NeueChair by Secretlab Review

For the past few years, Secretlab has reigned supreme in the gaming chair market. The NeueChair is Secretlab’s entry into the ergonomic office chair space. But with established giants in the industry, such as Herman Miller and Steelcase, how do they stack up?

In this NeueChair review, we’ll be taking a deep dive into everything this ergonomic chair has to offer. We’ll be taking a look at factors such as design, build quality, ergonomics, comfort, adjustability, and much more to help you decide if the NeueChair is right for you. 

NeueChair Review Highlights:

Don’t have time to read the review? No worries! Here is a brief summary of some of the key points I liked and didn’t like about the chair after testing it for over a month. 

What We Liked

• Classy Design
• Solid Build Quality
• Tons of Adjustability Options
• Easy Access to Adjustment Tabs Underneath Armrests

What We Didn’t Like

• Headrest not Included
• Lumbar Support Too Aggressive for Some
• Mesh Started to Sag After a Month of Use

NeueChair Review: Specifications & Features

• NeueMesh 3-Layer Mesh Material
• Tilt and Recline Mechanism
• Seat Pan Adjustment
• Adjustable Lumbar Support
• Adjustable Headrest (Not Included)

NeueChair Review: Our Insights

Now, let’s jump into my actual review of the NeueChair. After thoroughly testing this chair for about one month as my main chair, here are my thoughts. I have broken this review into several categories that I feel are important considerations when choosing the best gaming chair for you. 

Build Quality

One of the most important factors to consider when purchasing an office chair is the build quality. Since you’ll likely be sitting in your chair for hours every single day, you’ll want to make sure that it’s built well-using premium to ensure that it lasts for years. This is especially important if you’re a heavier individual, as the chair will need to be able to support your weight. 

From my experience with NeueChair, I found that it was built extremely well for the price point. It uses a solid frame with aluminum and high-quality plastic. At first glance, it reminded me a lot of a Herman Miller Aeron, which is one of the best-built chairs available today. 

In general, I think that the chair definitely competes with other chairs in it’s price point in terms of materials and build quality.

That said, I did have some complaints in certain areas such as the mesh that started to sag a bit after a month and some of the plastic tabs for the adjustability controls getting stuck. I’ll elaborate more on this in the points below.

Aesthetics

Now, the aesthetics of a chair are subjective, but I definitely think it’s something I should point out in this review. Secretlab is known for their stunning chair design, and it’s obvious that they spent a lot of time making this chair look different from the standard, boring office chair. 

I think this chair has a modern, classy design for a mesh chair with the silver aluminum frame on the backrest, which contrasts the black plastic of the rest of the frame. Again, this chair reminds me of a Herman Miller Aeron, only with a more modern twist.

I feel like it would look great in any setup whether it’s your home office or gaming setup. 

Ergonomics

Now, let’s talk about ergonomics. This is an ergonomic office chair after all.

Unlike Secretlab’s other gaming chairs that have a strong emphasis on being able to lounge and game upright, the NeueChair is definitely more suited for people sitting upright at their computer.

The design of the chair is much more ergonomic than a gaming chair, almost forcing you to sit in a proper position without slouching, due to the aggressive lumbar support. Whenever I started to slouch, I noticed the lumbar support actually dig into my back, which basically forced me to sit with better posture. 

Overall, I think this chair does exactly what an ergonomic office chair is meant for. If you’re going to be primarily sitting in this chair to do work or hardcore PC gaming, then this chair could be a good fit for you. That said, if you’re someone who wants to lounge in the chair, recline all the way back, or sit fully cross-legged, then you should probably check out the Secretlab Titan Evo instead. 

Adjustability

When it comes to adjustability, this is where the NeueChair really shines. The NeueChair has more adjustment options than office chairs that cost twice as much as is. 

This chair comes with height adjustment, seat pan adjustment, lumbar support height, and depth adjustment tilt and reclines with tension and locking mechanism, armrest height and angle adjustments, and more.

