Vertagear Racing Series S-Line SL4000 Gaming Chair Review

Overview

 

Today at pcG we are looking at the brand new Vertagear Racing Series S-Line SL4000 Gaming Chair. Now this is a first, something I can review whilst sitting on, surely it doesn’t get much better than that does it? Well, you can guess from that statement that we have not reviewed any Gaming chairs here at pcG yet, hopefully this will change as I do enjoy sitting on things (who doesn’t). Using the right chair for Gaming is obviously important, think about the amount of time you can end up sitting there during your long sessions. Also, how much do you want to spend, you could pay as little as £129.95 for an Arozzi Torretta XL Gaming Chair or up to £280.00 for a DXRacer, the high rollers out there might want to shell out £4799.99 for a MWELAB Emperor 1510 Gaming/Workstation Chair, but that’s just plain insane (can I get one ED?). Vertagear have produced a range of chairs in a more mid range price market with the Vertagear SL2000 at approximately £185.00, Vertagear SL4000 at approximately £215.00 and the Vertagear SL5000 coming in at approximatelt £230.00, so you can see there is price to suit your needs along with a Chair Selection tool to guide you to your best fit which can be found (here).

The chair that Vertagear has kindly sent us to review is the SL4000 which features; unparalleled level of comfort and adjustability, elegant exterior, premium padding, solid structure, tilting feature with adjustable resistance and locking system and soft-glide wheels.

The review will be based on the ease of construction, quality and comfort that the Vertagear chair offers from the moment the package is opened to the quality Gaming time I share with it. I have however sat on many high end (and low end) office chairs in my time, including the one I normally use, so I feel I have a good basis for my review and offer my subjective evaluation of the Vertagear SL4000, so, down to business…

 

 

 

The Vertagear SL4000 arrived at pcG in a huge cardboard box, well of course it did, were not expecting RAM sticks here are we. Now normally here at pcG we would moan about the poor packaging if this was how a product arrived, but due to the size of the item and the anticipation of what’s inside I think we will let it slide. But, back to the box, it was big as I have already stated, had plastic bands wrapped around it to keep it secure and was adorned with the Vertagear logo and name. That’s pretty much all you need to know about it.

 

 

On opening the box we are greeted with the sight of the main back part of the Vertagear chair which is wrapped in a branded plastic bag. After a layer of protective foam we get to the five legged aluminium alloy base section of the chair which is wrapped in bubble wrap. After another layer of foam we are now presented with the main seat and section with armrest already attached, this is also in a branded plastic bag. The lower section of the box also contains the neck support cushion, lumbar (back) support cushion and fittings box.

 

 

The first part that we remove is the back section of the Vertagear chair which is red and black on the front and entirely black on the back. The front is adorned with the ‘Vertagear’ word logo and the back with the embroidered ‘V’ logo. also, there are two large cutouts which are encased in plastic.

 

 

The side views of the Vertagear SL4000 gives us a good indication of the support it is offering us, from head support at the top to shoulder support just below that and finally lower back support at the bottom.

 

 

The five legged Aluminum Alloy base section looks a lot like a star fish, it is painted in matted black and feels very sturdy. The whole thing is one solid piece of metal which will surely benefit it when it comes to longevity.

 

 

The seat section is the heaviest part of the whole package, this is due to its steel frame. Thanks to Vertagear the armrest are attached which will save me some time and fuss during construction. The seat is red and black with a raised cushioned section at the front, there are also two metal plates at the back which will attach to the back section of the chair. The underside of the chair shows the strength and sturdiness of the Vertagear chair with the thick high tension straps sitting underneath the cushion and the steel frame ready to support the base plate, even the screws look hard core. 🙂

 

 

The design of the neck support cushion is red and black on the front with the black ‘V’ (short for Vertagear of course!) logo embroidered into it. The back is all black with an elastic strap going from one side to the other.

 

 

The next item is the lumbar support cushion for your back, this also has red and black design and is rectangular in shape, the ‘VERTAGEAR’ wording is embroidered into the front. The back is closed together with Velcro so you can get access to the foam inside and the are two length adjustable straps attached also.

 

 

The small fittings box contains a surprising amount of items which are as follows; assembly instructions, five Soft Glide wheels, seat lifting gas piston, three piece telescopic cover, seat base plate and tilt control, two plastic covers for the seat mechanism, two plastic covers for the seat support metal plates and finally three different size Allen Keys.

At the time of review, the Vertagear SL4000 is retailing at Overclockers UK for approximately £215.00 and comes with a 2 year warranty.

 

Specifications/Features

courtesy of Vertagear

 

Redefining gaming chairs, the SL-4000 brings unparalleled level of comfort and adjustability. Gamers spend hours each day in front of a computer, the new SL-4000’s high density padding and contoured backrest allows for an extremely comfortable gaming experience. Designed to give wide range of adjustability that gives gamers the best comfort and support in every gaming position for extended period of time. High backrest is designed to provide neck, shoulder and lumbar support.

