Several improvements have been implemented into the noblechairs HERO, but does it significantly improve comfort and ergonomics? Lets find out.
Product on Review: noblechairs HERO
Manufacturer: noblechairs
Street Price: UK £349.99 / US $439.99 / AU $549.99
There’s an old saying that says you should always invest in things that seperate you from the floor, such as shoes, mattresses and chairs; the chairs part is where we’re going to focus today, to see if the £349.99 noblechairs HERO can improve your time spent at a PC, whether that’s for lengthy gaming sessions or just a day at work.
Now onto our third noblechairs review, we’ve tried and tested the noblechairs EPIC and ICON, two similar sized chairs with different styles. Today we look at the HERO, with several additions, most importantly of which is the increased size, now catering for the larger person. Padding is also increased, to help support heavier people, with a maximum quoted weight of 180KG (roughly 28 stone).
As well as the increased size, we also get infinitely adjustable lumbar support and memory foam in the headrest, increasing comfort and useability.
The elegant and beautiful designs that noblechairs employ on their ICON and EPIC series chairs has been carried through, with Nappa Leather and Real Leather options being available, as well as the PU Leather on our review sample. Chunky stitching and quality materials also help give the HERO series a premium feel.
We’ve been using the ICON and EPIC chairs for a while now, giving us a solid benchmark to work from when comparing the HERO, which we’ve tested for around a month now. Read on to see what we thought.
noblechairs on the HERO:
Premium ergonomics is what differentiates a good chair from a great chair, especially when used over extended periods of time. With that in mind, noblechairs took a range of feedback on board and integrated long requested features into the HERO gaming chair. One of the most popular requests was for adjustable lumbar support to be integrated into the backrest, something that can be adjusted to meet your precise preferences thanks to the infinitely adjustable wheel design. This is a feature that has been limited to only the highest of high-end office chairs. This enables the HERO to conform to the natural curvature of lower back and provide a more natural posture when seated.
Technical Specifications
Appearance
Main colour: Black
Side strip colour: Black (suede feel)
Stitchings colour: Red
Logo segment colour: Red
Logo embroidery colour: Gold
Pillow colour: Black with red embroidery
Measurements
Total height (with base): ca. 1310 – 1410 cm
Height adjustability: ca. 495 – 595 mm
Width backrest (shoulder level): ca. 545 mm
Width backrest (pelvis level): ca. 520 mm
Width backrest (point of contact): ca. 295 mm
Length backrest: ca. 870 mm
Backrest adjustability (static): 90° – 135°
Width seat (total): ca. 560 mm
Width seat (point of contact): ca. 350 mm
Depth seat (total): ca. 565 mm
Depth seat (point of contact): ca. 495 mm
Width armrests: ca. 105 mm
Depth armrests: ca. 270 mm
Rocking mechanism: max. 14°
Armrests adjustable: Yes (four-dimensional)
Maximum weight (user): 180 kg
Net weight (chair): ca. 27 kg
Gross weight (chair): ca. 29 kg
Package dimensions: ca. 84 * 38 * 70 cm
UK Fire safety compliance: BS 5852
Manufacturer warranty: 2 years
Main colour: Black
Side strip colour: Black (suede feel)
Stitchings colour: Red
Logo segment colour: Red
Logo embroidery colour: Gold
Pillow colour: Black with red embroidery
Measurements
Total height (with base): ca. 1310 – 1410 cm
Height adjustability: ca. 495 – 595 mm
Width backrest (shoulder level): ca. 545 mm
Width backrest (pelvis level): ca. 520 mm
Width backrest (point of contact): ca. 295 mm
Length backrest: ca. 870 mm
Backrest adjustability (static): 90° – 135°
Width seat (total): ca. 560 mm
Width seat (point of contact): ca. 350 mm
Depth seat (total): ca. 565 mm
Depth seat (point of contact): ca. 495 mm
Width armrests: ca. 105 mm
Depth armrests: ca. 270 mm
Rocking mechanism: max. 14°
Armrests adjustable: Yes (four-dimensional)
Maximum weight (user): 180 kg
Net weight (chair): ca. 27 kg
Gross weight (chair): ca. 29 kg
Package dimensions: ca. 84 * 38 * 70 cm
UK Fire safety compliance: BS 5852
Manufacturer warranty: 2 years
Packaging & Included Parts
Ensuring your brand spanking new pc chair arrives in tip-top condition, the people over at noblechairs package everything up very well, using a solid triple-corrugated cardboard outer box and ample padding inside. The box is incredibly heavy, at almost 40kg, so get someone to help you lift it up the stairs if possible.
Obviously far too good at Tetris, the clever people have figured out a rather genius way of fitting everything into one box without wasting any space. Not only is this better for the customer, preventing things from moving around inside the box, it’s good for the environment too, enabling more of them to be packaged onto trucks and planes.