The NeueChair really allows you to fine-tune the adjustments to meet your specific needs.

My favorite part about the adjustability of this chair is how accessible the adjustment levers are while seated. The most common adjustment options that you’ll be using are the height adjustment and the backrest tilt. These can be controlled with two hand levers underneath each of the armrests, which means you won’t need to reach under the chair at all.

Aside from that, you can also adjust the height and depth of the lumbar support while seated by reaching for the buttons located at the side of the chair. 

I feel like being able to adjust the chair while seated is an overlooked feature by most brands and I wish every office chair manufacture would implement something like this. 

Comfort (Seat, Back, and Arm)

Now let’s talk about arguably the most important factor when it comes to choosing an office chair; comfort.

How comfortable a chair really boils down to personal preference, but I’ll do my best to be as objective as I can, breaking down how features feel based on how they were implemented, the materials used, and more to help give you an idea of what you can expect. 

When evaluating the comfort of a chair, I like to look at several different factors including the seat, backrest, armrests, and headrest. 

Seat Comfort

First, let’s talk about how comfortable the seat is since this is where the majority of your weight will be. 

The NeueChair uses their 3-Layer NeueMesh material. I found the mesh to be significantly higher quality than most budget mesh chairs, such as the Staples Hyken. It has a nice bounce to it. 

When I first sat on this chair, the first thing that came to mind was that it felt similar to a Herman Miller Aeron. This is definitely a good thing since the Aeron is the gold standard when it comes to mesh office chairs and their pellicle mesh is best in class. The fact that the NeueChair can emulate this feel while being half the price of an Aeron is quite the feat. 

In terms of the size of the seat, I feel like this chair is really meant for small to medium-sized individuals. While you can adjust the seat pan depth, I still felt like I wanted to extend it farther than it would let me, despite only being 5’7”. 

One thing that I did like about this mesh chair is that the seat is relatively open. Most mesh chairs, like the Aeron, have a pronounced plastic frame that is used to wrap the mesh around. And while that does exist on NeueChair, I feel like the frame of the chair is out of the way and I don’t feel it on my legs.

Overall, I found the seat very comfortable and supportive. My only concern is that I experienced a bit of sagging, which is pretty common on cheaper mesh office chairs. I’ve only been using the chair for about one month, so I would not expect the chair to start sagging yet. This begs the question of how long this chair will fair after years of use, especially if you’re a heavier individual. 

Back Comfort

I feel like the back comfort for this chair will be either hit or miss depending on your personal preferences. 

The first thing I noticed when I sat in this chair is just how aggressive the lumbar support feels against your back. The NeueChair does allow you to adjust this by either moving the back of the seat forwards or backward. However, after moving the back of the seat all the way back, I still felt that the lumbar support was a bit too pronounced. 

Personally, I don’t mind having aggressive lumbar support, since I am used to sitting in a Herman Miller Aeron. However, when I had a few other people test the chair, they found it unpleasant since the lumbar support really digs into your back. 

Another point  I want to mention in regards to back comfort, is the fact this chair has an excellent recline and tilt lock mechanism. This is great for those of you who want to be able to lay back in your chair to watch a movie or listen to music. While it doesn’t recline quite as far as a racing style gaming chair, it definitely reclines back farther than most ergonomic office chairs I’ve tested. 

Considering the NeueChair is a subsidiary of Secretlab, it makes sense that this would be a feature. In my opinion, the NeueChair is almost like a hybrid between a gaming chair and an ergonomic office chair. 

Arm Comfort

Moving onto the armrest comfort of the chair, I think the NeueChair does a decent job. The armrests are covered with a soft rubber material that feels good on your forearms. In my opinion, the feel is on par with most other gaming chairs on the market, but not quite as good as some higher end ergonomic chairs from Herman Miller and Steelcase. 

