Our Verdict
The Softweave may be one of the more expensive Secretlab chairs, but damn, that fabric genuinely makes a difference.
For
- Comfortable temperature regulation
- Built-in adjustable lumbar
- Up to 5-year warranty
Against
- Not ideal for gamers under 5'9"
- One armrest on our sample was 15mm higher than the other
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With a soft new skin, the Secretlab Titan Softweave has the potential to be one of the best gaming chairs around. And, in the year 2021, gaming chairs can be found just about everywhere. Nearly every major gaming brand has entered the market at this point with even office furniture heavyweights like Herman Miller joining the fray.
With so many brands sharing manufacturers and slapping their own logos on the same derivative racing-style bucket seats, gaming chairs have been lacking a bit in terms of innovation lately. Secretlab, however, continues to push the envelope with brand new designs, as we saw in their late 2020 product updates.
When we reviewed the Secretlab Omega back in 2018 it quickly became one of our favorite gaming chairs available. The Omega represented a new era for gaming chairs with its stealthier racing aesthetic, premium materials and components. Since then, the company has launched dozens of collaborations and partnerships with esports organizations, artists, games and even Game of Thrones. Now we’re taking a look at the company’s larger Titan chair and newer SoftWeave Fabric, designed for taller and larger individuals than the recommended <5'11" Omega.
Secretlab gaming chairs are sold directly to customers, offering a more competitive price point than some of the other premium brands. That being said, the Omega and Titan might still be considered extremely expensive when compared to one of the many cheaper $200 chairs out there. But starting at $359 and $399 respectively, we still think they’re worth every single penny, especially if you’re spending more than a couple hours gaming in your chair every day.
At a quick glance, the Secretlab Titan can be easily mistaken for an Omega, and it probably would be if it weren’t for the large 'T' symbol in the middle telling you otherwise.
After spending a bit more time in the Titan, however, it’s clear that this chair is a completely different beast. This is especially true when you choose their new, deceptively comfortable SoftWeave Fabric. The Titan features the same tried and true multi tilt mechanism and recline components as the Omega, but there are two key differences.
First, the Titan comes equipped with a fully integrated adjustable lumbar support system controlled with a knob on the side of the seat back. This is a drastic improvement over the Omega, which uses memory foam lumbar pillow. The built-in adjustable system provides a much wider range of lumbar support and does so without adding any extra bulk to the chair.
Don’t get me wrong, Secretlab's Signature Memory Foam is extremely comfortable, but the Titan’s adjustable lumbar support makes it much more competitive with ergonomic task chairs.
The second difference between the Titan and the Omega is the seat base. The Omega features a bucket-style seat, which is typical for racing chairs as a snug fit is essential when you’re speeding through the race track.
The Titan switches things up with a levelled seat base, providing a wider surface area and much more comfortable experience that even allows you to sit cross-legged. Having reviewed both the Omega and the Titan, it’s clear that Secretlab went through a significant amount of thought and testing when determining the recommended sizes.
The Omega is recommended for gamers shorter than 5'11" and weighing less than 240lbs while the Titan is recommended for gamers between 5'9" and 6'7" and weighing less than 290lbs. There’s even a Titan XL available for individuals 5'11"-6'10" and weighing 220 to 390lbs.
As a shorter person that should be using the Omega based on these guidelines, I still found the Titan to be exceptionally comfortable despite it being a little too tall for my liking. This is certainly attributed to the comfortably firm cold-cure foam, excellent tilting and reclining components found in all of Secretlab’s models.
With the late 2020 product updates, Secretlab introduced its brand new PRIME 2.0 PU Leather which claims to be four times more durable than traditional PU leather. We found the original PRIME PU Leather on our 2018 Omega to be quite comfortable and durable already, so we'd imagine this upgrade to be quite worthwhile... if we didn’t like the SoftWeave Fabric so much.
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It may not be as spill-resistant as the faux leather alternative, but the SoftWeave feels more natural and breathable.
The SoftWeave Titan is $30 more than the original PU Leather, but it's well worth the upgrade if you're planning to have long gaming sessions in the chair. We found the Titan to be much better at temperature regulation than any of the other faux leather gaming chairs we’ve tested. The only real complaint we found with the Titan was that one of the armrests was about 15mm higher than the other, and no amount of adjusting was able to level them out completely.
Overall, the Secretlab Titan SoftWeave exceeded all of our expectations. And this was no easy feat considering the Omega has already set the bar so high. Priced at $429, the chair is an expensive piece of equipment for your battlestation, especially when it doesn’t give you any precious increases to your frame rate. But the comfort provided will surely keep your butt and back happy through many hours of intense gaming.
The Softweave may be one of the more expensive Secretlab chairs, but damn, that fabric genuinely makes a difference.
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