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Aug 01, 2023

While they may not technically be the most ergonomic chairs you can purchase, gaming chairs have become a staple in the households of gaming enthusiasts looking for roomy, feature-rich seating options. Many folks are drawn to industry leaders like Secretlab or Razer – but premium chairs come at premium prices. This is where the E-Win Champion makes a strong case for itself by bringing similar quality alongside a noticeably smaller price tag that starts at just $369. Let's take a look at what the E-Win Champion can offer you in this highly-competitive market.

The E-Win Champion comes in multiple color combinations and materials to ensure there's a reasonable choice for every type of user. The company sent me the gray softweave version of the chair, but there's also the option for stain resistant 2.0 PU leather, which I've found to be quite durable in previous E-Win models I've tested. The PU leather is admittedly easier to clean, but if you're prone to sweating or live somewhere with high humidity, the beautifully-textured softweave option will prove to be considerably more breathable for extended play sessions.

At a glance, the E-Win Champion is a somewhat unremarkable-looking gaming chair, with my softweave version sporting a fairly plain gray base color with a three-tiered diamond-shaped design stitched into the middle of the backrest and the word "Champion" showcased in large letters on the back. That being said, I like that this simple and clean visual style helps the chair blend well into both gaming setups and general office spaces – but if you're looking for something with a bit more pizazz, this version probably won't scratch the itch, leaving you to choose something from the striking colors in the PU leather lineup.

Elsewhere, the E-Win Champion comes equipped with the industry-standard ability to tilt to an almost horizontal state, as well as 4D armrests that can be rotated in and out or adjusted up and down to suit users of various heights and sizes. None of this is particularly exciting or unexpected at this point, but as always, it's nice to have the ability to increase your comfort by customizing nearly everything.

I say nearly everything because the knobs on the side of the chair do little to improve lumbar support, a major component of ergonomics that could have a drastic impact on posture and back pain – but I'll touch more on this below. Luckily, my chair came with an exceptionally cozy memory foam head pillow, which efficiently attaches via magnets to the top of the backrest. This optional upgrade costs $69, but having used E-Win's below-average high density foam pillows on other models, I'd argue this upgrade is well worth the extra money.

Unboxing the E-Win Champion was a premium-feeling experience thanks to its flashy packaging and creative design choices. Each piece was placed in the box in a safe wrapping and came out looking pristine, and I really liked the sleek boxes and plastic coverings used to protect the tools and individual pieces. Unboxing a gaming chair at this price point rarely feels so relaxing, and I applaud E-Win's attention to making this such an enjoyable time.

Actually putting the chair together is a mostly painless affair, too. Given the large and unwieldy parts, gaming chairs can be frustrating to put together – but the E-Win Champion sports a bracket on the right side of the backrest that slides down onto the seat pan to hold it in place while you're securing it with screws, which makes solo assembly a breeze. Magnetic slide covers can be snapped on to hide the brackets, while magnetic foam pads are easily attached to the armrests. All of this efficiency makes the entire process go by in about 20 minutes or less, resulting in a mostly stress-free and – dare I say it – fun time.

Gaming chairs are notoriously not built to be truly ergonomic, and the E-Win Champion doesn't buck that trend. Don't get me wrong – I've been quite comfortable for the past 30+ hours of sitting in the chair, but I'm also typically only sitting for a few hours at a time. I can absolutely see how someone with more significant back issues could find the E-Win Champion to be less than ideal for extended working or gaming hours because the E-Win Champion's lumbar support, to put it bluntly, just kind of sucks.

The knobs on the sides of the chair adjust the position and intensity of the lumbar support, but I've been entirely unable to find any settings that feel right. Regardless of where I position it, I've always ended up with a bit of back pain and eventually just reduce it to the minimum so there's no curve at all. This issue is partially rectified by using the included lumbar pillow, as its foam gives ample support to my back. Still, it doesn't really work that well in its default position in the chair and my version of the chair didn't come with any method to hold it in place, so I have to manually position it higher up and then lean into it to keep it there.

Beyond the underwhelming lumbar support, the comfort level of the E-Win Champion has been otherwise overwhelmingly positive. The foam in the armrests have just enough give that my elbows can rest on them for a good while pain-free, and the aforementioned memory foam head pillow (again, requiring a $69 upgrade) feels just right when I need to take a load off my neck after an hour or two. Meanwhile, the foam in the seat pan is neither too soft nor too firm, and even as someone with perpetual nerve problems, I haven't had any increase in pain during my time sitting in it.

The E-Win Champion is available on Amazon.

The E-Win Champion provides an overall level of quality that is typically reserved for gaming chairs that cost at least a hundred more dollars, making it a great choice for those seeking a premium seating option at a slightly more budget-friendly price. Its lumbar support is lacking, though, so if pre-existing back discomfort or postural issues are major concerns for you, there are undeniably better choices available. For everyone else, this gaming chair deserves your consideration.