INTRODUCTION

   When out to get a brand new home/office chair it’s always important to know how you’ll go about using it (posture/hours per day) and so the current gaming vs ergonomic chair debate many people have can be easily decided (on a per person basis that is). For example, if you spend many hours per day typing and you care not about looks or if you happen to experience back pain an ergonomic chair could be the way to go. On the other hand, if you spend many hours playing games and you do care about looks a gaming chair is probably your best option. Personally, I used to only have gaming chairs in the office/lab but now I actually use a mix of both, gaming chairs on my two gaming rigs where I test peripherals and ergonomic chairs on my two test rigs where I test hardware components and type my reviews. Today’s review is about yet another gaming chair and specifically the YMIR by AQIRYS.

   AQIRYS is about IT products and hardware dedicated to gaming. Our solutions are developed and perfected by a passionate team with over 15 years of expertise in the IT & gaming industry, heavily focused on variety, quality, and affordability. We all are avid gamers, some of us even reaching pro levels. Top that with the excitement for PC modding and overclocking that was well established through our parent company about 13 years ago (the first company in our country to receive the NVIDIA SLI certification). The whole experience we amassed from gaming and crafting super high-end PC’s is now put to work in developing the AQIRYS products. Our final goal is to deliver these products in a cool, dynamic way to people who are keen or enthusiastic about PC gaming and modding, making them feel more satisfied than before. Welcome to AQIRYS! The galaxy of gaming tools that will lead you to victory!

   AQIRYS makes each of their gaming chairs in a specific color combination and so the YMIR comes only with a light grey and blue breathable fabric cover which also sports anti-stain and fire-resistant properties. Past the fabric cover we find high-density Polyurethane foam padding and a powder coated carbon steel frame for optimal durability. Other features include a class-4 gaslift (supports up to 160Kg total - 135Kg for user), 76mm nylon caster wheels, 76mm PU silent glide wheels, 3D armrests (adjustable height, orientation and position), 5-star metal base with plastic feet rest areas, height adjustable seat (47cm-57cm), removable neck/cervical and back/lumbar support pillows, backrest adjustment (up to 155 degrees) and tilt function up to 15 degrees. So, let’s see what the AQIRYS YMIR has to offer and whether or not it deserves a place in your home/office.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The YMIR arrived inside a large box that has a product picture at the front and rear along with their logo and the main product features.

Another product picture is placed on the left side right next to the main product features printed in 9 languages.

3 pictures placed on the right side are used to showcase the main product features and the size of the chair.

Once again, the chair and its bundle are all placed inside plastic bags and between sheets of foam.

The 5-stay aluminum base was at the top so it was the first thing to come out along with a thank you note by AQIRYS and the installation guide.

The multi-functional Z support mechanism was placed in its own separate cardboard box so that was next (unfortunately this part came scratched from the factory).

The thick seat was next and comes with both 3D armrests attached to it.

Next, we have the removable neck and back pillows followed by the five 75mm nylon wheels, 75mm PU silent glide wheels, class-4 gaslift, gaslift cover, assembly package, and the two plastic side covers.

Last out of the box was the 84mm tall backrest.

ASSEMBLY

As usual i started assembling the chair by attaching the 76mm nylon wheels to the 5 star base as seen above.

Next in line was the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover.

76mm for the wheels is the largest size out there (that I’ve seen anyways) and they do look nice.

The YMIR chair has plastic feet rests on the 5 star base, a feature that we don’t see a lot.

The seat is quite reinforced so aside the 4 steel bars it also sports 3 elastic bands.

3 Allen screws are used to secure each of the two 3D armrests.

Mounting the Z-support mechanism onto the seat requires using 4 Allen screws as seen above.

The two handles are also pre-attached onto the Z-support mechanism (not the case with some chairs).

Each side of the backrest has two round holes in the fabric cover complete with their Allen screws.

You will need to use these Allen screws to attach the backrest on the seat as seen above and then you will also need to place the plastic side covers over them followed by the two plastic caps.

With the main body of the chair assembled it's time to place it on the class-4 gaslift.

FINISHED LOOKS

The grey and blue (and black) color combination of the YMIR gaming chair is somewhat unique and so not everyone is bound to like it.

I found no issues with the stitching of the fabric cover and as for quality it’s quite good and seems durable enough (padding could be better however).

As expected, the AQIRYS logo is stitched at the top of the seat/backrest.

The height for the 3D armrests can be adjusted by roughly 9cm whereas the top can move forward, backwards, left, right and diagonally to suit your body type.

This is what the rear of the chair looks like (the company name is stitched at the rear top).

Both support pillows have the company name stitched onto them.

With a reclining function of 155 degrees the YMIR should be quite comfortable if you need to rest a bit between gaming sessions.

SCORE

Many of you recommended (including some manufacturers) that I place a chart pointing to the pros and cons of each gaming chair that finds its way to the lab. Now of course since there's really no way for me to "benchmark" gaming chairs i decided to rate them based on their size, comfort and quality after using each chair for at least one full week. Size and comfort usually go hand to hand (the larger the chair the more comfortable it usually is - that however also depends on the amount of padding and also the type and quality of the cover) while in terms of quality having tested dozens of models over the past years, i think i have a good idea about that as well. Of course, these scores are based on my personal opinion (always based on the samples i get – isolated/early sample issues are always possible) so do take them with a grain of salt.

CONCLUSION

   When I first looked at the YMIR online, I was intrigued, not just due to its color combination but also its design, especially that of its 5-star base (those feet rest are quite comfortable to use). It also looked like a rather large chair which as you can see from today’s review is quite accurate. Build quality is also good, not great since I did find some tiny quality issues on some of the parts but still these could easily be isolated to my sample. In terms of comfort the YMIR does well although I have to admit that it could do a lot better had AQIRYS used more padding for both the seat and the backrest (the stiffness of the fabric cover doesn’t do it any favours in that regard either – although this shouldn’t be an issue after 2-3 months of use). As for the two different types of 75mm wheels well this is not something we see in this industry and even though the nylon ones do look better the PU ones make gliding a lot easier.

   One of the drawbacks of AQIRYS products is general availability and even though you can current find the YMIR on their online store for 379.99Euros (Aqirys.com) delivery is still extremely restricted (and primarily just inside Romania). And then we have cost which of course is also an issue since 379.99Euros for this particular model is indeed more than what I’d expect. At the end of the day the YMIR is a good gaming chair, yes, it’s not about to blow you away with what it offers but it’s a solid product definitely worth your attention (especially if you happen to be living in Romania).

PROS

- Good Build Quality (Fabric / Steel Carbon Frame)
- Design
- Comfort
- Z Support Mechanism (Durability / Sturdiness)
- Large Size
- Features (Adjustable Height / 3D Adjustable Armrests / 15 Degrees Tilt Function / 155 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Head & Lower Back Removable Pillows

CONS

- Current Availability
- Price (For Some)
- Padding Amount