Adjustable seat height
To prevent repetitive stress, having the correct ergonomic posture is important when seated for a longer time. Seat adjustability makes sure every type of user from different heights can adjust the chair to their unstressed posture. Good range of height adjustability to ensure you are at the optimum angle in relation to your desk.

Adjustable 4 point armrest
Cushioned and contoured to the shape of the arm with adjustability in 4 directions gives support to the gaming arm in every position and prevents repetitive stress.Ergonomically designed to provide support to the forearm, relieving muscle strain and fatigue from the shoulders and taking pressure of sensitive areas of the wrist.

Adjustable back
Features independent back angle option. An angle-adjustable backrest to help you adjust your sitting position throughout the course of your gaming experience (up to 170 degrees).

Elegant Exterior
The SL4000 is made of high quality PVC leather, which makes it extremely durable and gives the chair a luxurious look. This material is easy to clean and maintain due to it’s stain and water-resistant characteristics.

Premium Padding
The SL4000 padding is made of high densed resilient foam, which adds great support and seat comfort to the chair. The open-cell breathing structure, makes sure that heat arised from the human body temperature won’t get trapped inside. This gives great comfort to the user even when seated for extended period of time.

Solid Structure
The SL4000 is constructed from a steel frame that assures a solid structure. The aluminum alloy 5-star base keeps the chair solid, stable and lightweight. Assembled with a Class 4 gaslift, for better durability and ease of use. Our Class 4 Gas Lift has thicker walls to accommodate the higher pressure and stability.

Tilting feature with adjustable resistance and locking system
Our adjustable tilt tension mechanism allows you to increase or decrease the tension by easily turn the knob to match your body weight. This allows you to rock comfortably, without heavy pushing, reducing muscle fatigue.

Extra accessories
Additional neck support cushion and lumbar support cushion is included.

Soft-glide Wheels
Wheel is formulated for a quieter operation and greater resistance to foreign objects and debris.

 

Overall height (incl. base): 1280 – 1400 mm Width backrest (shoulder): 520 mm Width backrest (lumbar): 300 mm Width seat: 370 mm Depth seat: 530 mm Material(s): Steel (frame), High density resilient foam, PVC leather, Aluminum alloy (feet) Max. Load: 150 kg Colour: Red Model: VG-SL4000 Net Weight: 20 kg Gross Weight: 24 kg Package dimension: 880 x 400 x 680 mm

* Additional details available here

 

Construction

 

 

The construction of the Vertagear SL4000 is pretty straightforward and should only take you about ten or fifteen minutes. I would suggest to watch the video called “Vertagear Installation and Features” which I have included in the Specifications/Features section above. The included instructions are clear and concise but I found the video much more informative and very easy to follow, it also has a few pointers that are not in the paper instructions.

 

 

The first step was to attach the Soft-Glide wheels to the Aluminium Alloy base section, this is done by just pushing in each wheel connector into the hole on each of the five legs. They are attached very easily and I guess gravity will make sure they are in as much as they need to be when you sit on the chair eventually.

 

 

Next you need to unscrew four screws with washer and spring washer that are connected to the underside of the main chair section. Two of the screws are in the steel bar going across the underside towards the front of the chair, the other two are in the PVC Leather towards the rear. I personally like the idea that the screws are already attached, this means less parts to fiddle with and you know you are using the right screws for one.

Once this is done, line up the seat base plate with the four holes, making sure that the little arrow is pointing towards the front of the chair. The arrow is clearly pointed out (no pun intended) in the video, but not in the instructions.

Next using the appropriate Allen key reconnect the four screws, washers and spring washers, I did do this caddy-corner style to make sure that all four areas got the same amount of tightness.

 

 

As you can see from the above photos the base plate is now attached, note the little arrow (and big Tilt control dial) are towards the front of the chair.

 

 

The next step is to insert the seat lifting gas piston into the three assembled telescopic covers. Now before you insert the gas piston into the designated hole on the base plate please remember to remove the little red cap from the end. You can see the photo (above middle) still has the red cap on and the insertion photo above right is white (as the cap is removed). Once this little detail is done, insert the end into the base plate hole.

 

 

Hooray, you’re halfway there, turn the chair over and now you have a Vertagear Stool (no back, geddit?, well I thought it was funny!) 🙂

 

 

Now remove the four screws, washer and spring washer sets (two each side) from the chair back and put them to one side. Make sure the two metal connection plates are upright and then slide in the chair back lining up the screw holes to the plates. Pay attention the the instructions here and note that there is a ‘chair upright lever’ on the right hand side, if you push this then the metal connector plate on the right WILL spring forward removing one of your limbs (bit extreme I know). With the holes lined up, reattach the four screw/washer sets and you are almost done.

