Let me preface this Secretlab Atlas review by saying I’ve been a fan of the brand for years. I’ve had a Titan Evo XL for the longest time, a charcoal ‘SoftWeave’ fabric thing that cost me £599 back in the day. It’s been my steadfast companion all this time, and I mean it when I say it’s still in out-of-the-box condition.
When I was offered the Secretlab Atlas for review, I jumped at the chance. Or rather, I stood up from my Titan Evo XL and accepted. I’ve now spent a bit of time with the Secretlab Atlas in a gorgeous Pure Black+ leatherette finish, and I’m stumped… I can’t decide if it’s better than my Titan Evo XL, but what’s clear is it’s an incredible chair that exceeded my expectations in every sense.
Here’s my full Secretlab Atlas review.
Slimmer, Lighter, But Just as Capable
The order of the day with the Secretlab Atlas is that it’s a slimmer, more lightweight chair. It’s one that’s designed for office work more than gaming, but of course, you can use it however you desire. It’s Secretlab’s thinnest chair yet, and that’s very obvious when you pull it out of the box. I sat it alongside my Titan Evo XL, and the size difference was insane. It’s a fraction of the heavier, more padded seat.
But ‘thin’ doesn’t mean ‘cheap’ or ‘weak’. The support is still brilliant; the lumbar support is there, and the seat base has ample cushioning and accommodates even a larger person quite well. Not to the level of the Titan Evo XL, of course, but well enough.
I mean, here are the maximum weight capacities between the two chairs, for example:
- Secretlab Atlas: 120 kg (265 lbs)
- Secretlab Titan Evo XL: 180 kg (395 lbs)
That’s a gulf. But I got the Titan Evo XL when I weighed 325 lbs, and I now weigh 220 lbs, so it’s all good! If you’re smaller, you can get the regular version of the Atlas, and if you’re larger, opt for the large version. There’s no extra-large, though.
Even though I’m more svelte than I was before, I can absolutely appreciate every inch of the patent-pending foam technology that Secretlab has built into the Atlas. In my Pure Black+ variant, which is the premium grade, I’ve got NanoGen leatherette layered over NanoFoam composite padding, and it’s the most sumptuous thing I’ve ever sat on.
I have ‘luxurious’ leather and Alcantara suede car seats, and I’d rather sit on the Secretlab Atlas for a few hours, let me say that.
From the moment you unbox the Atlas, you know you’re in for a treat. I marvel at Secretlab’s packaging every time, and it gives you the most premium vibe from the get-go. The way tools are packaged, the feel and presentation of the instructions, the eco-friendly packaging components, the way things are arranged in the box…
It might sound silly, but the care and attention of that packaging means one hell of a lot. I recently reviewed the Boulies EP600 ergonomic chair, and it felt like the whole thing had been tossed into a flimsy box, half-enveloped in cheap bubble wrap.
Assembling the Secretlab Atlas took all of about ten minutes, but this is where one flaw popped up. There’s a bracket that slots into the seat base to connect the seat-back portion of the chair, and that bracket has four bolt holes. One of my bolt holes was misaligned, so I’ve only got three bolts in there, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I’ll keep an eye on it for now.
Once built, I started fiddling around. I popped the magnetic memory foam head/neck pillow onto the chair, settled in, and took it for a spin.
The tilt mechanism is great, and the seat base moves with the back in a way that feels way more adaptable. You can slide the seat base forward and back, which is great if you’re larger or need to accommodate some unique spinal alignment. The backrest resistance is adjustable to four tiers, based on your weight.
That last bit is important. Almost every other chair has a one-size-fits-all mechanism for recline, and it doesn’t matter if you weigh 100 lbs or 350 lbs, you get the same treatment. The Secretlab Atlas overcomes that by adding more resistance to the recline the heavier you are.
And of course, there is a great set of armrests. They’re adjustable in three directions and are topped with soft layers of foam and leatherette, which is nice. They’re not as good as the ‘On-Stage Standard’ armrests that Secretlab designed for pro players, which I’ve had on my Titan Evo XL for a good while, but they’re still decent.
In fact, that’s something I want to draw specific attention to. I often adjust my seating position by ‘boosting myself up’ and folding a leg under myself (it’s bad, I know). By doing this, I put ALL MY WEIGHT on the armrests, and that’s usually a test I do with every new chair. In the Secretlab Atlas, there’s no give in the armrests, so that box is well and truly ticked for me.
Being honest, I wasn’t sure about the Atlas when I sampled one in Tokyo, of all places, but having one for a long time to build a more comprehensive review has worked wonders. I can genuinely say the Secretlab Atlas is my favorite chair since my last Secretlab chair, and that’s coming from someone who has had a lot of gaming chairs lately.
Sure, the Secretlab Atlas price might lead you to blanch a bit, as it can run you a bill of as much as $720 or so, depending on your configuration and add-ons, but it’s worth every penny.
I’ll again point out that I bought a Secretlab chair years ago for about $700, and it is still box-fresh and accommodates me perfectly. There is not a stitch out of place on it; the neck pillow is still plump, and the mechanisms are still smooth.
I fully anticipate the Secretlab Atlas will be in similar shape three or four years from now, and I’ll happily keep it sitting at my desk until it collapses into pieces. I couldn’t be happier with this chair. Believe me when I say it’s stunning and that it feels like a premium, capable, and top-tier seating solution.
Let me know if the Secretlab Atlas seems like your kind of chair on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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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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