INTRODUCTION

   When the very first gaming chairs made their way to the market roughly 6 years ago by just a handful of manufacturers many people in this industry didn't think they'd last and as most of you reading these lines are already well aware, they were wrong. Personally, I’ve always thought that since gamers and PC users in general have countless of screens, keyboards, mice, mats, headsets and even microphones to choose from they should also be able to choose from a large selection of chairs and desks to complete their setups. Granted the gaming desk market is nowhere near as "rich" in terms of available models as the gaming chair market currently is but we're getting there (slowly but we are). Since however the market is filled with gaming chairs of various sizes, designs and features (including RGB lighting) there's no reason for you to not get one right now and without further delay let's check out the latest AC220 AIR RGB model by our friends over at Aerocool.

   Aerocool is a Taipei-based, global computer components company with an outstanding record in product design and innovation. Driven by the mantra ‘Be Cool, Be Aerocool’, Aerocool strives to provide innovation in design yet deliver an affordable solution to PC users worldwide. For more information on Aerocool, please visit http://www.aerocool.io/.

   As clearly revealed by its name two of the strongest selling points of the Aerocool AC220 AIR RGB Gaming Chair (only available in black color currently) are its breathable PU faux leather cover and its RGB optic strip lighting which surrounds both the backrest and seat. The PU faux leather cover also features a PVC carbon fiber like area at the rear of the backrest whereas the RGB optic strip lighting is controlled by a small remote and is powered by a USB power bank which can be placed inside a special pocket located beneath the seat (power bank is not included in the bundle). Other features include a metal frame for improved durability, good amount of injection moulded foam (50Kg/M3 for the seat and 45Kg/M3 for the backrest), class-4 gaslift (supports up to 150Kg - upper chair body included), 65mm caster wheels, 2D armrests (adjustable height and orientation), 5-star sturdy nylon base, height adjustable seat (40cm-48cm), removable head (Aerocool has used an ergonomic head pillow similar to those people use during long journeys) and lumbar pillows, backrest adjustment (up to 180 degrees) and up to 18 degrees tilt/rocking function. As for size the AC220 AIR RGB Gaming Chair is a medium to large sized model since it combines an 83cm tall and 60cm wide backrest with a 54cm wide and 50cm deep seat.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the AC220 AIR RGB inside a plain cardboard box that has a product drawing, the product name and the company name and logo on both the front and rear.

The product and package weights are both printed on the left and right side of the box.

Typically, most of the bundle is wrapped in plastic bags and placed between pieces of foam and cardboard.

The 5-star nylon base was at the top when we opened the box so that came out first followed by the installation instructions, registration card and a small package inside which Aerocool has placed an Allen/Philips key and all the necessary screws and standoffs to assemble the chair.

After that we took out the 5 caster wheels, class-4 gaslift, gaslift covers, RGB control box and the RGB remote.

Both the head and lumbar support pillows were next along with the butterfly mechanism and the two side plastic covers.

Last we took out the backrest and the seat.

ASSEMBLY

There are two ways for someone to start assembling a chair so you can either attach the seat onto the backrest and then the base or you can choose to start from the base by attaching the wheels like we always do.

All ends of the 5-star nylon base feature special support areas.

65mm wheels may not be the largest we've ever seen but they are ideal for the AC220 AIR RGB.

Mounting the class-4 gaslift onto the base comes next (as always remember to check for a plastic cap and if the gaslift has one you need to remove it) followed by placing the plastic covers.

We may not be able to see the metal bars and the elastic bands of the base but we do see the many pockets Aerocool has placed for you to route the RGB components of the chair.

Each height adjustable armrest is held in place by a total of 4 Allen screws (8 in total).

Another 4 Allen screws are required to secure the butterfly mechanism onto the seat as you can all see from the above picture.

We strongly recommend attaching the RGB controller to the optic strips as seen above now before you continue.

Here you can see how we routed the various optic strips and cables but you can always choose a different path.

The backrest has two round openings on each side.