 

 

The last thing you need to do is attach the four plastic covers, two for the seat mechanism area and two for the seat support plate area. Each cover is fitted using a small silver screw, I did find lining up the seat support plate area screw with the designated hole a bit fiddly but I got there after a couple of minutes.

So, that’s it, you are all done, time to go and sit on your chair and enjoy the fruits of your labour as they say. Overall the assembly of the Vertagear SL4000 was very easy, the included paper instructions were clear and concise and the video was smart and enjoyable. I have built numerous office chairs and dining room chairs in the past come to think of it and trust me, this was ten times easier. Now for the fun part, testing…

 

First Impressions

 

 

The Vertagear SL4000 is built at last we can revel in all its glory, also, what is the first thing you want to do after building something? Yes, that’s right, sit down, and if you have just built a chair then your sorted aren’t you. My first impression of the Vertagear SL4000 was of the design, I knew I would like the red and black, but, it was the shape and the curves that brought that smile to my face. The red Vertagear SL4000 has the appearance (or reminds me of) a red and black hornet, thankfully though without a sting in its tail. 🙂

 

 

I am happy that the back of the Vertagear SL4000 is all black, I think this gives it a sense of class and avoids the chair getting overstated. Also, the straps for the extra cushions are also black, so everything blends together nicely.

You can see from the side view of the chair the amount of contours that are provided by shape of the Vertagear SL4000. The shoulder, lower back, outer thigh and in-between your legs are provided with support to make you feel as comfortable as possible during your Mammoth Gaming sessions.

 

 

The Vertagear SL4000 Does have a strong smell to it for the first couple of days, this is commonly know as Outgassing. All furniture and especially material adsorb or trap gassy smells from production and packaging and take a few days to expel these smells. I personally never find it a problem, but if you do then you can always put the chair outside (as long as it’s not raining of course) for a day and maybe this will speed up the process.

Overall I am more than happy with the looks of the chair and of course the ease of construction. The Vertagear SL4000 is a beautifully designed and realised chair and it has Gaming written all over it in my opinion. When your mates come round to see your Gaming Rig the first thing that is going to loosen their jaw is the sight of your Vertagear chair looming over your desk, it’s a centrepiece all right!

 

Hardware Performance

 

CHAIR ADJUSTMENT

 

 

The Vertagear SL4000 has all the adjustments that you would normally find on high end office chair. Please note that the tension for the forward/backwards rocking feature is determined by the large ‘Tilt Tension’ wheel (above left) which can be found towards the front underside of the chair. This wheel has arrows printed on it to show you which direction to turn it, this will make the tension tighter or looser depending on what you prefer.

The lever that controls the height of the Vertagear SL4000 is found on the lower right hand side (above middle), this also controls the ability to rock the chair forwards or backwards by locking or freeing the action.

The seat angle lever (above right) can be found on the right hand side towards the back of the chair. This lever has a strong spring controlling it so you do need to apply quite a bit of pressure with your back before lifting the lever and pushing the seat backwards.

The chair adjustments all worked well, I preferred a lower height to the Vertagear SL4000 with quite an upright back to the chair. The feature that I did find the most beneficial was the rocking motion, after a few hours Gaming this helped me to stretch my body and relax a bit (I could have stood up I guess, lazy me!). 🙂

 

ARMREST

 

The armrest are predominantly made of plastic and then a firm but malleable foam material for the part that you actually put your arms on. They are a little on the wobbly side and I guess this comes down to the fact that they have quite a lot of ‘Adjustability’ as Vertagear likes to call it. There are three ways in which you can change the style of the armrest (please see below).

 

 

The forward/backward armrest position button (above left) is located near the front, when pressed this will enable you to move the whole top section forwards or back to the original position.

The height adjustment button (above middle) can be found on the outside of the armrest, when pressing this button you can raise the top section approximately 90mm. I actually found that raising the armrest about halfway (50mm) gave me the most comfortable position to rest my arms between Gaming.

The angle button (above right) is found on the inside middle, when this is pressed you are able to swivel the armrest outwards or inwards on an angle. I found this button particularly pointless as the armrest seemed able to do this action very easily even without pressing the button.

All in all the armrest served the purpose they needed to, I played with all the adjustments and found that it was only the height option that I found useful to me, maybe if you have long or angled arms then the other two options will suit you. 🙂

 

COMFORT

 

 

The neck support cushion (above left) fits onto the chair by way of a thick elastic strap which is only visible from the back. The cushion gave me great neck relief, when I needed to think or just rest my head I could lean back, the lower part of my head was fully supported. For me this was an essential item on the Vertagear SL4000 as I do like to think a lot (careful Ed!).

