Gaming chairs are not a dime a dozen. Some are unequivocally more comfortable and ergonomic than others. A poorly-designed gaming chair can wreak havoc on your back and arms, especially when you spend 30% or more of your day sitting in front of a computer or console. Good thing that’s not the case with DX Racer’s Air Mesh gaming chair.
DX Racer’s Air Mesh gaming chair is bar none the best gaming chair I’ve ever had. It’s so comfortable I want one for every room of my house.
Maybe that’s because I’ve had the same chair in my home office (where I’ve been working for almost two years now) since 2005. Or others I’ve reviewed I wasn’t terribly impressed by. But it’s more likely because DX Racer’s $499 Air Mesh is just plain cool — and in more ways than one.
DX Racer Air Mesh Gaming Chair Review: Air Apparent
Unboxing and Assembly
Though it may seem unimportant on the surface, good packaging goes a long way. It’s something I’ve talked about before with gaming mice and something worth mentioning again here. The Air Mesh is safely packaged in a way that mitigates damage during shipping, with each part safely wrapped in plastic wrap and separated from one another with foam. There are few things worse than spending money on a piece of furniture only to have it arrive damaged.
On top of that, there’s also a sturdy, compartmented box that contains some of the more vulnerable pieces and a handled, two-ended Allen wrench (thank you, thank you for providing a tool with a handle).
With everything out of the box and unwrapped, assembly is quick and easy. The manual includes instructions for two chair variations, which is a little odd, but once you understand what’s going on, it’s clear and easy to follow.
Besides removing mention of another chair, future iterations should also highlight that some of the needed nuts and bolts are already connected to the chair. Shipping the Air Mesh with its arms already attached to the back is something I actually prefer over separate packages or bags for parts, but I did spend a few minutes looking through the packaging to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
Outside of that, it took me about 15 minutes or so to assemble the entire chair. You’ll probably need a second person to help you attach the back to the seat, but otherwise, it’s a one-person job.
Design
The Air Mesh sports a somewhat understated design and aside from the headrest and a few other minor flourishes, it more resembles an office chair than a gaming chair. That could be good or bad depending on your inclinations, but I tend to find it a positive design choice, especially for a home office since it doesn’t stand out too much. It’s less ostentatious than DX Racer’s Gladiator series, for example.
From the top down, the headrest is completely adjustable, with four different height settings. The apparatus itself attaches to the back of the chair with four threaded knobs. The memory foam head pillow with “Air” written on it attaches to the headrest on a plastic, adjustable track and is kept in place with a plastic stop.
The entire back of the chair is malleable, yet tough mesh that allows air to flow from behind and beneath the chair. An adjustable lumbar support slides on a plastic track and has a number of customizable positions with a 15 cm range. Completing the back are the hard plastic edges that don’t scuff or scratch easily and can be cleaned in a jiffy.
The seat is similarly well-made, featuring the same breathable mesh as the back, as well as the same hard plastic and metal chassis. The 4D armrests are fully adjustable forward/backward, from side to side, and up and down, as you’d expect, and the tops are soft plastic with foam underneath with the metal arms themselves covered in hard plastic.
There is also a metal lever on the right side allowing you to lean the chair back and lock it into place. The usual levers underneath for locking the function and lower/raising the chair are here too and well machined for easy gripping. Beneath those is a large knob that adds or removes tension to dial in the force needed to rock the chair back and forth.
The 5-star base is made of metal, which is a nice touch over the plastic designs found in other chairs, helping it withstand accidental hits when rolling around.
Finally, the Air Mesh comes in four colors/color combinations: black, grey and pink, white and cyan, white and red, and the soon-to-be-available yellow, red, and blue. All of them, perhaps aside from the yellow, red, and blue (yow!), look good and should pair perfectly with any gaming setup.
The only thing to keep in mind is how dirty the white material for the backs of these other variations could get, something I can’t speak to since I have not tried or reviewed those versions.
Comfort
Everything about DX Racer’s Air Mesh is comfortable, you just have to dial some of it in.
The 4D arms provide great support. My elbows would get sore and my forearms tired in my previous chair, as well as in other gaming chairs I’ve tested for long periods of time. There’s none of that here thanks to the padding and moveability. I have found that the arms are somewhat easy to knock out of place, though, even without pushing the buttons. I’ve had to reset them several times and even if that’s an easy process, it’s really something I shouldn’t have to do.
The contour of the seat provides a snug fit for your rump while also giving the back of your thighs nice support, distributing weight across the front of the seat. The design also features spring suspension that makes it firm but bouncy enough to work without padding that could otherwise wear unevenly or tear.
The same can be said of the backrest, which employs an identical design, buttressed by the lumbar support. It’s important to note that the Air Mesh really wants you to sit up straight, no slouching allowed. Otherwise, the lumbar might feel a tad uncomfortable even with adjustments.
For those long gaming sessions, the breathable mesh works wonders, allowing air to flow through the chair front to back and eliminating the possibility of sticky-back syndrome possible in other hard-back chairs or those with foam support. On the flip side, the memory foam used in the headrest provides a malleable cushion that feels almost like a pillow whether your head is turned to one side or facing straight ahead.
If you’re wanting to relax even more between tasks or lay back and watch a movie, the Air Mesh can also recline upwards of 135 degrees. With the rocking function fully engaged, laying all the way back feels fantastic, with the design almost feeling like a nice hammock. Without the rocking function fully engaged, well, all of that goes out the window. The Air Mesh morphs into a rigid reflection of itself and sinks to its lowest point.
Aside from that, the only other true negative I can identify with the Air Mesh is that when the chair is completely upright, rocking isn’t viable. Even with the least amount of tension applied, it requires far too much force to rock the chair back even a little bit — the only positive is that your calves will get a serious workout. But even with the chair reclined one notch, rocking is fluid and soothing.
DX Racer Air Mesh Gaming Chair Review — The Bottom Line
Pros
- Mesh backing keeps the back and bottom cool to eliminate sweating
- 4D armrests provide numerous ergonomic options
- Adjustable lumbar provides fantastic support
- Memory foam headrest
- Sturdy design
- Easy assembly
Cons
- Uncomfortable laid back without rocking engaged
- Almost impossible to rock with seat in fully upright position
- Mesh can take getting used to and can be too cold for some
- 4D arms can get knocked out of position easier than I’d like
Outside of a few grievances, the DX Racer Air Mesh gaming chair is well worth the $499 asking price. It may not be comfortable in every configuration, but it’s comfortable in 99% of them.
It’s built well and provides natural airflow through its mesh design, perfect for long gaming sessions in warm areas and hot rooms. It’s also perfect for those who mix work and play, functioning as both a gaming chair and an office chair in equal measure.
[Note: DX Racer provided the Air Mesh gaming chair used for this review.]