Starting off the parts list, we empty out a small box located within the main packaging. Included in there is the Class 4 gas cylinder, capable of around 100mm of height adjustment, 5 plastic caster wheels, a shroud for surrounding the gas cylinder, a packet of screws and bolts for fixing everything together and a couple of handles for either side of the chair.
The hinge mechanism connects the base of the chair to the gas cylinder, allowing up to 14° of lean. The large dial on the bottom adjusts the resistance within the leaning mechanism, allowing you to find the sweet spot while the two silver bits sticking out the side are used to adjust the height of the chair and to lock the chair’s lean mechanism.
Providing the stability of the entire chair is the 5-prong base. This piece is made from aluminium to ensure strength while also remaining lightweight. The paint finish and chamfered edges give the chair a modern look.
Included Parts & Finished Look
If you’ve read any review on the previous two noblechairs, the ICON and the EPIC, you’ll know that they arrive with two lovely pillows, one of which can be used for lumbar support while the other has an attached band to be used as a neck/head pillow.
The seat section of the HERO is packed with extra cushioning to help maintain its shape during long hours of use. The perforated PU leather aids in regulating body temperature.
Flipping the base of the chair over, we can see the solid construction on the underside, providing the chair with all of the strength is needs to handle that 180kg maximum user weight. The centre section with the tapped holes is where the hinge mechanism attaches.
Finalising the list of components parts is the back piece, which appears to be a blend of the two previous chairs. The diamond stitching is carried on from the base and we also see the faux suede side pieces curving up the edges.
With and without the cushions, the HERO looks brilliant. We opted to choose the black with red stitching because they’re the best colours, right?
Performance & Comfort Testing
One of the new features on the HERO is the infintely adjustable lumbar support; the dial on the left of the photo can be adjusted incrementally to increase comfort and help maintain proper posture.
Also new on the HERO is the memory foam included within the headrest. If you choose not to use the included headrest pillow, this will adjust to your head position.
The handle on the right of the chair pulls upwards to adjust the recline angle of the rear of the chair, going from 90° upright to 131°, plus the 14° angle from the tilting mechanism allows a total of 145° of recline – you’re almost laid flat at this point, but thanks to the clever balancing with centre of gravity manipulation, you won’t fall over.
Customisation is the order of the day here, and the armrests haven’t been left out. noblechairs have called these a 4D armrest, according to their 4 different aspects of movement: side to side, forwards and backwards, up and down and they can rotate to a small degree.
For shorter users, or those who might require the chair to be lower due to specific desk layouts, or in our case, helping to align with the pedals on our Logitech G29 Racing Rig setup, noblechairs also sell a pair of shorter pistons, one reducing the height by -15mm and the other -30mm.
If you’re going down that route, we highly recommend you purchase the piston at the same time as the chair, once the standard piston is in place, it takes a lot of removing, especially if you’ve sat on it for a few weeks.
Shamrock approved of the chair before we even had it out of the box.
We promise this photo isn’t staged in any way.
Conclusion
As we mentioned in the introduction, we’ve spent around a month on this chair now, so we’ve got a pretty good idea of how it feels. Some days with up to 10-12 hours spent sitting down; most health professionals would recommend against that, but we don’t particularly have a choice sometimes.The addition of the lumbar adjustment dial is certainly welcomed on this model, though we did opt to use the chair in its flat setting for our personal preference, but it offers a surprising degree of adjustment; this system works similar to the lumbar support options in some premium car seats.
The memory foam in the headrest is a good addition, but we couldn’t really feel the benefit compared to the older models. We much preferred using the provided neck cushion but we wish the strap had some length adjustment.
Style is something noblechairs have nailed from the get-go. Their thick stitching and quality materials give their chairs a premium feel that will look excellent in the office or at your home setup.
As you may have seen in our previous noblechairs reviews, we were impressed with both, but if you’re a larger person, the HERO will suit you better. The thicker cushioning and wider base is much more accommodating; we’re even able to cross our legs on the chair, if that’s your bag. Having said that, don’t feel put off if you’re not a larger person, it’s perfectly comfortable for smaller people too!
Sure, the price, at UK £350, US $430 and AU $550, is quite a chunk of money, but what price can you put on a better posture? That’s a question only you can answer. We believe it’s worth more than that 32GB kit of DDR4 you’re looking at instead.
”Not all heroes wear capes” certainly applies here, we loved the HERO and the improvements it brought along with it, though by all means, you can attach a cape, just watch it doesn’t get stuck in the wheels!
Pros
+ Love the styling
+ Larger size makes it more accommodating
+ Good build quality and weight rating
+ Range of colours available
+ Different material options
+ 4D armrests
+ You can lie down at your desk
Neutral
+- Some adjustment on the neck pillow would be good
+- Pricey
Cons
– None
+ Love the styling
+ Larger size makes it more accommodating
+ Good build quality and weight rating
+ Range of colours available
+ Different material options
+ 4D armrests
+ You can lie down at your desk
Neutral
+- Some adjustment on the neck pillow would be good
+- Pricey
Cons
– None
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