INTRODUCTION

   If you're into cars and more specifically luxury ones (although that depends on the type of package) then you're probably aware that most if not all new models are fitted with leather seats that are both heated and cooled for use all year long regardless of season. Of course having heated and even cooled seats in a car can be very useful under extreme weather conditions but in a way the same can also be said about desk/office chairs especially since countless people spend many hours per day on them. For good or bad features like RGB lighting seem to be at the top of the to do list for most gaming chair manufacturers right now (not surprising since the same is true for the majority of gaming peripherals released in 2017 and 2018) but that doesn't really seem to be the case for Tt eSPORTS (at least not when it comes to gaming chairs) since they recently released the X COMFORT AIR model which we ended up using for almost the entire month of August.

   A division of Thermaltake Gaming, Tt eSPORTS is committed to bringing the most personalized and the highest quality gear for the most competitive cyber battles, and advances the idea of products designed by gamers for gamers. Tt eSPORTS has continually been a major driving force in inspiring, challenging, and taking to new heights eSports in the professional gaming industry; and currently sponsors a multitude of gaming teams and streamers from around the world by equipping them with the necessary gaming gears - keyboards, headsets, mice and accessories - to compete and succeed at the highest level at major eSport events such as: DreamHack, Insomnia, epic. LAN and the Intel Extreme Masters. Tt eSPORTS continually strives to promote eSports as a global phenomenon and to put it onto the world stage.

   As clearly revealed by its name the X COMFORT AIR (currently available in black and black and red) is largely based on the original X COMFORT Gaming Chair released by Tt eSPORTS in late 2016 and which also happens to be one of the highest quality models to reach our lab (at least to date). Now these two models are not exactly identical and the largest difference between them is the addition of four speed-adjustable (low 1530RPM/medium 3060RPM/high 5100RPM) automotive industry grade 60mm fans (5100RPM/21.3CFM/7.1mmH2O/32dBA) built into the seat which always according to Tt eSPORTS can reduce temperature by as much as 1.5 degrees Celsius (high speed setting). Other features of the X COMFORT AIR include a PVC faux leather cover, steel frame for optimal durability (22mm diameter steel), 75Kg/M3 shaping foam density (one of the strong selling points of the original), class-4 gaslift (supports up to 150Kg - upper chair body included), 75mm caster wheels, 4D armrests (adjustable height, orientation, position and distance from the chair), 5-star aluminum base, height adjustable seat (48cm-58cm), removable neck and back pillows (extra-large back pillow), backrest adjustment (up to 160 degrees) and up to 14 degrees tilt function.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like with past gaming chairs by Tt eSPORTS (Thermaltake) the X COMFORT AIR gaming chair arrived inside a very large and plain cardboard box.

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

First to get out of the box was the 5-star aluminum base followed by the rather thick backrest.

The two support pillows were next and as you can all see this time Tt eSPORTS has used a much larger (although not as thick) back support pillow.

Next were the five 75mm caster wheels, Allen key, two plastic side covers, installation instructions and a piece of paper showcasing the new cooling system.

The multi-functional Z support mechanism was placed in its own separate cardboard box right next to the class-4 gaslift and its cover.

Much like the original X COMFORT the seat of the X COMFORT AIR is not only thick but it also has both 4D armrests attached to it.

Finally in a second cardboard box we found the fan hub, metal hub mount, 4 cable holders and the wall power adapter with its 4 different plug types.

ASSEMBLY

Typically we started assembling the chair by attaching the 75mm caster wheels to the 5 star base as seen above.

Tt eSPORTS has once again used some of the largest caster wheels we've seen to date with a gaming chair.

Next we mounted the class-4 gaslift with its plastic cover.

The base of the seat is far more reinforced compared to the majority of gaming chairs out there currently.

Here we see four 3-pin cables coming from the fans, 4 Allen screws used to secure each 4D armrest, two holes for two of the fans and two green elastic bands for increased support.

The fan hub can be used with up to four 3-pin fans and also doubles as a speed controller.

Mounting onto the chair is very easy just secure the hub on the metal piece and then attach it underneath the seat via the two Allen screws as seen above.

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

Each side of the backrest has two Allen screws and an opening in the faux PVC leather.

Of course you will need to use these 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.

