INTRODUCTION

   Although we spend roughly 1/3 of our lives in bed it's safe to assume that people working with computers (both at the office and at home) and serious gamers spend another 1/3 of their lives sitting in front of a computer screen. Unfortunately however we don't really pay much attention to where we sit on at least not until it's late and we start experiencing back problems and yes the same actually applies for me too since up until a couple of years ago i had no idea how much better "serious" ergonomic chairs are compared to regular desk chairs when you sit on them for several hours at a time. Gaming chairs have become extremely popular and that's really understandable since they combine (well at least the quality models do) the ergonomic traits one hopes to find in a good desk chair with the appearance and comfort of bucket car seats. Of course pretty much like everything else in this world not all gaming chairs are created equal and today we're taking a look at the current flagship model in the AK Racing line the Pro X.

   AK Racing is one of the world’s premier gaming chair manufacturers, producing the highest quality products that are available today. With a focus on ergonomics, design and functionality, AK Racing gaming chairs have quickly become the smart choice across the eSport scene. Our close ties with top eSports teams such as Team Dignitas have given us the leading edge in meeting the durability and comfort requirements of gaming professionals everywhere.

   The Pro X may be the current AK Racing flagship but leaving out its quite larger size which makes it ideal for people with large bodies (perhaps its strongest selling point) and the 3D adjustable armrests (left, right and 23-35cm in height) it actually shares many of the features found in the Premium V2, Nitro and Prime gaming chairs. So once again we see PU leather used for the cover (again as with most gaming chairs in the market today), steel frame for improved durability and life, removable neck and back pillows, class-4 gaslift (can lift up to 150Kg), 5-star base, height adjustable seat (42-50cm), backrest adjustment (180 degrees) and 12 degrees tilt function. As mentioned earlier the tall (96cm vs 94cm for the Premium V2 and 92cm for the Nitro and Prime models) and wide (59cm vs 58cm for the Premium V2, 50cm for the Nitro and 54cm for the Prime) backrest along with the large seat (44x54cm vs 37.5x56cm for the Premium V2 and 37x56cm for the Prime and Nitro models) are the two strong selling points of the Pro X so let's take a closer look and see for ourselves.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Typically AK Racing shipped the chair model inside a large cardboard box with the company name at the front and a sticker with the barcode, serial and part numbers.

The 5-star base is always placed last at the top so it's always the first thing you see once you open the box.

The back rest and the two support pillows (neck and back) are placed right beneath the 5-star base.

Here we see the 5-star based out of its cloth and bubble covers.

The seat came next and yes it's easy to see just how wider it is compared to the ones we've seen so far.

The class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover and the height adjustment mechanism were placed inside a small cardboard box.

Finally inside the box you will also find the 5 wheels, assembly instructions, pair of cloth gloves (you should use them while assembling the chair to avoid fingerprints and such), two Allen keys, three screws, and three side covers.

ASSEMBLY

 Per the bundled instructions people will probably start with the base seat but as always i prefer to start with the lower end and make my way up so first we mount the wheels on the 5-star base (just push them in the holes until you hear the lock sound).

As with the Premium V2 model the 5-star base of the Pro X also has rubber covers on all 5 ends so you can place your feet on it without worrying about scratching it.

I like the wheels used in the Premium V2 model a bit better than the ones of the Pro X but that's just my personal preference.

After that just place the class-4 gaslift in the hole at the center and then place the plastic cover over it.

The seat is once again assembled in large part right from the factory and turning it over we see the same components and quality (if not better) as the Nitro chair and the Premium V2.

A small sticker reveals that our sample rolled out of the factory this July.

Next on the list is the height adjustment mechanism which requires removing 4 Allen screws and then placing them back to secure it in place (the green elastic bands are there to increase support while the copper clips remind us the ones used in regular sports seats).

There are also two Allen screws mounted on each side of the backrest.

You will need to mount the backrest on the seat base using those 4 screws and then using the plastic side covers as seen above.

Once you're finished with the top end of the chair you will just need to place it on the 5-star base and the gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

 
I still think i prefer the design of the Nitro but the Pro X is certainly a step up compared to the Premium V2 and Prime models.

Stitching may actually be better than the ones we saw with the other models but it's not really noticeable.

The company logo is once again placed at the top of the backrest while the line/series name is placed at the front of the seat.

This time over the armrests are not only height adjustable allowing you to raise them from 23cm and all the way up to 35cm but they can also rotate left and right.

Mounting the two pillows is not hard the base one requires routing of two elastic bands while the top one has a single elastic band which goes around the top end of the back rest (the plastic piece was attached on the neck pillow so you can use it as seen above).

I was a bit surprised to see that the company logo is also placed at the rear top of the backrest.

The back rest drops a full 180 degrees (ok this picture it's more like 120 degrees) so yes you can probably take a quick nap on it too.

Taking a look at the finished Pro X and i think it's very clear that this is the largest gaming chair to arrive in our lab, to date at least.

CONCLUSION

    I weigh almost 85 kilos and measure 1.82cm in height so I’m not what you’d call a large person and probably because of that even though the ProX gaming chair is quite a bit more comfortable compared to every single model we’ve received by AK Racing I still like the Nitro more. This is not due only to its looks but also because it resembles a bucket car seat more (thus it “hugs” your body better) than the others and also because it shares the same lift mechanism. Actually I don’t know why AK Racing hasn’t used different lift mechanisms with their chairs like other manufacturers do (perhaps it’s not really needed so i can't call this a drawback but it would certainly differentiate their models more and perhaps even attract more potential buyers) but that’s also one more reason as to why you don’t really need to spend more than the Nitro if you don’t want/need a larger chair. The 3D armrests are a nice addition to the ProX but honestly I only used them once during the 12 days I had that particular chair in front of my primary test rig.

    Price is set high for the ProX model mainly due to its larger size compared to pretty much every other model AK Racing has in its product line. To be more specific the ProX will set you back 395Euros plus shipping from the official AK Racing online store in the EU and that’s pretty much its sole drawback (ok that and its size since it may not fit easily everywhere). Unfortunately this particular model is not widely available inside the USA (if at all since I was unable to find it) so we don’t currently have a price tag which we can share with you (sorry all). With that out of the way if you’re searching for a larger gaming chair than what’s mostly available in the market (if not you may want to go with the Nitro model instead) manufactured with very good materials and you don’t mind paying extra for it then you should really give the ProX a chance and since it’s clearly the most comfortable gaming chair to reach our lab to date it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality (Synthetic Leather / Steel Frame)
- Design (Racing Car Seat)
- Size (Largest Gaming Chair To Reach Our Lab To Date)
- Very Comfortable
- Features (Adjustable Backrest / 3D Adjustable Armrests / 12 Degrees Tilt Function / 180 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Head & Lower-Back Removable Pillows
- Available Colors

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Current USA Availability
- Armrests (Could Use More Padding)