Nitro Concepts E200 Race Chair Review

Back in June, we took a look at the Epic Real Leather gaming chair from noblechairs. While we deemed it worthy of an award, it comes with a hefty £450 price tag. What if you want a decent, racer-style chair without breaking the bank? Priced at £167.99, that is where the Nitro Concepts E200 Race-series chair comes in. £170 still may sound a fair bit of money for a gaming-style chair - but for a properly comfy and good-quality office chair, you can often spend hundreds more. In the great scheme of things, under £170 is decent for a chair like the E200. It does do away with some features common to more luxurious chairs to meet the lower price point, though - as there is no ability to recline, nor are there adjustable armrests. Still, a chair is a chair so let us dive right in. Features 100% vegan PU faux leather cover Comfortable cold foam upholstery Distinctive design armrests in black Safety class 4 gas lift Top-notch tilt mechanism up to 15° 50 mm casters in black Materials used Frame: Steel Five-star base: Nylon Upholstery: Cold foam (new) Cover: PU faux leather Casters: Nylon with PU coating Specifications Main colour: Black Accent colour: Black Measurements: Total height (with base): ca. 122 - 132 cm Height adjustability: ca. 47 - 57 cm Width backrest (shoulder level): ca. 53 cm Width backrest (pelvis level): ca. 50.5 cm Width backrest (point of contact): ca. 29 cm Length backrest: ca. 79 cm Width seat (total): ca. 51 cm Width seat (point of contact): ca. 39 cm Depth seat (total): ca. 49 cm Depth seat (point of contact): ca. 47 cm Width armrests: ca. 5.7 cm Depth armrests: ca. 39 cm Rocking mechanism: max. 15° Maximum weight (user): 120 kg Net weight (chair): ca. 17 kg Gross weight (chair): ca. 19.5 kg UK Fire safety compliance: BS 5852 The Nitro Concepts E200 Race chair ships unassembled in a hefty brown box. I will now walk you through the build process - spoiler alert, it's a doddle. First things first, you need to push the chair's wheels into the five-star base. Next, it is the simple task of pushing the lift bar into place. After that, the gas lift needs to be screwed in to the base seat. This is simply done with the supplied screws and Allen key. Then, the backrest is screwed on to the same bracket as the gas lift - again using just four screws. The armrests then screw in on the sides, and the unsightly screw holes are covered up with little rubber circles. Finally, just slot the gas lift into the lift bar and you have a fully assembled, gaming-ready chair. I must say the assembly process is an absolute breeze. The instructions are clear, everything is supplied in the box, and I had no issues with screws not lining up or anything similar. So far so good for the E200.Before diving into the comfort of the Nitro Concepts E200 Race, I must say chairs are a personal matter and are very subjective. What I find comfy and convenient might be horrible for you. As such, I can only describe and review the chair as I find it - so please bear that in mind. First, it is worth mentioning the limitations of the E200 chair. While not exactly a 'budget' racing chair, it is positioned towards the more basic end of the spectrum. For a start, you cannot recline the chair. It does have a tilt functionality, where the chair will tilt backwards up to 15 degrees if you lean back against it. However, you cannot lock the chair in a reclined position. Whether or not that is a problem is another matter - personally when I am sitting at my desk, I like to be as upright as I can be at all times, simply for my posture. If you do require the ability to lock a chair in a reclined position, though, the E200 is likely not for you. Secondly, the armrests are also locked in place. Fancier chairs have adjustable armrests which can slide back and forwards until you find the optimal position. Not so with the E200 - the armrests screw on and that is that. However, they do a good job, despite the one-size-fits-all approach. They are made of sturdy stuff and there is definitely no flex when you put weight on them. With those features (or lack of) out of the way, I can say the actual sitting experience is excellent. To my mind, Nitro Concepts have clearly kept things simple to make sure the E200 is a pleasure to actually sit on. After all, it is no good having adjustable this, that or the other if the actual chair is uncomfortable. For one, the base seat is the perfect compromise of firmness and softness. After more than two weeks of use it is not giving way under my weight, nor is it giving me a numb bottom from being too hard. Being just shy of 6-feet tall, the backrest height of 79cm is pretty spot-on, too. If I lean fully back against it, the headrest finishes about halfway up my skull, but it still provides plenty of support. However, I do not tend to use headrests as I sit, so it is essentially a moot point from my perspective but may be important to you. Being faux-leather, I was initially unsure about the actual quality of the chair's covering, but after using it, my fears have been allayed. It is clearly not genuine leather, but I do not get too hot when sitting on the E200 for long periods of time, nor do I find the faux-leather to look tacky or cheap. Finally, the E200 offers full 360-degree swivel functionality, while the height of the chair can be adjusted by around 50cm. All-in-all, I think Nitro Concepts have done an excellent job with the E200 Race chair. It is clearly not the most expensive racing-style chair money can buy - as made evident by its seemingly lacking set of features - but what it is, is a very comfortable chair. The focus has clearly gone into just making sure the E200 is a pleasure to use - and I can certainly say that it is. You can currently pick up the E200 Race in a variety of colours from OverclockersUK HERE. All the options are priced at £167.99, except the black/carbon model which is £174.99. For the money you get a good-looking, very comfortable chair. Discuss on our Facebook page HERE. Pros Lovely to sit on. Very easy build process. The all-black model looks very clean and sleek. Relatively affordable. Cons Lacks some features compared with more expensive chairs. KitGuru says: While it does not have the feature set to compete with pricier racing-style chairs, the E200 Race from Nitro Concepts offers good looks, great comfort and an easy build process, all for a decent price.