In terms of adjustment options on the armrests themselves, I found them a bit lacking compared to other chairs on the market. Unlike many gaming chairs and high-end ergonomic chairs that offer 4D adjustments, the NeueChair only allows you to adjust the height and rotation angle of the armrests. 

In addition, I found the mechanism used to raise the armrests quite cumbersome to deal with. You can raise the armrests simply by lifting them up. Then, once they reach the highest point, you can slide them back down. I found it quite difficult to get the armrests to the exact height I wanted and even more difficult to get the height of both armrests to match.

Aside from that, there’s not too much to talk about in terms of armrest comfort. They do the job. 

Headrest Comfort

Now, let’s talk about the headrest of the chair. For starters, this headrest is not included in the price of the chair. If you want the headrest, it’s going to cost you an extra $100 dollars, pushing the total price of the chair up there with some of the higher-end ergonomic office chairs, such as the Ergohuman, Sidiz T80, and X Chair. 

As for the headrest itself, I found it to be pretty good compared to other mid-range office chairs that include a headrest. 

Installation was quick and simple, with all of the tools provided in the packaging. 

In terms of comfort, I found the headrest to be pretty comfortable, despite not being someone who typically uses a headrest to begin with. It has various adjustment options for height and depth, which makes it good for people with different preferences. Some people like the headrest to support the back of their head when they’re sitting upright or leaning back. Others like to keep the headrest lower to cradle the back of the neck. Either position works well with the NeueChair headrest. 

I found the build quality of the headrest to be on par with the rest of the chair since the materials are pretty much the same. Like I mentioned, I found this headrest better than any other office chair that has an included headrest, which is to be expected since this is a $100 add-on. 

That said, I don’t think the quality of the NeueChair headrest is as well-built as some of the other third-party Herman Miller headrests, such as the Atlas Headrest and the Engineered Now headrest. 

However, it definitely gets the job done and it’s nice that they give you the option to have one if you’re someone who prefers having a headrest. I just wish it was included with the price of the chair. 

NeueChair Review: Buying Experience

When purchasing a gaming chair, many people overlook the overall buying experience. This is especially true for cheaper gaming chairs. 

However, if you’re planning on investing in a premium gaming chair you plan to keep for many years, you’ll want to consider factors such as shipping, assembly, warranty and return policy. 

Shipping

In terms of shipping, Secretlab typically delivers within 3 business days in the United States. They use either FedEx or UPS, so you’ll have access to tracking information. If you’re outside of the United States, then it may take longer and you may face delays depending on their stock and availability. However, I had no issues with shipping whatsoever. 

Aside from that, the chair was really well packaged, with no damage to any of the components. 

Assembly

The assembly process of this chair was very easy and straightforward. Most of the chair is already assembled for you right out of the box. The backrest, seat, and armrests are already pre-assembled, likely due to the fact that control mechanisms are built into the armrests.

All you need to do is attach the casters to the base, put in the hydraulic piston and attach it to the seat. The whole process took me 15 minutes, which is great since I definitely would not consider myself a handyman. 

Warranty

NeueChair offers a 12-Year limited warranty on their products which covers all functionality portions of the chair. However, this warranty does not cover aesthetic defects and damage from the misuse of the chair or any defects in the chair if purchased through an unauthorized retailer, which is important to note if you plan on picking this chair up on the second-hand market. You can learn more about NeueChair’s warranty policy here.

Return Policy

NeueChair offers a 49 day return/refund policy if your unit is defective or does not meet Secretlab’s quality standards. If you’re unhappy with your purchase, you can freely return the chair, though you may be subject to return fees depending on the condition of the chair upon return, whether it’s been assembled or not, etc. You can learn more about Secretlab’s return policy here.

The Bottom Line

Overall, the NeueChair is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a mid to high-end ergonomic chair. It has excellent build quality, premium mesh, tons of adjustment options at a relatively affordable price. In addition, this also combines some common elements of a gaming chair with it’s recline feature, making it a great all-around chair for most people.