INTRODUCTION

   If you're spending countless hours per week sitting in front of your PC screen either at work or at home then you should know very well that owning an ergonomic desk chair can make all the difference in the world when it comes to back and neck pain. For good or bad when i first started spending many hours in front of my PC screen (back in the early 90's) the only "ergonomic" chairs were huge office/work ones which aside taking lots of space also happened to cost as much as a good gaming rig. Today things are vastly superior to back then in pretty much every segment of the market so gamers can now get their hands on ergonomic chairs without having to worry about how they look or just how much space they need. Still although these models excel both in design and features not many can actually go up against the office/work chairs we had back in the day when it comes to quality so when AK Racing send their ONYX Deluxe Real Leather Gaming Chair a comparison was unavoidable.

   AK Racing are 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 ONYX Deluxe is partially dressed in high quality flame retardant grain leather (front area - rear is dressed in PU faux leather) so right from the get go it's quite clear that we're talking about one of the highest quality gaming chairs in the market today. That aside the ONYX Deluxe comes packing all the features we've seen by high-end models including a steel frame for improved durability and support, 55Kg/M3 cold cured foam density for the seat and 50Kg/M3 for the backrest, class-4 gaslift (supports up to 150Kg - upper chair body included), 65mm caster wheels, 3D armrests (height, rotation and position), 5-star aluminum base, height adjustable seat (48cm-56cm), removable neck and back pillows, backrest adjustment (up to 160 degrees - AK Racing states 180 degrees but just like with other manufacturers that's obviously including the tilt function) and up to 18 degrees tilt function. So is the ONYX Deluxe by AK Racing the ideal gaming/work chair for you? Let's find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As with most gaming chairs in the market the ONYX Deluxe arrived inside a very large and plain cardboard box that has the company name and logo on both the front and rear.

The serial number, barcode, weight and origin of the product are all placed on the two sides.

The entire bundle is securely placed between several pieces of foam and cardboard.

We were a bit surprised to see that the ONYX comes with a very solid polished 5 star aluminum base (and yes it's also the very first piece to come out of the box).

The backrest was the next piece out of the box along with the two removable support pillows.

Three plastic covers, three screws, two Allen keys, 5 caster wheels, pair of cloth gloves and the mounting instructions were all placed inside a small box which came out next.

Next out of the box were the multi-functional Z support mechanism and the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover.

Last part to get out of the box was the seat with the two 3D armrests attached.

ASSEMBLY

 Most if not all mounting instructions recommend starting from attaching the backrest to the seat but we like to start with attaching the wheels to the base as seen above.

65mm wheels are not the largest we've seen to date but they don't look out of place with the ONYX Deluxe and that's what matters most.

After that came the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover.

AK Racing focuses a lot on quality and you can see that just by looking at the base of the seat.

Here we see 4 elastic bands for increased support/comfort and 4 Allen screws used to secure each of the two 3D armrests.

The Z support mechanism attaches onto the seat with 4 Allen screws.

Once again the handles are attached onto the mechanism so you don't have to worry about them falling off.

Each side of the backrest has two Allen screws and a small opening between them.

Of course you can use these screws to attach the backrest on the seat as seen above and then you need to place the plastic side covers over them.

You will need to mount two plastic covers on the left side as seen above.

Now all that's left is for us to place the upper body on the class-4 gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

In terms of padding the ONYX Deluxe may not be the best gaming chair to ever pass from our lab but it's without doubt one of the best looking ones.

We don't really know what type of leather AK Racing has used but it's very durable and looks like it can easily last for a very long time.

Both support pillows are also covered in real grain leather and have the company name on them.

The armrests can be height adjusted from 28.7cm all the way up to 35.7cm.

The top of the 3D armrests can move forward, backwards and diagonally to suit your style.

This is the rear of the ONYX Deluxe (you can access the cold foam padding from these two zippers).

The AK Racing logo is placed at both the rear and the front top of the chair.

Similarly to the X-Comfort gaming chair (and others) you may not be able to drop the backrest a full 180 degrees but 160 degrees is equally great and again thanks to the Z support mechanism the chair feels a lot sturdier.

CONCLUSION

   The ONYX Deluxe is currently not only AK Racing's flagship gaming chair model but also one of a handful of models covered with real leather (even if it’s just the front) so naturally we had very high expectations from it. Well from a quality standpoint (both when it comes to quality of leather and overall sturdiness) the ONYX Deluxe features the best we’ve seen to date surpassing even that of the excellent X-COMFORT by Tt eSPORTS which at least for me is its primary competitor (at least from all the models we’ve received to date). Unfortunately however in terms of padding it does not and although it’s a very comfortable chair the X-COMFORT is slightly more so if you care not about quality I think Tt eSPORTS has a more “suitable” solution for you. Size is not really an issue since even my brother who’s just under 2 meters in height and weighs roughly 95kg had a great time using the ONYX Deluxe (I’m 1.82 meters tall and 84kg heavy so nothing special in terms of size). Having 3D armrests as opposed to the 4D of the X-COMFORT (and other models) is really not big deal especially since I never really used the last option when testing the Tt eSPORTS model (ability to position them closer and further from the chair). Certainly it would be nice to have even if just to further “boost” its features sheet but again I don’t consider it as a deal breaker. The “naked” 5 star aluminum base was also a good surprise since after receiving over a dozen gaming chairs this is the very first one to feature one like that.

   Prices for faux leather gaming chairs can go all the way up to USD500/500Euros so it really goes without saying that real leather ones will cost quite a bit more and the ONYX Deluxe does. To be more specific you can currently get the ONYX Deluxe Premium Gaming / Working Chair for USD699 inside the USA (directly from AK Racing USA) and for 549Euros inside the EU (directly from AK Racing EU) a price tag which is indeed quite hefty (especially in the US). Of course at the end of the day it once again comes down to what you want so if you’re looking for a real leather gaming / working chair with a very good warranty (AK Racing covers the chair with 5 years and the frame with 10) the ONYX Deluxe is among a handful of choices currently in the market. Overall leaving out its price tag in the US (for which we had to deduct some points) we have nothing really bad to say about the ONYX Deluxe and so we’re happy to give it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (Real Grain Leather / Steel Frame)
- Elegant Design
- Comfortable
- Z Support Mechanism (Durability / Sturdiness)
- Size
- Features (Adjustable Height / 3D Adjustable Armrests / 18 Degrees Tilt Function / 160 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Polished Aluminum 5 Star Base
- Head & Lower Back Removable Pillows

CONS

- Price (In The US)
- Real Grain Leather Only At The Front
- Only Available In Black (For Some)