To secure the seat you will need to use two Allen screws on each side and then place the plastic covers over them.

Having successfully assembled the top end of the chair all that’s left is for us to place it onto the class-4 gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

When finally assembled the AC220 AIR RGB Gaming Chair by Aerocool really looks nice (can't say it stands out from other similar chairs however, at least not immediately).

The Aerocool logo located at the top of the backrest certainly looks better up close.

The PU faux leather cover used with the AC220 AIR RGB may not be of the highest quality we've ever seen but it does look durable.

You can adjust both the height (roughly 8cm) and the orientation of the hand rests.

The backrest drops 180 degrees (total, not with the help of the tilt/rocking mechanism) so you can relax after long periods of gaming.

Here you can see how the AC220 AIR RGB Gaming Chair looks from the rear and the second Aerocool logo.

Of course, we can't forget the head and lumbar support pillows which certainly add to the looks of the chair (not just comfort).

In order to use the RGB lighting feature you will need to have a compact powerbank as seen above (we placed it in the special pocket located beneath the seat).

The optic strips as expected are brighter close to the wires coming from the RGB controller (of course they look a lot better in the dark).

SCORE

Many of you recommended (including some manufacturers) that we place a chart pointing to the pros and cons of each gaming chair we test. Now of course since there's really no way for us to "benchmark" gaming chairs we decided to rate them based on their size, comfort and quality after using each chair for at least one full week. Size and comfort usually go hand to hand (the larger the chair the more comfortable it usually is - that however also depends on the amount of padding and the cover) while in terms of quality having tested dozens of models over the past years, we think we have a good idea about that as well. Of course, these scores are based on our personal opinions (including the samples we get – isolated/early sample issues are always possible) so do take them with a grain of salt.

CONCLUSION

   Aerocool has a large number or gaming chairs in their product lines (some of those under the ThunderX3 brand) and we like most of them, at least when it comes to design. The AC220 AIR RGB model is among those and although without the optic strips turned on and the support pillows mounted it may not look unique once those enter the equation things change. On top of that add the fact that you just need to use a compact powerbank to power its RGB lighting (instead of batteries as we’ve seen with other models) and that you can control its colors, brightness levels and modes via a tiny remote and there’s not much more we could had asked for from Aerocool. Looks however is not the only thing that people look for when out to get a gaming chair, comfort, quality and features also matter so how does the AC220 AIR RGB fair there? Comfort levels are high largely thanks to the good padding of both the seat and the backrest and the two support pillows (the head pillow especially). In terms of quality the PU and PVC faux leathers used are actually very good and feel like they will last for years to come, however the typical butterfly tilt/rocking/height mechanism is nowhere near as durable as the Z-support mechanism used in some models. Also, the 2D armrests although sufficient for us may not look good to some consumers, not when there are many models out in the market featuring 3D and 4D armrests. Tiny details yes but for some consumers these also matter so although very good overall the AC220 AIR RGB Gaming Chair is far from perfect.

    Price is yet another significant factor when out to get a new gaming chair so just how much must you spend to get your hands on the AC220 AIR RGB model by Aerocool? Well as I type these lines the AC220 AIR RGB may not be available in the US of A (at least not in the usual places) but it is available inside the EU for a price tag of 264Euros (Amazon.co.uk) so it’s priced reasonably well. Could it be even lower? Yes, but considering that you’re getting a good quality chair which is also very comfortable and has remote controlled RGB lighting all over the place we can’t possible call it expensive (not exactly cheap either). That being said the AC220 AIR RGB Gaming Chair by Aerocool is slightly rough around the edges but not nearly enough for us to deny giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality (PU & PVC Faux Leather / Metal Frame)
- Comfort (Good Padding / Soft Faux Leather)
- Design / Looks
- Features (RGB Optic Strips / Adjustable Height / 2D Adjustable Armrests / 18 Degrees Tilt Function / 180 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Removable Neck & Lumbar Support Pillows

CONS

- Butterfly Mechanism (Not as Sturdy as the Z-Support Model)
- Current Availability (USA)