Chair for big fella

RedXIV · 11-04-2021 11:51pm #1

Hey guys,

I know there has been other chair threads but I'm looking at a specific problem that I'm finding online. I need a new chair for my home office/pc gaming time. However at 6ft4 and 140kg, I'm outside the weight recommendations for many and the ones that can support me, most seem to have negative reviews from taller folks.

I did spot the secret labs titan XL which says it's rated for my size but I find myself biased against the crazy marketing push they've been doing and looking at office chairs. However, decent ergonomic office chairs that support my size seem to very quickly get to four digit price tags

If it helps, I will be in this chair likely 9-10 hours a day and lumbar support is crucial due to previous back injuries. A head rest would be nice but not mandatory and ideally something that is smaller than my current gigantic throne of a chair (which has served me faithfully for almost 20 years but needs to be replaced)

I'm hoping to spend around 400 on this but will go a little higher for quality. But surely I can't have grown to a point where I need a small loan for a decent office chair?

Would really appreciate any insights you can give folks!

Cheers!
Red

wes · 12-04-2021 4:17am

Firstly do not getting a gaming chair. If you have back problems especially. That is really a non-starter imo.

I got an ergo chair:
https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair?country=IE&lang=en-IE

I think I am something like 100kg myself at 6 ft. The site above says weight capacity is 159kg. I would recommend reading some reviews as some bigger guys have said the cushion wasn't great for heavier people. I bought an extra ergonomic cushion to alleviate that problem.

Here is a review from someone who is pretty tall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe7kqOUwJ38

I would recommend find more reviews on the chair, their are plenty of them online.

Its for the previous model, but a lot of stuff is the same for the newer one.

3DataModem · 12-04-2021 5:40am

https://secretlab.eu/collections/titan-xl-series

I have one of these. They are rated up to 180kg, and are nice and wide. Fantastic purchase and and extremely well made item. I'm in it from 530am till mid/late afternoon every weekday.

RedXIV · 12-04-2021 10:25am

wes wrote: »

Firstly do not getting a gaming chair. If you have back problems especially. That is really a non-starter imo.

I got an ergo chair:
https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair?country=IE&lang=en-IE

I think I am something like 100kg myself at 6 ft. The site above says weight capacity is 159kg. I would recommend reading some reviews as some bigger guys have said the cushion wasn't great for heavier people. I bought an extra ergonomic cushion to alleviate that problem.

Here is a review from someone who is pretty tall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe7kqOUwJ38

I would recommend find more reviews on the chair, their are plenty of them online.

Its for the previous model, but a lot of stuff is the same for the newer one.

this is the one I was looking at originally but a few different reviews put me off from people 6ft2 and up complaining about the lack of height.

3DataModem wrote: »

https://secretlab.eu/collections/titan-xl-series

I have one of these. They are rated up to 180kg, and are nice and wide. Fantastic purchase and and extremely well made item. I'm in it from 530am till mid/late afternoon every weekday.

this continues to be the main option I'm seeing for my size.....hmmmm I may have to bite the bullet

Mr Crispy · 12-04-2021 10:36am

Noble Chairs do a chair for bigger folk called the Hero, but if it were me I'd spend the extra on getting a proper ergonomic chair. They're sometimes available refurbished, so greatly discounted.

Shiminay · 12-04-2021 4:08pm

I'm in the same boat, the Secret Labs Tital XL is on my list too and I've a few friends with Secret Lab products and who are impressed with them after over a year. The Noble Hero and that Autonomous look interesting, will see what sort of reviews I can find for them.

If you've got the money OP, the back shop in Dublin build you a custom job for about €1,000 - 1,200 which is Herman Miller Aeron money but built for you (Aeron's are considered one of the best, I was fortunate enough to have one in a previous job and they are great).

RedXIV · 12-04-2021 6:19pm

Mr Crispy wrote: »

Noble Chairs do a chair for bigger folk called the Hero, but if it were me I'd spend the extra on getting a proper ergonomic chair. They're sometimes available refurbished, so greatly discounted.

I've seen a few places that do second hand chairs alright but the consistent complaint for taller folks makes me more inclined to go with something "rated" for my height.

