SecretLab took the gaming world by storm and is now easily the most prevalent brand when it comes to gaming chair. As a culmination of fine attention to detail as well as experts making ideal design choices, their chair line-up can now be seen from video game streamers to esports analysts desk and even outside of video game and technology content with many average people using SecretLab chairs as their office chairs.
But with SecretLab so present in every facet of entertainment, are the chair really worth it? In this article, I go over my personal experience in using SecretLab’s chair and offer feedback from long-term use and compare them from the hundreds of chair I have used in my life especially the ones mostly competing for your money. Read on to find out more or watch our summary review video below:
About SecretLab
Founded around 2015, SecretLab is a Singapore-based company that aims to offer premium chairs at very affordable prices that gamers looking for a long-term investment would really find interesting. SecretLab currently has 2 active models with a new 2022 model on the way (or is present already in select market). To make things more interesting, SecretLab’s method of getting their products to their customers involve directly selling their chairs as well which removes mark-up and allows them to fully make their chairs in various regions thru this method without dealing with local retailers which add various mark-ups to the cost.
SecretLab’s current port folio consists of the SecretLab Omega and SecretLab Titan. In this article we’ll talk about both chairs but I have personally used both, with the Titan my personal gaming chair in both the office and the streaming studio. The Omega I have used thru friends so I can comment in short detail about feel but we’ll focus solely on the Titan as that is the one I have extensive experience with.
About the SecretLab Titan
SecretLab Titan Specification (Charcoal Blue) | |
Model | TITAN 2020 |
Colorway | Charcoal Blue |
Foam Material | SecretLab Cold Cure Foam |
Frame Material | Steel |
Maximum Weight Capacity | 130kg |
Chair Weight | 35kg |
Warranty | Up to 5 years |
SecretLab distinguishes their model by their maximum load capacity with the Titan supporting up to 130kg with the larger Titan XL supporting larger. Between the Omega and the Titan, the distinction is a bit more defined as the Omega arrives in a traditional style made famous by all gaming chair brands. The SecretLab Titan differentiates itself with a built-in lumbar support, which increases firmness in the lower spine. Other than that, both designs sport the same aesthethics with slight quality and size improvements for their intended market.
Closer Look
We have a timelapse of the assembly in the video shown above. In that video, we see the box of the SecretLab Titan. Inside consists of the collapsed chair separated in parts including:
- Back rest
- Metal star base
- Arm rest
- Frog base
- Gas lift
- PU casters (5 pcs)
- Side tilt magnetic cover
- Frog base lever handle
- Screws
- Allen key
- Screwdriver
A giant step-by-step manual meets users when opening the box. As everything is perfectly aligned, installation should be a breeze and aside from lifting the seat to mount on the base, no help should be needed from a second person. If you’re having problems lifting heavy objects, please seek assistance in moving the large parts. You will not need any tools aside from the ones already in the box.
SecretLab provides a screwdriver and an allen key to tighten the necessary screws on the chair but in no point should it require you to remount things as long as you follow the instructions and take note of the orientation before locking it down. One of the main highlights here is the ease of placing the backrest to the seat base. If you’ve never built a gaming chair before, many cheap gaming chairs will have no alignment rails which are found on the SecretLab Titan. This makes it extremely complex to mount the backrest.
SoftWeave vs. PU Leather
This is a frequent point of discussion when choosing SecretLab chairs. The company offers the Titan in 2 material options: SoftWeave Fabric or PRIME 2.0 Leather, and many folks are unsure which to choose. The easiest way to discern which to choose is to see if the design you want is available in either of the material. As I originally wanted the DVA design, I was drawn to SoftWeave but considering brand obligations, I want to keep it neutral. Knowing that PU leather is not my preference, I chose the Charcoal Blue SoftWeave design.
For those unfamiliar with any of these, both material have differing feels: PU leather is supple and cool while SoftWeave is breathable and soft. This will ultimately boil down to which feels better for you: a leather car seat or a fabric couch. Some people swear by PU leather while others will only use SoftWeave because of the cooling benefit. Regardless, this is something only time will tell and even past 4 months of daily use, my chair feels like day 1.
On assembled, you have your new SecretLab chair. Now I try to avoid dubbing the Titan or any of SecretLab’s products as “gaming chairs” for the mere fact that these just aren’t for gaming, and will serve anyone just fine, for use with a computer or not.
Stitching quality is where I usually gauge the quality of a manufacturer and Secretlab’s stitching quality is superb. The logo stitches alone are incredibly defined with the rest of the chair sporting excellent mold. The Charcoal Blue SoftWeave Titan features a velour-like material for the trims which in PU leather variants are usually done in carbon fiber texturing.
The headrest, shoulder rest and seat base sport some switching with the back itself having the giant Titan logo. The rear of the backrest sports the Titan name as well, all done in contrasting embroidery.
Closer Look: Features
The SecretLab Titan supports users up to 130kg but will cater to smaller individuals as well. To adopt a wider userbase, the Titan has a levelled seat-base to accommodate individuals of various sizes. I do feel this makes the seat itself quite longer for shorter people but thankfully, the chair can lower for shorter people.
