After about a month, it's time for me to tell you about the Recaro Rae, a gaming chair created by the German manufacturer Recaro. Relatively new to the gaming industry, Recaro only arrived in 2019, leveraging its fifty-plus years of designing automotive and aviation seats, as well as child seats. For my part, I started to take an interest in this brand in August of this year, when I received a press release announcing the arrival of their gaming products on the French market. The seats are available in several models and colours: the basic Recaro Rae and Recaro Exo models, the improved Exo FX variant as well as the premium Exo Platinum model.
My Recaro Rae is delivered in a very classic box. Nothing to complain about on this side, the elements are well packaged and no damage is to be deplored. Immediately, we are struck by the quality of the materials and the impression of robustness that each element gives. The assembly is very simple, everything fits together perfectly. It slips" ! I delegate this task to clamoune who sends everything in about fifteen minutes maximum.
The seat is really nice. I know it might sound arbitrary, and you might find it isn't, but it has it all, simple lines, modest size, understated design, black and white hues that blend will suit well, I think, in most modern interiors. Afterwards, it is also a disadvantage in principle, because the seat will not be suitable for all sizes. I do not recommend it to tall people of 1m90. And, on the weight side, although it claims to support up to 150 kg, I also have doubts about the possibility of being able to be comfortable in width in an overweight situation.
Now let's review the key elements, starting at the bottom. The foot is made of hard plastic, with five branches, and wheels that do not get dirty easily. They roll perfectly on our tiles and remain just as responsive as on the first day.
On each side, the armrests go up and down, enough to adjust them to the height of your desk, so that it passes just below the table. They can also turn to be better oriented and even adapt in width and length. True 4D as the press release says!
Two levers, on the right and on the left, adjust the height of the seat itself, as well as the locking/unlocking of the movements of the backrest. A highly efficient mechanism synchronizes the backrest and seat to body movements in a 2:1 ratio, with five lockable positions, to adapt to the situation, work or play. An integrated lumbar support straightens and supports the pelvis. According to experts, the spine thus adopts a correct ergonomic position. The goal is to prevent muscle fatigue, especially during long gaming sessions.
The entire structure has been designed to offer maximum comfort, both in terms of ergonomics and covering. No faux leather here, but fabric, a breathable material specific to the brand, durable, resistant and stamped as environmentally friendly. Of course, on this last point, I could not really verify. On the other hand, I can confirm the durability and resistance for having entrusted my eleven year old son with this difficult mission. After dropping food, water, modeling clay, felt... the fabric is still flawless. It cleans very well with a vacuum cleaner to remove small debris and a sponge / wipe is enough to erase nonsense. We haven't had any problems yet, even though there have been (wooden) sword fights nearby!
Asked what he thinks of his new seat, he immediately blurts out a word: "Awesome". For him, the advantage is clearly this "intelligent" backrest, which moves forwards and backwards according to the situation, with an optimal distribution of the pressure of the seat.
Of course, this seat is designed for intensive use and its price matches its performance. The Recaro Rae is available on the official website for €599 in Essential Black, Essential White and Essential Grey. The Bright Orange and Bright Blue colors are available for 699€. But if you have the budget, and you spend your days in front of your computer, then this is clearly a product that I advise you to consider!
