We Tried It: DXRacer King Series Review

DXRacer blessed us this holiday season with one of their King series chairs in a cool contrast of black and white. The coolness factor is all well and good, but would it stand up to my rugged gaming regimen?

Keep reading to hear all about my experience with the DXRacer King Series Gaming Chair!

DXRacer King Review	Scores
Unboxing & Assembly	5/5
Settings & Features	4/5
Build Quality	4/5
Comfort & Ergonomics	4/5
Verdict	4/5

Packaging

The somewhat bland box arrived on my doorstep with some bumps and bruises it must have picked up along the way. It looked like the heavy package was too much for someone along the way.

Luckily, everything was well-protected inside. Each component was securely held in place with Styrofoam, plastic, or bubble wrap. With the air so dry where I live this time of year, those Styrofoam pieces stick to everything. I’m still pulling them off the chair. More fragile components like the wheels and some of the plastic parts were encased in a box to prevent damage.

Some chairs I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing come in stylish boxes that give a real “wow factor” at first glance. However, a lackluster look on the outside speaks negatively to me about the quality of the product within.

Assembly

Having put together several gaming chairs at this point, there wasn’t much out of the ordinary for this particular build. Most of the screws are pre-assembled on the chair, which need to be removed and replaced as you line up and put the different components together. The biggest culprits are the backrest and the hydraulic assembly.

Each of the wheel base legs has thin plastic cosmetic pieces that snap over the top of the aluminum frame. Perhaps these are here to protect the metal, but aluminum is quite durable. I feel the DXRacer King would look better showing off the aluminum rather than hiding it.

Whether just a lucky coincidence or not, I was happy to see that the instructions matched the chair I actually received. More often than not, I receive a generic instruction sheet that doesn’t even have all the right components listed.

The only thing that left me scratching my head was the design for the headrest. The strap for these cushions usually comes with a clip or clasp that you can undo to thread through the opening at the top of the chair, but that wasn’t the case here. I had to weave the solid strap through the slots and pin it in place behind the chair. Since the lumbar support pillow has those clips, why couldn’t the headrest as well?

All in all, the entire assembly process took me no longer than 20 minutes. There were no problematic fastenings or tricky maneuvers that would make it difficult to assemble this chair alone.

Features

DXRacer King Series Chair

Weight: 70.99 pounds

Seat Height Adjustment: 18.5 to 21.5 inches off the ground

Seat Width: 22 inches

Weight Capacity:  275 pounds

Chair Material: PVC Leather

Reclining Angle: 90° to 135°

5-Wheel Aluminum Base

Padded 4D Armrests

Comes with a head and lumbar support cushion

Warranty: 2-year for Accessories, Lifetime for Frame

4D Armrests

Below we break down this chair’s features to see if it’s worthy of being called king.

The DXRacer King Series Chair has a button and two levers on each armrest that let you adjust to your heart’s content. Levers on the outside raise or lower the arms, and the lever on the inside allows for movement inward or outward. Finally, the button near the front of the armrest forwards and backward while also enabling swivel from side to side.

I tend to keep my armrests in, but I’ve found with this chair that if I try to move them back, they come in contact with the side of the chair. This doesn’t end up being an issue for me, but it could be for someone out there.

The Recline

I’m not very impressed with the recline on the DXRacer King. For one, the chair only reclines to 135°, at least a good 20 degrees less than most other chairs on the market.

Secondly, and this may just be my chair, but even fully upright the backrest feels slanted away from my computer. When I am not leaning forward to game, I feel like the chair keeps me too far away from the action. I can actually move the backrest forward a little more, but there’s no way to lock it in at that angle.

The Rocker

Even fully loosened, there’s too much resistance from the rocker to be able to lean back comfortably. I have to put forth some serious effort with my legs to get the DXRacer King to rock, defeating the purpose of trying to relax. I admit that I weigh 165 pounds, but it would take quite a bit more weight to lean back without so much effort.

The only benefit I’m able to get out of the rocker is when I have the chair fully reclined, as only then does gravity allow me to make use of the feature. I guess this somewhat makes up for the shortcomings of the recline.

Headrest Pillow

The headrest pillow here is pretty inconsequential, as it’s quite small and doesn’t allow for any movement. When I lean back, the pad misses my head entirely and instead lands in the crook of my neck. I guess it’s better than nothing. You’d have to be three or four inches shorter than my 6’ tall build to use the cushion as intended.

Lumbar Support Pillow

The DXRacer King’s lumbar support pillow checks all the boxes for me. It’s long, wide, thin, and fits perfectly into the concave shape made by my lower back. It should work wonders for you as well, as the cushion is easy to slide up or down to position in the perfect place.

