Boulies Master Series review: "Gaming setup and home office friendly"

Boulies may be relatively new to the game but it’s quickly established a name for itself. For instance, its Ninja Pro currently sits proudly atop our gaming chair power rankings, beating options from Secretlab, Razer, and Herman Miller. I’ve been sitting on one of the British brand’s staples, the Master Series. That impressive reputation means it arrives with big castors to fill.

Most of us will only need to look for a new gaming chair every few years, so when that time does eventually roll around it arrives with rather a lot of pressure on the decision. The list of the best gaming chairs is a good place to start, but with so many brands and so many options, the choice can be daunting.

Starting from $359.99/£289.99, the Boulies Master Series is a chunk cheaper than a lot of its rivals but still promises a familiar-looking feature set with all the expected mod cons. So something has to give, are we overpaying to sit elsewhere or is the Master Series cutting corners to compete?

Assembly

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I’ve put together a lot of gaming chairs recently, the Boulies Master Series is my fifth build in as many weeks so I’m starting to get the hang of it. Constructing the Master Series was an entirely unremarkable experience, which is nice in one sense and an indicator of where Boulies has managed to trim the price down in others. While the process was simple and a welcome change from the wrestling match of the AndaSeat Kaiser 4, it was noticeably less elegant overall compared to the Secretlab Titan Evo.

All the bits were there, they all fit together first time and there wasn’t a bolt out of place, but the Boulies Master Series lacked an initial wow factor in its presentation. The instructions were easy to follow but a little low quality, and where Secretlab delivers a neatly branded box of tools and extras - Boulies throw a crumpled blister packet somewhere in the box for you to fish out. Both approaches are equally valid and I ended up with a finished chair just as quickly in both cases but there was more of a special feeling with the Titan Evo that the Master Series lacked.

Design & Features

As is now the norm with gaming chairs, the Boulies Master Series has plenty of choice when it comes to size and aesthetics. I’ve been testing the larger Master Max which runs a couple of cm larger in all directions, though it’ll also run you around $60/£70 more as a result. Upholstery-wise, you’re able to choose between Ultraflex PU, Nappa Leather, and the water-repellent fabric my test unit is wrapped in.

Boulies makes a deliberate point to highlight the Master Series’ design as being both gaming setup and home office friendly and it’s hard to disagree. It’s a refined shape with reserved accents that look the business. The colour choices echo this, the four fabric swatches are muted pastels and even the most outlandish red Ultraflex PU option isn’t over the top. My chair is ‘Como’, which is just marketing speak for ‘Green’, whatever it’s called though it looks lovely. If you’re not brave enough to rock a subtle green chair there are two shades of grey and a Slate Blue option as well.

You wouldn’t know it just by looking at it, but Boulies has hidden a number of points of customization inside the simple silhouette of the Master Series. A couple of knobs on either side control the seemingly now industry-standard internal lumbar support panel and each turns with a gentle, audible click that’s more satisfying than it should be. There’s a near lay-flat amount of recline on offer (though has anyone ever actually used that?) and when you’re sitting upright you’ll find a good range of tilt and rock along with a nice amount of height adjustment too.

Performance

There’s nothing too outlandish about the overall shape of the Boulies Master Series so there are no surprises when it comes to the all-important sitting experience. It’s perfectly pleasant, in fact, I’ll take that a step further and say for both work and play, it’s actually really rather comfortable to sit on.

I found the Master Series slightly more comfortable for shorter sessions than the Secretlab Titan Evo - a chair that’s considerably more expensive. A lot of this is down to the Boulies Master Series’ main seat cushion which finds a nicer balance between soft and supportive - something we found in droves with the Boulies Ninja Pro. There’s enough give when you first sit down to feel like you’re being welcomed into the Master Series’ rounded bucket seat, but it’s still firm enough to look after your posture too. After a couple of minutes, I’d be hard-pressed to notice a real difference between them, but first impressions matter after all.

While I can’t fault the range of movement and customization the steel frame of the Boulies Master Series offers, it’s another area where you’re reminded of the chair’s more accessible price point. It’s all a bit noisy. The upholstery rubs on the frame in a couple of places making it squeak and groan whenever you move. I overcame this in one area by sliding a piece of paper between the side of the backrest and the bracket, but the source of the second squeak is still a mystery. Then there’s a clicking noise from within the base anytime you rock backwards. Which piece it’s coming from I’ve never managed to work out, but it’s irritating in an otherwise quiet office.

The 4D armrests do their job well with plenty of room for adjustment while remaining stable in all positions, though unfortunately the same can’t be said for the included head cushion. It’s plush and comfortable but Boulies has stuck with the now outdated elastic strap mounting option meaning it’s a little less refined and likes to fling itself on the floor at every opportunity. The backrest is more modern and more successful, two knobs allow for impressively fine control of the integrated lumbar support and while I’m generally not one for pronounced back bumps, I was able to dial in a comfortable position with ease.

Should you buy the Boulies Master Series Gaming Chair?

The Boulies Master Series gets the fundamentals right. This is a comfortable chair for both work and play with a seat that strikes a nice balance between cushioning and support, impressive lumbar adjustment, and refined styling.

While it may have skimped on some of the extra flourish of more expensive rivals on the list of best gaming chairs, the Master Series still delivers in the areas that matter most, and with pricing starting from $359.99/£289.99, this is an excellent middle-ground option.

How I tested the Boulies Master Series

I used the Boulies Master Max Series as my main chair for work, gaming, and streaming for a couple of weeks before this review was written. My unit arrived in the Como water-repellent fabric colorway and throughout testing, I tried each of the chair's customization options and features. I assembled the chair by myself and compared my experience closely with other seats I’ve built recently.

For more on how we test gaming chairs at 12DOVE, take a look at our hardware policy.

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