Inleiding
Vertagear has released a good contender on the market when it comes to chairs. The chair has a quite premium/good feeling – with enough options, without having a premium price tag. What that premium price tag is, you can read right here!
Specificaties
Let’s start with the specifications!
Model: VG-SL5000
Colors: Black / Red / Blue / Green / White / Midnight Blue (For this review, i’ve used the Midnight Blue edition).
Max Load: 150 kg
Recommended Height: Up to 193 cm/6’3,98 feet and inches
Recommended Weight: Up to 120 kg/264.555 lbs
Materials: Steel (frame), UPHR Foam, PUC Leather, Aluminum Alloy (base)
Package Dimension: 83 x 72 x 37.5 cm
Overall height (incl. base): 1235-1335 mm
Backrest Width (shoulder): 490 mm
Backrest Width (lumbar): 520 mm
Seat Width: 575 mm
Seat Depth: 480 mm
Net Weight: 25.9 kg
Gross Weight: 30.6 kg
Unboxing
From Vertagear i’ve received 2 chairs:
– SL5000 – The chair you’re reading about right now!,
– PL6000 – Which i will review after this.
Vertagear took the time and care to neatly package the product to make sure it stays in pristine condition during transit.
The Vertagear SL5000 is being delivered as a small DIY kit, but no worries, you can use it in no-time.
The seat is made of fabric, the sides are made of some kind of synthetic leather, what exact kind…I will come back to that!
I have to admit that both the seat and the backrest look sharp when it comes to the color pattern.
The blue and yellow stitching match great with the black.
The backside of the chair is less exciting. There are big holes in the back, which protrude quite far. Why? Well for the RGB components of course! Yep! RGB in your chair! Still wondering who came up with that.. 😀
Also included is the following:
– Two pillows, one for your neck and the other for your back,
– One gas spring,
– A manual,
– A tilt mechanism,
– Five wheels
– Aluminium bottom part
– 4 screws and an interesting looking Alan/Hex key.
Something I think is less than ideal is the tilt mechanism. The PL6000 has a more advanced system. The SL5000 can only be locked in place in the default position, or letting it loose to recline. The chair can’t be locked mid-recline to the desired angle. That has room for improvement!
To illustrate, see the images below. You will always return to the default position of the chair, it’s impossible to recline and lock it.
On the plus side, the wheels that have been included make rolling around a pleasure – with great speed – against your furniture if you’re not careful. But I digress, the wheels are smooth and make moving a breeze.
Gas spring in the chair base and DO NOT forget to remove the red cap. I’ve made that once. And it’s quite a chore to get the seatrest off of the gas spring again. You’ve been warned! 🙂
Vertagear has provided an Alan/Hex key that outperforms rivals that include tools in their products. I recall Sharkoon once providing me with a key that was so long, that i couldn’t even turn it once due to it bashing against the frame. With the Vertagear one you can easily affix it and it’s a good key to add to your collection too!
The SL5000 already has the 4 screws on the bottom in place. Some of them were affixed a little too tight. The armrests are thankfully already in place.
If the tilt mechanism is in place, the gas spring can be placed on top of that.
The dial in the middle of the chair changes the resistance, which makes the chair recline rather easy or not depending on the level you’ve turned it.
The seat and backrest are fitted with a PUC Synthetic artificial leather. What does that mean exactly? Well..Vertagear describes it as follows:
PUC Combines the best attributes of Polyvinyl Chloride and Polyurethane artificial leather in one. The durability of PVC for daily use, whilst remaining comfortable and soft due to the PU artificial leather. Less maintenance, more durability without sacrificing comfort.
And it definitely makes a difference. The PUC feels firmer. Normal PU-leather has issues with durability and starts tearing due to the thinner fabric. I feel that this chair has a longer lifespan, however I’ve only been able to use this chair for a few months for this review, so a definitive conclusion is something that I can not give at this point of time. Of course it’s also dependent on how someone would use this chair. Shuffling often whilst wearing denim jeans or any other coarse material, or perhaps performing circus acts on the Vertagear SL5000 will surely have an impact on the material.
Not only has PUC been infused in the Vertagear SL5000, there’s also a fabric by the name of HygennX in play. From Vertagear themselves they describe it as follows: HygennX, from Vertagear, uses patented technology of grinded coffee nanotechnology in a breathing fabric to provide a natural solution to odour control included with a silver coated stitching to neutralise the growth of bacteria whilst it prolongs the durability and accessories. (roughly translated, welcome to the 21st century!).
The chair has 2 levers. One for elevation up and down with the gas spring and to lock the tilt mechanism. The other makes reclining possible on the backrest.
This area is where Vertagear shines brightly. The backrest has gaps on the side which slide perfectly into the frame on the seating. This helps tremendously and makes sure you don’t have to work with plastic caps on the side to cover up the screws. Well done Vertagear!
The SL5000 is equipped with a 4D-amrest so you can place them exactly where you need them to be.
Another huge benefit of the neckpillow is that it can be opened easily, to add more padding, or if need be, wash it.
