I've only just now realised that I've been sitting on the Fractal Design Refine for over a year now. Not consecutively, mind you. It has been perched at my desk in the PC Gamer office ever since I reviewed it last November, and that's because it looks great among the other chairs, and is comfortable too.
- We're curating the best Black Friday PC gaming deals
The best thing about this specific Black Friday deal, aside from the discount itself, is that you can pick the Light, Dark, Mesh Light, or Mesh Light version of the chair for the same price. The sleek black Alcantara model is significantly more expensive, being $750 on sale. The first thing I noticed when I unboxed this bad boy is how easy it is to build, and the cold-cured foam seating makes for a great landing once you finally sit down in it. It's a tough seat but a comfortable one nonetheless.
It feels almost a bit decadent to fall into, yet the easy-to-adjust lumbar support will make sure you aren't ruining your posture as you sit. That lumbar support comes in the form of a plate strapped to the back that can be adjusted with just a few turns of a knob. As far as customization is concerned, you can adjust the height, tilt tension, and seat depth from below, and this is done with ease.
I did, unfortunately, notice that the seat depth handle can feel a tad mushy and less rigid than I would want, and the arm rests come free with a little too much resistance. This means I have occasionally managed to mess with them with just a bump while grabbing a glass of water or greeting a colleague. This rarely takes more than a moment to fix, but it's still a small caveat to an otherwise solid customization setup.
The thing that really stopped me from nominating this for a place in our best gaming chair guide is that it's not a particularly great buy if you have thick thighs or are generally a bigger person. As a big leg haver myself, I found the edges of the seat to curve up and into the side of me a little as I sat. I soon got used to this, but I can't say that other gaming chairs aren't better suited for this specific need. For instance, Secretlab's Titan Evo is $499 in its Black Friday sale and will handle larger bodies a big better. In return, you're getting a (still great-looking but) decidedly more gamery aesthetic.
Still, with this in mind, the Fractal Design Refine takes after its namesake in being absolutely refined. It looks and feels great, and fits somewhere between a gaming chair and an office chair. I felt unsure recommending it, despite how much I like it, when it launched, because $550 is a lot to spend on a gaming chair, but that $400 price makes it seem much better, especially now that I've been parked on it for over a year now.
This makes it a solid pick for the long days of working at your desk and even longer nights of completing extractions in Arc Raiders. Say hi to Scrappy for me.
👉Check out all of B&H Photo's gaming chair deals👈
1. Best overall: Secretlab Titan Evo
2. Best budget: Corsair TC100 Relaxed
3. Best luxury: Herman Miller Embody
4. Best support: ThunderX3 Core
5. Best big boi: AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL
6. Best office: ThunderX3 Flex Pro
7. Best budget office: Ikea Matchspel
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