We tried it: DXRacer Air Review

… some neat features that we were excited about testing.

The folks at DXRacer recently sent us one of their new mesh gaming chairs to put every one of its features through the wringer. This article walks you through our experience with the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair and provides our thoughts on whether we think it’s a worthwhile investment or something better left on the store shelves.

UPDATE 10/23: The DXRacer Air Series gaming chair is no longer offered on the DXRacer.com website and can only rarely be found on Amazon.com. This is because it is a discontinued model.

DXRacer Air Review	Rating
Packaging & Assembly	4/5
Features	4.5/5
Build Quality	4.5/5
Comfort and Ergonomics	4/5
Verdict	4/5

Packaging

The DXRacer Air Mesh Chair arrived on my doorstep in a somewhat unexciting cardboard box. I happened to receive it between bursts of rain that I feel would have compromised the integrity of the box. I’ve had the pleasure of opening higher-quality gaming chair boxes in the past, so cheap-looking ones are always a letdown.

Once inside the box, parts were primarily wrapped in a thin layer of bubble wrap with a few pieces of cardboard and Styrofoam mixed in. The Styrofoam was brittle enough that my floor appeared freshly covered in snow.

Everything felt snugly in place, although the box that contained the hydraulic lift was pretty smashed up. There were several small parts in one cardboard box that held up well.

As you can see from the pictures, there were a minimal number of things to unpackage, and I was able to get to the assembly quickly. I was really pleased to see a metal 5-wheel base that felt very durable and sturdy when I picked it up

Assembly

The instruction manual is a small picture book devoid of words that shows how the chair comes together. The legalese in the back of the manual was in at least a dozen different languages, so using pictures instead of words makes sense to save space on the pages.

It was a bit strange to have instructions for two different chairs in one manual. I had to compare the components I had to each set of instructions to see which one I needed to follow.

I was surprised to see that the DXRacer Air Mech Chair seat assembly came with armrests already attached. With four screws holding each armrest in place, that saved me eight screws worth of work in all.

There are some plastic inserts that clip into the wheel base that must be just for aesthetic purposes. They were easy to snap in place, but I don’t see why that couldn’t have been done at the manufacturing facility.

There was little else to do besides attach the back, seat, and hydraulic pump together with four screws each. I found it interesting that the screws (which I first thought were missing) were actually already in their screw holes on the chair. This meant I had to unscrew them, align the two components, and put the screws back in place.

The DXRacer’s headrest pillow snapped down in place, and I was ready to game. None of the steps carried any real amount of difficulty, and I was done with the entire assembly process in 20 minutes.

Features

DXRacer Air Mesh Chair Specs

Weight: 47 pounds

Seat Height Adjustment: 19 to 21 inches off the ground

Seat Width: 20.5 inches

Weight Capacity:  250 pounds

Chair Material: Highly Resilient Mesh

Reclining Angle: 90° to 135°

5-Wheel Metal Base

Padded 4D Armrests

Comes with a head cushion

2-year warranty for accessories, lifetime for the frame

The DXRacer Air Mesh Chair has a few features that put it more on the uncommon side of gaming chairs. Let’s take a look:

4D Armrests

The DXRacer Air Mesh Chair’s 4D armrests move in just about every way imaginable. Levers on the far side of each armrest raise and lower them so you can find the height that works for you. There are about six inches of wiggle room from top to bottom, but the armrests only lock in at three different heights.

The lever on the inside of the armrests allows each armrest to move in or out. A button on the armrests themselves enables the armrests to move forward, backward, and rotate from side to side. I only needed to raise the armrests up and move them forward, but it is nice to have the ability to do more.

The armrests do have a layer of firm padding on top, but it works well for me. Between that bit of comfort and being able to get the armrests just where I like them, this is a big win for the chair.

Recline

The backrest features a decent recline to 135° when a little rest and relaxation are in order after a hard day of gaming. This isn’t as much of a recline as many other chairs boast, but it works fine for me as I don’t ever see myself sleeping in the chair. Never say never though, right?

I do find the recline a bit rigid when all the way back and the rocker is in the locked position. If I release the rocking feature, the extra bounce makes lounging that much more comfortable for me.

The lever for the recline is conveniently located near the armrest, so I don’t need to reach underneath the chair to activate it. That’s a big plus.

Rocker

Speaking of the rocking feature, having the chair fully reclined is the only time I’d ever use it. I’d like to take advantage of the rocker more often, but even with the knob under the chair adjusted to its easiest setting, it takes too much leg force to lean back and contemplate my next words. I’d end up with massive legs by the time this article is done if I did that.

Seat Height Adjust

Similar to the recline, there’s nothing special about the height adjustment of the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair. The chair’s two inches of adjustment isn’t anything to write home about, and some people may not find that adequate for their stature. I find that at six feet tall, I am happy being right in the middle of that range.

Lumbar Support

This chair doesn’t have a lumbar support pillow, which made me shed a tear during unboxing. It has a flexible piece of plastic behind the mesh backrest that can be raised or lowered to support your lower back.

