Geek Review: Vertagear SL5000 Gaming Chair

Recently, I had the chance to try out my very first dedicated gaming chair, the Vertagear Racing Series S-Line SL5000 Gaming Chair. Having never used one before, I didn’t really know what to expect and whether I really needed one.

Back in the day, I took every opportunity to tell people that you can learn a lot of great life lessons from The Sims. One of the basic lessons that most players pick up is to not skimp on the bed when furnishing your house for the first time; the rationale being that a good bed means good sleep, and good sleep means more energy and comfort for your Sims so that they can be more productive during the day. The productivity helps you earn back the additional investment quickly.

This is a lesson that can extend to your chairs too. If you’re a hardcore gamer or an office drone, you’ll probably spend a lot of hours sitting in a chair. So how just important is that chair and how much of a difference can it possibly make?

A huge difference!

(For reference, my old gaming chair was a FLINTAN from IKEA, with the optional NOMINELL armrests. It wasn’t a bad chair and it retails for just over $100.)

Enter the Vertagear Racing Series S-Line SL5000. The chair is larger. The adjustment options are more extensive. The name is significantly longer, and it’s almost 5x the price.

Is it worth the extra investment?

When I was a younger, I could game for hours while sitting on a wooden stool or a cardboard box. I could sleep on a friend’s couch after an all-night gaming session and then get up and resume at dawn.

But I’m older now, and my knees pop every time I get up from a crouch and my lower back aches if I don’t sleep on my own bed using my own pillow. If a chair is that much more comfortable and easy on my body, then yes, I’m taking it.

Even if you aren’t suffering from the effects of old age, it’s still likely to be worth the investment. You’re spending so much time in it (both in frequency and duration), so you may as well make it comfortable.

How comfortable is comfortable?

With the SL5000, there are plenty of adjustable features and two optional supports. The seat itself is a racing-style bucket seat with PVC faux leather. It’s soft enough to be comfortable, and firm enough to support your body in all the right places. The basic tilt and adjustment options are definitely enough to put it at the right position for you – although I wouldn’t mind if it could go just a teeny bit lower.

The armrests are plastic, so they don’t have that luxurious faux leather feel to them. That said, they’re not at all uncomfortable, and they can be adjusted in 4 directions to suit your preferences.

What I’m particularly fond of is the optional headrest pillow and lumbar support cushion. These can both be adjusted for height to give you the support you want. I can’t imagine life without this lumbar support cushion now. It’s really a game-changer in terms of comfort, and you can easily shift it up or down for maximum support, and it’ll hold its position for you.

Easy assembly

I’ve never put a gaming chair together before, so I didn’t know what I was doing. But if you open the box, and follow the simple step by step instructions, you’ll have the chair assembled in something like 20 mins. That’s how long I took, and I was taking my time.

Color options

Most chairs come in black, and black. The SL5000 comes in Black for sure (called Black/Carbon), but it also comes in Black/Blue, Black/Green, Black/Red, and Black/White.

I think the Black/Red looks the best, but the others look pretty good too.

Last thoughts

Do you need a gaming chair? Yes, it’s better than sitting on a box.

Is it the extra investment worth it? Yes, if you can afford it, you might even save on medical bills down the line.

Is it too big and bulky? No, it’s not much bigger than my regular IKEA chair.

Is this the best chair you can get? Not sure as Vertagear have several other models and there are other good brands too, but it suits me fine and I’m really happy with it.

The Vertagear SL5000 retails for S$489.99.