Let's face it, most of us are spending an unhealthy amount of time seated in front of screens. That makes buying a desk chair kind of a big deal. Personally, I'm very function-over-form. It could be the most beautifully ornate throne, handmade from unobtanium and unicorn pelt, but if it's not comfortable, I want nothing to do with it. It could be the ugliest thing you've ever seen, but if it's comfy, I'm in.
If I were to nutshell this quite inexpensive massaging gaming chair from Seenda, I'd say that it bangs pretty hard for your buck. It's comfortable enough to sit in for hours, and if you're the type of gamer with every color of the rainbow flashing from your tower that sits on your desk in full peacock display, you'll likely appreciate the Seenda's sharp Cyberpunk angles and semi-gloss PU leather finish.
When it was sent to me for review, it was something like US$139 from Walmart, which I would call absolutely fair for a seat of this quality. A couple of weeks later, as I'm finally putting my thoughts 'on paper,' I see the price has dropped to $79.99. For a desk chair, that's not a lot of money. And honestly, it just might be worth just a smidge more than that.
What I don't like about it:
It lacks head support. It doesn't really matter how you have the seat positioned, the headrest doesn't come forward enough for you to just put your head back. Unless you want to stare at the ceiling – then it's great.
When I think of massage, I think of warm hands, body oils, scented candles, maybe some gentle new-age tunes playing softly from some dark corner ... though the Seenda is marketed as a "massage" gaming chair, I'd liken it to that of a 3 am wakeup when loud buzzing snaps you out of bed – only to realize your cat knocked your electric toothbrush into the sink and it's going wild in there, forcing you out of bed to turn it off and scold your cat.
Plus, I'm just not a fan of lumbar support. After 44 years of terrible posture, "lumbar support" just feels like I'm being shoved off whatever I'm trying to put my big butt on. I ditched the "massaging" lumbar support module altogether. The wife said she liked it, but I'm not going to comment on that.
Realistically, it's awkward dangling a USB cable off your chair to plug it in the massage feature anyway. As the guy who's always thinking "what's the worst that could happen?" I foresee that USB tether as a great way to ruin a perfectly good USB port when you dreidel your chair triumphantly after a 5:1 K/D round of Call of Duty.
Aside from that, I've got no real complaints.
It took me about 25 minutes to put together, which felt like a long time, honestly. There were way more screws than any other desk chair I've ever assembled, but everything lined up neatly into a solid, non-squeaky platform. It certainly feels like far higher quality than what I was expecting at this price point – typically, when you slap "gaming" on something, the price automagically doubles.
The seat itself is a fairly flat profile of firm 4.8-inch thick foam – don't expect it to swallow you in and form-fit to whatever shaped tush you've got, but that doesn't mean it's uncomfortable, at least to me ... But I also like a firm bed – we're talking a solid 85 Sleep Number, so take that how you will.
The armrest height is near perfection for me on the Seenda. And the PU leather – aka plastic/polyurethane; there's not a shred of real cow on the chair – on top of the arm rests is soft, smooth, and feels cool without making me sweaty. That being said, the height is not adjustable. I'm a big dude at 6-foot-3-inches, and most of that is torso (you can call me Reed Richards), so if you're of smaller stature, the armrests just might make you feel like a little kid ... you know, playing kid video games, in your video gaming chair.
Speaking of big dude, the chair is rated for the big-boned as well. I'm sitting right around 235 lb (106.6 kg), and there's still plenty of wiggle room for me left-to-right in the 21.65-inch (55 cm) wide seat. It feels absolutely planted under me. The chair will keep you upright up to 330 lb (149.7 kg). After that, you're on your own.
The backrest is adjustable from a who-sits-like-this 90 degrees all the way to a fairly relaxed-and-chillin' 135 degrees, though the headrest – or lack thereof – will have you either staring at the ceiling or craning your neck in ways doctors don't recommend if you're seated at full-reverse tilt. Technically, there is a headrest. It reaches all the way up just past my head; it just doesn't go forward far enough to cradle my noggin.
There's also an added bonus ... uh ... foot rest? Back-of-your-knees rest? I'm not sure what to call it, but there's an extension that slides out and unfolds neatly from under the seat that you can place your legs upon. For someone who can't just reach up and touch the ceiling like I can, I imagine the leg rest would be pretty perfect. For me, it just means I can't scratch-spin in the chair as fast.
And maybe it's because I haven't purchased a new desk chair in about 5 years, but the thing that made me immediately raise my eyebrows (and this might sound dumb) was the wheels. You see, I have tile floors at one desk and hardwood floors at the other. The tile floors are particularly loud when rolling around in my old desk chair, but not with the Seenda. They're rubberized, "abrasion-resistant silent wheels" – but not so soft that it takes any extra effort to "Weeeeeee!" across my office space. I refer to the wheels as "silent but deadly," because now no one can hear me creeping during late night gaming seshes.
Sometimes it's just the little things that grab me the most.
Overall, I'm impressed by the Seenda. I wouldn't buy it for my full-time nose-to-the-grindstone gig, but for what it offers and at the price it's offered, the Seenda is great while I kill a few hours and a lot of bad guys on my Xbox. It's inexpensive, sturdy, and easy to clean – so I'm not worried when kids constantly play on it, spinning each other until they get sick. Touching my LiberNovo Omni chair, on the other hand, is a good way to catch a 360 no-scope.
Product page: Seenda at Walmart
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