Shiminay wrote: »

I'm in the same boat, the Secret Labs Tital XL is on my list too and I've a few friends with Secret Lab products and who are impressed with them after over a year. The Noble Hero and that Autonomous look interesting, will see what sort of reviews I can find for them.

If you've got the money OP, the back shop in Dublin build you a custom job for about €1,000 - 1,200 which is Herman Miller Aeron money but built for you (Aeron's are considered one of the best, I was fortunate enough to have one in a previous job and they are great).

The Autonomous is the only other one I've seen reviews for and that one was fine up to about 6ft2, but after that it was too short. I need to look into the Noble Hero now next.

If I was rich I'd def check out the back shop in Dublin, I had a colleague who had one brought into the office and he said it changed his life. But considering I've had to buy a number of components for my home office (had is a strong word but I've chosen to upgrade a number of things), it really does feel like I'd be pushing my luck to go through more than €500 for the chair.

Mr Crispy · 12-04-2021 8:16pm

RedXIV wrote: »

I've seen a few places that do second hand chairs alright but the consistent complaint for taller folks makes me more inclined to go with something "rated" for my height.

Is the complaint that the back doesn't come up far enough? I'm 6'3" and I have to admit I've never had that problem with any decent chair. If it's the base and where it comes in contact with the back of the legs, a lot of the ergo chairs allow you to adjust the seat base forwards/backwards.

Anyway, there's a US store/YouTube channel that deal in office ergonomics, and they might talk about user height in their reviews.

RedXIV · 13-04-2021 1:08pm

Cheers for all the advice here guys, Have decided to go with the secret labs titan XL for now for a few reasons, but financial is definitely one of them and they have a nice "splitit" service to take payment over 3 months.

Will come back and let people know how I get on once it arrives.

In june

DublinWriter · 24-05-2021 2:09pm

RedXIV wrote: »

If I was rich I'd def check out the back shop in Dublin,

They're lovely guys, but I've spent *a lot* of money with them over the years, and as a bigger guy, none of the bases last very long. Although they do the whole spine-measurement process, there's nothing special around the overall build quality. Had problems around arm-rests and reclining mechanisms constantly failing.

A couple of years ago, I walked into a charity shop and they had tons of fairly new chairs ex-AIB. Surprise surprise one fitted like a glove and gave me great lumbar support. A bargain for €20 considering the €2K+ my company had spent on chairs for me with TBS!

However that was 6+ years ago and it's coming to the end of its life. Started looking at the Titan range, and the new XL seems perfect, but I'm a little scared about dropping €400+ on a chair without trying it first.

Would also be interested in hearing your opinions on mattresses.

RedXIV · 24-05-2021 10:56pm

To be fair, I've been very happy with secretlab customer service so far. I noticed there was a sale on while I was awaiting shipping, spoke to a rep and they agreed to refund me the difference with no arguing at all.

And to top it all, the chair actually shipped last friday, due to arrive this Thursday. I'll do an update after I get it, but I've already gotten a good email of things to know about it, assembly videos and how to sort out my warranty. As far as my experience with the company goes so far, it's been pretty good.

Regarding mattresses, this is one I've not spent the proper amount of time on, but hopefully I will when I move to my new house. However, I can say for definite, after getting a so-so mattress during lockdown (our own fault for ordering online during pandemic), we recently got a mattress topper from Guineys (Link here) and it's significantly improved my nights sleep.

However, I know there are better mattresses out there, I like something very solid but almost everything I've ended up with has been too soft or warps too easily

RedXIV · 01-06-2021 10:37pm

Right lads, after a shipping mix-up, the chair arrived this morning and I'm writing this response to ye sitting in it now.

Hopefully this will help someone thinking of the same but very aware I'm on day 1 here.

