One of the most important components of your gaming PC setup, is your desk chair. Sitting at a desk for extended periods of time is bad for your health, but a good gaming chair, like a Champion Series gaming chair from E-Win, can help limit the effects of marathon sessions at your desk. After about a month of kicking back in one of these chairs for both work and play, I can definitely say that my body notices the difference.
The first thing I noticed while assembling the Champion Series chair that E-Win sent me was that quality is clearly their top priority. The materials are all tougher than you’d expect, the stitching is all strong and clean, and overall the chair feels solid. Assembly itself was pretty simple, and all the parts fit together easily and securely. Upon resting my keister on the Champion Series chair, I could immediately feel my body rejoicing as it was finally properly supported.
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that my previous desk chair at home was a whim purchase at Office Depot during my freshman year of college. Needless to say, it had seen better days, and it definitely wasn’t doing anything for my posture or rump. Having said that, I’ve been lucky enough to have an employer that has supplied me with a variety of high-quality desk chairs at work over the years. The Champion Series chair was a welcomed upgrade at home, and it easily rivals the most expensive office chairs I’ve had at work for a fraction of the price.
At the surface, the Champion Series chair has a pretty standard set of features: swivel base with wheels, gas cylinder for controlling the height of the chair, a lockable spring-loaded joint for leaning the chair back, and height adjustable armrests. It also comes with several features you won’t find on most chairs. The armrests can also be moved laterally (front, back, left, right) and rotated slightly to maximize comfort. Two cushions can be adjusted up or down to support your lower back and neck, or they can be removed.
One of my favorite features is the fully reclinable back. With a pull of a lever, you can recline back in the chair so that the back and base of the seat are nearly flat. The first time I tried this, I felt like I was doing a trust-fall exercise and I was a little worried that I’d topple right over once my center of gravity tipped too far to the rear of the seat. Luckily, E-Win thought of this and mounted the seat closer to the rear, so that it still properly supports your weight when fully reclined. This also puts the front of the seat further out over the legs of the base, so I find myself placing my feet flat on the floor rather than on the legs. The only downfall of this is that it makes leaning the entire seat back quite a bit more difficult. All-in-all, I think this is a better design, but perhaps E-Win will improve on this in the future.
After using the Champion Series chair for a while, I’ve noticed my posture is much better when sitting in it compared to any other office chair I’ve used. Its design almost makes it uncomfortable to sit any other way than straight up, no leaning or slouching, and feet flat on the floor. This is partially due to the aforementioned placement of the seat on the base, but mostly due to how the chair curves around you. The chair holds you in place a little more like a car seat than a desk chair, only a little less squishy. If you try to lean to the side or sit sideways, the stiff sides of the seat make it uncomfortable forcing you to sit with better posture. I consider this to be a good feature, however, one must be careful when purchasing a chair like this since it must be sized properly. I’m a smaller guy, and if my shoulders were an inch or two wider, I’d probably feel cramped in it. E-Win’s web site has very detailed dimensions that should not be overlooked when choosing a chair.
The Champion Series chair that I picked to review is probably the least “flashy” of E-Win’s gaming chairs. While most gaming chairs feature colorful designs and logos, this one is a simple mixture of semi-glossy and matte black leather, with white stitched logos. You could say that matches my style the best, and is a welcomed departure from the typical flashy gaming chair that the industry is saturated with. However, if flashy chairs are more of your thing, E-Win has other designs to choose from in the Champion Series line as well as other lines.
Overall, E-Win’s Champion Series chair is comfortable from the start to finish of even the longest gaming sessions, and it is one of the sturdiest chairs I’ve sat in. The premium materials, top-notch build quality, and the inclusion of some unique features make it a competitor in the higher-end desk chair market at a more budget friendly price. These points paired with the more professional appearance of this particular design, make the Champion Series chair a pretty solid option for this middle-aged gamer.
You can currently find this chair on E-Win's web site for $309 (normally $379), and if you use our coupon code "CoOp", you will take an additional 10% off. The coupon code also works on other chairs as well as gaming accessories.