With 45 years of experience making furniture, Senator has thrown its hat into the gaming chair market. But is this a logical expansion or a quick cash grab at a rising industry? Although comfy and robust, the Sybr Chair does have some caveats in it’s poor recline system, and its look doesn’t instantly scream gamer.
By far its biggest issue though, is its pricing. At £499, is this a revolutionary gaming chair with expertise from a never before seen angle? Or does Senator’s first venture into the gaming world spell game over?
Sybr Chair Si1: Price and Availability
This may have been an incredibly hard sell at £699, which it normally is but a recent Winter sale sees this at £499. Whilst this is a holiday slash, it’s still slightly on the pricey side.
For it, you do get a 5 year warranty, and with a company like Senator who are behind the Sybr Chair, who have 45 years in furniture making, I’m confident I’ll be sitting in the same chair for years to come. The chair itself is black with a few different colourways which are true (black), saffron (yellow), lava (red) and glacier (white).
Sybr Chair Si1: Design
The chair has 4 different recline settings and unlike most chairs where the recline locks in place, the Si1 doesn’t. Instead, the 4 different lock-in settings just stop how far back you can recline when forcibly leaning backwards.
This has to be by far, the most questionable feature in this chair. No adjustable recline does make for more upright sitting positions, which promotes great posture. But when gaming for long periods and wanting to slouch and go full goblin mode, the chair is like a nagging parent reminding you to sit up straight.
One great feature of the chair is that the arm rests are able to fold downwards. I’ve moved house a lot in the past year, and having a chair’s arms able to adapt to most tables and environments is so handy for when I need to get in close on the screen. A great chair for promoting posture and ruining eyesight.
The grill on the back of the chair also provides good ventilation. Even after prolonged use, I have found myself without that trademark sweaty gamer back, and even after spending many a long night rubbing up against this chair like an itchy bear with a tree, I did find the grill very handy. Never did the airspace between myself and the chair ever get uncomfortable but then again, maybe this is also because I’m reclining a lot less in the chair.
Aesthetically, the chair gives off more of a subtle gaming chair/office chair vibe — complete the slither of colour used sparingly to give you a design that can mesh well with a lot of room types. Now if you’re looking for something a little more brightly coloured and gamer branded then keep looking, but for a fit that’s sleek with a hint of gamer, this is great. I opted for the Saffron edition which is yellow and black and whilst yellow may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it fits into my room perfectly and continues to mesh well.
Sybr Chair Si1: Build
The build was surprisingly easy. The Sybr Chair boasts an easy built experience with 3 main pieces slotting together with a few accoutrements to go alongside. Out of the box the only form of paper instructions is a sheet with a QR code.
Scan it and a simple and clean video tutorial pops up, which I found pretty clear and easy to follow. In fact, the chair is so easily put together, I could have done it without any instructions. But I definitely recommend following the steps and at this hefty price point, I slightly expected the chair to build itself.
The building process took about 15 minutes, and some parts even fit together magnetically — making for a building experience that was fast but also felt sturdy and of quality.
Sybr Chair Si1: Comfort
It’s worth noting it doesn’t come with a neck or a lower back pillow. Personally, I’m not a big fan of these anyways, but it’s definitely worth mentioning for people who are accustomed to it.
The armrests are slightly shorter than I’m used to, which makes for achy forearms when I’m handheld or controller gaming for long periods of time. But in return, as I mentioned earlier, the armrests can fold downwards. It’s a great feature that I’m not sure is for better or worse as I’m having a shorter space to lay my elbows.
On one hand, it’s great to have a chair that is easily adaptable to a lot of different spaces — it’s a feature I can see coming from a company with 45 years experience making practical office furniture. On the other hand, my hands and forearms are suffering from less space and uncomfortable positions. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you’re part of the PC master race with keyboard and mouse gaming.
The decision for mesh is a good one as it adds to one of the best features of this chair — the soft, cushioned seat. A bouncy, firm yet plush foam feels great to slam your behind down into whenever you sit on it. It almost has a little springiness, which is great for comfort and should be nice for slightly larger people too with the seat being more round and curved-upwards.
I tend to not like seats that are curved-in as it makes me feel trapped and a little too much like I’m sinking into the chair with the sides constantly rubbing up against my thighs. With the Syber Chair, I didn’t have this problem at all.
Sybr Chair Si1: Verdict
The ergonomics of this chair are great for people wanting to foster better posture albeit in a strict and somewhat restrictive way. If you’re content with a gamer’s spine and need to occasionally lean back without being made to strain,then maybe this isn't the chair for you.
Otherwise, it’s comfortable, mesh, wide seat makes for a great seating experience in a chair that I don’t doubt will last for years to come.
