Boulies Master Series gaming chair review - comfort meets quality

The best gaming chairs need to ensure you have all the comfort and support you need for your gaming sessions, and the Boulies Master Series gaming chair succeeds in doing exactly that. Despite its simple, all-black appearance, the Boulies Master Series offers a tonne of features to help customize your comfort. So, if you’ve been looking for a high-quality chair that accommodates all, you’re looking in the right place. 

Featuring built-in lumbar support, 4D armrests, and a comfortable cushion, the Boulies Master Series gaming chair has a lot going for it, and its comfort, feature set, and ease of build all mean it does a good job of justifying the price for admission. 

Price and availability

The Boulies Master Series is at the premium end of the gaming chair price spectrum and has a listing price of  $499.99/£349.99. I’d say you’re getting your money's worth though since this product is as top-quality as its price tag suggests with its sturdy build and choice of materials.

The Razer Iskur is one of the closest competitors for the Boulies Master Series, coming in at $599.99/£499.99 and offering a lot of the same design features, but I’d argue the Boulies Master Series is more accommodating for everyday use alongside gaming due to its simple design, and slightly cheaper price tag. 

Assembly

The Boulies Master Series chair is fairly simple to set up and is certainly achievable by one person. I would recommend having a reasonable amount of space around you to ensure you can turn and flip the chair with ease as you attach different parts. Nothing comes pre-assembled, unlike a few gaming chairs which usually have either the backrest or armrests pre-attached (see the AndaSeat Phantom 3 gaming chair, for example) so you do have to build every element of this chair, but it’s not too long a process, as I built the chair in about 45 minutes.

The instruction leaflet that comes in the box is simple but clear and lists the pieces you have and what you need for the next step. The images and instructions are easy to follow which puts a first-time gaming chair builder like myself at ease, and the box also contains spare parts if you find yourself missing or losing screws and bolts during the process. Parts like the tilt mechanism which you fit to the bottom of the chair are labelled with which direction they face too, as are the instructions, making it easier to align and fix parts together. 

Although it is completely achievable to build on your own, having a second pair of hands would undoubtedly make it easier. For example, doing it on my own meant that when fixing the hydraulics and the tilt mechanism to the base of the chair, I needed to either rest the chair upside down and lean on the armrests, or attempt to fix the screws horizontally where gravity wasn’t exactly in my favor. 

Design and features

The seat of the Boulies Master Series is incredibly spacious, making it incredibly comfortable during long play sessions, and ensuring you never feel restricted. The cushion doesn’t feel particularly plush at first and the longer you sit in it the more it starts to mold to your position. I always sit with my feet on my chair, or my legs folded under me (which is terrible for your knees and you shouldn’t sit like that, FYI) and in a regular desk chair this can result in some uncomfortable pretzel-esque positions, but with the Boulies wide seat, I can happily sit cross-legged without any jagged plastic digging into me.

The back of the chair provides support to your lower back to ensure your posture is kept straight, and the support cushion that comes included sits behind your head. As someone who usually struggles with slouching and tense shoulders, I found it a lot easier to relax into the chair knowing that my spine and neck were supported in the right ways. After sitting at my desk for a few hours at a time, I didn’t feel the usual ache I’m used to in my lower back. Plus, because it’s firm but not solid, there’s still enough support in the cushioning of the chair to feel comfortable without feeling stiff. 

The armrests can also be adjusted to your preference, and they are firm enough to provide genuine support. With the amount of space on the seat, I rarely found myself relying on these armrests until I sat back in the chair - unless I was using a controller connected to my PC which is when they came in incredibly handy to, well, rest my arms on. The tilt mechanism and hydraulics move smoothly, freeing you up to move in whatever way is comfortable within the chair too which I appreciate as someone who always fidgets before getting comfortable. 

Performance

There’s a lot to praise about the Boulies Master Series chair outside of its sheer comfort too. The model prides itself on straying from the “one-size-fits-all” design of a lot of gaming chairs. You can adjust the 4D armrests in every way, be it height or how far forward the rest pads are, and this is incredibly easy to do through the built-in levels and buttons on both armrests. With a standard office chair this isn’t usually something I’d worry about, but being able to rest your elbows at a comfortable height helps relax your shoulders and enhances the comfort of the chair; something I really appreciated during my longer gaming sessions. 

The integrated lumbar support means you don’t have to faff around with a cushion either. I get incredibly frustrated if a seat has cushions moving about since it just becomes uncomfortable after a while, and a lot of gaming chairs offer extra lumbar cushions to compensate for a back that doesn’t include it by design. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about a lumbar cushion moving around behind you because of the effective built-in support which you can adjust with two knobs on either side of the backrest which you twist to your preference, which also helps keep your posture upright and comfortable. 

The wide back and seat of the chair accommodate you however you sit, and over long periods it feels as if the chair adapts to you rather than forcing you to sit in one position or change habits to adapt to it.

The tilt rocking function that you can adjust with a lever on the left under the seat also helps personalize your comfort with the chair. It’s an incredibly smooth mechanism that makes movement seamless. Whether you’re sitting back to relax into your game, or looking to sit up to increase your productivity, the 15-degree motion is freeing enough to help you find an angle that works best for you.

Should I buy the Boulies Master Series gaming chair?

As a whole, the Boulies Master Series gaming chair is a dynamic product that suits the needs of any gamer who isn’t fussed about decals or design, and who wants something for everyday work use too. Even though its appearance is incredibly simple, its personalizable features like its 4D armrests and adjustable lumbar support mean it has its priorities right. It’s comfortable and cuts no corners on quality materials, and while its price tag is a chunk investment, it's one worth making if you want a chair that is durable and well-designed with comfort at the forefront of its design. 

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

How we tested the Boulies Master Series gaming chair

I used the Boulies Master Series gaming chair for over a month for work and gaming. Having used a standard, cheap own-brand Amazon office chair for several months before this, I can say with confidence that the Boulies Master Series is a significant upgrade and not only made work and gaming more comfortable but has also massively improved my posture when sitting at my desk working on my PC or laptop.

If you’re looking for alternative ways to improve your gaming space, we’ve got a list of all the best monitors for PS5, alongside the best wireless gaming headsets if you want to immerse yourself deeper into your favorite games.