We Tried It: The Anda Seat T-Compact Premium Review

UPDATE 10/23: The Anda Seat T-Compact gaming chair is no longer offered on the AndaSeat.com website and can only rarely be found on Amazon.com. This is because it is a discontinued model.

Anda Seat T-Compact Premium	Rating
Packaging & Assembly	4/5
Features	4.5/5
Build Quality	4/5
Comfort and Ergonomics	5/5
Verdict	5/5

Anda Seat got its start in 2007 by creating high-quality racing seats for the professional circuit. The company transitioned into gaming chairs in 2013 and now has several models available on its site. Anda Seat recently sent us one of their T-Compact Premium gaming chairs to try out, and I couldn’t wait to give it a go!

The T-Compact Premium incorporates the high-quality, durable design from their days as the driver’s seat with bent steel frame, aluminum base, and linen upholstery. Each of these features can handle whatever you throw at them and not bat an eye. Add in a really comfortable headrest and lumbar support pillow, and you’re looking at a match made in heaven.

Keep reading to discover the rest of my thoughts as I unboxed, assembled, and put this chair through its paces.

Packaging

I recently received the Anda Seat T-Compact Premium gaming chair and set about unboxing it. As with most chairs, there was nothing exciting about the packaging, inside or out. Since it ends up in the recycling bin, I only lose out on that initial “wow” factor. No big deal for me.

Gaming chairs are decently heavy, and you may want to grab a partner if your office is on a second floor like mine is. Everything was packed snugly into the box with plastic, bubble wrap, or Styrofoam. I’ve been a bit spoiled of late with chairs that come with armrests pre-attached, so this chair had a few extra pieces to unbox.

Assembly

With everything laid out, it looks like quite the undertaking to assemble. Luckily, the Anda Seat T-Compact Premium gaming chair actually comes with a genuine manual in five languages. Instead of a single picture to decipher, this multi-page manual walks you step-by-step through the assembly process.

I decided to follow the manual from cover to cover and first installed the wheels. I found them quite tricky to seat in place, and it took some real elbow grease to get there. The armrests were easy to install once I had them oriented correctly.

Although the chair came with a package of fourteen screws, Anda Seat still felt the need to pre-install four screws to the backrest. That’s all well and good, but these screws have to be removed to mount the backrest to the seat. In my limited wisdom, I can’t figure out why those screws weren’t just included in the package with the others.

While installing the backrest, my eyes were drawn to some rather crude-looking metal rings that appear to be holding some fabric in place. These rings are loose, look poor-quality, and I can’t imagine they’ll stay in place for long.

In any case, I had no other issues except for the plastic side coverings. They have to be a different shape to accommodate the metal pieces they cover, but what bugs me is that the designs on the front are slightly different. The one located on the right side of the chair has more defined protrusions and is wider at the top. So much for symmetry.

That aside, these pieces were quite a challenge to install. Maybe I got the wrong covers, but they don’t quite fit over the metal housings they are sworn to protect. It takes some force to drive them in place, and doing so causes the plastic to bow out a bit and distort the chair’s fabric nearby.

The pillows are held in place with elastic bands that fasten on the back side of the chair. After a few clicks, I was off and sitting

Features

Anda Seat T-Compact Premium Gaming Chair Specs

Weight: 65 pounds

Seat Height Adjustment: 17.5 to 21.5 inches off the ground

Seat Width: 21 inches

Weight Capacity:  Up to 375 pounds

Chair Material: Linen Fabric

Reclining Angle: 90° to 160°

5-Wheel Aluminum Base

Padded 4D Armrests

Comes with a head cushion and lumbar support pillow

5-year extended warranty excluding wear and tear

4D Armrests

The Anda Seat T-Compact Premium’s armrests have a firm but comfortable rubber padding on the surface. I don’t ever feel any discomfort from these, even after long periods of gaming. They are long enough to cover my entire forearm as I move and shoot.

There’s quite a bit of adjustability as well with the 4D movement. There are several height settings, but moving between these feels pretty chintzy. Sometimes it’s physically hard to move the armrest between locations. Forward/backward and side-to-side adjustments feel much smoother.

The angular rotation has less range than I’ve come to expect, but I like that it’s more subtle. I find it lines up perfectly with where I place my hands on my keyboard and mouse.

The Rocker

This chair’s rocker feature barely works for me at the absolute loosest setting. I’m able to lean back with minimal effort as I plan out my next strategic gaming move. Perhaps I am of the minority, but I don’t understand why these rockers are made so stiff to move.

If you don’t want to use the rocker at all, the height adjustment lever can move inward, preventing the chair from rocking at all. With features like this, having a looser rocker would be nice.

The Recline

There’s nothing like a good rocker/recline combo. The Anda Seat T-Compact Premium lets you recline just about to a horizontal position. I haven’t tried it yet, but the chair is definitely comfy enough to sleep on in this position. Even with the rocker feature locked, you can still recline back to an angle of 160°. The lumbar support pillow is a bit bulky and could cause discomfort if left in place while relaxing.

