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DXRacer Craft gaming chair: One-minute review
The new DXRacer Craft is the latest upgrade in the brand’s line of high-end gaming chairs, promising supreme comfort and ergonomic features. In terms of looks, the Craft shows DXRacer has matured from its previous outings, omitting the typical gamer aesthetic that can plague chairs in this class. It’s even smart enough to furnish workspaces.
The build quality seems to match its sleek appearance. The leatherette upholstery on my unit was taut and neatly stitched, as well as feeling quite durable, although it’s not the most breathable material.
Sitting in the Craft is a comfortable experience for the most part. The seat is on the firmer side compared to what the best gaming chairs have to offer, but I still found it offered sufficient cushioning. It’s also quite wide and deep, which helps to get a comfortable position. What’s more, it adjusts well for height, especially at the lower end.
The backrest is more plush and is easy to sink into. It has built-in lumbar support, which, while easy to adjust for prominence, lacks height adjustment, which isn’t ideal. However, it proved comfortable enough for my back, although I wish it were positioned a tad lower down.
The magnetic head pillow, though, is a standout feature of the Craft. Again, it’s firmer than other head pillows I’ve tried, but it’s still comfortable, while its side bolsters provide additional support when leaning your head to one side.
Assembly was easier than other gaming chairs I’ve put together, thanks to a few convenient touches. These include a slot in the bracket for the backrest, which made one of the most laborious aspects of building a gaming chair a lot less hassle.
For the price, the Craft represents great value for those in the UK, but not so much for those in the US. Still, it’s cheaper than some other big-name rivals, including the all-conquering Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, to which it comes close to matching in terms of quality, comfort, and adjustability. If you can handle a firmer seat and don’t mind the armrests, you could do a lot worse than the Craft.
DXRacer Craft gaming chair review: Price and availability
- $499 / £368 / AU$759.99
- Different size options and finishes
- Well-priced compared to rivals
The Craft costs $499 / £368 / AU$759.99 and is available now. It comes in regular and plus sizes and two upholstery options: EPU leatherette and woven fabric. There’s only one stock color to choose from, but there are various collaboration editions with more extravagant finishes.
The price places the Craft at the higher end of the gaming chair market, although those in the UK get a much better deal. Regardless of territory, though, it’s still less than the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, which we think is still the best gaming chair around. It has better arms than the Craft, and it might just edge ahead in terms of overall build quality, but the Craft comes admirably close.
In the UK, the Craft is priced similarly to the Boulies Elite, which is comparable in many aspects, although that chair does have height-adjustable lumbar support. However, this and its other adjustments are awkward and clunky, which certainly isn’t the case with the Craft.
DXRacer Craft gaming chair review: Specs
|
Price |
$499 / £368 / AU$759.99 |
|
Dimensions |
52.4 x 27.6 x 22.1in / 133 x 70 x 56cm |
|
Max user weight |
275lbs / 125kg |
|
Min seat height |
18.5in / 47cm |
|
Seat width |
22.2in / 56cm |
|
Recline angle |
135 degrees |
|
Warranty |
3 years |
|
Material |
Leatherette, fabric |
DXRacer Craft gaming chair: Design and aesthetics
- Great overall build quality
- Leatherette not the most breathable
- Less than solid arm rests
The Craft adopts the usual gaming chair silhouette, although thankfully, its design is more pared down than DXRacer’s of old. The all-black colorway of my unit imparts a level of elegance and makes for a more professional appearance, so it wouldn’t look out of place in an office environment.
The overall build quality of the Craft is commendable, with a solid frame that is mercifully lighter than you might expect. There are also some neat touches, such as magnetically attachable covers for the backrest brackets.
The upholstery is similarly premium. The stitching is neat and strong, and the EPU leatherette material on my unit appeared hard-wearing and durable. It also lacks the suede accents you often find on other PU gaming chairs, which I find rather pointless anyway. However, the leatherette finish might prove a little too thick to be breathable for those in hotter climes.
The arms, however, aren’t as solid as you might expect. There’s a fair amount of wobble to them, although this isn’t really noticeable unless you move around quite vigorously, but it’s worth mentioning still.
The castors offer a fairly smooth roll, although they do tend to grab somewhat on carpet, but not to a frustrating degree. I was more thankful for the rounded ends of the wheel base spokes, which means less pain if you happen to clip your heels or stub your toe on them, as I’m personally liable to do.
