Vertagear vs Secretlab
We’ve Got Ourselves a Good Old Fashioned Sit-Off
Of the four major gaming chair companies operating Vertagear and Secret labs are the two major contenders, securing their reputation by making awesome chairs.
But how do they compare with one another? And more importantly, who makes the best gaming chairs?
Size
The largest chair in Secretlab‘s most recent lineup (2020) is a reworking of their flagship Titan series chair, and it’s more than earned its XL suffix. It comes with all the bells and whistles the standard Titan does, but it’s 25% larger in every way, suitable for gamers up 6 feet 8 inches and the core mechanisms are dual-reinforced to comfortably support weights up to just under the 400lbs mark.
Vertagear was a little quicker off the mark in supplying larger gamers with the correct chairs, releasing their PL6000 model just two years after the company was founded. The PL6000 measures 533mm from shoulder rest to shoulder rest and has a roomy 476mm lumbar support.
The official claim from Vertagear is that the PL6000 is chair enough to cradle up to 350kg and support cloud kicking games up to heights of 6 foot 8 inches, but there’s a little bit of twist. When assessed by an independently certified safety laboratory, conclusions were drawn eliciting the PL6000 could, at its very limits, support 440lbs. Still, though, we have to give this round to Secretlab as their official chair capacities are slightly more impressive.
Design
Before we get to what really makes each company’s chairs shine, let’s consider some symmetrizing aspects of design first. Commonalities include solid steel frames, lockable multi-tilt functions, class-4 gas hydraulics, and extra-large casters for smooth gliding. Vertagear does offer the same 4-dimensional armrests as Secretlab, but you’ll only find them on their PL series, whereas they come as standard on any 2020 Secretlab chair.
With the Titan’s 85°-160° reclinability, it’s more flexible than any Vertagear chair, and the built-in lumbar support – no cushions required – is easy to use and feels great. So, Secretlab definitely has an edge in terms of design.
The Triigger is a top of the line chair with a subtle office-friendly design. Don’t get us wrong, it still looks like some kind of hyper-futuristic exoskeleton. Some standout design features of the Triigger include hubless casters with rubber silencers, near-invincible 12.9-class screws, adjustable seat-depth, and multidirectional integrated lumbar support. It’ll set you back a clean $999, though.
Materials
Both companies are doing their best to provide a selection of color combinations and special edition prints. Secretlab has even collaborated with HBO to produce some awesome Game of Thrones-themed chairs, but for their standard products, they also offer a choice of three materials, a freedom Vertagear doesn’t afford you.
Vertagear’s go-to PUC fabric, a mix between PVC and PU faux-leather, is really good, and holy hell is it soft, but Secretlab’s proprietary PRIME 2.0 PU is way more durable, and if you want, you can opt for their soft-weave fabric or nappa leather.
As always, there are a few overlaps in this category, both companies using aluminum bases and PU casters, for example, but similarities aside, Secretlab collects another win. Their patented luxury cold-cure foam with strategic air pockets that keep you cool and offer extra support is far more innovative than Vertagear’s UPHR foam – as great as it is.
With that said, Secretlab does concede one textile point to Vertagear due to their awesome HygennX technology that utilizes coffee-infused fibers to prevent any unsavory build-ups of odors. We’d also like to give another special mention to Vertagear’s Triigger line that features supper breathable DuPont TPEE mesh and fine-grain calfskin.
Comfort
Vertagear certainly does a fine job of crafting some mega-cloudish chairs to help you undertake those long-scale gaming slogs. Their immensely clever PVC/PU combo material is both resilient and provides a soft feel, and if you sit on them for any extended amount of time, it becomes clear their ergonomics are on point. Moreover, the UPHR (Ultra Premium High Resiliency Foam) material they employ provides 62% more support per cubic foot than traditional HR foams, making their chairs a great choice for serious gamers.
Ultimately, though, for us, Secretlab claims this category as well. The choice of fabrics and their integrated lumbar support is truly unique and one of the most innovative developments in the short history of racer-style gaming chairs. Secretlab has also taken the padding game to new levels with their awesome cold-cure foam, and with the help of memory foam cushions with cooling gel linings, they make the comfiest gaming chairs on the market.
Verdict
If there’s anyone that truly knows about comfort, it’s real-time strategy game players.That’s probably a large reason two professional StarCraft players were able to conceive of and build Secretlab into what it is today in such a short amount of time. Due to their dedication, first-hand gaming experience, textile excellence, and refreshing approach to design, they emerge as our chair champions.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Vertagear’s accomplishments in regards to their Triigger series of chairs. They’re as high-end as they come, and we’re excited to see where they take the design in the future, but it wasn’t enough to steal the win.