In the world of home office equipment and chairs, there are a ton of options to choose from. You can aim for the more traditional Herman Miller-esque chairs, often reaching quadruple digits in pricing but offering an excellent level of comfort and support, or you can aim for the cheapest option available that might fall apart in a year or two. However, there are a ton of in-between options that are worth taking a look at too, and the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 is absolutely one of those options.

These chairs aren't exactly cheap, and they start at $549, but I'm of the opinion that a chair is something you shouldn't skimp out on. I was using a Herman Miller Aeron as my daily home office chair for the better part of a year, but this chair has actually replaced my Herman Miller, presenting me with a weird dilemma that I haven't quite been able to solve. Secretlab has managed to make a chair so well-rounded that it's hard to tear myself away from it, thanks to how well it manages to execute all of its features.

About this review: Secretlab sent me the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Neo Hybrid Leatherette for the purposes of this review. The company did not have any input into its contents.

Pricing and availability

The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 comes in three sizes and in multiple colorways and designs. There are a ton of upsells available for this chair that you can opt-in for, including armrest replacements using the company's CloudSwap technology. The company's pricing starts at $549 but will scale up as you add designs and other changes.

Design, comfort, and build quality

An amazingly-well made chair

The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 comes in a flat-packed box, with easy-to-follow instructions on how to build it. It took me roughly half an hour by myself, and all of the tools in the box were enough to put it together. It comes with a Secretlabs screwdriver and an Allen key, and it all connects together seamlessly. While I'd definitely recommend building it with a friend or family member if you can get the help, you can build this chair easily by yourself. I'd just recommend having a lot of space to build it in. Below are the three variants that this chair ships in.

From a comfort point of view, this chair is fantastic. I received a regular-sized chair that fits me perfectly, and I have zero complaints about the comfort of the chair after sitting in it for multiple days in a row. It feels bigger than me in the way that a chair should, and doesn't feel too small either. In the case of the Herman Miller Aeron, for example, the chair felt like it was made to fit me entirely. While that's great for lumbar support and back health in general, it's impossible to sit in that chair in any other way than it's intended to be sat in, even just casually for five minutes. Sitting in that chair at all is a commitment to posture immediately, which can be uncomfortable at times.

This chair carries the usual racing chair style while improving on multiple aspects of that much-loved design, and in my opinion, it nails it. The chairs use a foam that can take up to a few weeks to "break in", and the chair will be firm at the start when you receive it. Over time, the foam of the Titan Evo will turn to a medium-firm consistency so that pressure is distributed across your back. You don't want a chair to be too soft, as firmness is part of what gives your body support overall.

The NEO Hybrid Leatherette that we received is incredibly soft to the touch, but if you're in a warmer climate, it may be better for you to get the Softweave chair instead. You're not supposed to sit on this chair with any direct skin contact, as skin can stick to the leather and, as Secretlab warns, the chair can absorb skin oils too. On that note, one of the downsides of this chair is that it's not vegan-friendly, so if that's something that bothers you, then that's another reason to go for their Softweave chair instead.

Ergonomically, this chair is incredibly comfortable, but one of the parts most lacking is its lumbar support. It's not that it's non-existent, but it doesn't exactly offer a ton of support. There are two wheels on either side of the chair to adjust lumbar support, one moves it up and down, and the other allows you to adjust the support to fill the curvature of your spine. That part in particular feels somewhat lacking, but I can tell that it's there, it just doesn't necessarily fit me perfectly.

The reclining options are fantastic, too. The chair can recline up to 165 degrees, which is a significant level of reclining and can be quite comfortable, especially with the magnetized pillow. You can actually lie down in this chair and rest for a little bit, which I've done quite a few times already. It can lean back and then the base can also recline separately, so you can adjust one or the other, or even both options. The only downside with the pillow is that you can knock it off kind of easily, but you'll get used to it being magnetized rather than fixed in place quite quickly.

Finally, the armrests are brilliant. With the company's CloudSwap technology, you can swap them out easily thanks to strong magnets keeping them in place, but they're very versatile. They can turn inwards or outwards, slide along the bar holding them up, and can be raised as well. They're quite long so that they can support your forearms, and the chair is very, very comfortable to sit upright in when resting my arms on the armrests. I've already adjusted my playing style in games to suit this chair where I sit directly up and rest my arms on the armrests, level with my desk, so I think even that is a win for back health.

