Usage & Final Thoughts on the Fractal Design Refine
I’ve been using the Fractal Design Refine over the past few weeks and it really has served me well, not only in long gaming sessions, but also work sessions where I’m writing reviews like this. As I said at the beginning of this review almost every company is making gaming chairs and for the most part they are all sort of the same. Fractal Design is definitely setting themselves apart with the Refine and this has to do with a combination of things.
I have to start with the assembly. This has to be the easiest chair that I’ve ever put together! I had it assembled in about 10 minutes! Fractal already installed the assembly on the base of the chair so it’s a single piece, unlike pretty much every other chair I’ve built. A horrible or hard to understand installation process can really ruin a product for you so shout out to Fractal for making this chair so easy to get together!
The ease of use of this chair can’t be understated either. No weird levers that are not labeled and you have to guess what they do. All of the adjustments on the chair are very easy to understand and the main adjustments make use of the larger paddles, which are labeled. All of the adjustments to the chair can also be made when you are sitting in the chair, so not having to get up and change something only to guess if it is going to be comfortable or not.
Talking about comfort, this chair is quite comfortable. The mesh does adapt to your body and like I said it is breathable, which is great for those long gaming sessions. I feel like this chair puts my body in the correct ergonomic position and it is sort of hard to slouch in this chair. Also the recline is different from most chairs. Fractal calls this their “Synchro-tilt”. When you tilt the chair back the 2:1 ratio of the back and seat’s recline actually opens up the angle of the torso, this is typically fixed on most gaming chairs. Also the seat will stay level to the floor when you recline. This gives you better weight distribution and reduces pressure on the back of your legs.
There really is not much to not like about the Refine. I feel that some people who put a lot of pressure down on the arm rests would like the ability to lock them from moving forward or back.
Right now you can pick this chair up at our favorite online retailer for $549, which I feel is a very fair price given the features, build quality, and comfort of this chair. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Fractal Design Refine Gaming Chair a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Super-easy assembly
– Sleek design will work in a gaming setup or office
– Very comfortable
– Lots of adjustments, all of which can be made when you are sitting in the chair
– Great build quality
Cons:
– Can’t lock the arm rests from moving forward or back
