The Razer Enki Pro marks Razer’s second foray into the world of gaming chairs. This premium chair boasts impressive build quality and a stylish aesthetic, which falls into line with Razer’s reputation for delivering high-end gaming peripherals. However, like many of Razer’s premium products, it also comes with a steep price tag.
The Razer Enki Pro will set you back an eye-watering $999.99, making it one of the more expensive gaming chairs on the market. While it does offer an overall reasonably comfortable gaming experience to users, its extravagant price tag does seem a little ridiculous considering what is being offered.
Unboxing and Assembling the Razer Enki Pro
From the moment that the Razer Enki Pro’s sizable box arrived at my doorstep and I began the unboxing process, I knew I was in for a pretty premium experience. Each component was meticulously nestled within its packaging, shielded by high-quality foam cutouts that were custom-made to ensure protection. The packaging’s organization, right down to the placement of the wheels and assembly tools, was exceptionally well-thought-out, turning the chair’s assembly into an extremely straightforward task.
The entire process took me less than twenty minutes. It was also during this user-friendly assembly process that I really came to appreciate the all-around solid build quality of the Razer Enki Pro. The assembly process is further simplified due to some thoughtful design aspects that have been implemented here.
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The armrests come pre-bolted onto the seat, eliminating one of the more fiddly elements typically associated with assembling gaming chairs. The chair back features stiff panels designed for aligning screw holes with the seat’s hinges, with the left panel even incorporating a slot to secure its hinge in place. Also, the hex nuts are pre-screwed, eliminating the need to rummage through a bag looking for the required components.
The Chair’s Design
While the Razer Enki Pro clearly shares some of its design DNA with the Enki and Enki X chairs, it does carry a more premium feel. The color scheme is classic Razer drenched in black, complemented by luminous green stitching. A vibrant green Razer logo also graces the headrest, accompanied by a green Razer brand name emblazoned on the chair’s rear side. The aesthetic distinctly stands out as Razer, leaving no room for ambiguity after a single glance.
The areas of the seat and back that make contact with the user’s body are covered in quilted, suede-like Alcantara synthetic material. This is an upgrade from the standard fabric used in the Enki and Enki X models. The seat and chair back’s sides are enveloped in what Razer refers to as “premium PU leather,” which is allegedly sturdier than the standard PU leather used in other models. The chair back features a solid plastic, akin to carbon-fiber.
Features of the Razer Enki Pro
As you may expect, the Enki Pro allows the user to recline the back of the chair in relation to the bottom. Although this is standard practice in most gaming chairs, the way that it the Razer Enki Pro does it is somewhat unconventional. Instead of using a typical lever, a springy plastic knob on the chair’s right side is dedicated to operating the reclining feature.
The Enki Pro comes with a memory foam head cushion, and it is a comfortable inclusion. It is filled some comfy memory foam and the molded wings on either side are designed to cradle your head. However, it is unfortunately coated in a velvet-like fabric that I cannot stand the feeling of. It relies on magnets for attachment, which holds the pillow securely against the headrest. Although it never actually fell off during my testing, it did shift a number of times, necessitating me to pause my game and readjust it occasionally.
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The chair earns another point due to how well it handles changing temperatures. During my testing, I never encountered any gross odors emanating from the chair after extended play sessions, nor were any unsightly sweat marks left over. It is clear that some proper research has gone into testing this chair in different conditions. Given that gamers are known to spend a substantial amount of time in front of their gaming setup, this is a big plus.
Lacking in Lumbar
One of the most vital things to consider when investing in a gaming chair is general comfort over an extended period of time. Unfortunately this chair leaves something to be desired in that aspect. While the Razer Enki Pro isn’t necessarily an uncomfortable piece of furniture, it isn’t the most comfortable chair I have ever sat in either. This is mostly owed to its excessive size. Razer recommends this chair to users between the heights of 5’6″ and 6’8″, weighing less than 300 pounds.
Although I fall within these parameters, the chair’s seat often felt excessively wide and deep when I was sitting in it. This makes it somewhat challenging to maintain a comfortable upright posture in the seat consistently while gaming or working. Even as a relatively tall individual at standing at 6 feet, I often felt somewhat engulfed by the seat, due to both its excessive width and depth.
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Remarkably, the Razer Enki Pro does not come packaged a visible, dedicated lumbar cushion, with the chair’s description claiming that it has “built-in lumbar arch.” This statement comes across as little more than sales speak in the end, given that the back of the Enki Pro doesn’t feel any different to the lower backs of any other gaming chair if you were to remove their lumbar cushions. This choice also means that there is no way to adjust the inbuilt lumbar support. The absence of adjustable lumbar support here is a massive drawback, especially for those who require tailored lumbar support during extended periods of sitting.
To make sure this wasn’t just a personal preference though, I asked both my wife and my best friend to sit in the Enki Pro. My wife’s immediate comment pertained to the lack of a cushion at the base of the spine. My friend had a similar reaction to the chair, saying that it didn’t cushion her lower back and it felt too deep to comfortably work in.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Razer Enki Pro gaming chair is a pretty well-made product that features a number of thoughtful design elements. While it boasts impressive build quality and premium-feeling materials, the question of whether these factors justify the ludicrously steep asking price for what is ultimately a fairly conventional product remains highly debatable. An argument could be made in its favor if it made for an exceedingly comfortable experience during extended periods of use, but it does not. The baffling absence of a lumbar cushion will result in discomfort during prolonged sessions for many, particularly for those who require extra back support.
Razer Enki Pro Gaming Chair – 7/10
The Razer Enki Pro Gaming Chair was provided to FandomWire for review by Razer.
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