INTRODUCTION

   Up until recently the most popular gaming peripherals clearly were keyboards and mice and that's not hard to understand since these are the two primary inputs we have with our systems (thus they are even more important to gamers). Over the past two years however gaming chairs have grown in popularity and although they are still nowhere near as important as keyboards and mice they may eventually get there. Now as many of you know although we've been testing gaming chairs for over a year now we've yet to focus in bringing reviews for people on a tight budget and that's actually something on which we've been working for a few months now. Our very first such review is about the entry level TGC20 model by ThunderX3.

   ThunderX3 project does not start from zero! We were born from within Aerocool Advanced Technologies Corp. A leading International Company with more than 14 years expertise developing the most exciting High-Technology, DIY and Gaming Products. ThunderX3 Team is proud of having this Great Company Background and this give us All the power, the knowledge and the support needed to succeed in all our ambitious plans.

   For an entry-level gaming chair model the ThunderX3 TGC20 pack quite a few interesting features so leaving out the quite typical height-adjustment (150-185cm) we see with pretty much any chair in the market it also features a flame retardant PU leather cover, rocking function (3-18 degrees), 2 directional armrests (adjustable height and position), class-4 gaslift which can support up to 150kg (133kg person after deducting the 17kg of the backrest and base) and a plywood frame for increased comfort. Now the features of the TGC20 may not put it at the top but also thanks to its design and rather compact size (always compared to most gaming chairs out there) it could become quite popular among gamers on a tight budget.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As always we received our sample inside a large cardboard box that has the color selection placed at the front right under the company name.

The chair is placed inside bubble wrap and pieces of cardboard.

First piece on the box was the backrest which obviously doesn't have a adjustment mechanism.

Next was the somewhat thick base followed by the height adjustment mechanism and the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover.

The 50mm nylon casters were next along with the two plastic handles and the 5-star metal base.

Worth pointing out is that the 5-star base has plastic areas for you to rest your feet.

Last out of the box were the screws and the Allen key.

ASSEMBLY

Despite what the instructions paper say i always start assembling chairs by mounting the wheels onto the base as seen above.

After that comes the placement of the class-4 gaslift and its plastic cover.

Compared to the chairs we've reviewed to date the belly of the base is certainly a step down.

Attaching the 2D armrests is very easy and requires just 6 Allen screws.

The belly may not look great but the base with the 2D armrests attached looks surprisingly nice.

ThunderX3 is using a basic height-adjustment mechanism just like the majority of chairs in the market.

Another thing worth pointing out is that the base pillow is removable for easier cleaning.

Attaching the backrest to the base is also very easy but as you can see it's not perfectly aligned (ThunderX3 assured us that this is an isolated issue).

FINISHED LOOKS

Well it may not be the largest gaming chair around nor is it the most impressive out there but we all agree it looks nice.

Stitching is very good and although the PU leather used is not on par with what we've seen to date but do keep in mind that this is a budget gaming chair and not one of the high end models.

The armrests can be height adjusted from 27.5cm all the way up to 35.5cm.

As expected the top of the armrests can rotate to accommodate your arms even while playing.

ThunderX3 has paid quite a bit attention to detail even at the rear and although the TGC20 is certainly aimed at younger audiences we do like it.

CONCLUSION

   The TGC20 gaming chair by ThunderX3 is the very first sample to arrive by them in our lab and at the end of the day it really left us with mixed impressions. On one hand you have a nice looking chair (available currently in 4 different color combinations) with relatively good quality materials and a couple of good features such as 2D armrests, flame retardant PU leather cover and a plywood frame but due to its rather small size it would be really hard for us to recommend it to adults such as ourselves. Now we all know that the class-4 gaslift can support around 130kg more (150kg total) but we doubt the frame of the chair can handle that and even if it did its measurements (especially the somewhat short backrest) and the lack of a backrest adjustment mechanism (serious drawback for us) make things impractical for adults (especially large sized ones). Basically we think that thanks to its design and compact size the TGC20 is the ideal chair for young gamers but it wasn’t really designed with grownups in mind.

   As I type these lines the TGC20 Gaming Chair by ThunderX3 may not be available inside the USA but it is available inside the EU for a price of 179.90Euros from Caseking.de. This price tag puts the TGC20 among the most affordable gaming chairs currently in the market and we feel that it’s quite balanced and fair after taking into account its build quality and available features compared to all the higher end models that have reached our lab. Long story short we feel that the TGC20 is right for young gamers (and we do recommend checking it out if you are one) out for an affordable yet great looking gaming chair but for adults one of the higher end models would be a much better choice.

PROS

- Design (Also Available In 4 Color Combinations)
- Class-4 Gaslift
- Flame Retardant PU Leather Cover
- 2D Armrests (Adjustable Height And Position)
- Removable Base Pillow
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Available Features (Compared To More Expensive Models)
- Size (Not Ideal For Large People)
- Current Availability