A good look from behind.
The backrest can recline quite a bit. Please lock the tilt mechanism..Or else you’ll go backwards and you’ll be met with a lot of noise..
Differences with the PL6000
The main difference between the SL5000 and PL6000 courtesy of Vertagear, is that the PL6000 is considered its big brother. The backrest of the PL6000 is not only bigger, but also flatter on the sides of the backrest. The SL5000 protrudes more in that area.
Besides that, the seat of the PL6000 is bigger in width and length compared to the SL5000. The SL5000 has higher sides which sticks out.
Long story short, if you’re on the ‘bigger’ spectrum of anatomy, I’d choose the PL6000 over the SL5000. If the SL5000 seems like the best fit, this would definitely suffice for all your needs.
The PL6000 has a more advanced tilt mechanism which also adds more height, allowing it to be higher than the SL5000. So make sure to take a good look at the specifications of both chairs – but that counts for everything you want to purchase!
Last but certainly not least, the wheels. The PL6000’s wheels are bigger, and roll even easier than its little brother. Bigger wheels also means slightly more elevation of course.
Practical use
I’ve had both chairs for a few months and also used both daily. For years I’ve been using a chair from IKEA, which was alright, but far from ideal. If you look at the market today for what you can get for a little bit more, the difference is noticeable. And I won’t lie, chairs like these aren’t cheap, but neither is investing in your back! And that’s the circle of life.
As i was able to use both the SL5000 and the PL6000 i’ve been quite impressed with Vertagear’s chairs. It certainly feels different than other available brands, and the more flavours to choose from, the merrier!
Is it a good chair to play games on? Absolutely! Can you work on it? The answer is also yes. I’ve worked 9 hour days on these chairs, and at the end of the day I didn’t leave my desk looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. And I didn’t have a doubt that was going to be the case anyway!
What did surprise me, and it’s something I NEVER use, is the neckpillow, because usually it makes me feel like my head protrudes too far forward. I’ve used it from day one.
The neckpillow is firm, and feels absolutely fine. It’s been equipped with a kind of soft foam that makes your head/neck disappear into it like a cloud. And I can say the same for the back pillow, which can also be adjusted in height.
In the months I’ve had these chairs I did have trouble getting used to the bottom frame. Sometimes I love to kick my feet up on the desk, and lock the chair in place, halfway reclined so the weight doesn’t bear on my calves. That kind of relaxation isn’t feasible.
Conclusion
Vertagear was unknown to me until now. By sheer chance I came across someone from them at the last Tweakers Awards. (A reviewing website based in the Netherlands.)
And started talking to them about their products. It’s not a huge name in the market of chairs, whilst it deserves to be with the showcase of all their products. And that is something they prove with the Vertagear SL5000. It’s incredibly firm, and makes use of high quality products.
The PUC-leather did feel weird at first to me when I compared it to other brands. This type is considerably thicker compared to AKRacing or Arozzi chairs.
Vertagear is also quite the innovator in my opinion. Being able to easily slot the backrest on the bottom frame instead of having trouble affixing it like other brands, is progress in my book. And having the option to have a full RGB disco is just a cool extra feature. Something perfect for livestreams. And as everyone knows, the more RGB you have, the more skill you have as a gamer…Even though it’s in your chair this time around.. 😛
A huge pro is of course the 4D armrest. Being able to finely tune the exact position is a huge benefit. The backrest is also easily adjustable, which makes life easier too. Just watch out when you recline it fully during a lunch break or a pause when gaming, because falling asleep is easily doable… But, once again, don’t forget to lock the bottom frame, or a rude awakening awaits you..
Are there cons with the SL5000? Yes there are, the bottom frame would’ve really benefited from the larger wheels of the PL6000 – but I think you could even buy them separate and affix them to the chair. At home I have a fabric mat under my desk that I frequently Tokyo Drift over. And it’s quite annoying with the smaller wheels if I want to get on top of said mat.
However this shouldn’t be the issue if you have a plastic floor mat or anything else – I think…
Furthermore, the tilt mechanism isn’t as robust as I’d hoped. This system forces the chair to be lower than its big brother the PL6000, but tilting it is also less refined. There is an option to lock or tilt it backwards, but that pretty much sums up its features. During gaming sessions I’d love to rest my feet on the desk, controller in my hands and lock the chair, so the weight doesn’t rest on my calves.
So if you are of the “big boned” variety of human shapes, this chair might not be the best pick for you, the PL6000 however, might be the best fit. Unless you truly want to go for the RGB light shows…
The Vertagear SL5000 can be bought straight from the manufacturer for a price of 360 Euros. (USD etc.) If compared to let’s say the AKRacing Master Premium – Being sold for 389 Euros – at retailers (And 479 Euros at AKRacing itself) I think the SL5000 is definitely more bang for your buck.
And to reiterate, the tilt mechanism is a reason for me to take off 1 star out of the 5.
The Vertagear SL5000 Midnight Blue deserves 4 out of 5 stars. A good chair with a little ailment.
As for now, time to relax…Until the next review!