DXRacer Craft gaming chair review: Comfort and Adjustability
- Firm but comfortable seat
- Built-in lumbar, but not height adjustable
- Excellent head pillow
The Craft is a comfortable chair to sit in. The seat is quite firm, which may deter some users, and may cause fatigue after really long sessions, but I personally found it provided enough cushioning.
It also offers plenty of depth, which is something I welcome and is considered a benefit from an ergonomic perspective. It’s quite wide too, which adds to its comfort levels, and the bolstering is largely flat so as not to intrude or encumber various seating positions.
I was pleased with the height range of the Craft as well. It lowered enough for my feet to comfortably touch the ground, which is rare in the various gaming chairs I’ve experienced. The tilt mechanism allows for gentle rocking and locks in place securely when desired.
The 4D armrests are comfortable enough, largely thanks to their width and adjustability. However, the padding is quite hard, which might be a dealbreaker for some gamers, and they don’t move inwards as much as I would like them to. What’s more, some of the adjustments are very stiff and don’t feel as well engineered as those on some other upmarket gaming chairs.
The backrest is very comfortable and offers more cushioning than the seat. It’s also reasonably wide, and the side bolsters curve well out of the way of your arms, so you’re not likely to hit them with your elbow.
All of these factors help to make the Craft an easy chair to sink into. It doesn’t recline to a full 180 degrees, though, but it still goes back quite far, and the lever to operate it is smooth yet secure.
It also features built-in lumbar support, although oddly, the adjustment dial is labelled as “Resistance”. Regardless, it’s relatively easy to use, and there aren’t too many twists between the two extremes of its range, as I’ve found with other gaming chairs.
Unfortunately, though, this lumbar support isn’t height adjustable, which will be a shame for those who don’t meet its set position. Personally, it was a touch too high for my liking, but it at least covers a wide area, which helps to even out the pressure it exerts on your back. There’s also plenty of adjustment when it comes to its prominence.
Surprisingly, the included magnetic head pillow is one of the highlights of the Craft –rivaling the most comfortable gaming chairs in this regard – with its firm yield offering cushioning and support in equal measure, while its contours fit the back of my head perfectly. I was also fond of its wingbacked design, which offers support for those who like to drift off in their chair.
DXRacer Craft gaming chair review: Assembly
The Craft proved easier to build than other gaming chairs. The instructions were clear, and the box contents were neatly packaged, which helped speed up the process. The chair’s relatively light construction made assembly less onerous than it would’ve been, and a few considerate touches, such as the preinstalled armrests and long double-sided Allen wrench, illustrate DXRacer’s commitment to improving convenience.
Best of all, there’s a slot on the right backrest bracket, which means you can easily slide in and align the backrest before you screw in the bolts. This is a real time-saver, and a feature I wish every gaming chair would adopt.
However, I should mention that the plastic cover for the recline mechanism arrived broken in the box. DXRacer was quick to send a replacement part, but the international shipping (from Europe to the UK) made the dispatch slower than it probably would’ve been domestically.
Should I buy the DXRacer Craft gaming chair?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it…
DXRacer Craft gaming chair: Also consider
Here are some alternatives to the DXRacer Craft if it doesn’t sound like your kind of gaming chair.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
DXRacer Craft |
Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 (Regular) |
Boulies Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Price |
$499 / £368 / AU$759.99 |
$549 / £469 / AU$799 |
$399 / £339 / AU$594 |
|
Dimensions |
52.4 x 27.6 x 22.1in / 133 x 70 x 56cm |
51.2 x 27.6 x 19.3in / 130 x 70 x 49cm |
50.4 x 28 x 18.9in / 128 x 71 x 48cm |
|
Max user weight |
275lbs / 125kg |
285lbs / 130kg |
243lbs / 110kg |
|
Min seat height |
18.5in / 47cm |
17.7in / 45cm |
18.1in / 46cm |
|
Seat width |
22.2in / 56cm |
18.5in / 47cm |
20.9in / 53cm |
|
Recline angle |
135 degrees |
165 degrees |
165 degrees |
|
Warranty |
3 years |
3 years |
2 years |
|
Material |
Leatherette, fabric |
Leatherette, fabric |
Leatherette, fabric |
How I tested the DXRacer Craft gaming chair
- Tested for full day
- Used for gaming and productivity
- Plentiful gaming chair experience
I tested the Craft for a full day, during which time I used it for gaming and for working. I made sure to try out all of its various adjustments.
I have been gaming for decades, and during that time, I’ve experienced numerous chairs, from gaming models to those designed for office and productivity. I have also reviewed a number of them previously.
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lewis.maddison@futurenet.com (Lewis Maddison)
