Is an inexpensive gaming chair interesting? We tested the Corsair TC100 Relaxed chair to get an idea.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
A good office chair is important when you spend many hours in front of your computer, whether playing or working. But not everyone has the budget to buy a Razer Fujin Pro or a Herman Miller ergonomic chair. Fortunately, there are other types of chairs, such as the Corsair TC100 Relaxed.
This “gaming” chair is priced at 220 euros and we tested it for several months to give you a complete review.
Corsair TC100 Relaxed technical sheet
Armchair material: steel frame, seat and back in fabric or polyurethane leather Armrests: 2D Max tilt: 160° Lumbar support: Cushion Max load: 120 kg Recommended height: up to 188 cm
This test was carried out with a Corsair TC100 Relaxed gaming chair offered to the Aroged editorial staff by the brand.
Simple assembly, provided you find the code
The first contact with a chair, gaming or not, is unpacking the box and assembling it. The experience here is as good as you would expect for the price. It's pretty simple, but no frills.
Forget the glove(s) to avoid getting your fingers dirty with grease from the pistons, forget the cardboard instructions or all the little items of this kind that can be found in the premium segment. I was also very surprised not to find any assembly instructions at all in the box for this gaming chair, before spotting a QR Code with a book logo on the box. Thanks to my four-digit IQ worthy of the HPI television series, I quickly made the connection between this little drawing and the assembly instructions, but it is not difficult to miss it.
Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
Another possible point of friction: the PDF downloaded this way is entirely in English. The drawings obviously give sufficient information, but they are supplemented with numerous notes written in the language of Taylor Swift.
Apart from these little surprises, it only took me about 30 to 40 minutes to assemble this armchair alone in the middle of the open space, taking the time to respond to my colleagues who were making fun of me, and this without the slightest difficulty. The instructions are clear and everything fits together perfectly. Only the lumbar cushion caused me concern since the instructions only specify “add the neck and lumbar cushions” without further details, and the passage of the elastics allowing its adjustment is not easy.
The attachment of the top cushion of the Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
The cushion attachments of the Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
Despite its low price, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed includes a few spare screws, you never know what could happen.
Un design de chaise gaming
Corsair offers its TC100 Relaxed in two finishes: fabric or faux leather. It is the latter that we received, although I must admit that I tend to avoid leather and anything close to it for my armchairs for a question of warmth and durability over time. After several months of use, however, there is nothing to suggest that the finishes will fray in the future… we will see. As for the heat, the thermostat is not yet raised high enough for it to seem unpleasant to me.
During assembly, Corsair made us nest plastic covers to hide all the screws. The plastic is thin, the whole thing could have been modeled in a more aesthetic way, but that's a personal taste and everything is well fixed, without the slightest play. So certainly, we can do better, but in this range of price, we certainly won't complain.
Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
Apart from this detail, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed does not swear, it is a gaming chair like we have seen dozens, even hundreds, before. For my part, I find the wings at shoulder level a little large, but they have the advantage of being comfortable when you are slumped on an armrest.
Aesthetically, we can note several types of patterns: irregular hexagons, squares with a small (very small) carbon effect, dots or just a smooth texture. This provides a more complete covering than if the leather had been completely smooth.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
Note also that nothing creaks or squeaks, whether on a daily basis or during adjustments. The only noise emitted by the TC100 is that of leather rubbing.
Very few settings available
As for the settings, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed is satisfied with the minimum, which is to be expected. Obviously, priority is given to adjusting the height of the seat (from 45 to 55 cm), as well as the inclination of the backrest which extends from 90 to 160°. The chair is also particularly stable in all positions. You can take your best nap at 160° without being afraid of turning around too violently during a nightmare and causing the seat to come crashing down with an unpleasant crash.
Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
If it were necessary to specify it, the swing of the seat and the backrest is synchronous. Asynchronous movement is only available on much more expensive models.
The armrests are presented as 2D, meaning they can be adjusted in two different directions. As it stands, it's true, but a little misleading. They can be adjusted in height in one click, with a range of 7 cm, but this 7 cm adjustment between the two armrests (45 to 52 cm) is made during installation by moving the screws more or less closer together.
The armrests of the Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
The lever located under the seat, allowing you to adjust the height of the seat, also allows you to lock or unlock the swing of the chair. However, it is impossible to lock it other than in a horizontal position.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
Finally, the neck support is a cushion and therefore cannot really be adjusted. Likewise, the lumbar support is a simple cushion which however has the advantage of being adjustable in height, which is already very good at this price. However, you have to like having to adjust the height of the cushion each time you change position.
Basic comfort
With 52 cm of width between the armrests, including 36 cm between the reinforcements (rather 45 cm if we really take the part that really goes up) and a depth of 50 cm, we can say that we do not feel cramped in the TC100 Relaxed. Whatever your size (within the limit of 120 kg supported by the chair), you should feel good.
However, we remain on an entry-level seat and this is inevitably felt, even if Corsair has worked rather well on its copy. Adjusting the cushions is a real problem and the seat is not particularly comfortable, despite the fact that it is very soft.
Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis – Aroged
In fact, during my test, I had the impression of regularly changing position in order to try to get back into a comfortable position. Enough to end up adopting positions that are sometimes very unergonomic.
Good point, however, for the armrests which are padded with a foam rigid enough to provide good support and soft enough to remain comfortable after hours of use.
The casters
Like most office chairs, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed has five 65mm hard plastic casters. Easy to install, they slide very well on the open space carpet without blocking.
Corsair TC100 Relaxed // Source: Chloé Pertuis
On parquet floors, they roll even better! Be careful, if the floor of your office is slightly sloping, you may have to support it to keep yourself stable.
Prix de la Corsair TC100 Relaxed
The Corsair TC100 Relaxed is sold at the recommended price of 219.90 euros on the brand's website. However, you have to stay on the lookout for promotions and you can, for example, find it at the time of writing for 185.99 euros on Amazon in a fabric version.