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

The Commander S BWE shipped in a huge white box.  Unpacking was easy and installation went smoothly, except for the final stage when the back of the seat needs to be installed.  This step requires some serious dexterity if doing it alone, although Maxnomic does state in the instructions that two people are needed for assembly.  That being said I was able to assemble the entire chair without any issues, without a second person, in less than an hour.

I'd like to point out that the assembly instructions supplied by Maxnomic are excellent.  They include a full color booklet with accurate and descriptive assembly photos at each and every step.  The assembly instructions booklet provided with the Commander is the same used for all chairs in the Maxnomic line, so the photos may not match each model exactly,  but the different color and patterns did not detract from the ease of installation, because each chair used the same skeletal design.  

Impressions During Installation

Although installation was clear and relatively effortless, I had several minor gripes concerning the materials and manufacturing quality control.  The first disappointment I came across during unboxing was that the black paint on about a square-inch portion of the base was flaking off.  I suspect the cast iron base may have had some rust on it before it was painted at the factory which resulted in the flaking. It's in an area that won't be seen, but was a concern nonetheless.

The second minor gripe was that, when the back of the chair was finally bolted on, there was about an inch gap on one side between the seat back and the seat, while the other side was about flush.  For a chair this pricery I expected the alignment and construction to be like that of a finely tuned sports car.  I attempted to adjust the mounting screws for the back given the slight amount of leeway in each bolt, but I never could overcome the misalignment.

The final minor gripe was that the Maxnomic embroidered logo was askew on both the front and the back of the chair back.  I was able to grip the leatherette material to get the front logo about level, but was unable to get the logo on the back to look anywhere near perfectly level.  Again for a chair of this cost Maxnomic really ought to be ensuring a higher level of overall quality control.

As you can see in the photos, the styling is reminiscent of an exotic car’s bucket seats.  The contrasting black and white pattern is the defining stylistic feature here and I have since seen this chair in use by many of the top game streamers on Twitch.tv.  The architecture of the chair is supportive and stylish.  Overall the chair looks great and although my wife begs to differ, each time a guy sees the chair prominently perched in front of my monitors, he always comments about the striking look and features.