Vertagear PL1000 Hands-On Review: An Attractive Price But…

But again, that’s on paper: how does it fare in real life?

To find out, I invite you to check out my review of the Vertagear PL1000 gaming chair.

Note : the chair was provided by Vertagear for the review.

Vertagear PL1000 – Pro and Cons List

Vertagear PL1000 gaming chair Characteristics and Features

You will find in the table below the main characteristics for this gaming chair.

Vertagear PL1000 : Overview
weight : 22,1 kg
Adjustable height between 59 et 77 cm
Seat width : 33 cm
Recommended user height : jusqu’à 188 cm
Max weight supported : 110 kg
5-wheel base
1D arm rests
tilt up to 140°
class IV Piston
Comes avec back support et head rest
2 year warranty on the seat (10 years for the base)

Vertagear PL1000 Delivery, unboxing and presentation

A word, first of all, about the delivery, with a few hitches. Indeed, I ordered the chair directly from the manufacturer: at first, no news, then I am told that the chair will be sent.

Yes… but it still was not sent.

Finally, I discover via the tracking link of the package that it is was on its way and that I just had not been warned!

Luckily, it was possible for me to change the day of the delivery, but hey, it’s not very serious.

Anyway, let’s skip over it and put it down to the global pandemic context. I will now talk about the unboxing.

The cardboard, compared to the previous chairs I have tested, is rather compact, even if it is not any lighter.

Inside, I find the various elements packed, protected, and separated by thin foam plates.

The seat, the backrest, the 5-foot base, the head cushion, and a separate box for the accessories are also present. Inside, I find the assembly guide, the wheels, the screws, and the jack.

The packaging of the Vertagear PL1000 is finally quite minimalist and, personally, I like it. It feels simple and promises a quick and easy assembly. I’ll get to that now.

Quick and clever assembly

For most of the assembly of the Vertagear PL1000, this is done in the same way as for the majority of chairs.

With the assembly guide, we follow the different steps step by step, illustrated (with a generic model however), and with instructions in different languages.

Honestly, the images are largely self-sufficient.

I started with the assembly of the wheels on the base. They require a bit of elbow grease, and you often need to use force – or even tap – to get the wheels where they need to be.

Then I moved on to the assembly of the mechanism on the back of the seat, which is done quickly and didn’t take much time. I was then able to place the jack and put the base on top of it.

I then turned the whole thing over and proceeded to assemble the backrest.

And that’s where a little innovation comes in. Rather than placing the rocker attachment on the outside of the backrest, Vertagear places them on the inside of the backrest.

More clearly, the backrest must be fitted into the left and right rocker elements. This has three advantages:

– The screws are easy to insert and fit into the thread without difficulty;

– The backrest is held automatically by the rockers, so you can put the screws in and screw in without having to hold it at the same time;

– The rockers are hidden by the backrest.

In fact, it’s quite nice, especially since the large screws come with end caps to hide the different holes. So you don’t have to replace the covers on top of them. However, I’ll come back to this below, it’s not the most aesthetic choice.

With the backrest in place, all that’s left to do is to place the head cushion, and the chair is ready to be used!

Honestly, I spent just 20 minutes assembling the Vertagear PL1000.

Often, it’s the screw threads that I find the most difficult, and this time it wasn’t the case thanks to the ingenious system of the backrest’s interlocking with the seat.

This saved me a lot of time. I would also like to point out that I was able to assemble the backrest on my own without any issues.

A rather convincing manufacturing quality

Now that the Vertagear PL1000 chair is assembled, I can now begin to examine it from every angle!

The structure leaves me with a real impression of sturdiness, with its all-metal body. I feel comfortable and safe when I am sitting, but less so when the inclination is at the maximum (I’ll come back to this in the relevant section).

However, the base disappoints me a bit. It is generally resistant and durable, but has a few splinters here and there, on the front and back, as well as a few scratches.

Nothing too showy, but it is average.

Then I move on to the coating. The imitation leather looks like it is of good quality, without defect, and my impression is that it will hold well down.

My positive feeling is confirmed when I look at the stitching: no threads sticking out, everything is sewn correctly.

Regarding the armrests, however, I am not as happy.

Their plastic construction is too obvious and makes them look cheap – and this applies to the height adjustment system as well as to the armrest upholstery itself.

Vertagear PL1000 design: what about its style?

The strength of this chair lies in its look that is both relatively versatile and inspired by the gamer. Indeed, there are elements that do not deceive: the bucket shape of the backrest and the multiple lines are obvious examples.

