INTRODUCTION

   When thinking back it's safe to say that three of the things none of us expected to take the PC and console markets by storm are RGB lighting, M.2 NVMe SSDs and gaming chairs. Pretty much everything else we did expect (how could we not expect graphics cards, monitors and input devices like keyboards and mice for example?) but these three i personally never thought could reach such heights in terms of popularity among both consumers and professionals. That was then however and so right now i can't think of what the PC market would had been like without them, not only in terms of performance and looks but also comfort. Gaming chairs especially have filled a void that nothing else had before them and having had the "pleasure" of sitting in front of PCs since the early 90's i know all too well just how bad our posture was prior to them (which would also explain some of the back problems many of us have now). Arozzi has been manufacturing gaming chairs for slightly less than a decade now and today with me i have their latest Primo PU Black model.

   Arozzi is a Swedish company founded in 2013. Arozzi gaming chairs are built in the spirit of Esports and feature ergonomic design with high levels of comfort. Our products have a refined aesthetic that draws inspiration from the world of motorsports. Each Arozzi chair can be finely adjusted to your needs to ensure you are in the best position achieve your next victory, whatever the game!

   The Primo PU gaming chair by Arozzi (BIFMA certified) is currently available in 3 different color combinations (all 3 are black with just the Arozzi logos on them in red, black and gold) and sports a high-quality and endurance PU faux leather cover (woven fabric version also available). Of course being one of the latest and top-end models by Arozzi the Primo PU also features their latest and most comfortable injection molded cold foam mix padding to date (65Kg/m3 density for the backrest and 70Kg/m3 for the seat) along with a sturdy metal frame for increased durability, class-4 gaslift with a total weight support of up to 145Kg (backrest and base included), built-in lumbar support (high-end bucket seat feature), 4D adjustable armrests (height, position and orientation), removable head support pillow (dressed with high quality velour fabric), 60mm caster wheels, backrest adjustment (up to 145 degrees) and the z-support tilt/rocking (up to 12 degrees) and height adjustment mechanism (also allows the end user to lock the chair into a specific position). It's been almost 3 years since my last encounter with anything made by Arozzi so time to get close and personal with their Primo PU Premium Gaming Chair.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Arozzi has always used nice looking glossy boxes to ship their chairs and desks in and the Primo PU is no exception.

All parts of the chair are placed inside plastic bags and between sheets of cardboard.

Placed on everything else was the 5-star aluminum base so that was also the very first part to be taken out.

The 83cm tall backrest with its removable pillow came out next (it's easy to see that the entire center of the chair is the build-in lumbar support).

2 small cardboard boxes house the Z-support mechanism with its plastic handles, the five 60mm caster wheels, class-4 gaslift, gaslift cover and the two plastic side covers.

Up next, we have the installation instructions, safety precautions paper, important notice paper, pair of cloth gloves, two screws, two caps and an Allen/Philips screwdriver.

Finally at the bottom of the box Arozzi has placed the two 4D adjustable armrests and the seat.

ASSEMBLY

Instead of starting with the backrest as most installation instructions advice I prefer to start by attaching the wheels onto the base as seen above.

60mm caster wheels hit a good balance between looks and durability.

Attaching the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover onto the 5-star steel base comes next.

Arozzi has yet to disappoint me with one of their seats (in terms of durability anyways) and the one used with the Primo PU is no exception.

All of the Allen screws are attached onto the seat and even though this makes sense (that way you are certain to have all of them – sometimes some end up missing from boxes) it also requires more installation/mounting time.

Each of the two 4D armrests requires 4 Allen screws in total, as does the Z-support mechanism.

Also don’t forget to attach the plastic handles on the mechanism.

Each side of the backrest has two round holes in the PU faux leather and just like with the seat the Allen screws are also mounted here (above you can see the build-in lumbar support controller).

As with every other gaming chair out there you will need to use those two Allen screws, place the plastic cover on, secure it with one of the Philips screws and place the plastic cap over the hole.

With the main body of the Primo PU assembled it's time to place it on the class-4 gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

Black is probably the only neutral color that will fit nicely everywhere and so no problems here (the center piece extends outwards - harder - and inwards - softer - when using the controller on the right side).

Arozzi has stitched their logo both at the front and rear of the Primo PU (and it looks nice).

Their logo is also placed on the velour head pillow which feels great when touching it (kind of makes me want an entire chair dressed with Velour).

In terms of quality the PU faux leather looks and feels great as does stitching and the left and right carbon fiber like pieces.

The height for the 4D armrests can be adjusted by roughly 8cm whereas the top can move forward, backwards, left, right and diagonally to suit your body type.

With a backrest adjustment of up to 145 degrees and tilt function of up to 12 degrees you should easily be able to relax on the Primo PU after long periods of gaming (or work).

SCORE

Many of you recommended (including some manufacturers) that I place a chart pointing to the pros and cons of each gaming chair that finds its way to the lab. Now of course since there's really no way for me to "benchmark" gaming chairs i 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 also the type and quality of the cover) while in terms of quality having tested dozens of models over the past years, i think i have a good idea about that as well. Of course, these scores are based on my personal opinion (always based on the samples i get – isolated/early sample issues are always possible) so do take them with a grain of salt.

CONCLUSION

   It’s been a while since I had an Arozzi gaming chair here so the Primo PU was a good surprise, not only because it looks and feels great (clearly one of the best chairs to make it here, to date anyways) but also because of its features. Yes, the 4D armrests are not something we haven’t seen many times in the past (same with the backrest and tilt adjustments) but the built-in lumbar-support and even the velour head support pillow are not. The built-in lumbar support especially works almost perfectly and clearly a lot better than a removable support pillow (both because of height/size and positioning). Comfort levels are also very high which I expect is why Arozzi used their latest cold foam mix in the first place with the Primo PU. The available colors are not something I am very excited about (just the Arozzi logo color changes) but what I am excited about is the custom embroidery Arozzi offers with their Primo line. Unfortunately, that takes a bit of time to do (my sample would arrive 1+ week later) so for good or bad I decided not to showcase it in my review but still it’s obviously not something we see in this market, at least not a lot.

   Arozzi currently has the black and gold model of the Primo PU bundled with their Colonna Gold USB microphone for a very tempting price tag of 299Euros (www.arozzi.se - as long as supplies last) so I think that’s the best option if you’d like to get your hands on this particular model (other models are not on sale and are currently set at around 399Euros). Overall, at 299Euros this is without doubt one of the best gaming chairs offers out there today (as long as you reside in the EU anyways) but since this will not last for long, I also have to take into account it’s starting price. Well, 399Euros as a starting price is a tad higher than expected honestly but even so thanks to its high quality, looks and features the Arozzi Primo PU is certainly worth the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality (PU Leather / Metal Frame)
- Design
- Comfort Levels 
- Size
- Features (Built In Lumbar Support / Adjustable Height / 4D Adjustable Armrests / 12 Degrees Tilt Function / 145 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Removable Head Support Pillow (Velour Dressed)
- 3 Color Combinations (Black With Red, Gold or Black Company Logos)
- Available Models (PU Leather / Woven Fabric)
- Price (Primo PU Gold & Colonna Gold Bundle)

CONS

- Regular Price (For Some)