INTRODUCTION

   Just like with every other gaming peripheral in the market gaming chair sales have seriously taken off and although as stated many times in the past their target audience is vastly different compared to ergonomic models there are many people out there who consider them to be just as good (because of that it's not a surprise that some gaming chairs often find their way into offices). Since at the end of the day however we are basically talking about yet another gaming peripheral gaming chairs really have to adhere to three very simple rules and so they need to look great, feel great and be very comfortable. Still not all gaming chairs tick all three boxes and so we're always looking for the best models we can get our hands on to test and report our findings to all of you. One such model is the brand new Solitude Gaming and Working Chair by AKRacing which we've been using since mid-January.

   AKRacing 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, AKRacing gaming chairs have quickly become the smart choice across the eSport scene. Our close ties with top eSports teams such as Team Astralis have given us the leading edge in meeting the durability and comfort requirements of gaming professionals everywhere.

   Due to their rather elegant looks the brand new Solitude line of gaming chairs is obviously also aimed towards office so if you're looking for lively colors this is not the chair for you since currently the Solitude is available in black and brown (which we will be talking about today), black and silver and black and white color combinations. Just like many of its brothers the Solitude features a PU leather cover, metal frame for increased durability, good amount of foam padding (55kg/m3 for the seat and 50kg/m3 for the backrest), adjustable armrests (height, front/back and rotation), premium 65mm caster wheels, class-4 gaslift (supports up to 150kg total including the top body of the chair), height adjusting mechanism, 5 star aluminum base, removable neck and back pillows, backrest adjustment (up to roughly 170 degrees - AKRacing states 180 degrees but just like with other manufacturers that's probably including tilt) and up to 12 degrees tilt function. In terms of size the Solitude line is actually one of the largest gaming chairs to ever reach our lab since it features a very tall (90cm) and wide (58cm) backrest along with a very wide (55cm) and deep (50cm) seat.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

AKRacing ships the Solitude inside a plain cardboard box that has their logo on all sides (the weight and chair model are printed on the left and right of the box).

Typically the entire bundle is placed in plastic bags and between thick pieces of foam and cardboard.

As usual the 5-star aluminum base was placed at the top so it was the first piece to come out.

The backrest was next and i have to say that the carbon/black and brown combination looks great.

Both the neck and lumbar support pillows were placed inside plastic bags and were removed from the box next.

The seat with the two 3D armrests sat at the bottom of the box.

Next out of the box was the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover and the butterfly height and tilt/rock mechanism.

Finally we took out three plastic covers, five 65mm caster wheels, pair of cloth gloves, Allen key, Allen-Philips key, 3 screws and the assembly instructions paper.

ASSEMBLY

The assembly instructions paper instructs people to start assembly from the seat and backrest but we always do from the base by attaching the 65mm wheels to it as seen above.

Next we mounted the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover (some gas lifts have covers at the top which need to be removed).

The seat features a single large metal bar and three green elastic bands for increased durability and support.

Each armrest is secured onto the seat with a total of 4 Allen screws (8 in total).

Another 4 Allen screws are required to secure the height and tilt/rocking mechanism onto the seat.

There are two Allen screws mounted on each side of the backrest along with a small cut in between as seen above.

Once you’ve secured all Allen screws you can use the bundled covers as seen above.

The top end of the chair is now assembled so all that’s left is to place it onto the class-4 gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

When finished the Solitude is clearly a gaming chair which will also easily feel right at home in any office.

From the carbon-like pieces to the PU leather and the stitches the Solitude is one of the best quality PU chairs we've ever tested.

The 3D armrests can extend in height from 28.5cm all the way up to 36cm.

Both armrests can also move forward and backwards and face left and right as showcased above.

Again the backrest can drop up to around 170 degrees to allow for a quick nap.

As always the rear of the chair features two zippers via which you can access the foam inside the backrest.

Both pillows have the AKRacing logo on them.

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. Size and comfort usually go hand to hand (the larger the chair the more comfortable it usually is - also depends on the amount of padding) while in terms of quality having tested 19 models currently we think we have a good idea about that as well. Of course these scores are based on our personal opinions so do take them with a grain of salt.

CONCLUSION

   Lately we see many people compare gaming chairs to ergonomic chairs and although I do agree that some gaming chairs are very good I still don’t see them comparing to ergonomic models that cost twice as much or even more. Comfort aside however thanks to their PU and real leather gaming chairs look and feel elegant exactly what a gamer or even an office person would want something that ergonomic chairs lack (for good or bad). With that out of the way as mentioned many times in this review the quality and size of the Solitude model by AKRacing may be some of the best we’ve ever seen but not all is perfect when it comes to comfort. For example for reasons unknown AKRacing decided to use the “lower-cost” butterfly mechanism with the Solitude instead of the Z-support mechanism which excels in most areas. Now AKRacing is not the first to do so (for example Corsair did so with their quite expensive T1 chair too) but it just feels off especially for a chair as costly as the Solitude. That’s not all however since foam padding is also not as good as we were expecting, not after testing many gaming chairs with higher numbers than the Solitude. True 55-50Kg/m3 is a number we’ve seen in the past by numerous AKRacing chairs like the ProX and the Onyx but again we do feel that AKRacing should follow the steps of Arozzi and their Vernazza WOT model.

   AKRacing currently sells their Solitude Gaming and Office Chair for 399Euros from their European Online Store a price tag which places it right next to the Meraki model (similar to the Solitude) and beneath the ONYX and ProX models. Unfortunately AKRacing USA and AKRacing EU don’t offer the same exact line of chairs to consumers so since the Solitude is not available there (at least not yet) we don’t have a price tag in hand. In conclusion although the Solitude is not what we’d recommend to gamers (mainly because of its color combination and design) it’s ideal for people looking to get a brand new office chair and since it has very good build quality, a good set of features and an XL size which can even cover large people it’s well worth of our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Elegant Design
- XL Size
- Features (Adjustable Height / 3D Adjustable Armrests / 12 Degrees Tilt Function / 170 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Polished Aluminum 5 Star Base
- Head & Lower Back Removable Pillows
- Available Color Combinations

CONS

- Butterfly Mechanism (For the Price)