(Don't judge mess of the house/desk here)

KTaOR0zVhvmrZBF12Zic1tlTpY1APKYWbVWqQyytKKyf_rys5BOeXIkh1x0wrEhAoftzalxivbi7Flz6koR-Ti0AMJ03HWi-h-OnCy2sMHIulf6pUXzit3ku0AiR_Z95SXri-yqdapZbNOoPOke2ErDEfuWoACFJ2IMi_2JLlLezYKmIn0my2Q-RP-PS-Cjd7HZeKe36yv8kuc-rJG2MPLt4tF5cUqC5b97p_xlZkJKXU0t-e09rRMbEphu2k_nZCMGK4uRNXyHEOCFhN5ivgySzizWL97CCR2Vc7m33CVyw8JabS6wre5tAV5h4h4ZE271hI1GE7845k2op3iOUAXcDPdtrtCkrWb9T2njEriJ592l9NQN-wMAmnoBbOIF4aCjg3nvCK_IVAxe65hF_LE0F2ZfkFZD2huPZp16RZiROoBvrckdEmq_hLhs7K95ja_Ibevd6ea5segcfR2T72jDiCFrAGiZXLERKxfT4s5j0LNOgPfWG6yMVSenN4VYIOfSE_FRH3L4whZI_g8tghlJu-bz60Ww94G5oo6M_gY9jIcX-18TnTmwhDusI-UvePVmqd2y_zRDjtaq69bMXRE2fdHYj_F49bKGUBSii3_O2NzqTSGSiNTQaQPoC6jkQVdtRddO8B1rgCsax00Ie6aRzdu9bu1McQEPeWVfFWQvQ40Et1NUNVNJP89k4vjspXJf0yVyouwcJMX7WAV5IE-W8=w1115-h1980-no?authuser=0

^ that's the old faithful chair which has put up with me for 20 years.

Dp98BW2ZTmLtOYcJlNX7eSAvPSorrFqq-6IhVaUCDsMiB19v4mWyZ68UVJjfPPl5iLpWosfsCO38pKWH4adcdUt1POnw3oScMp9NUhAZ1fBpA18vXrDwyW630pXUjiuiaofzZnh_IQvI3l6VYNa8NxUjXXbVGDbQ7Xu0q12VJ-EDyK1Hpbp3dlE2bodXXOgve7tuSiJkIsb3TqonS0JdbU_RH7xDMe3McTkLqvQaKwOb-f0nd15GV3hrUqeuN4wTTevrdaFg6nx8PGmgavGzyJRvII_IXTZvuBRZ1uJf_qnqMwTzZevENr8Pxu2JqObhxECkVmdS0dLYt1_k-OEAtObndVMHUcsX-Xw3C93hB4haxtuFI8WPu4kyG7u4dGLdtg1EuCq-B-GSM40XZiLy18QppAj1gE6aUrW5Uou6uU5L1-Hc4IcYp5WTM-OtewC82P_1mmEB5iGRtKl8ykKaiOWkL9hwiTV91vdNdE5q22WkoXKe60r_VjgHflJLe1JIenBnmHdbA3-dEVxizQi8jfNyhYvoTS1JQeIBSvVxgGsQQSzjZHHXiqkA4yWtRSdgAokBHbWKjVdpe4diqFNeeXUhekFn8t6EVRBlfAsLP94HZN3gZg3CcscIgz4FPeylw_w1SIjcSHPCS12RPOLZBg9QBGz-st-3D3w93VnVQ9SQjLUDo7RP_aRyb2JNx94QXgczmg15nZt95QMwbOH7t53h=w1115-h1980-no?authuser=0

This is the TitanXL that arrived today.

It's definitely a taller chair, the old one stopped about an inch or two before my shoulders but the new one is tall enough for me to lean back and use the pillow comfortably. I haven't had that before which is very comfortable, mainly because of the pillow that comes with the chair.

It's also very roomy. I'm not small, I'm about 140kg and got plenty of room on the seat. It's not like you'll fit two of me or anything but there's plenty of space between me and the arm rests and it's a nice wide flat base. Even the back of the chair feels like I'm actually almost a tad too small to fill out fully. If you've a concern about being too big for the chair, you'd need to be a good bit bigger than me at 6ft4 and 140kg.

It's quite firm too, much firmer than my old chair, but that's very possibly because of the age and wear and tear of the poor thing. But this is probably the most surprising thing for me. It's not a bad surprise, I quite like a bit of firmness, but considering how long I spend in my chair, sitting up straight after a few hours was definitely a bit tougher on me than I was used to. But I don't think this is bad, but something worth calling out.

The quality of the materials, packaging, docs that come with it are simply impressive. I went over all the components when I got them and there were no flaws I could find in the leather or the parts on the edges that have a velvety texture. it's pretty well documented how well packaged everything is so I won't go into that but it does look well. And it took about half an hour to put together .

