows the horror of opening up their parcel to discover blemishes in inconspicuous areas, so full marks to noblechairs for the care taken by their packaging designers. Taking the components out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the 5-point base was a solid piece of aluminum; I’d honestly expected the usual plastic base that the majority of office chairs I’ve used comprised of.
Assembly
Assembly went smoothly, and took me maybe half an hour. It would have been quicker with a second person to help steady things, the attachment of the chair back for example was slightly difficult solo due to the weights of the two halves. That said, the weight does speak to the quality of the materials used in the chair; no corners cut here. There’s also spares of a couple of the mounting hardware in case of breakage or loss. Nice touch when so many companies are supplying what’s needed and no more in cost saving exercises.
SPECIFICATIONS
Total height (with base): ca. 131–141 cm
Width backrest (pelvis level): ca. 52 cm
Width backrest (point of contact): ca. 29.5 cm
Length backrest: ca. 87 cm
Backrest adjustability (static): 90° — 135°
Width seat (total): ca. 56 cm
Width seat (point of contact): ca. 35 cm
Depth seat (total): ca. 56.5 cm
Depth seat (point of contact): ca. 49.5 cm
Width armrests: ca. 10.5 cm
Depth armrests: ca. 27 cm
Rocking mechanism: max. 14°
Armrests adjustable: Yes (four-dimensional)
Maximum weight (user): 120 kg
Net weight (chair): ca. 27 kg
Gross weight (chair): ca. 29 kg
Package dimensions: ca. 84 * 38 * 70 cm
Manufacturer warranty: 2 years
MPN: NBL-PU-RED-002
EAN: 4250144800288
Office certificate DIN EN 1335
FEATURES
Premium design
100% vegan PU faux leather cover
Comfortable & breathable cold foam upholstery
4D armrests with soft cushioning
Safety class 4 gas lift
Advanced rocking mechanism up to 11°
60-millimetre casters for both soft and hard floors
2 pillows included (neck pillow + lumbar pillow)
Reinforced outer packaging
MATERIAL
Steel (frame)
Aluminium (five-star base, emblem)
Cold foam (upholstery)
PU faux leather (cover)
Nylon / Polyurethane (casters)
Polyurethane (armrests)
One cool thing to notice here is that noblechairs’ range are certified to the European standard for office chairs, DIN EN 1335. This ensures the specified dimensions, safety requirements and test criteria are accurate, and lends noblechairs an air of gravitas over the competition. This is also probably the reason that the chair feels so sturdy, even when fully reclined at 135 degrees.
This chair has all the adjustment functions that you’d expect, recline, height, and a couple of premium functions, namely Tilt and what noblechairs call “4D Armrests”. This last is fantastic for me, as I’m on the large and tall size so have difficulty with the armrests on a lot of furniture. Being able to adjust side-to-side, and front-to-back with a simple button press is fantastic and something that all furniture should come with.
The padding on the backrest and seat is firmer that you might be used to, using dimensionally stable cold foam at 55% density. According to noblechairs, this allows their thrones to support a higher body weight, as well as retain its shape after prolonged use. It took me a few minutes to get acclimatize to, and now it’s fantastic. Supportive without the fatiguing that softer chairs gives me. It also has good lumbar support, with the included adjustable pillow. With how long you spend at your desk or computer, isn’t it worth it to your body to buy a quality, supportive chair? Granted, the noblechair range is on the higher end of gaming chairs( $339.90 for the Epic PU, and a whopping $549.90 for the real leather models), but this is justified to me by the quality of materials used, workmanship and comfort given. High-end office chairs are made to last, and priced accordingly; and this noblechairs’ Epic feels in that league to me.
Conclusions
Design and indeed furniture is a subjective area, however there are some aphorisms that ring true; things like: “you get what you pay for”, “quality speaks for itself”. The noblechairs Epic embodies these, with high-quality materials, workmanship and design. I can honestly say it’s the most comfortable thing I’ve put my butt on for a long time (and I own one of those sport-design cars).
Completely recommended from me, and it’s set a very high bar for any future reviews in this category (and indeed in furnishing my next apartment). noblechairs might not have the brand recognition of some of their competitors, but that’ll change — this is now the standard to beat.
You can find this model (and the rest of their range) on Amazon (current price $339.90)
