It’s really easy to underestimate the importance of a good chair. Many manufacturers, especially in the gaming domain, focus too much on the aesthetics and neglect the importance of comfort and health. Work or play, we spend an increasing amount of time being seated and since that’s the case – why not make that experience as healthy and as comfortable as possible? In that regard, there are a few chair companies that consistently deliver on all fronts and one of them is SecretLab. My behind already had the pleasure of sitting in their Omega 2018 model which was already an end-all-be-all chair in many aspects and this time I decided to check out their 2020 Titan model. So let’s see if that one is also worthy of its name.
SecretLab Titan 2020 is available for purchase on the Secretlab website. Also don’t miss our our review of Omega 2018 series!
SPECIFICATIONS
Before diving deeper into the specifications, I must mention how easy the chair was to assemble. Secretlab provides you with very clear instructions and all the necessary pieces and tools neatly packaged in a small accessory box. It took me a mere 15 minutes to do so since the wheels are easily inserted by hand, the screw covers are magnetic and all the big segments are easily aligned with no issues.
Fit for a wide array of shapes and sizes
Whereas Omega falls into the medium-sized chair category, Titan is noticeably larger and can easily fit anyone up to 200 cm tall and 130 kg in weight. With that said, the backrest itself is 85 cm tall, so the chair will be most comfortable for people under 190 cm since those over that height will be missing out on the ability to rest their head which could significantly reduce their comfort level.
People on the larger side of the spectrum should also take note of Titan’s racing-inspired backrest curves. Even though the backrest is 57 cm wide at its widest point, around 40 cm of that is usable for your back before the side curves start to get a bit too aggressive.
Racing inspired backrest curves with carbon fiber texture
As you might expect, other segments of the chair are highly customizable and allow you to easily set each of them to best suit your size and sitting position. The seat can be adjusted to be anywhere from 47 to 57 cm from the floor, the chair can tilt or be locked in place, the backrest can recline, and the armrests allow for 4D movement. This means you can adjust their height, move them left or right, forward or backward, and even put them at an inward or outward angle. All of this ensures Titan will be a good fit for many and will allow them to always find the optimal seating position with absolutely no problems.
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
Seeing as my previous experience with Secretlab was with the Omega SoftWeave fabric model, I was eager to check the quality of their improved leather on the new Titan. Secretlab is calling it Prime 2.0 polyurethane leather and its fantastic quality is apparent even during the unboxing. Compared to some other chairs I’ve used, the upholstery is insanely smooth, tightly fitted, expertly stitched together, and feels amazingly sturdy. It’s no wonder since SecretLab says it’s rated for 200,000 abrasion tests which places it at the very top of the industry in terms of durability.
Titan is meticulously designed down to the most minute detail
The premium, sturdy build isn’t limited to the leather, however. Every segment of the Titan 2020 feels a cut above your run-of-the-mill gaming or office chair. I already mentioned the magnetic screw covers but then there are a fully aluminum wheelbase, metal armrest mechanism with a chrome finish, and the leather-coated armrests themselves. Once assembled, you’ll get absolutely no creaking or other sounds since the hydraulics, tilting, recline, and armrest mechanisms are easy and smooth to operate. It’s visible that no corner was cut in the chair’s construction in terms of materials which are further spiced up with some great attention to detail.
In that regard, I must mention that the color combination used on the Titan Stealth variant looks absolutely great. The black leather, red stitching, and gold branding are further boosted by the excellent addition of carbon fiber texturing on the sides of the backrest and the seat. The branding itself is rather tastefully displayed across the chair and while it veers on the gaming side of things, it’s still a perfectly okay chair to use even in an office environment.
Titan is packed with small yet beautiful details
The front of the backrest features the embroidered Titan logo with the Secretlab branding above that, and to the side, you have the subtle model designation. The back of the backrest features much the same, except this time you have the full name of the chair model which is also written on the seat itself. Some of the more subtle details are the SecretLab logos embossed on the armrests and the plastic segments on either side of the chair.
COMFORT
Getting the comfort part of a chair right is tricky business. Going too soft or too hard on the padding means you’re bound not to be sitting in an optimal, healthy position and it can also negatively affect the durability of the chair. Luckily, Titan 2020 uses just the right amount of cold-cure foam, making the chair both comfortable and highly supportive. Predictably, the chair is most padded on the seat, and the sides while the backrest is a bit more firm in order to support the natural spine curvature.
Lumbar support mechanism instead of the lumbar pillow
One standout feature is that you can adjust how supportive you want the chair to be in the spinal lumbar area. This is done via a small knob on the right side of the chair which makes the internal mechanism push on the inside of the lower backrest. It can make the lumbar area go from being almost completely flat to significantly more arched to give you some leeway in finding that perfect supporting position.
It’s only unfortunate that this mechanism made SecretLab decide not to include one of their awesome lumbar pillows which would increase the already significant comfort level of the chair. Luckily, they do ship it with a headrest pillow which feels amazing. The awesome comfort of the dense memory foam is further boosted by the noticeably cool layer of cooling gel which makes their pillows really a cut above anything the competition offers in that regard.
Secretlab really has some of the best chair pillows
The armrests are the area of the chair that features the least padding but I find that perfectly understandable. Highly cushioned, leather armrests have a tendency to quickly wear down due to constant elbow and hand grinding. That’s not to say that the armrests on the Titan aren’t comfortable because they actually are, maybe even a bit more than on some of the competitor chairs like Noble. The fully metal mechanism makes them exceptionally stable and jitter-free and the polyurethane coating provides a nice bit of texture to prevent accidental slip offs.
TRULY TITANIC
After using the Titan 2020 for around a month, I truly can’t find anything bad to say about it no matter how hard I try. This is truly a milestone in design, build quality, and comfort and in my opinion, SecretLab could run with it for a long time, simply offering new special design variants here and there. As you might expect, such excellent quality doesn’t come cheap and the $450 price tag is probably the only thing that could make you take a step back and consider cheaper alternatives. Ultimately, however, buying a SecretLab chair feels like a long-term investment cause it will probably last you a lifetime while giving you the best possible, absolutely premium sitting experience. Titan is, in that regard, truly worthy of its name.