The tilt is taking some time to get used to. it leans back just far enough that you get a tiny fright but it's incredibly stable. The reclining lever (for changing where the seat back lock position is) isn't exactly smooth when it operates but doesn't seem to have any problems in how it holds the position and even lying back on it fully is very stable. And stupidly comfortable.

The arm rests are very flexible and I haven't found the right position for me for them yet but to be honest, they are so intuitive to move around, that doesn't bother me at all. They are very comfortable and more than wide enough to hold my arms. My only concern here is that it's very likely to be the first place I'm going to get scuff marks as the rubber on them, while not jelly soft, have a bit of give in them and am a little worried they will get caught on the desk.

The handles to adjust height and allow tilt are fairly low. This is one thing that my old chair was a bit better at. I could reach that handle very easily but now I'm leaning quite a lot to get access to the handles. If you don't change them a lot, it probably won't be a problem, but I like to turn tilt on and off semi-regularly so it's something I've noticed.

The height of the chair is fantastic. I'm not sure if it's because of the size of the base of the chair but I've tried a few heights and it's quite comfortable at all of them but there is a decent amount of range so most heights should be well accommodated.

The lumbar support knob too is a really nice touch and definitely something I think makes this worth the money. I haven't found the sweet spot yet, and I've currently got it set to max but I can see myself dropping it back a little bit.

I think that's everything I can think of but I'll happily answer questions and may even come back in a while to see how it holds up. But ultimately, I have to say that I'm pretty happy with it so far and it seems like it's a solid investment. We shall find out long term how right that is.

Polar101 · 03-06-2021 4:51pm

I've had the abovementioned chair for a year now. I'd agree with most of what was posted. Just a couple of observations.

- The seat always feels like it's too far back - there's a big area of it you can't sit on, because of the curve of the backrest. I always thought that was strange design.
- The lumbar support doesn't really do much, I think it's just a gimmick.
- The wheels are like magnets that gather up every particle of dust and dirt from the floor, and need to be cleaned every now and then.

I really like everything else about the chair, though. When I bought it, a lot of the reviews mentioned it's too firm and uncomfortable (I have the PU "Leather" version, which is harder than the softweave) - I never really found that to be a problem. After a year it still looks brand new, despite seeing a lot of use.

DublinWriter · 04-06-2021 3:39pm

Polar101 wrote: »

I've had the abovementioned chair for a year now.

Don't think so. That's the XL (bigger) version only released this month.

DublinWriter · 27-06-2021 2:54pm

Got the Titan XL this week and assembled it Friday.

Finding it a little hard to adjust to, probably because I've used the chair it replaced for over 8 years, so it had that old Homer Simpson 'ass-groove' thing going on.

It's very firm, and really forces me into a proper-posture at the desk, especially with the lumbar support just 50% engaged.

Even in the past two days, I'm finding I'm not as stiff or painful when I get up and walk around after long periods sat down at the desk.

Even if I slump down a little, the shape of the back of the chair pushes my shoulder blades apart, alleviating what my physio calls 'an unhealthy ovoid back position'.

Quality-wise, it's A1 and has a really heavy duty feel about it.

So far, so good. As I said, I spent over €3,000 with the Back Shop over the years. The Titan XL is better than any bespoke product I purchased from them and was really €400 well spent.

Shiminay · 27-06-2021 4:27pm

I'm about to pull the trigger on one myself, delighted to see a couple of positive reviews. I'm looking around to see if I can find any discount codes on the tubes

RedXIV · 27-06-2021 4:28pm

It definitely seems to get more comfortable with time but I think that's more me adapting to the firmness than the other way around. It is very well shaped to encourage you to have solid posture. A month in and I'm quite happy with it.

I've had no back issues either but they were very intermittent so impossible to tell if the chair as has an impact there yet.

DublinWriter · 16-07-2021 4:31pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117525739#Comment_117525739

For sure it encourages a much better posture. I'm far less stiff and achy after prolonged periods in it.