Height Adjustment

This gaming chair covers a pretty standard three-inch range of seat heights from its lowest to highest setting. I typically park mine somewhere in the middle, so it should accommodate a range of gamers both shorter and taller than I am. When lowering the seat, the hydraulics do sometimes stick a bit and require a nudge to lower the chair all the way.

Build Quality

For a chair that retails for $500, you expect a certain level of quality. For the most part, the DXRacer King Series Gaming Chair delivers.

The throne feels very sturdy every time I grab a seat. There’s no wiggle from loose parts or fear that I’m going to topple over, even as I move around the office. You will hear the sound of air escaping the chair every time you sit down as the faux leather and foam breathe.

The armrests are solid and offer comprehensive support for my arms during even the longest gaming sessions. Each armrest is a firm rubber material that doesn’t indent easily but feels comfortable from start to finish.

The wheel base is strong and durable, thanks to the aluminum design. Even though the plastic covering the aluminum takes away from the look, the metal still does its job. The wheels are some of the largest I’ve seen and roll smoothly over smooth and textiled surfaces alike.

The King Series chair looks the part as well, with a few notable exceptions. Although the top of the backrest sees little use, it looks too thin compared to the rest of the chair. This effect leaves this part of the design feeling a little cheap.

Of all the chairs I’ve ever assembled, this is the first with an obvious thread hanging loose right out of the box. There are also a few minor scuffs and scrapes on the PVC leather material that stand out to me. I wouldn’t say that PVC is a terribly high-quality material to use, but it does offer more layers than PU leather alternatives.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m a big fan of the lumbar support pillow and how it feels on my lower back. It was well-engineered to follow the contour of the spine and helps me forget that I’m sitting for long periods of time. It does have two loose threads sticking out the sides that have me wondering how long it will hold up.

The headrest pillow is similarly made, with a loose thread coming out the bottom. I have a feeling my son will eventually grab hold of it, and we’ll see what’s left of the pillow when he’s done. I’ve had the headrest pillow break free once already, thanks to a poor design for attachment. If it continues, I’ll just end up having to leave it off.

Comfort and Ergonomics

I’ve put the DXRacer King through its paces for several hours a day for a solid week, and I am pleased with how comfortable it is to sit in. The seat has several inches of padding that’s been a joy to sit on, and I’ve never had much of a desire to get up.

The backrest offers a similar amount of padding from top to bottom. I’ve yet to feel uncomfortable even after gaming into the wee hours of the morning. It’s also quite wide from side to side to fit larger gamers but isn’t too imposing for smaller ones.

The lumbar support cushion is the star of the show, with fantastic support for the lower back. Its perfect shape matches my lower back and helps me keep a good posture. I have a tendency to slouch as I play, but with this chair, I feel more comfortable sitting up. Best of all, you can move the cushion up or down as you see fit.

I’m still not a fan of the headrest pillow, but after having it pop off a few times, I can honestly say it’s more comfortable with it there. It helps to keep my head level and prevents the uncomfortable tendency to bring my head too far forward.

There’s a trend gaming chairs in the $400+ range to use very similar armrests, and I’m okay with that. I don’t ever have to worry about my arms slipping off or moving out of place when performing a tricky maneuver in a game. They’re by no means soft, but I’ve never felt pain or discomfort in my arms or wrists after hours of gaming.

PVC leather is known to be a bit more rigid than cheaper alternatives but offers more layers of support. It tends to hold up a little better in the long run as well. I’d pick it any day over PU faux leather, but there are chairs out there at this same price point that have even better materials.

Verdict

The DXRacer King Series gaming chair brings together the ultimate in comfort with several features both large and small gamers will enjoy.

I, for one, really enjoy just how comfortable the chair is. There aren’t many that I can sit in for an extended period of time and not feel sore, but the King is one of those chairs.

The lumbar support pillow is a critical factor in this, keeping me pain-free while helping ensure I retain the correct posture when sitting.

The wheel base is a durable aluminum material designed to handle abuse. The wheels are some of the largest I’ve ever seen and move really well across all surfaces I’ve tested it on.

There are few chairs that do headrests well, but this is not one of them. The tiny cushion does little for my head, but it gives enough support that I’d prefer to keep it around. The problem is, the attachment mechanism is no good and causes the pillow to pop off on its own.

This is more of a cosmetic nuisance, but I don’t understand the need to cover the beautiful aluminum wheel base with unattractive plastic. The plastic also adds to the assembly time.

I’m most irked by the lackluster recline and difficult-to-use rocker feature. The recline is nice for a break, but I would use the rocker feature a lot if I could. I hate that it requires so much effort just to lean back.