Maxnomic Commander S BWE PC Gaming Chair Review, In The Hot Seat

PC enthusiasts tend to spend a lot of time sitting in front of their systems. We spend hundreds of dollars on monitors, graphics cards, and processors without a second thought, to ensure the best experience we can afford. So, why do so many of us sit ourselves down in inexpensive and inadequate thrones for extended computing and gaming sessions?

If your body is your temple, does it not deserve the finest in enthusiast seating? There are two prominent companies crafting these enthusiast chairs, DXRacer and Maxnomic, though there are a plethora of smaller players as well.  DXRacer was a pioneer in gamer-focused seating, but Maxnomic has stormed onto the scene claiming higher quality materials and superior comfort.

We look at the Maxnomic Commander S BWE (Black & White Edition) here, and decide whether this gaming and PC enthusiast chair warrants its substantial $469 price tag.  

It seems like gaming chair aficionados generally fall into either the DXRacer or Maxnomic camps.  In this case Maxnomic is the sprightly startup and DXRacer is the established industry stalwart.  I have used a DXRacer chair and found the padding on the seat to be quite thin, although it should be said that it was one of their Formula Series chairs that retails for only $299.  The Maxnomic Commander S BWE has about twice the amount of padding as the DXRacer Formula Series on the seat and back, has a dedicated lumbar adjustment dial instead of a lumbar pillow, and has armrests that can be adjusted in a number of ways, to get your arm positioning just right.

Maxnomic’s Commander S BWE touts the following features:

• Integrated, freely-adjustable lumbar support

• Integrated sturdy tubular steel frame with elastic strap supports

• High quality cold cure foam padding

• “4D” soft padded armrests

• Freely adjustable backrest that tilts up to 67 degrees

• Sturdy, long-lasting aluminum base, 70cm (27.5”) diameter

• Cover material: high quality PU leather (durable vinyl)

• Maximum load/limit of 330 pounds or 150 kilograms

Over the years I've bought a slew of generic high-back desk chairs that looked reasonably good at first sight, but quickly deteriorated into a rigid skeleton of protruding bars and flattened foam--I presume many of you have done the same.  I eventually splurged on a Herman Miller task chair, which had minimal features, but was incredibly well made and comfortable.  Although there are several factors and considerations I will discuss later, I have been using the Maxnomic Commander S BWE exclusively now for months and have not turned back to my Herman Miller chair yet.