Headrest Pillow

This headrest pillow catches me perfectly on the head whenever I find myself leaning back in the chair.  It’s a big enough pillow that it will accommodate gamers of other heights as well. It attaches via a flexible cable that passes through two openings at the top of the gaming chair, so if the pillow’s location isn’t right for you, there’s nothing you can do to adjust it.

The cushion is quite firm against the head, but I find it quite comfortable. I tend to lean forward when I game and don’t use the headrest pillow all that often, but it’s nice to know it’s there when I do need it.

Lumbar Support Pillow

This gaming chair also comes with a lumbar support pillow stuffed with the same fabric as the headrest. This is a blessing for me, as I like the firm pillow against my lower back. It’s fully adjustable up and down, so there’s no issue finding the location that feels best on your back.

Height Adjustment

The Anda Seat T-Compact Premium sits lower than most other chairs, with a minimum seat height of just 17.5 inches off the ground. You can raise the seat three additional inches to top out at 20.5 inches off the ground. Being six feet tall, I leave the seat at the maximum height and wouldn’t want it any lower. Those of you quite a bit taller than I am may have an issue with this.

Build Quality

I’m quite impressed with the build quality of the Anda Seat T-Compact Premium gaming chair. It looks sturdy from a distance and feels sturdy even during a long gaming session. Although the armrests can feel a bit cheap at times, nothing on the chair looks like it doesn’t belong on a high-quality gaming chair.

The only exception are the metal hooks underneath the chair that hold pieces of fabric together. They are hidden away out of sight, but this is the area I’d be concerned that won’t last the test of time. I’d also be leery about having a baby crawling around and sticking their fingers up in there.

Otherwise, the stitching is excellent, and I can’t locate any loose seams or broken threads. The pillows match the quality of the rest of the chair and are really well constructed. Both pads are packed with a thick layer of firm foam that I really enjoy.

Some may question the use of linen fabric versus the faux leather common in gaming chairs, but I really like it. Leather tends to give a higher quality appearance, but the darker fabric color of the T-Compact Premium really looks and feels nice. Linen is also incredibly durable and designed to hold up to some serious abuse. The only downside is that the seat collects every bit of fuzz or crumbs, and it’s a pain to get them out of there.

The chair’s internals consist of 100% bent steel. Bending the steel rather than cutting it significantly increases the durability of the design. If something should happen, it’s all backed by a lifetime warranty. While on the topic of metal, the wheelbase is constructed of super-durable aluminum. I don’t have to worry about hopping into the chair; I’m confident that base will support me. It’s also the nicest design of any wheelbase I’ve seen to date.

That same mentality holds true for the rest of the chair as well. There’s not one component I’d be worried about damaging or breaking by handling it a little rough. I feel secure in this Anda Seat chair whether I am gaming for six minutes or six hours.

At least so far, the Anda Seat T-Compact Premium gaming chair is also devoid of the creaks and groans typical around metal joints. I’m blown away by how quiet the chair is even as I move around while gaming.

Comfort and Ergonomics

After having put the Anda Seat T-Compact Premium gaming chair to the test for hours on end, I can honestly say it’s a very comfortable chair to sit in. I find myself occasionally adjusting the lumbar support over time, but I can sit in this chair for hours on end and not give it a second thought.

It’s clearly designed with ergonomics in mind, from the headrest and lumbar support cushions to the curvature of the back of the chair. The padding on the seat and the backrest is plenty thick, and although firm, holds my body comfortably in place.

The linen upholstery looks and feels very comfortable while I am gaming. With leather, it’s not hard to sweat and literally get stuck to the material over time. Linen doesn’t have that problem, and I find it really comfortable and nonabrasive against my skin.

The armrests don’t feature any groundbreaking technology, but they do tick the box of being comfortable against my forearms during gaming sessions. Since they’re adjustable in four different directions, it’s not hard to dial in the perfect position that works well with your setup. I keep the armrests pointed inward as I set up my keyboard and mouse close to each other.

I have a lot of trouble with headrest pillows being too small or too low for my taller frame, but this headrest cushion is quite large and works really well for me. I find myself using it a lot as I ponder my next plan of attack. The same holds true for the lumbar support pillow, and I can’t imagine this chair without it. It provides some awesome back support that I would not want to do without.

Verdict : 5/5

There’s very little to dislike about the Anda Seat T-Compact Premium gaming chair. The chair has a solid construction with a steel frame and aluminum base, as well as durable linen upholstery and thick, comfortable padding. The headrest and lumbar support pillows are some of the best I’ve seen and provide an extra layer of comfort to an already great chair.

The chair glides smoothly over my carpeted office floor and looks as good as it feels to sit in. The 4D armrests offer a lot of adjustability to find that perfect position for your arms.

I’m honestly a bit surprised this chair isn’t priced a little higher for the quality of its design. At $400, you’re looking at a chair well worth this price.

While reviewing the chair, I wasn’t a fan of how the armrests adjust. The mechanism feels cheap and sometimes gets hung up during movement. Maybe it’s just me, but I would do away with the loose metal rings that hold some of the fabric together underneath the chair. They feel low quality, are a pinch point, and I’m not sure they’re going to stay in place for very long.

These issues are relatively minor, and based on all the positives of this chair, I would definitely recommend it for purchase. It has core features like bent steel and an aluminum base that you typically see on $500+ chairs.