Sybr Gaming Chair review: Comfort and impeccable style in one

As much as I enjoy sitting down, having a job that involves you being at a desk either writing or gaming does mean you begin to ache. A sad and painful truth that worsens the older I get. This is why, when I was offered the chance to try out Sybr’s premium gaming chair, I was thrilled (as was my behind).

Prior to my upgraded experience, I had a comfortable but average gaming chair – it did the job it was meant to, but I still ached like I’d been sitting hunched up for the entire day. If it wasn’t my lower back in pain, it was the back of my upper thighs and buttocks; they’d become pressure points, constantly forced to maintain the same position every day, several hours at a time. Such was my frustration that I naively thought that this was just what avid gamers have to endure, without considering that those who game for a living might have better options available to them.

The Sybr Saffron has been created for maximum comfort, support, and design. It’s not an overstatement to say that this chair has been designed to deliver on all fronts, without skimping on the finishing details. It’s pointless to have a chair that looks incredible but is so firm you feel like you’re sitting on bricks. Equally, it’s also bad for you to sit on a ridiculously comfy chair that offers no lumbar support, essentially leaving you to bend like a pretzel, your spine screaming in agony because of it.

Now, I’ll be honest here: the Sybr Saffron, and its other luxury counterparts, are just that, a luxury. These are not cheap chairs. At £699, this isn’t going to be a Christmas gift that everyone rushes to buy. Yet, for all the money we spend on our beds and mattresses in an attempt to get an excellent night’s sleep, we neglect the other furniture we use; I’m guilty of this too. Being more expensive doesn’t always mean better, but there’s the old saying “You get what you pay for” for a reason, and, in this instance, you really do get your money’s worth.

This isn’t to say I don’t get achy if I sit for too long – I still need to move about every now and again, as we all should when sitting for long periods. Still, my comfort levels have vastly improved. But it isn’t just how comfortable I feel that’s deserving of praise, it’s the sheer effort, style, and planning that’s gone into this chair; it’s such an impressive yet simple design, the flash of yellow bringing a fun burst of colour to an effortlessly chic piece.

Sybr

It’s a striking silhouette. Clean edges and streamlined controls give it a sleek outline, with its air vents at the back acting as not only an eye-catching feature but also as a means to stay cool during gaming sessions. Speaking of the controls, these are placed beneath the seat, with a simple rotation taking you through the preset range for the ‘Harmonic Tilt’, aka its recline settings, on the left-hand side. The right-hand side controls also function via rotation, allowing you to adjust the seat’s height.

I love being able to set the recline in increments, with the ‘Harmonic Tilt’ following the movement of your body: when you lean back, the chair goes with you. It feels like it’s at one with you, helping you to transition and adjust support without the need for clunky, awkward levers. Another fantastic quality-of-life feature are the buttons that drop down the armrests: you can do the whole process one-handed, which, for someone who is far from nimble-fingered, it’s a godsend. When the armrests are down, you can get up close and personal with your desk without constantly banging into it, even during the most heated of gaming moments.

Also worthy of appreciation is how easy the chair is to put together. A QR code for the instructional video ensures you know exactly what goes where without having to throw the Allen key (which is included) across the room. Within less than 30 minutes, I had my chair together and ready to be placed inside the organised chaos of an office.

My only real criticism, bar the price, is the inability to adjust the height of the headrest. I’m quite short at only 5ft half an inch (that half matters), so I often find chairs are too tall for me to reap the benefits of their head support. Fortunately, I kept my old neck support cushion from my previous chair, which has come in handy for those prolonged periods of desk work. Still, it’s an overlooked feature that the Sybr should have paid attention to considering how premium these chairs are.

Of course, the Sybr is the first of its kind from Senator, so undoubtedly there are discoveries still to be made in regards to the needs of all gamers rather than a select few. What is more, the height issue isn’t a factor that will affect many people, as my height is below average even for a woman; I am part of a minority rather than the majority. Besides, it isn’t an issue that prevents me from using the chair, or that causes me discomfort. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t disclose this niggling design flaw.

Created for the gaming elite, I am honoured I get to use the Sybr Saffron daily. It’s improved my work day immeasurably, my lower back forever thankful now I don’t stick pillows behind me to try and gain some semblance of support. This is an impeccable gaming chair. The combination of Italian design and British build makes for one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture I own. But with such elegant engineering comes a hefty price tag that limits its appeal to the mass gaming market.

A Sybr Saffron review unit was provided to GAMINGbible, with the Sybr available from Sybroline.com.