It took me a while to get used to the Lumbar support cushion (above middle), I always felt like it was in the way. I checked online about the advantages of using one and decided I would try it out for a while. After a certain amount of Gaming I was happy I kept it on the Vertagear SL4000, I did not get the lower back ache I have experienced before when using chairs without this cushion. So, word of advice, use the Lumbar support cushion if you are going to be Gaming for any long period of time, it is for your benefit. This cushion is attached to the chair via two long adjustable straps which go under the seat back and loop around through the plastic seat cutouts.

There is also support for the shoulders and most noticeably on the sides of the chair where your upper outside thigh would sit. You can see in the photo (above right) the raised section on the Vertagear SL4000 seat, I found this area was ideal for leaning my legs against as I do like to sit with one leg under the other when I am Gaming.

Overall the Vertagear SL4000 was a very comfortable chair, I had the perfect height for my desk, the armrest were in an ideal position, and the back of the chair with the extra cushion gave me all the comfort I needed. The ‘High Densed Resilient Foam’ combined with the cooling PVC Leather made for an all round relaxing chair, nothing is worse than a long Gaming session and being all fidgety because the chair you are sitting on makes you feel uncomfortable. I can honestly say that the Vertagear SL400 will make you a better Gamer, the reason being is that you will miss sitting in it and thus spend more hours than normal playing Games, equaling of course… a better Gamer. 🙂

 

Final Thoughts

 

The Vertagear Racing Series S-Line SL4000 Gaming Chair is a superb chair to kick off our first review of this genre, it was easy to construct, well designed and damn right comfortable. I can honestly say that the next Gaming chair we review has got big shoes to fill…

The Vertagear SL4000 arrived at pcG in a very heavy mainly plain brown cardboard box. Now I am normally very finicky about packaging, I love a package that is well designed, strong, colourful and uses different textures. But, of course the Vertagear SL4000 box is the opposite of all this and we can put this down to size of course, I would have still liked a bit of design other than the black logos but to tell the truth I was so excited about what was inside I kinda glossed (texture!) over it. Once the box was opened We are immediately treated to the upright back section of the chair. It is a glory to behold, even in its branded poly bag. the next layer down we have the five legged Aluminium Alloy base section and below that the main seat part of the Vertagear SL4000. Also, we find the neck support cushion, Lumbar support cushion and fittings box at the bottom of the package. Everything is in a branded bag or bubble wrap with foam sheets between them to avoid damage. I would say that for a chair, this is a well packaged chair. 🙂

With all the components out of the box and free of their packaging we can now see what we have got to play with. Everything seems to be made of good material and of a strong quality, The PVC Leather does have a strong smell to it though and with a few days of Outgassing this aroma went completely. I was very happy to see so few parts in the box, chair back, seat section, five legged base, two types of cushions and the fittings box of course. The armrest for the chair are already fitted and the screws everything else are already in their place, ready to remove and refit without searching for the right ones. The fittings box contains everything else you need such as the instruction guide, Soft-Glide wheels, gas piston, seat support plate and plastic covers.

As far as the construction of the Vertagear SL4000 goes there is very little to complain about. The step by step instructions are very easy to follow, but, I would recommend that you also watch the “Vertagear Installation and Features” which is included above in the Specifications/Features section. This video is not only well put together but also has a couple of little pointers (such as the arrow on base plate) which are not covered in the paper instructions. The Vertagear SL4000 can be put together in under half an hour, probably ten or fifteen minutes if you are speedy. The base section is easy to put together as long as you make sure the arrow on the base plate is facing the correct way of course, also, connecting the back of the chair to the base is also very simple. The only niggle I had was the that the plastic covers that finish the whole chair off were a little flimsy and not the best fitting things in the world, with only one short little screw for each piece as well.

Once the Vertagear SL4000 was complete I was more than happy, I was glad I received the colour I did as it looks the business. Imagine a huge red and black angry Hornet morphed into a Gaming chair, that is what it looks like to me. The Vertagear SL4000 was an absolute gem to sit in, super comfortable, lots of adjustability and knowing in your mind that you are setting off your Gaming room with style. Vertagear have thought of most the things that you might want, tilt and rocking feature, adjustable height, reclining back, three way adjustable armrest and neck/Lumbar cushions for that final touch. All the time I was Gaming whilst using the Vertagear SL4000 I always felt more than comfortable, the chair had so many options for helping me to relax that I did not need to stand up and stretch anymore, all I need now is a built in fridge on the side. 🙂

The Vertagear SL4000 is a chair to complete your Gaming Rig, Gaming room and total Gaming experience, it will cost you a princely sum of £215.00, but it’s worth it! Unless you have a stand-up Gaming style (?) then think about how many hours you sit down doing what you love the most, that alone makes it priceless…

 

Verdict

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Many thanks to Vertagear for providing this sample for review