I’ve spent a while putting two chairs through their paces: the SIHOO C300 and the Boulies EP500. By name, nature, and price, they’re quite similar, but in reality, they’re very different in how they perform. If you’re shaping up your office space for a new chair or want something a little more professional for your gaming setup, both these chairs have their pros and cons.
In this breakdown, I’ll be pitting the SIHOO C300 against the Boulies EP500. They have similar silhouettes, weight capacities, features, and price points, but how do they stack up against each other, and ultimately, which is more worth your money?
Let’s find out.
First Up, The Boulies EP500 Review
Boulies released the EP500 ergonomic chair midway through February, casting the ‘high-performance’ chair into a saturated market and attempting to stand out from the crowd. At first blush, the chair, marketed for both gaming and working, is a relatively simple affair, but it boasts a wider seat base and reinforcement for the thicker individual… Like myself.
Being ergonomic out of the box, the Boulies EP500 boasts an adaptive lumbar support system and adjustable everything. The seat back, seat base, headrest, and arms can all be adjusted to suit your needs, and it offers both a deep recline and a built-in footrest, which, for some, is an absolute game-changer.
The footrest is simple to use, which I like, but at full extension, you’ll need a fair whack of space under your desk, which isn’t ideal for folks who have their setup backing onto a solid wall.
Every surface that touches your body is made from a chenille-blended mesh fabric, which is fairly soft and breathable but feels supportive enough, even if you’re a larger person.
But my time with the Boulies EP500 wasn’t without gripes.
I felt that the entire time I was using the Boulies EP500 chair, it felt rather flimsy. It rocked about easily, bent and creaked when I put too much pressure on a particular part, and if you grabbed it and gave it a shake, it felt ready to collapse in your hands.
Given that the Boulies EP500 costs around $389.99, I would have expected something more durable. I can’t realistically say it would have lasted me very long, despite being marketed as a chair for larger people.
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Now, The SIHOO C300 Review
Call me a purist, but I’ve only ever dabbled in ‘branded’ gaming chairs. I’ve been around the houses with the likes of Herman Miller, Secretlab, Noble, and GT Omega, and I’ve typically avoided the brands that feel a little faceless, that typically occupy the dark corners of Amazon.
That’s where SIHOO comes in with the C300 – from those dark corners.
However, if you know anything about PC gaming, office work, and chairs, you’ll know that SIHOO has been coming up in recent years. The Chinese manufacturer and retailer has been steadily building a nice presence, and it’s often seen as one of the best alternatives to expensive, high-tech gaming chairs.
And I can officially say I’m something of a convert.
The ‘SIHOO DORO C300’ chair is, like the Boulies EP500, an adaptive, supportive, ergonomic chair, designed for both work and play. It’s also designed to deliver comfort after many hours of occupation and is adjustable in every regard. It even has a similar form factor to the Boulies EP500, but is a bit smaller and, in my opinion, better looking overall.
But the similarities start to split there.
Right out of the box, the SIHOO C300 wowed me with its construction quality. The hard plastic shell, the packaging, and the mesh material all felt and looked miles better than the Boulies EP500. It came in many more parts and took longer to assemble, but in my opinion, that just makes it feel more reliable.
The SIHOO C300 is also a newish chair with a fine array of features, like the Boulies. It has dynamic lumbar support that moves with you, a breathable mesh make-up, 4D arm rests, and what has been dubbed ‘smart weight-sensing tech for personalized comfort’. It has an adjustable headrest, but no footrest, so the Boulies EP500 wins that race.
Once I’d assembled the SIHOO C300, I was won over. Giving it a shake revealed no concerns about reliability, and the entire build just felt much more trustworthy than the Boulies. The arms had a softer touch and shallower contour, which was nice, and everything from the piston adjustment to the tweaking of the 4D armrests just felt better here than with the Boulies.
You’ve got a waterfall-shaped seat base, which encourages even pressure across thighs, hips, and buttocks, and the seat accommodates a whopping 136 KG and users up to 180 CM tall. It’s not marketed as being a chair for larger people, but it certainly hosts them just fine.
The SIHOO C300 has an RRP of $559.99, but at the time of publishing, a sale was on, taking it down to around $299.99. Without that sale, it’s much more expensive than the Boulies EP500, but I think that’s reflected in the overall quality.
If I’m being really honest, I couldn’t tell the difference between sitting on a SIHOO C300 and a Herman Miller Aeron. That’s one of the finest desk chairs in the business and retails for almost $2,000. I’m serious.
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Verdict: Boulies EP500 or SIHOO C300?
Ultimately, if you’ve got a bit more money to spend out of sale, I’d recommend getting the SIHOO C300. If you’re in a sale, then it’s a no-brainer. There’s no universe in my mind in which the Boulies EP500 beats the SIHOO C300, as from everything, to the comfort factor to the aesthetic, is just better with the latter chair.
Let me know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if this review breakdown has influenced you either way.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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