Secretlab Titan Evo review

The Secretlab Titan Evo is still the best gaming chair for the price

Reviews
By
last updated
Secretlab Titan Evo 2022
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Secretlab)

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Secretlab Titan Evo is one of the best gaming chairs available. Not only is it well-built and exceedingly comfortable, but it also comes in multiple sizes and materials that accommodate all buyers equally.

Pros

  • +

    Feature-packed

  • +

    Very comfortable

  • +

    Superb build quality

  • +

    Top-tier headrest pillow

Cons

  • -

    Takes time to break in seat

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Jump to:

The Secretlab Titan Evo series is one of the best options in the upper range of gaming chairs, sporting fantastic build quality and comfort at a price that might shock your wallet. If you're willing to spend good money for a high-end product though, this is probably the best bang for your buck.

Our Secretlab Titan Evo review will help you decide if this is the best gaming chair for you, especially if you’re after a premium gaming chair that’s built to last.

Secretlab Titan Evo review: Price and availability

The Secretlab Titan Evo series starts at $569 for the Small or Regular sizes with a leatherette finish, but bumping up to the XL size adds an extra $50 to the tag, while opting for the softweave fabric version adds an extra $20. Meanwhile, going with NAPA leather can even push things up to around $1,000, though it's unlikely that most folks will have a need for that.

Since the Secretlab Titan Evo is all about customizing it to your liking, the chair is available exclusively on the Secretlab website. There, you can choose between a wide variety of colors or take a look at special editions of the chair based on popular esports teams and video games.

The Secretlab Titan Evo's closest competition in quality would probably be something like the Razer Fujin Pro — which admittedly may blend in a little better in an office setting, if that's your goal — but that'd be pushing things into the ultra-premium price range. 

Secretlab Titan Evo review: Design, comfort, and safety

The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022's seat, arms and headrest pillow

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

From a visual standpoint, most folks know what they're getting with a Secretlab chair, but that's a good thing. Since the beloved company knows exactly how to make a chair that’s immediately recognizable, there's no denying that this refresh of the Titan Evo is a sleek and attractive choice with all of the standard branding on the front and back alongside bold accents in just the right places. 

This is an exceptionally comfortable and feature-packed chair suited equally for gaming or work. That first point comes with a minor caveat, however: the seat itself can feel a bit firm at first and can take anywhere from a few days to a week before the foam begins to adapt to how you sit. But rest assured that once it does, there are few chairs on the market that can compete with this level of comfort.

The latest Secretlab Titan Evo series sports a selection of improvements over the previous model of this popular entry in the company's lineup, bringing a lot of modern updates that have become standard in other premium offerings. Most of these are minor quality-of-life upgrades that the average buyer may not even notice, such as better materials, grippier lumbar knobs, and shorter hydraulics. While these alone probably aren't worth upgrading from an older version of the chair, some of the more substantial changes are much appreciated.

A closeup shot of the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022's headrest pillow

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

My favorite of the more noticeable additions is the unbelievably soft memory foam headrest pillow that is a joy to lay your head on. I'm a sucker for a good headrest pillow, and this is far and away the most comfortable one I've encountered across all of the premium brands I've tested over the years. It attaches with a magnet, too, making it easy to adjust on the fly.

A rear shot of the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022's backrest

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Brand-new swappable armrest cushions and a 4-way adjustable lumbar support round out the major feature refreshes on the latest version of the Secretlab Titan Evo. I'm not sure I would say that the lumbar support here is the absolute best I've encountered in the premium market, but it's still miles ahead of most of the competition. The important part is that, once I found a setting I liked, I immediately noticed that it compelled me to sit up straighter and work on my posture. I dig that.

Secretlab Titan Evo review: What’s adjustable

The assembly and adjustment instructions for the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Secretlab Titan Evo comes packed with basically all of the adjustability most players will be looking for in a gaming chair. There's not really anything significant missing in its feature set, which makes sense given how pricey it can be.

You can recline the seat up to 165 degrees for some relaxation while gaming or watching TV, which gives you an opportunity to enjoy the soft and supportive headrest pillow. The pillow attaches magnetically, so it's easy to realign or remove it altogether if needed.

The L-ADAPT Lumbar Support System provides 57% more back coverage than the previous model, allowing you to use knobs on each side of the chair to help you get perfect back support. As stated above, this may not be the very best in the business, but it's pretty close, and it's a cinch to adjust any time you reposition.

