The Icon has been around for a good few years but, as with noblechairs’ other gaming chairs, is now available in fabric as well as leather and pleather options.
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Not everyone wants leather (or PU leather) because it can be uncomfortably hot and sticky during the summer, and cold in the winter.
Fabric, on the other hand, doesn’t suffer from these issues – especially if it’s breathable. And with the TX Series, it is.
Well known for using premium materials – and premium prices to go along with them – noblecharis hasn’t used just any old fabric. No. This is fleece-backed and breathable, and it looks and feels great.
Hopefully you like the anthracite colour, as there are no others to choose between. The denim-like grain adds interest, but it’s the attention to detail in the stitching and the top-quality finish that are instantly reassuring when you get the seat back out of the box.
Features & design
Leather, synthetic leather and fabric options
‘4D’ armrests
Steel frame + cold-cured foam
The Icon is essentially a follow-up to the Epic, and noblechairs says it has incorporated feedback from users to make the Icon an even better chair.
In terms of the overall design, it’s less ‘racing car bucket seat’, more executive office. The more understated, refined design with less-obvious branding and should appeal to those that don’t want anything garish.
If you opt for a synthetic leather version (shown above), the colour option applies only to the stitching and you can opt for black if you really don’t want any colour highlights. There’s also real leather, which is available in black, and – for the cigar-smoking gamer – cognac and black – shown below. It’s wrapped in 2mm-thick hide.
The final choice of material is hybrid synthetic leather. This is available in two ‘editions’: Black and Java, and is essentially the same as the ‘vegan’ leather you’ll find on some high-end car seats. We tried this material out on the Epic, and it really is impressive.
For this review, we tested out both the new TX fabric as well as the synthetic leather version of the Icon. At 1.5mm, the PU leather is thicker than the cover you’ll find on most chairs.
And regardless of which finish you choose, the Icon’s internal steel frame is 2mm thick, whereas most rivals use 1-1.5mm. There’s also a sturdy aluminium base – the entire chair oozes quality.
The foam used in the base and backrest is cold cured and not recycled. The 55 percent density may feel initially harder than you expected, but this also means it retains its shape. Having used the synthetic leather version of the icon for over a year, we can confirm it does not sag or go out of shape.
In terms of ergonomics, the backrest is ideally shaped to give you support and you probably won’t need to use the included lumbar cushion. There’s also pillow for your head – its use is very much down to personal preference.
As you’d expect, there’s plenty of adjustment. The back reclines to 135° and you can unlock the chair’s rocking mechanism and set the resistance to match your weight.
Armrests are adjustable in four dimensions (hence the 4D), and their dark chrome finish looks great. The only negative is that there isn’t much in the way of padding, so they’re not the most comfortable.
The chair itself, however, is amazingly comfortable and supportive. Where other noblechairs models are built for larger people, the Icon is more suitable for those of us that are slightly shorter and slimmer. Yet it will cope easily with heavier people – up to 150kg, in fact.
If you stream and replace your real background with an image or video, bear in mind that, as with all chair that have tall backs, the Icon’s headrest can cause problems where software can’t work out what’s your head and what’s the headrest.
Price & availability
You can buy an Icon directly from noblechairs, but they’re also available from Amazon – albeit at higher prices.
Prices start at £339.95 / US$429.99 for the TX (fabric) and synthetic leather versions, and rise to £394.99 / $489.99 for the Black Edition – the hybrid synthetic leather – and a real leather chair will cost you £529.99 / $619.99.
You can see other recommendations in our roundup of the best gaming chairs as well as our review of the noblechairs Hero.
Verdict
Although it’s nominally a gaming chair, it’s also ideal if you’re after a comfortable chair for working all day at a desk. In reality, it’s great for both: so you can work during the day on it and game when you’re not working. It’s not cheap, but it is worth the money.
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