Anda Seat Dark Wizard Gaming Chair

Written by Sean Cahill on 6/27/2019 for PC  

The gaming chair market has exploded in the last few years as companies fight tooth and nail to provide the best quality chair that is a mixture of comfort and versatility in one package. While features, pricing, and availability all are determining factors, it can be overwhelming searching for just the right chair. Anda Seat has been around for almost 15 years now, having carved a great niche in the industry for themselves. I found out why with the Dark Wizard Premium Gaming Chair personally.

Specifications and Features
Taken from Anda Seat’s website, here is a breakdown of the Dark Wizard: 

I won’t spend much time breaking this part down but the key takeaways here are the high density foam, the 160 degree back angle, and the maximum weight limit of 430 pounds. A lot of gaming chairs out there have limits in the 250 pound range, so this chair is heavy duty and can withstand a lot.

So what do you get with the Dark Wizard? The foam that the company uses is a carbon fiber leather like material that is strong and resistant to the elements. Yes, your chair is going to be inside, but imagine having a cloth office chair and spilling a drink on it. The Dark Wizard shrugs it off like it’s nothing.

Not one, but two, memory foam pillows come in the package as well. One is for lumbar support while the other is for the head and neck. Unlike some chairs I’ve sat in and used in the past, I can actually use both at once and not feel like I’m being contorted into a strange position.

The unit has steel framework as well, so this is built to last and, as mentioned before, can take on more weight than others for the big and tall group of gamers.

 

Easy to build? You bet it is.
There’s no mincing words about the box for the Dark Wizard: It’s an absolute beast. The box pushes 100 pounds and is a workout in itself to get up a flight of stairs (I know this firsthand) on your own. The nice thing about this unit is the seat comes with the adjustable armrests already attached, so that’s two less things to be taken care of with installation. The instructions that come with the unit are very easy to follow. All of the required tools are in the box as well, but if you have your own set or a powered set, I’d recommend using your own.

The toughest part of the installation was attaching the seat to the backrest, especially since I was doing this as a one-man army. What probably would take one to two minutes for a two-man squad took about ten to fifteen minutes just from placement and ensuring that the screws were going into place. I will say I didn’t struggle as much with this as I expected, but it still was a task to hold things in place.

That’s fine and dandy, but let’s get to it: How comfortable is it?
Let me tell you that this chair, without a doubt, is the most comfortable chair I’ve ever had in my office. Sitting in a chair for long hours in a day can be taxing with no support, but given that I can freely adjusted the angle of the seat and keep the pillows on without any issue means extra comfort.

The wings that are on either side of the seat are nice and wide as well. There are a few companies who prefer to use these as barriers for your legs and can be a bit constrictive. The Dark Wizard wants to give you space, and I can keep my legs apart in a comfortable manner without the wings rubbing against my thighs.

The seat itself is wonderful to sit on and has just the right amount of give. My back doesn’t hurt no matter how long I’m sitting on it while I get a neck and shoulder rest if necessary with a simple adjustment of the lever on the right hand side of the chair.

The only negative I can really pinpoint is that the neck pillow doesn’t always stay on straight. A lot of times it will tilt one side or the other based on the strap tightness. I’ve adjusted it a couple of times and it eventually loosens, but this is a minor detail as I can easily straighten it back out. The lumbar support hasn’t budged since I received this product, and it is a fantastic addition to have.

 

It’s pricey, but it’s worth every penny.
I’m a firm believer of the saying “You can’t put a price on comfort.” This chair is that saying in physical form. Anda Seat has a retail price of $499 on their website, but there is a sale currently active for $299. If you can foot the bill, I cannot stress it enough: Do your back a favor and get this chair. I use it every day for work and gaming, and there isn’t a moment that goes by that I even think of going back to my old chair. This truly is the cream of the crop for gaming chairs.