The 4D armrests can be adjusted in or out and up or down to ensure they're either supporting you perfectly or out of your way altogether. But more exciting is that the new CloudSwap tech allows you to easily pop off the armrests' foam cushions and replace them with other materials. There are multiple options to choose from at the time of purchase (or after), including a gorgeous PlushCell version ($79) that is wrapped in soft-touch velour and feels delightfully luxurious.

Secretlab Titan Evo review: Assembly

Unboxing the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Secretlab Titan Evo's unboxing experience screams premium, too. Each piece of the chair is placed inside some type of premium padding or plastic that makes unwrapping it all a pleasure, and the included instructions are as clear and straightforward as it gets. There's a slight chemical smell at first — common in most gaming chairs due to the materials used — but it shouldn't linger more than a day or two.

Assembling the Secretlab Titan Evo is a quick and easy affair, as it sports all of the high-end accommodations we've all come to expect. My favorite of these modern assembly  conveniences is the bracket on the side of the seat that slides onto the seat pan and holds it in place while you screw it all together. This alone vastly improves solo construction. 

I had the Secretlab Titan Evo unboxed and fully assembled in about half an hour and never needed to request assistance. It was among the easier chairs I've put together in the past few months, and those new to chair assembly will find this to be an especially excellent choice.

Secretlab Titan Evo review: Verdict

The Secretlab Titan Evo is one of the best gaming chairs you can purchase today, and that's reflected in its high asking price. But if you've got the budget for it, you can't really go wrong with its wonderfully comfortable seat, tons of premium features, and plenty of size and color options to choose from.

Billy Givens
Billy Givens

Billy Givens is a journalist with nearly two decades of experience in editing and writing across a wide variety of topics. He focuses particularly on games coverage for Tom's Guide and other sites including From Gamers Magazine, Retroware, Game Rant and TechRaptor. He's also written for self-improvement sites such as Lifehack and produced in-depth analyses on subjects such as health, psychology and entertainment.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • A concerned citizen
    1. the seat rocks forward and back at whatever angle of tilt you have it, there is no positive locking.

    2. the armrests rattle as they are so loose in the way they slide/rotate due to their 'adaptability'.

    3. My ironing board has more padding than this chair. It is solid like sitting on one plank of plywood with another up your back.

    4. The back is so solid you don't feel the so-called lumbar support, which is advertised as going up and down and in and out, to get any benefit from it.

    5. I got a back ache and butt ache after 2 hours. As i said it's like sitting on a couple of pieces of plywood.

    So, please anyone reading this, do not buy any Secretlab chairs for gaming. Gaming is meant to be pleasurable, and these chairs make it not so. Get yourself a proper office chair made from real leather and with butt and back padding that you can have an all-night session on your favourite game. You'll probably find one for half the Secretlab price, be more comfortable, and have the money saved to add something great to your gaming rig.
    Reply
  • Brian Swanson
    Another major concern with this item is the durability of the fabric on the arms. It doesn't hold up to the flexing through the padding and cracks and tears. The replacement cost of just a set of arms is a fifth of the cost of the chair. They know these items are poorly made and they use it as a revenue source instead of fixing the problem or offering an affordable replacement. Expect to pay as much as an average gaming chair for any parts or accessories you may want over the initial cost. Look over the accessory and replacement part costs before you make your purchase and expect to buy new arms at least every couple of years.

    The reviews on this product website are cherry picked by the site and are only from newly purchased products. They have a warranty incentive for good reviews and only post the ones they like.

    Customer service is responsive, but not often helpful. For instance, they claim the arms are a hygiene item and cannot be returned if the outer plastic wrapping on the cardboard box they are packaged in has been removed. This is an absurd excuse, even if you accept the premise that the chair arms are a hygiene item, just about every retailer that sells hygiene items accepts returns.

    Their website is obsolete; they don't have tracking on what you've purchased on your profile. If you buy a product from them, you need to know exactly what you bought or you may end up with the wrong accessories/parts. If you do, don't expect them to allow a return.

    Final thoughts, the platform they build the chair on is top notch. The base is solid and will last you years into the future. The rest of the chair however is more cheaply constructed. The seat is rock hard, the arms are loose, and prone to peeling, and the accessories are extravagantly expensive.
    Reply