GTRacing GT099 Gaming Chair GBAtemp review
Hardware
Product Information:
If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time sitting at your computer. No matter what you are doing, playing a game for 14 hours, typing a review, or just watching videos, being comfortable is important. So today we’re putting the GT099, from their Pro line, through the paces, but does it race its way to the top or miss that checkered flag?
Racing away
Completely disassembled, there is a fair amount of work to do. The instructions are nicely detailed and clear, with pictures for each step to make things easy to understand, since some can be more than lacking in direction. It was easy to put together and took about 25-30 minutes in total. There are dust covers for the hinges that attach the bottom and back sections of the GT099 and it looks overall really good and sleek. There are a nice variety of colours to choose from as well, though there was no green, which is my favourite colour.
The GT099 feels pretty solid, as the frame in the seat and backrest are metal, which give it a nice sturdy feel. The chair itself is wrapped in PU (polyurethane) leather, giving it an excellent smoothness and feels great to touch. I’ve been less than pleased with some synthetic leathers in the past, often they feel more plastic-like, but honestly this feels very much like the real deal. It has all the pretty common bells and whistles, such as lumbar and neck pillows, both of which clip and wrap around the chair. The neck pillow is very plush with a lot give, while the lumbar is a bit more firm, but fits the back quite well due to its half oval shape. As far as the padding on the GT099, I’m kind of torn. While it was overall comfortable, it was a bit too firm I felt for prolonged use. While I was able to sit for hours at a time, I can’t say I was completely comfortable as I had to shift around quite a bit. This comes more down to preference rather than an issue, as I prefer softer padding, but is definitely something to consider
While some chairs will recline when you start leaning back, the GT099 has a levered mechanism that locks it into place. I really enjoy that and it makes it easier to get the recline to an angle you like and stays that way as long as it is locked. The recline itself ranges from a 90 degree angle all the way to near horizontal at 160. It isn’t too hard to lock into place, but it does occasionally not lock completely when not pushed back or raised forward enough. It's nothing major but it did freak me out a bit when I leaned back and it kind of fell, locking properly and making me realise the lever hadn’t been down completely. You can also adjust the armrests a couple different ways. You can raise or lower them with a switch and also rotate them towards or away from you. They are a bit touchy when it comes to rotating them in and out, which even the most minimal amount of force caused them to move.
Remember I said it reclines almost like a dentist chair? The frame underneath, where the height adjustment lever is, has some wicked rocking as well. You can adjust the amount by twisting a knob left or right. If you’re worried about maybe falling backwards, don't worry. The base has five casters and is incredibly stable and glides across both hard floors and carpeting or rugs. Even with it all the way back and max rocking, I never once felt like it was ever gonna actually fall backwards. Beyond that, the hydraulic mechanism for raising and lowering was smooth and had no issues in that department.
To the finish line
I really liked the GT099 for the most part. It was a little too firm for me, but again that comes down to personal preference. While the price may be a bit steep at $179, it is around the average for most chairs that are catered for gamers or just anyone who spends a fair amount of time at the computer. The touchiness of the armrests were a bit frustrating but pretty forgivable. Apart from those, this is an excellent and well designed chair, with quality in almost every aspect, that I can easily recommend.
Verdict
- Quality materials
- Sturdy and well built
- Locking recline
- Touchy armrests
- Padding is too firm
