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There has no doubt been a huge influx of gaming chairs in SA over the past year. Ever since the DX Racer range released there are quite a number of new brands on the market. I use a DX Racer every day but I also reviewed the Vertagear SL 2000 a few months ago and loved it. The most recent one is the Cougar Armor Gaming Chair, a new range from the PC brand that slides in between the Vertagear and the DX range in price and in comfort as it does a great job at delivering some good cushion. While it does not beat the premium feel of the DX Racer at all, it provides a good value for money when looking for a gaming chair that looks and feels great.
First off, while I say it is affordable it is not really as all gaming chairs are expensive. Saying that however, you pay for quality and the Cougar Armor Chair gives you that. So far my time with a gaming chair has never been disappointing to the point where I am happy with the quality and comfort of the asking price. For R3.999 the Cougar Gaming Chair is not bad at all as it makes it a mid-level chair and supports 120Kgs, has a wide hip gap and the overall build quality, made of PVC leather, feels great and sturdy.
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You can sit on any chair that is not a gaming chair and it will not provide the comfort that you find on a gaming version. It is just made better and more comfortable than a standard office chair. I would never dream of going back to a standard office chair in my life after switching to a gaming chair. They are also made to provide lumbar support and take long-term sitting into consideration so it remains more comfortable for long periods of time. The Cougar Armor Chair does just that as I would never be able to sit for hours on end in a standard chair as I did in this chair. Sure, I got up every now and then because my Apple Watch told me to, but in general, a gaming session was much more comfortable than I expected it to be.
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The chair arrived already assembled so I cannot tell you how the process went but if it is anything like the DX and Vertagear then chances are it was an easy setup. The chair only comes in a black and orange build that matches Cougar's general colour palette of the brand. If you want a different colour then maybe look at a different brand but I feel that the orange works and looks great with the black. The chair has more black around than orange when you look at it as the orange has been worked into the finer details like the trims and the Cougar logo. This gives it a more subtle colour scheme than other chairs on the market for sure.
The PVC leather that wraps around the chair delivers a soft touch with a durable design too and best of all is that it is breathable. This cuts down the heat on the chair especially now that we are in summer, there are wet spots due to the excessive heat built up and those rage moments when you get all hot and flustered in a match. The material stays comfortable without an issue at all.
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The seat on the Armor is huge, pretty much as wide as the top of the range DX model, so it was impressive to see this in a chair at the fraction of the cost. This will help give you comfort if you have wide hips. The Armor seat rises off the ground quite high but pretty much standard for gaming chairs on the market and even with my very long legs (I am 192cm), I was high enough to feel well-positioned. Apparently, there are models that go higher made just for tall people but I would not pay more just because I am tall. I also felt that being tall, the chair's long backrest was perfect for comfort and even at the highest raised level I was comfortable and my feet were flat on the ground. Lastly, the cushion is also soft and combined with the lumbar support it manages to offer a great level of comfort. I do have to say that the cushion still does not beat the DX Racer I use on a daily basis as that is like sitting on a cloud. The Cougar is still a bit hard compared to it but will be enough to keep your seating comfortable as long as you need.
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The back support is sturdy and huge compared to others on the market and I was impressed by the hardness of it. The support also goes down a whole 180-degrees so there is that option to sleep in it if you want to. Leaning back in the chair while the back was locked into place felt like it was locked
My only issue with the chair is that its smaller details feel cheap compared to others on the market. The wheels are plastic compared to the metal on the DX Racer and so is the chair support at the bottom. It is the most crucial piece of the chair so I do worry that it might wear and tear after a while, especially the wheels that you are moving around the whole time. While the plastic is hard, it is still plastic and it could crack.
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I loved the Cougar Armor Chair and my time with it was comfortable and delivered a smooth gaming session without back pain or discomfort. At the asking price of R3,999, you cannot go wrong as it not only feels like its price tag but it also looks like it too. The Cougar Armor is a great chair with great value for money.
The Cougar Armor Gaming Chair was sent to us by Cougar SA for a loan period and retails for R3,999
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