Shiminay · 28-07-2021 12:36pm

So I was finally getting my act together to buy one of these and I see they've now got a 2022 model called the Titan Evo which has small, medium and large options. Broadly seems to be the same as the Titan/XL and the same price so I think I'm gonna go with that. Probably won't be delivered till September which is a shame, but I've noticed a stiffness in the back that wasn't there 6 months ago and so I'm trying to get a new chair and mattress by the end of the year (and dropping some unneeded weight won't hurt!).

Ultimate Gowlbag · 28-07-2021 1:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117673079#Comment_117673079

The GTRacing M1 Ace literally looks like it came from the same factory as the Secret Labs stock might be worth checking out if you want the same type of chair sooner

I recently fell down the rabbit hole of comparing,pricing etc and ended up going with a Diablo X-Player King...extra wide seat,metal base,up to 160kg and so on...no regrets yet!

Shiminay · 13-08-2021 1:28pm

So, my Titan Evo 22 has arrived about an hour ago and I'm sitting on it as we speak.

The assembly instructions were clear, putting it together only had one slightly awkward moment (lining up the backrest with the mounting points on the seat), but the instructions provided were very clear and the tools provided were perfect. Adjusting things is pretty easy and it feels like having a dentist's chair in the flat now with the ability to recline - not something I had in my previous chair.

I've played with the lumbar settings to find something that seems comfy and I've adjusted height and tilt and recline - all very simple but the tilt took a bit to get right - needed a slightly bigger "rock" forward and back to unlock it from its previous position. My only concern now is that my desk is a little bit low and I'm thinking I might take the casters off or get some sort of riser for my mouse and keyboard - a minor complaint and certainly nothing to do with the chair :)

As I mentioned, my back was annoying me this last couple of months so I pulled the trigger on this and a new mattress (an Emma Essentials foam mattress if anyone's interested - I'm happy with it).

If I think of it, I'll come back in a month to let you know how its going.

Mr Crispy · 13-08-2021 4:18pm

Yeah, a longer term opinion would be great. 👍️

3DataModem · 18-08-2021 7:19am

After 2.5 years with my SecretLab, I just ordered a second one for a family member.

I would definitely say that my SL Titan XL has been an absolute boon, and TBH don't see any other options for a larger person.

Shiminay · 20-08-2021 1:54pm

1 week in and I gotta tell you it's been almost life-changing :D More so because I realise just how bent out of shape my back was with my old chair and the stiffness I'd been feeling has completely disappeared (between the new chair and a new mattress). It's a moment's work to adjust from sitting up straight for paying attention or dipping back a bit to relax. It feels solid at all times. But, as I said, I'll try to come back in a month or so and give a more useful impression. I will say that I have no regrets about spending a fair chunk of money on it.

Shiminay · 20-09-2021 5:12pm

Well, it's a month to the day since my last comment, I hadn't planned it, but it popped into my head that I'd post an update here on life with the Titan Evo.

I still think this is some of the best money I've ever spent. It's so comfortable and I find that I'm a lot less fatigued after most of a day sitting in it.

A few critiques:

The magnetic pillow falls off a lot, I think the metal it sticks to behind the fabric could do with extending about 2 or 3" further down the headrest.
The lumbar adjustment is a little hard to judge and adjust, but it's the sort of thing you won't be changing often when you do get it right.
The seat didn't line up as straight as I'd have liked when attached to the base - I only really noticed that after fiddling with the armrests - I'll try to explain. I had mentioned above that it was a little fiddly to get things lined up - having some assistance on the assembly would almost certainly correct this. The Back needs to be attached to the seat (obviously) and this is managed with 2 strong metal arms that the back slots into and is secured with bolts. If one imagines the seat should be perpendicular to the back, the angle was slightly biased to the left and so there's a slight angle - not so much as to cause any kind of discomfort, but it's something to watch out for when assembling (I've been able to adjust it). Something to be careful of when assembling.

Unexpectedly: the armrests are great, I find myself adjusting them a lot to suit what I'm doing. If I'm working and mostly typing, I can move them out of the way, but if I'm playing a game and it's more mouse and keyboard, I move them to support the elbows (they rotate about 30 degrees "in" and "out" of the centre of the chair and they also slide forward and back - I only discovered that part last week :D ). I'll also pop them up and down for comfort depending on if I'm sitting up or lounging back :) I find I don't use the tilt at the base but will use the recline on the seat if I want to lean back. Both work well though and I'm sure it's as much personal preference and comfort as anything else.