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

FINISHED LOOKS

The X COMFORT AIR may not look exactly like the original X COMFORT when assembled but it looks just as good.

Thermaltake has once again placed their logo ontop of the chair.

Now although the quality of both the PVC leather and its stitching is very good we feel it's just a tad lower than that of the original X-COMFORT (in the case of the seat this is probably due to the 4 fans and their ability to push air).

The height for the 4D armrests can be height adjusted from 29cm all the way up to 37.5cm.

The top end of the 4D armrests can move forward, backwards, left, right and diagonally to suit your body type.

Once the two support pillows are placed on the chair you can see just how large the back one is (of course both have the Thermaltake logo on them).

Exactly like the original X COMFORT you may not be able to drop the backrest a full 180 degrees like some other models (160 degrees max for this one) but thanks to the Z support mechanism the chair feels a lot more robust when you are taking a quick nap.

This is what the rear of the chair looks like (as you may have noticed we forgot to place the left plastic cover).

The location of the fan hub/speed controller may not be the most optimal one but it's very easy to reach.

As you can all see from the above picture the wall power adapter and more specifically its cable looks a bit out of place (luckily Tt eSPORTS has placed the cord inside a spiral binding for increased protection).

SCORE

Many of you recommended (including some manufacturers) that we place a chart pointing to the pros and cons of each gaming chair we test. Now of course since there's really no way for us to "benchmark" gaming chairs we 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 - also depends on the amount of padding) while in terms of quality having tested dozens of models over the past years we think we have a good idea about that as well. Of course these scores are based on our personal opinions (including with the samples we get – isolated/early sample issues are always possible) so do take them with a grain of salt.

CONCLUSION

   The concept of having a cooled (and why not even heated) desk/office chair is certainly something new in the gaming industry (perhaps in the entire chair industry as a whole) so when Tt eSPORTS announced the new X COMFORT AIR model we were all very curious as to how they had managed to implement that feature. Unfortunately although the 4 automotive industry grade fans do make a difference (perhaps even more than 1.5 degrees Celsius when time goes by – it certainly felt like more - at high speed these fans are somewhat audible so do keep that in mind) the fact that they need to be wall powered somewhat complicates things. Sure most people have power strips in their offices and rooms so plugging the X COMFORT AIR into one of them shouldn’t be hard but the extra-long cord with its protection could easily get in your way (not to mention it looks out of place). Granted if this particular feature interests you and you’d like to have it in your desk/office chair I imagine this will not be of much concern to you but it could matter to some people and that’s why we’re pointing it out. Build quality is very high and almost as high as the original X COMFORT but as we pointed out in our review Tt eSPORTS had to make some slight compromises in the quality of the seat in order for the 4 fans to efficiently push air upwards so the lack of carbon-like PVC in most areas is quite evident in the X COMFORT AIR model.

   Due to its high build quality, features and superior foam density the original X COMFORT Gaming Chair by Tt eSPORTS didn’t come cheap and the same is true for the X COMFORT AIR model since it currently retails for USD499.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 459.68Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Now if I had to choose between the original X COMFORT and the new X COMFORT AIR I’d probably go with the former since build quality is just a tad more important to me (which is natural since I spend well over 10 hours per day in front of my test rigs) than a cooling system. On the other hand however I know many people who the moment I mentioned the 4 fans asked for more details and 2 who actually went out and got the X COMFORT AIR after letting them sit on it while in the lab (and I’ve yet to hear a single complaint by them). At the end of the day it all comes down to your needs so if you’d like a high-quality gaming chair for home/office use and a cooling system sounds like something you’d like then you can’t go wrong with the X COMFORT AIR which is why just like its predecessor it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality (PVC Leather / Steel Frame)
- Elegant Design
- Superior Comfort (75Kg/M3 Foam Density)
- Z Support Mechanism (Durability / Sturdiness)
- Size (Among The Largest In The Market Today)
- Features (4 Automotive Grade Cooling Fans /Adjustable Height / 4D Adjustable Armrests / 14 Degrees Tilt Function / 160 Degrees Backrest Adjustment)
- Head & Lower Back Removable Pillows (Extra Large Back Pillow)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Limited Carbon Like PVC Areas (Compared To The Original X COMFORT)