However, the manufacturer doesn’t go too far: for example, the sides of the bucket style seat are not too high.

With this, the Vertagear PL1000 achieves a good balance between customization and versatile styling.

However, as I said earlier, this nice visual is partially spoiled by the presence of specific parts that look cheap. First of all, the armrests, whose shape is, in my opinion, as unattractive as it is anti-ergonomic.

Moreover, this applies to the screws on the sides: the cover system integrated into the screws is interesting, but the rendering is not the most luxurious.

The end caps are not pushed all the way onto the coating, leaving small voids. Even though they are meant to be discreet, they finally appear rather coarse, in the shape of big buttons.

Features and settings: the Vertagear PL1000 goes to the essentials!

Indeed, the chair embodies the classic features of a gaming chair, without pushing the experience too far.

– Adjusting the height of the chair

It is possible to adjust the height of the seat: between 59 and 77 cm exactly. Depending on the height of the desk, the range of adjustment is therefore sufficient for everyone to find the height that suits them.

– The rocking chair function of the seat

In addition, the chair has a rocking chair system (tilting without tilting the backrest) which is particularly nice. For those who like to tilt back and forth, this is a good reference.

– The 140° tilt

It is expected on every model for a gaming chair, the inclination is once again there. Its adjustment is well thought through, with a joystick that is unlocked to move the system and blocks once the right inclination is found. All this is done intuitively.

Moreover, with the rocking chair system engaged, it is possible to enjoy an even greater generosity of inclination thanks to the rocker.

However, I don’t advise you to push it that far: personally, I’m not very reassured about the stability of the chair with the tilt at maximum and the rocking chair activated…

– Armrests: a disappointment?

It is indeed, in my opinion, THE weak point of this gaming chair. Already, I don’t understand why they chose this shape; they look like the soles on shoes! Was it for the style?

It isn’t stylish.

For the ergonomics, maybe? I don’t feel like it is very ergonomic.

I honestly have a hard time placing my arms and forearms correctly, I never know if they’re placed like they should be. Disappointment, too, with the adjustments: you can adjust the armrests in height and… that’s it.

It’s even more surprising since Vertagear claims that the PL1000 has 2D armrests, but that’s not the case.

An error in the datasheet?

The comfort of the gaming chair: a mixed feeling?

It is the armrests that, in part, tarnish the image of this chair. Indeed, I was already talking about their shape, not ergonomic, but they don’t feel very pleasant either.

They are quite thin, lack padding and are too rigid. They act as a support, but not really as an armrest.

As far as the seat is concerned, those who love firmness will be the most delighted.

Both the first impression and the support of the seat are firm. Here we are on something close to the Oraxeat XL 800 as far as firmness is concerned.

If you’re looking for a better balance between firmness and softness, then I recommend taking a look at the Secretlab Evo (more expensive, mind you) and the AKRacing Core Ex (excellent value for money).

The feeling of firmness continues once your back is placed against the backrest, with the same level of support. One might regret the absence of the back cushion, but it’s ok!

The backrest is slightly curved at this point, with extra padding.

The result: the backrest hugs the spine very well and therefore offers the right support.

This made me think of the Razer Iskur, although of course, this one pushes the operation much further with an adjustment cylinder.

I now finish with the head cushion. It is, I must say, quite rigid and not necessarily very pleasant to touch. After some time of use, however, the cushion relaxes slightly.

It’s still far from the famous memory foam, but for the price, it’s honorable. I am however cautious about the maximum size of the user.

The manufacturer recommends the Vertagear PL1000 for users up to 1.88m (6’2″), but personally, already at 1.84m (6′), I feel like if I was any taller I wouldn’t fit.

The cushion is not easy to place with its unique plastic strap, without an adjustable strap.

Personally, I will not recommend this gamer chair if you are above 1.83-84m (6′).

Conclusion of the test of the gaming chair Vertagear PL1000

In my opinion, the Vertagear PL1000 is rather well-positioned at its price range (check the actual price on Vertagear.com), even if it has unfortunately some downsides.

The manufacturing quality is honorable for the price with almost perfect finishes, despite a few chips on the base for my model.

The comfort leaves me doubtful: as much as the back support is good, the firmness is too strong for me, especially for the seat and the head cushion.

The armrests, too, look pale and are honestly dispensable.

Finally, I would have liked to see more functionality, for example truly 2D armrests.

Let’s keep in mind that this is a mid-range chair, but for a few bucks more, the AKRacing Core Ex seems preferable to me.