DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair review

DXRacer’s Craft series chairs are finally here, but do they feel as good as they look? Eh.

The DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair looks hella good, and offers comfy leather and solid lumbar support. However, at a whopping $479, I was expecting more from the build. The chair is too small for me, and I’m just under the recommended height of 5’7. In a weird juxtaposition, the armrests are too far away from each other as if it’s tailor-made for widely built sitters.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t throw this chair into our best gaming chairs list, but I’m sure there’s someone out there who might find it more comfortable and well-fitting.

DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair price and configurations

The DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair I reviewed is the CRA/D5000/P variant and costs $479. I have the Hello Human Cat model, but you can also get a variety of different versions, including Rabbit in Dino, America Edition, Spaceman, Koi Fish, Thinker and Classic. The Classic version costs $469.

The DXRacer Craft comes with a two-year warranty for accessories and a lifetime warranty for the frame.

DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair design

The DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair is aptly named, as you’ll be able to choose from a variety of unique designs. The Hello Human Cat version I received for review depicts an adorable blue cat munching on a human hand over pink PU leather.

The backrest is mostly pink accompanied by the word Hello embroidered in white, and just underneath that is the aforementioned hand-munching blue kitty. At the headrest, there’s a white Craft logo. The back of the chair features another depiction of the blue kitty, this time breaking through the upholstery and shouting “Hello Human” — it’s adorable. Meanwhile, the sides of the chair are filled with stylish white embroidery. The headrest is held in place by two straps that you can loop in at two different heights before it clips in. There’s no lumbar support pillow with the DXRacer Craft. Instead, there’s an internal lumbar support you can configure with the oddly placed rotary dial on the right side.

DXRacer packs in 4D armrests with the Craft Custom Gaming Chair. Four-dimensional armrests let you lift them up or down, tilt them side to side, move them forward and back, and shift toward and away from you. The levers on the outside control the height of the arm rests. The button on the inside controls horizontal movement, and the button on the armrest itself controls vertical movement and tilt. The armrests are black.

Like most gaming chairs, you’ll find a class 4 hydraulic piston, which just means that it can move up and down (lever located on the right-hand side). There’s also a multi-functional tilt mechanism underneath the chair that lets you rock the chair back (lever located on the left-hand side). You can adjust the tilt tension with the knob underneath the chair as well as the backrest recline with a lever on the right-hand side of the seat. The chair has a five-star aluminum wheelbase accompanied by PU Caster wheels, which moved smoothly across the wood floors in my house.

DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair comfort

The DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair is recommended for people up to 5’7, and I am coasting just under that, but I’ve found this chair to be a little too small for me. It would be more comfortable for a shorter person.

DXRacer’s seat and backrest are still rather comfortable, thanks to the PU leather, and the integrated lumbar support helps round out that experience. However, I had to toss the head pillow since the chair is a bit short, and the pillow was resting on my neck instead of, you know, my head.

The backrest is 31.5 inches tall and 20.9 inches wide; the seat base is 22.4 inches wide and 22 inches deep. The backrest and seat base curve as if they’re hugging you, so the space that the company claims you have is actually a bit smaller.

The armrests are too small and don’t offer enough movement for my arms to get comfortable while I type or play games. You’d think it would offer a tighter movement since it’s a smaller chair, but that’s not the case. I’ve reviewed bigger chairs with tighter armrests.

Meanwhile, the tilt tension of the DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair felt okay after some tinkering.

DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair assembly

I managed to build the DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair in less than 20 minutes or so. You can build it yourself, but it helps having a second person around at the end.

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The beginning is always simple. First, I attached the five casters to the wheelbase, then inserted the hydraulics piston with its sleeve over the base.

Next, I attached the seat base to the backrest by screwing in four M8 screws. Then I flipped the chair upside down to attach the tilt mechanism with another set of four M8 screws. Afterwards, I attached the two handles on either side by sliding them in. Finally, I lifted up the chair, and with the guidance of my wife, I slotted the bottom of the chair into the piston attached to the wheelbase. The last touch was clipping in the headrest through the straps.

Bottom line

The DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair is easy to put together and offers a wonderful design on top of comfy leather and solid lumbar support. However, it’s hard to get comfortable when it feels too short for someone meant to fall within its height range. And weirdly enough, the armrests are too far apart (you’d think they’d be closer!).

If you’re committed to getting a DXRacer chair, consider the DXRacer Air Mesh Gaming Chair (D7200), which offers a much more comfortable build and headrest.

I could see the DXRacer Craft Custom Gaming Chair being comfortable for some, but I’m disappointed that it wasn’t for me, especially since I fall within its height recommendation.