Commissario
Having realised my much loved, but used and abused Ikea Klappe was not long for this world (leather going, arm broken, gas lift doesn't always), and spending ages looking a suitable replacement at the local and chain stores, the Noblechairs Icon was suggested and taken up.
First impressions are the box is big, nay, huge and my plan of building it in the computer pit was out of the question.
Yet there is very little wasted space in it
As you can see the chair is well packaged, and the arms come already fitted saving some time in assembly.
I'll skip pictures of the actual build, but note you won't need any additional tools to assemble it as the combination allen key/screwdriver works well, and it really is quite easy to do as 5ub demonstrated
I timed it as taking me 31 minutes from opening the box to sitting in the chair for the first time, even with delays to take pictures and cleaning up the packaging as I went.
Now for the important bit, what it's like, in one word; Impressive.
The build quality and design of the chair is very good with a solid feel to everything (no plastic star for the wheels for example), good cushioning and a lot more adjustment than your normal office or gaming chair.
The key areas of adjustment are:
- Height via gas lift.
- Tilt adjustment for the entire seat, with variable tension adjustment for how easily it reclines.
- Tilt adjustment for the back only, which is a nice feature that I've not seen very often even on chairs in this price range.
- Height, width and angle adjustments for the armrests, which makes for much more comfortable use especially over longer periods of time, again not something you see very often on cheaper chairs.
At 6'2” I tend to find many chairs are slightly too low, or don't have enough support for the neck/head if I lean back and relax to watch TV, I'm happy to say that the Icon has a high enough back that it does offer that support, is a good general height for my use, and the chair seems higher than my old one.
The Icon is very comfortable to use with a good level of padding neither being too soft or too hard, and feels nice and solid when sitting in it even for prolonged periods, with no creaks or unintended tilting. The colour scheme for all the chairs in the range is to my my mind fairly subtle and not something I'd think out of place anywhere (I chose the black/black model as I'm boring).
The arms are plastic topped, but it's a softish sort of plastic that has some give and looks like it is a good choice, as opposed to a brittle plastic, or a foam that'll give quickly.
My younger brother has been in his words "half-heartedly looking for a new chair for the last few years while his awful Ikea Markus fell apart under him". He couldn't find one that was up to his standards (or for the higher end ones, that he could actually try in person locally). Having tried the Icon he is going to pick one up for himself. He says it's better than anything he's seen in Ikea or Staples etc.
Pros:
- Highly adjustable.
- Fits well even for someone who is over 6 foot.
- Comfortable.
- Well built, with no plastic supporting parts that I can see.
- Looks good
Cons:
- Nothing major, but a tight fit getting it through the door once built.
In conclusion, I would rate the Noblechairs Icon very highly, and would not have any reservations about recommending it to anyone looking for a good computer or gaming chair as it seems to beat any of the chairs I, or my brother have tried in our quest for new chairs under £350.
At £330 for the chair I consider it a good price for a lot of chair.
Now all I need to do is re-organise my computer & hobby area, as somehow an 8'x2' desk intended for computer use and building has become a 2'x2' for computer use over the years
And learn how to take better pictures
