The Secretlab Titan Evo is arguably expensive, but the comfort and customisation mean it’s worth every penny
- Manufacturer: Secretlab
- Model: Titan Evo
- Price: £364 to £434
- Supplied by: Secretlab
Secretlab Titan Evo Review
Secretlab has long been known as one of the leading manufacturers of premium gaming chairs. With their extremely high quality, excellent durability and clean design paired with Secretlab’s knack for creating amazing brand collaboration, it’s no surprise the 2020 series comprising the Titan and Omega lines was successful enough to see a revamp into a new line- The 2022 series Titan Evo.
The Titan Evo line is the upgraded successor to the 2020 series, holding on to everything that made the 2020 series one of the top choices among gamers, creators and desk sitters alike, while still improving on the 2020 series.
Starting from the top with the backrest, the Titan Evo is offered in 3 finishes, ‘neo hybrid leather’, ‘soft weave’ and ‘napa leather’. Under each category – Size, Upholstery and Colour – you will find a multitude of different customisation options that will heavily influence how the chair will look. I chose the leather ‘Stealth’ edition, leaving me with a clean black satin main body and a gold and carbon trim with the odd red highlight. It’s an absolutely stunning colourway that I feel can match nearly any environment, whilst also still looking and feeling like the best seat in the building.
While I mention the colourways it’s worth noting that Secretlab has released a line of skins that you can purchase that will drastically transform your chair’s design into any number of alternatives (I was shown some of the collab designs in the SecretLab Discord pipeline, and I can tell you now I will be getting my hands on a few of them).
The backrest has not seen any huge improvements in terms of its form or fit, this is the same shape and feel as the 2020 series. The shape is slightly leaning towards the racing seat style but less extreme; It’s clean and stylish and looks less like it was pulled out of an early 2000s Civic (no offence SecretsLabs).
The feel is comfortable and firm. From my experience with both the 2020 series and Titan Evo, SecretLab chairs take some breaking in for maximum comfort. For a little while it’s going to feel a tad on the stiff side while the cold form foam does its thing, but once it does you hit that perfect point of supportive but comfortable. You won’t be sinking into it like many foam-padded chairs, but there is just enough give that it’s not fighting against you.
Now onto the two major new features on the backrest, First is the new magnetic pillow, yes magnetic. Gone are the days of wrestling with a strapped elastic band pillow, no no, now you get this lovely memory foam pillow with magnets embedded into it that just pops on.
This not only keeps the back of your chair looking clean and devoid of straps, but it also means you are not restricted by the straps and trying to get the right tension. You can position the pillow in any way you want within the magnetic zone, and I must say I love it. It holds firm enough that it’s not going to just fall off but easy enough that there is no struggle to move or remove it. The extended range of positioning is also a very welcome feature.
The second new feature on the backrest is advanced lumbar support. Previously, unless you opted for a Titan XL, you would have a pillow that you simply place at the back of your seat. The Titan Evo instead has a fully adjustable lumbar support built in, with the two knobs (one on each side) you can adjust the height and depth of the built-in lumbar support to fit you perfectly.
This is much firmer than the previous memory foam pillow, and although I fully understand how this is better in every way, I personally preferred the pillow and also quite liked the shape of the chair without the pillow, as I’m a bit of a slouch in my chair.
The lumbar support is much more firm and pushes me more into a proper posture, so it’s very much on my side that I don’t like it making me sit in a position that’s good for my back. Though much like a love-hate relationship, I hate that I can’t comfortably slouch back while also loving that my back doesn’t feel like a bag of shattered glass at the end of a 6-hour session of Star Citizen.
Edging slightly down onto the armrests, these again haven’t seen a huge amount of change, more just a quality of life feature added. If it’s not broken don’t fix it right?
The 4D armrests are constructed mainly of metal with black coating on the main body and bare silver on the sliding mechanism. There is also a nicely placed Secretlab plaque on each one adding to the premium feel of the chair. The functionality is great on the armrests; pulling the flap will allow you to raise and lower the armrests individually while pressing either of the two buttons will allow you to move them in/out, forwards and backwards and pivot them in and out. This allows for an exceptional amount of customisation.
The improvement here is on the armrest cushions. The standard cushion is a leather-wrapped foam that is extremely comfortable in my experience, though prone to wear and tear as I found with my 2020 series. Both mine and my partner’s 2020 series have developed tears along the edge, nothing major but still annoying. The Titan Evo solves that with the whole cushion being detachable by magnets.
This allows you to not only replace in kind but to replace with the new fabric armrests if you prefer. Extra customisation and personalization is always a plus and it extends your chair’s life as you can replace the most affected part by wear and tear rather than buy a new chair.
Further down we go! On to the throne. The butt plate. The sole domain of your posterior… the seat.
Much like the backrest the seat will be firm at first, though I actually quite like the firmness. Give it a little time and a few wiggles to get comfortable and the seat will develop the same amount of form-fitting give as the backrest, remaining comfortable but supportive.
In terms of improvements, the seat has changed shape, settling between the aggressive wings of the Omega and the flat base of the Titan. You now have slight wings that merely suggest your legs go straight, rather than the wings of the omega that forced them straight or the flat base of the Titan that didn’t do much at all.
Summary
The Secretlab Titan Evo is an excellent gaming chair that provides exceptional comfort, support, and adjustability. Its high-quality build, ergonomic design, and adjustable features make it an excellent choice for gamers who spend long hours in front of the screen. However, it’s also quite expensive, so it might not be the best option for those on a budget.