It’s no substitute for a nice pillow, and the limited comfort doesn’t make me want to sit in the chair all day. This was a poor design choice for a higher-end chair such as this one. If I can make it work, I can see myself taking a pillow off another chair and using it here, but not everyone has that luxury.

Headrest

The DXRacer comes with a high-quality memory foam headrest pillow that feels quite comfy against my head. If I’m not slouching, the pad, even at its highest setting, is just a bit too low for me. It presses funny into my shoulders and just doesn’t feel quite right.

A plastic mechanism holds the pillow in place and can be moved slightly to accommodate different heights. If you look at the back of the chair, the design looks as if you can unscrew the chair and move it up or down. Upon trying this, I discovered that the metal wires are way too rigid to fit into those other holes. Take a look at the picture to see what I mean.

Other Thoughts

I really like the armrests, and I am pleased with most of the other features, but nothing else stands out as stellar. I quite dislike the location of the rocker lock and height adjustment levers, as they are under the chair and blocked by the armrests. It takes come contorting to get to them to make any adjustments.

Build Quality

I’m very impressed with the overall quality of the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair.

It doesn’t make any noise when I sit down or move around, and it feels very solid. I wouldn’t think twice about diving into the chair after a bathroom break to get back into the action as fast as possible.

The chair doesn’t wobble from side to side as I move and doesn’t make any noise there either. It comes across as a really solid design, and I hope it stays this way with age.

The 5-wheel metal base on this DXRacer chair is another massive bonus for me. I am a fan of metal bases because they are a lot less likely to see damage than their plastic cousins. This metal base looks very durable and has some serious heft to back that up.

The mesh stitching for both the backrest and seat is really well done, and I’ve yet to find a single thread out of place. The metal base looks sharp and really durable in its design. I’m surprised the chair is only rated at 250 pounds. It certainly looks like it could hold a lot more. My guess is the mesh would be the weakest link.

The only pieces of the chair that look a bit out of place are the plastic covers that fit over the seat and backrest assembly point. They are better than looking at the potentially dangerous exposed metal, which is a very minor issue for me.

As I mentioned earlier, the lack of a lumbar support pillow is a big disappointment. This plastic brace isn’t enough for me, and I am not able to sit in this chair for lengthy periods of time like I am many others. I can remedy the problem with another pillow, but to me, that defeats the point.

The headrest pillow is a good quality memory foam design. It’s firm but soft enough to be really comfortable. I’d like to see more adjustability with it, but I am able to make it work.

Comfort and Ergonomics

Although the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair doesn’t have the thick padding that I’m used to, the mesh seat and backing are surprisingly comfortable. The mesh is rigid enough to support the weight but provides enough give to make the chair a joy to sit in.

I had mixed feelings about trying out a mesh chair, but I really appreciate how breathable the material is. Chairs made from real or faux leather don’t breathe and can lead to some significant sweat formation.

I still think about what this chair could have been if it just had a lumbar support pillow. This plastic lumbar support bar just doesn’t provide enough for my lower back to stay comfortable for long stretches of time.

I do my best to sit up as straight as possible, but even sitting as vertically as possible, I find a gradual discomfort setting in. Maybe I am more sensitive than most, but I find myself having to adjust or stand up every once in a while to alleviate the strain on my lower back.

The 4D armrests on the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair are one of the best features. Having adjustability in every direction means I can position the armrests precisely as I like them. If I switch up my activity, I can adjust the armrests to compensate. They have a layer of padding on the top that is more than enough for me.

When it comes to headrest pillows, the pillow on this chair is the best I have seen. It has a memory foam padding that’s stiff but hugs your head at the same time. I wish I could raise it up just a little bit more to sit right in the middle of my head. It’s just a bit low for me and presses against my shoulders. It’s still a blessing to have, and I use it all the time.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to like about the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair. I really enjoy the chair’s stability, and I don’t feel like it’s ever going to break. The metal base is really durable and a huge bonus to the plastic design that many chairs have.

The mesh design is really comfortable, and I don’t miss the fact that the chair doesn’t have any padding in the seat and back. Mesh is still less common in gaming chairs, but the DXRacer does it well. The memory foam pillow is a solid premium addition.

The 4D armrests can move in any number of directions, so you should have no issue finding a position that works for you. The chair doesn’t squeak or make noise of any kind when I sit down or move, which is a blessing for me. I find all those creaks and pops from other chairs distracting while I am trying to get some gaming done.

The DXRacer has some premium features with the pillow, armrests, and mesh design. It retails for $500 on the DXRacer site, and even with those premium features, I find the price a little on the high side.

I do not like the lack of a lumbar support pillow, and the plastic lumbar support bar does not do it for me. This is a considerable weakness of the chair, and I find myself having to get up from time to time to compensate. This shouldn’t be the case in a gaming chair.

This is the one area that really needs some improvement in the chair’s design. I’m going to have to engineer a fix for it so I can use the chair for longer stretches of time.

I still think the DXRacer Air Mesh Chair is a great product, and I would recommend it to a friend or a reader for purchase. It is a new design, and I hope they will remedy the issue I have with the lumbar support in a future design.