Armrest replacements with CloudSwap technology

We received the PlushCell memory foam and Technogel armrests

Part of the advantage of buying a Secretlab chair is the ability to use the company's CloudSwap technology to replace the armrests on your new chair. The armrests that you get in the box are absolutely fine, but if you want something different, that's where CloudSwap comes in. Secretlab sent us the PlushCell memory foam and the Technogel armrests, and both are great but for different reasons.

Firstly, the PlushCell memory foam armrests are the most comfortable of the two, and the reason for that is that they're incredibly soft to the touch. Resting my arms on them feels great, and that's how I've started to use my computer more and more. I've been using the armrests on this chair all the time, including when I'm gaming, and these are my favorite of the two. Those are the ones in use in the above pictures.

However, the Technogel armrests are great too, but for a different reason. They feel quite similar to the ones you receive in the box but with the added benefit of having a cooling gel on the inside. What that means is that you transfer heat easier to the armrests, so in particularly hot weather (there was a heatwave in Ireland as I was reviewing this product), you can feel slightly cooler by putting your arms on the armrest.

These two armrests are both great but for different reasons. They're offered as an upsell in the sales process with your chair, so if you want to get something a little bit different, I recommend checking them out and seeing if they'd suit you and your needs. I used the Technogel ones for a day and then stuck with the PlushCell ones after that, but you may prefer the added cool touch of the Technogel armrests.

All I have are long-term concerns

Some users report peeling over time, though nobody I know has experienced the same

The primary concerns I have about the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 are concerns regarding the leather peeling over time. While I can't say anything about my particular usage as I haven't had it for a very long time, a friend of mine purchased the same chair nearly two years ago. I asked him about it, and he told me that the chair looks really good given how long he's had it, and that he hasn't noticed any wear in it.

On top of that, our Lead PC Hardware Editor Rich Edmonds has had a Secretlab chair for four years, and he's said that aside from some minor peeling on one of the armrests, there are no signs of wear and tear on his chair. While there are users out there who have clearly experienced some issues with their chairs, it's true that these also require a greater level of care than needed for other chairs. With the Neo Hybrid Leatherette chair, Secretlab gives a free leather wipe in the box, which is designed to help clean your chair without damaging it.

With that said, this chair is resistant to stains, and I've seen that you can just as easily take a damp cloth and wipe the chair down if you spill something on it. While I haven't had to do that yet, it seems like that isn't a problem. Nonetheless, this is a chair that you need to look after, especially given the sizeable investment you'll need to make.

Should you buy the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022?

It's a great chair that's hard to go wrong with

The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 is a chair that's been around for a few years now, and in 2024, it's still an excellent choice not even just for gamers, but for any home office in general. While it's obviously a more gamer-coded chair that suits that kind of aesthetic, this Stealth design is muted enough that it can suit any environment. Between good looks, solid build quality, and great comfort, it's a chair that suits pretty much everyone.

However, there are a few downsides to this particular chair, most notably for vegans who won't feel comfortable with a chair made of genuine animal hide. In that case, you can opt to go for the Softweave variant of the chair, as there are no animal products used in its production. That chair is also better than the Neo Hybrid Leatherette if you live in a warmer climate, as you can clean it quite easily.

On top of that, if you have pets, then you'll need to be careful with this chair too. It's very much an investment, and claws or other sharp objects can knick at the leather and damage it irreparably. You'll need to be careful and look after it, possibly more than most office chairs, but that's what you get when you spend $500. My Herman Miller Aeron was very much a chair I could abuse for the most part, but you need to be careful about the way you use your Titan Evo to keep it in prime condition.

With concerns about longevity, the people I spoke to have all used their chairs in ways that you're supposed to in order to keep them in mint condition, and theirs have survived without any issues. If you're really worried, Secretlab offers a five-year warranty, but I think you can get away with just making sure you look after this chair in a way you would any other $500 investment. This is one of those home office upgrades you should definitely treat yourself to, especially if you've been considering it for a while.

You should buy the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 if:

• You want a great-looking chair in your office
• You want to be able to recline nearly completely flat and feel comfortable throughout the day
• You care about your posture

You shouldn't buy the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 if:

• You're a vegan (specifically the Neo Hybrid Leatherette)
• You need perfect lumbar support