The back rest can be adjusted at your preference with a maximum tilt of 160*. For those wanting further tilt, the frog base of the Titan can allow the seat to recline further by tilting the base. I highly advise to only unlocking tilt when the user is aware of it as it scare the heck out of anyone leaning back on the chair and not aware of the tilt mechanism especially if the spring is set to loose resistance (this can be tighten via the bottom adjustment knob.)
This area of the Titan sports the integrated lumbar support. It has built-in adjustable tension which allows an internal mechanism to stiffen or or soften up support for the spine. For those asking why the Titan does not include a lumbar pillow, this is because its gonna screw up the alignment of the adjustable lumbar support.
To adjust it, users only need to twist the dial on the right side of the back rest as seen above.
Underneath the base of the chair we have controls for the tilting mechanism (left) which allows the chair to rock or tilt back which can be adjusted via the tension knob at the bottom in the middle of the photo above. Lastly, we have the height adjustment. Please raise yourself off the chair when increasing height and lower the chair while seating.
The caster wheels are perfectly-sized on the Titan and the star base is incredibly tough given the maximum weight tolerance it needs to support.
Included is a foam neck pillow featuring cooling gel lining. The logo facing area features a pad underneath which has a cooling gel which retains cooler temperature for an added touch of comfort. Regardless if you get SoftWeave or PRIME 2.0 leather, all of SecretLab’s pillow are made of velour covers.
The arm rests are 4D meaning it swings left and right and adjusts horizontally as well. It can slide front and back and also lift up and down for further adjustment. The arm rest support have firm cushions for extra support and are meant to be more stiff rather than soft.
User Experience & Conclusion
I initially had reservations getting the Titan due to it being advertised for larger people and I wanted a more snug fit since I normally keep a straight posture when using a computer. Thankfully, the level seat base on the Titan allows all sizes to scoot around the chair although really short people would have issues using the backrest for a truly ergonomic fit. That being said, there are some important considerations when buying a chair and it pays to really understand that you’re looking to have an investment.
But key to my buying decision was back support and it was really important for me to find a chair that had lower back support that wasn’t a pillow. That said, the SecretLab Titan’s lumbar support really gave nice support for me and while I do try to force myself to take breaks during long seating sessions, aside from my bum warming up, it really doesn’t give strain on the lower back. Now this is definitely going to depend on your tolerance level so take this more as personal feedback rather than anything scientific. If there’s one thing about ergonomics, one has to understand that this isn’t about an object giving resistance to potential long-term damages but rather mitigate it. Your back, for example, needs to maintain a good posture when sitting down. People who tend to slouch should learn to fix their posture especially in longer durations to avoid potential back problems.
The value of SecretLab comes in multiple factors but primarily lies in the quality of its products especially the materials used and how exquisitely this forms the chair. The ease of assembly followed by the excellent quality easily build a nice premium foundation for SecretLab’s asking price for the Titan while the overall build and design, rooted in excellent R&D gives a good reason for the cost and this is by and large the primary selling point of SecretLab chairs: excellent overall quality and excellent design. Now for tiny extra, SecretLab has a big assortment of design for the Titan ranging from gaming titles to popular franchises. We’ve seen SoftWeave offerings like the incredibly popular DVA chair and my other favorite design of all-time from SecretLab but we also have others like the KDA All Out or Cyberpunk 2077, both of which are quite extravagantly made. Recent collaborations like the Mortal Kombat movie collab also are exquisitely done. For esports fans, there are team collaborations as well and I’m looking at the Team Secret design to add to my new room.
The only argument here would be pretty much down to price and from my experience, I’ve sat on this chair since February for more than 8 hours a day and coming from another >$400 chair from AKRacing, there’s really no competition: the SecretLab Titan’s design is much more ideal for own usage and I believe it could be more many people. It has helped supported my preferred posture as well which is great and the level seat base doesn’t force my leg to arc upwards.
Again, this is all going to be a matter of preference and right now for Southeast Asian people, the primary competition for SecretLab are cheap knock-off chairs that either have their PU leather chip-off, their seat base break or their foam deform quickly amongst a bunch of other problems. Many of these chairs arrive for less than $170 and I highly encourage people to choose a standing desk or a desk converter and then move on to a premium chair than risk their long-term health with a cheap chair.
Overall, I’m very happy with my SecretLab Titan and I highly recommend it to all people, gamers, streamers, Youtubers or office workers alike. Its an easy choice to make and not a lot of competition except only for unique features. The most common you’ll hear is Herman Miller and their Aeron or Embody models which easily costs around twice or five times as much as a Titan so unless you’re needing a luxury chair, SecretLab’s Titan is a premium throne as it is and is more than just a pretty chair, its got your back, too… literally.
Undisputed #Secretlab pic.twitter.com/D6Y5PkENzi
— Back2Gaming (@Back2Gaming) June 11, 2021
The SecretLab Titan is backed by a base 3-year warranty but post a photo of your SecretLab on social media and use the hashtag #SecretLab and you can register for a 2-year warranty extension for a total of 5 year warranty. Take note that warranty doesn’t cover wear and tear and claims may be subject to further inspection. Our readers have reported very positively about support.