With a second lockdown coming into effect for the UK, like the rest of us, you'll be spending a lot of time indoors and in front of your computer.
If you're planning to spend hours playing video games, you'll want to make sure you're as comfortable as possible.
Christmas is rapidly approaching, so what better time than now to invest in some new gear?
Secretlab is certainly a brand to consider in your pursuit of comfort.
Secretlab Gaming Chairs
Secretlab, founded in 2014, is a Singaporean gaming chair manufacturing company operating in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and South-East Asia.
While the gaming chair market is quite crowded, there's a clear difference in the quality of the products available.
I recently had the privilege of getting my hands on their 2020 gaming chair to replace my generic office chair; which I've used for the past 3 years.
When selecting your chair, you can choose between three versions: OMEGA, TITAN and TITAN XL.
All three are tailored to meet the demands of a person's height and weight - the site even adds a sizing guide to help you pick the right chair.
Available in over 30 variants, you can sport some of your favourite teams, games or brands.
So what's so special about the chair itself?
Consumers can enjoy a "next-level sitting experience" with the improved Secretlab cold-cure foam mix, which provides comfort and support for your posture.
The full-length backrest can recline (almost) all of the way, so you can lie down completely strain-free while enjoying all the ergonomic support.
The multi-functional tilt mechanism enables your chair to adapt to your exact preference; letting you to sit at any angle you want.
The 4D armrests provide custom support and the concave PU padding also provides ample support while ensuring your elbow stays firmly in place.
Chairs come in either Secretlab PRIME™ 2.0 PU Leather or Secretlab SoftWeave® Fabric; both of which are extremely durable and provide maximum comfort.
Additional comfort comes in the form of the Head Pillow that's coated with a cooling gel, enabling you to stay cool while enjoying additional support.
You'll be able to relax, stress-free of potential issues, with a generous 5-year warranty when you share a picture of your Secretlab chair.
Packaging
The box the chair came in was HUGE and extremely heavy. It took a serious amount of effort to haul it up my staircase.
The packaging is extremely slick, once you open the box, it's clear that they've not cut corners here. It's great to see, although my bins were less than happy with the rubbish it left.
Everything came in its own unique plastic wrapping with the Secretlab branding displayed on all of it; it really screamed quality to me.
This was something to be proud of and show off.
Building
Building the chair was a dream thanks to the incredibly easy to follow instructions (complete with pictures).
These instructions weren't printed on paper either, but a nice durable. laminated material.
I've owned and used gaming chairs in the past and they were notoriously painful to put together. Those chairs had screws that never married up with where they were meant to go, the pieces weren't measured well and the materials weren't strong.
Not to mention that the instructions are always basic and can be a bit vague when trying to understand them.
Secretlab has clearly noted these woes and has taken out a lot of the time and strain of the task, so you can enjoy your chair. Construction took me about 15 minutes, without breaking a sweat; a big positive for me.
I think if I were to build a second I could do it in less than 10 - it was that easy.
The two tools that were needed for this task were provided and were of exceptional quality too. No additional tools are required.
There are no spare pieces, so be sure not to break or lose anything.
Comfort
The Secretlab TITAN chair is very comfortable and an exceptional office or gaming chair that certainly justifies its price tag for comfort.
I have really poor posture and tend to slouch in my chair, so it's great to have one that keeps my back straight.
The fabric material makes it feel like I'm sitting on my sofa and the headrest pillow is fantastic for neck support and my posture.
As I play a lot of console games, the arms are very important to me. I extend out my elbows and rest my hands on my thighs (whilst holding the controller).
The arms on the chair are well-positioned, as well as being adjustable, meaning I get great comfort and support when gaming for long periods of time.
The padding is firm but satisfying and will allow you to sit there without trouble or discomfort.
Size
It's a big chair, there's no doubt about that, so if you're lacking space you may find it's quite impractical in your chosen space.
I was also slightly concerned it wouldn't fit under my desk (due to the armrests sitting quite high) but it does just about get underneath and can free up some space when it's tucked under.
The chair height can be adjusted slightly, but I already have it on its lowest height.
Price
These chairs are not cheap, so let's get that out of the way first.
The Secretlab OMEGA edition will cost you £349 and the TITAN will set you back £399.
Sitting in the chair, there's not a huge amount of room left for me. It is important to stress that the TITAN is a perfect fit for me, but if I had a bigger frame I would need to upgrade to the TITAN XL; costing me another £70 and drastically fewer style choices.
That's a lot of money to spend on a chair that you may not use for extended periods of time - especially as some comparable chairs are £150-200 cheaper.
But it's all about the quality for Secretlabs and so far I can't fault any of the quality used in their product it all looks top-notch and should last me for years to come.
The extended warranty will also keep you from stressing about any future faults. This is an investment and will actually cost you about £80 per year (based on the five-year warranty).
Is It Worth It?
I've tried a number of chairs and I've not found many that had the quality and comfort this one has.
The TITAN does everything I want in a gaming chair. It provides the structure I crave while gaming, the comfort I want for remote working and the support to my body posture I want to prevent myself from slouching.
While I do have the most basic design, it's very much how I want it. It looks extremely smart and if you want something sexier, you can change up your version.
Overall, it's a fantastic chair and you're certainly paying for the quality that the chair holds.
If you're strapped for cash and you're just in need of a chair, it's understandably hard to justify the price tag that's attached.
As I've said before, you can get alternatives for cheaper but you pay for what you get; even if that means sacrificing on the quality.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10