Secretlab Recliner review: "No small price to pay for an add-on"

I’ve been testing the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner Add-On for the last few months. Like all of this brand’s products, it’s easy to see there’s been a lot of care taken during its creation. After all, it can’t be easy designing an accessory for not only your flagship chair, but also for older models, and products that might be released in the future.

I have to be honest. When it comes to the best gaming chairs, I don’t usually go for options with a folding-out recliner attached to them. These chairs are fairly easy to find, but I’ve never seen their appeal. When I’m using a gaming chair, I want to make the most of its ergonomic posture support, and I rarely want to kick back and be further away from my mouse, keypad, or indeed my display.

On the other hand, I’m a big supporter of any brand that wants to supply its consumers with more options, and thus more ways to use its products. I just hope those consumers who do like the sound of a reclining desk chair are happy to pay for it on top of what is already one of the priciest seats on the market. $199/£159 is no small price to pay for an add-on, and I’m not sure I’d be willing to fork out for it.

Design & Features

As is the case for any Secretlab product, practicality was a strong point of reference during the creation of the recliner. Assembly is very easy, and not just because the clear instructions included in the box make it so. This is an add-on that’s been lovingly crafted to sing in harmony with the Secretlab Titan Evo, or indeed the newer Titan Evo Lite. At the same time, 2020’s Titan Omega can join the song too, and it doesn’t matter what type of upholstery or colorway you own.

To install, you need only tip your gaming chair onto its back and remove the adjustability levers on either side. For the Titan Evo, you then have to apply some rubberized guards over the Steel frame on the bottom of the chair and hook the Recliner’s legs onto them. Then lock the safety levers down, and attach all your levers again. If you’re using an older chair, you may need to move your armrests out to a wider position, but it really is a quick and easy installation.

The cushion of the Recliner add-on uses the brand’s PlushCell Memory Foam, covered in a velvety soft material. The reclining angle goes from 0° to 80° and, unlike the Titan Evo’s armrests, it has free reign to slide into any position along that spectrum, it doesn’t lock into fixed positions along the way.

The Recliner is controlled by a singular lever that sits directly to your right when you’re seated. Pull it, and a small pneumatic gas spring smoothly fires the recliner out at the back of your legs, immediately lifting them off the ground. If you let go of the lever, the recliner will lock into place, and it isn’t until you pull the lever again that you can fold it back down with a firm hamstring curl. Secretlab’s co-founder told me during an interview, that a lot of care was taken to ensure folding it away wouldn’t take too much strength. I’d be interested to see if that’s the case for the majority of buyers - it’s definitely something my girlfriend remarked on when she gave it a try.

Performance

As I said at the beginning of this review, I’m not the sort of person who would choose an office or gaming chair with a recliner, so take my negative criticism with that in mind. Even so, there are a few reasons that really make me hesitant to recommend this particular recliner.

Firstly, I’m a fan of plush cushioning in gaming chairs, hence why I’m such a fan of the now-discontinued Boulies Ninja Pro. The Titan Evo, rather famously, has much firmer cushioning both in its seat, and its backrest. This much is known, and its creators proudly stand behind that thanks to the ergonomic studies they have done. Regardless of studies, I think ergonomics changes from person to person, and no one chair will be perfect for all preferences and somatotypes. For me, the Titan Evo is just a little bit too firm to be my top pick, and the folks at Secretlab and I happily disagree on that with no bad blood (they really are a lovely bunch of people).

When I use the recliner, which has that beautifully soft PlushCell Memory Foam inside it, it only exaggerates to me just how firm the rest of the chair feels. Not only that but any numb feelings I get in my tailbone when sitting on the Titan Evo after a few hours working at my desk are amplified when my legs aren’t securing me to the ground. Having the anchor point of your feet on the ground when sitting in a gaming chair is really important because you’re distributing weight. Pick your feet off the ground, and you’ll put more pressure on your lower back, and more weight onto your rear end.

Don’t get me wrong, it can be nice to have the option to kick my feet up when I’m playing a first-person shooter on PC. Having another position to switch to if you spend countless hours at a desk is nice, and I’m sure Secretlab’s clever designs will have a more comforting impact on other people. PlushCell cushioning does mean that there’s no pressure or pain put on your lower legs, and it really is a very comfortable add-on.

There’s another problem I found, however. Depending on what clothes you wear and what material your Secretlab chair is made of, the Recliner can sometimes mean that you start to slide down into a deeper sitting position as a pull is created on your lower legs. This is fine if you want to relax a bit more, but what isn’t okay is that you’re being pulled out of the optimum ergonomic position. Lumbar support won’t be helping you in the same way, and if you sit like this for too long, you may end up with more aches and pains. This was a problem I brought up to the team at Secretlab, and they took my feedback on board, even going so far as to supply me with an extra lumbar cushion to try and counter the issue. That didn’t work, sadly, and in some instances actually made things worse. It’s one reason I really began to love the Fractal Refine, which has a seat base that can slide forward when you want to adopt a deeper sitting position.

If I was going to pay over $100/£100 for a Recliner Add-On, I’d want it to really kick my feet up, but this doesn’t really do that. I understand designing a one-size-fits-all peripheral for existing and future products can’t be easy, but other chairs utilize recliners that can slide out, as well as fold up and down. That makes them more versatile because you’re still accommodated if you have longer legs. I’m by no means a tall man, but even at just under 6ft, Secretlab’s Recliner only scoops up my calves, making my knees bend, but never fully straighten. I’d probably use the Recliner more if it could extend out further, and spread the comfort to my feet as opposed to my legs.

Should you buy the Secretlab Recliner Add-On?

The Recliner Add-On isn’t really for me. It isn’t what I’d choose for ergonomic reasons, but then again, I probably wouldn’t choose one anyway. I can still appreciate that Secretlab is trying to make its suite of products more versatile for its customers. Giving people more options to sit comfortably during work and play is a great thing, and the premium build quality and easy assembly are a testament to that.

I do think the price of $199/£159 is a bit steep for an add-on though. I’m a big supporter of this brand’s premium feel, great build quality, and easy assembly processes, and I understand that those things don’t come cheap. That said, there are much more affordable options in the gaming chair space, many of which have caught up to Secretlab’s caliber. In fact, you can buy full gaming chairs with recliners pre-attached for less than the cost of this Recliner Add-On.

If you have the budget, and you want more from your current Secretlab chair, the Recliner is a nice option. Unfortunately, it’s not really one I’d choose.

How I tested the Secretlab Recliner Add-On

I was offered the chance to be a beta tester for Secretlab’s latest add-on, the Ergonomic Recliner. That means that before this review, I’d been using the Recliner on a Secretlab Titan Evo for around two months. During that time, I had access to a pre-launch model, which I got my girlfriend to install on the chair to test just how easy it would be for people without a lot of gaming chair assembly experience. I also tested the final product which I installed on the seat myself.

I used the Recliner in many different positions, hoisting my legs up at a slew of angles to find potential comfort and pain points. For more on how we test gaming chairs, check out the full 12DOVE Hardware Policy.

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