Fractal Design’s first gaming chair, Refine, looks similar to a regular office chair at first glance. This was probably an intentional choice, as Swedish company Fractal Design already brings a kind of Scandinavian, calm understatement to many homes. Users who prefer an extremely simple design over flashy logos and RGB lighting will especially like Refine.
Fractal Design Refine: Design
The design may seem boring or even outdated, but that hardly bothered me during testing. It’s a shame that even though it’s a gaming chair, it only comes in white and black, and even the white version appears to be light gray.
However, it is much more important for a chair to be functional and well-made than to choose a variety of colors. There are two versions of the material: fabric and mesh (both black or white). However, since a covered surface is generally better than a mesh backrest when sitting for long periods of time, we recommend the version with a cover instead of a mesh backrest.
Fractal Design Refine: Structure, Ergonomics, Comfort
Assembly was relatively easy and could be done by myself. During the assembly process, as with most other chairs, you can already tell how well the product is made. Not only do the seat elements feel heavy and luxurious, but the individual seams and screws fit very well.
Once you’ve assembled the chair, it’s time to choose adjustment options. There are a variety of options. Not only can the seat height, backrest, and armrest positions be adjusted in four directions, but the seat depth can also be set. Therefore, it is suitable for both people with long and short legs.
The height of the neck cushion can also be adjusted to provide ideal head support. Meanwhile, the back of the chair has a rotating wheel that adjusts the position of the integrated lumbar support. Setting these two points correctly provides ideal support for the natural shape of the spine.
Overall, I was very impressed with the ergonomic design of the chair.
In particular, it was noticeable that the backrest was not only ergonomically designed, but also comfortable and had enough space to sit a little more actively than simply leaning back.
With a built-in synchro tilt mechanism, the seat and backrest are always adjusted together. It can prevent your body from falling into an unnatural and uncomfortable position. Test results showed that it was very stable.
The memory foam neck cushion felt ideal as it was neither overly hard nor too soft and supported my neck much better than other products I’ve tested so far. It was also very comfortable even when sitting for long periods of time.
The only downside to the Refine is the armrests. The armrests are so easy to adjust that if you accidentally press them too hard against your arms, they will continue to move or slip. Also, I felt that the quality of the armrest was lower than other parts in that it shook slightly when pushed.
conclusion
Fractal Design Refine is an ergonomically excellent gaming chair that is also suitable for home offices. Just looking at the exterior, it looks rather ordinary and subdued and not very impressive. However, internal values such as workmanship, ergonomics, and comfort were generally convincing in our testing.
This chair is recommended without hesitation because it is not only comfortable but also suitable for people with back or neck problems. However, you need to be careful when choosing between the fabric version and the mesh version. This is because not only the cover material but also the dimensions are slightly different (see detailed specifications).
Fractal Design Refine: Specifications
- product weight : 25.7-25.8kg
- maximum load : 125kg
- recommended height : 1.65m-2.0m
- recommended weight : 60kg-125kg
- texture : Cold foam, memory foam, plastic, aluminum
- sleeve : Nylon reinforced mesh fabric or woven, non-organic Alcantara fabric
- seat width : 540mm (fabric), 550mm (mesh)
- seat depth : 460mm (fabric), 465mm (mesh)
- seat width : 435mm
- seat height : 475mm-595mm (fabric), 490mm-610mm (mesh)
- seat depth : 425mm-480mm (fabric), 450mm-505mm (mesh)
- armrest height : 160mm-270mm (fabric), 145mm-255mm (mesh)
- armrest spacing : 420mm-560mm (fabric), 430mm-560mm (mesh)
- armrest depth : Adjustable up to 60mm
- wheel : Hubless 65mm wheels made of soft PU plastic
- gas pressure spring : 120mm class 4
- mechanism : Synchro tilt
- Lumbar support height adjustment : 110mm
- Lumbar support depth adjustmentSection: 20mm
- maximum tilt angle : 125° (~130° under load)
- Mechanism tilt function : Donati Dynamic
- Back/seat tilt ratio : 2:1
- Headrest height adjustment : 120mm
- guarantee : 5 years
editor@itworld.co.kr
Source: www.itworld.co.kr