I am still considering the height of the desk relative to my sitting position and whether or not it's still a bit low. I'm probably going to just put a 2" tall bit of wood in place to elevate the mouse and keyboard.

So if you're wondering if it's worth the money - yea, I suppose it is - certainly a lot less expensive than chronic back problems. :) I mentioned I'd had an Aeron previously - it wasn't one specifically designed for a fat man (they do have that variant, but my office didn't), so it spoils the comparison slightly, but this is a lot more comfortable.

RedXIV · 27-10-2021 1:08pm

Just a note on this, really am impressed with Secretlab as a company. My left arm-rest split at the side (as I was concerned about in one of my previous posts), still perfectly usable but it was annoying me a little so I spoke to customer support who said although it would technically fall under standard wear and tear, they would send me out a replacement armrest anyway.

Haven't felt this positive about customer service since Amazon were starting out and doing everything they could for positive customer experience.

K.O.Kiki · 04-11-2021 8:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118079795#Comment_118079795

Contrary opinion:

An arm-rest on a 500+ chair shouldn't split within the first year.

Also I know there's people in here singing their praises, but Secretlab chairs are still wing-tip nightmares that will kill your shoulders in the long-term.

The best chairs are made by Steelcase & Herman Miller, period.

They might cost a grand new, but you can find used Aerons for 500, and Steelcase Leap for under 150.

RedXIV · 28-07-2022 3:12pm

It's been about a year since I got my chair, and just to give an updated review on it.

Overall, I'm still very happy with the chair. I got a new job about 2 months before I got the new chair and I've been working some ridiculous hours but the chair has meant I'm much more comfortable than I would have been otherwise. I'm not completely immune to a bit of stiffness or soreness if I have a row of 14/16 hour days, but that's a much bigger issue with work than the chair.

I was using the tilt feature for a few months but found after disabling it (and a few days of getting used to no tilt), I was feeling much happier with it, so I would recommend this.

The chair is ridiculously easy to clean and maintain. Still looks pretty much new.

The Arm rests have recently started to split again a little bit. It's possible I'm overly harsh on them but to be honest, this is the only thing I'm a little disappointed with as I've already had one replaced. The rubber armrests only seem to split away from where the seam is on the inside of the seat but I do feel the split regularly as I move the arm rests a bit.

The pillow is amazing. I absolutely love the pillow. Comfy as heck. But the model I have uses a stretchy loop to hold it on to the chair and it comes off easily enough. Minor complaint in the grand scheme of things but trying to give a comprehensive view of the chair.

Overall, I'd still recommend the chair, especially for bigger folks and hopefully this helps folks looking in the future for authentic reviews

Shiminay · 22-08-2022 1:01pm

Facebook reminded me I've had my chair for a year now and I thought it might be useful to some to post my experiences this last 12 months with the Evo.

The good: still the most comfortable chair I've ever had and it hasn't felt like it's lost any support. The mechanical parts are all still working well* and I still feel like this is some of the best money I've ever spent on anything in my life :) I mentioned I was feeling some minor twinges in my back when I bought this (and a new memory foam mattress) and they have completely disappeared within weeks of getting this. I still work from home, so I'm spending anywhere between 12 and 18 hours a day in this chair and I'm a fat fup (140 KG), so it's definitely being put through its paces

The bad: I put an asterisk above in talking about the mechanical function. The armrests are a little bit "wobbly" - not in a way that feels like they're about to break, and maybe it's as a result of the multiple ways to adjust and configure them (and this is something I do a lot as I adjust my position on the chair). It doesn't concern me per sé, but it's the only mechanical part of the chair that doesn't feel as good as the rest of it. They are very comfortable and I appreciate being able to adjust them as quickly as I can - if I tilt back and my arms are at a different position relative to the desk, it's a big difference. I haven't had any of the "splitting" problems Red reported I'm happy to say.

The ugly: The headrest cushion, whilst very comfy, doesn't stay in place very often. It uses magnets to keep it in place and as I have long hair tied in a ponytail, I frequently knock it off. It's the only thing I can call bad and it's minor overall, so I wouldn't let it put me off buying another one should the need arise :)

Chair for big fella

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