Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Review: The Next Generation

The Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen may sound like the title of a badly-translated 1990s Saturday morning manga, but in reality it is the updated version of the flagship Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 that we reviewed back in 2021.

The $799 Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen sports a hybrid leatherette that feels soft to the touch, but that the company claims has enhanced UV and stain resistance. Under the leatherette there is a nanofoam composite — essentially multiple layers of foam designed to provide support and comfort.

The Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen comes in two sizes. Regular, for persons between 5'7" and 6'2" (170 - 188cm) weighing less than 220lbs (100kg), and XL for those between 5'11" and 6'9" (180 - 206cm) and between 175 and 395lbs (79 - 179kg). Both sizes come in your choice of either pure white or pure black NanoGen leatherette.

Is the next generation Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen better than what came before it? Take a seat and let's find out.

Assembly

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After recently moving house, I have been assembling a lot of furniture. My HOTO Electric screwdriver has been in constant use! All of this practice prepared me well to assemble the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition.

The box the chair came in was extremely large, measuring 28.3 x 33.5 x 15 inches (72 x 85 x 38cm), and weighing 78 pounds (35.5kg) — it was challenging to move. The delivery person even offered to help me, but pride took over and I said I was okay — and I was (barely). Let's just say the box has a two-person lift icon for a reason!

The assembly guide states that two people should assemble the chair, but you can do it with one person. I assembled the chair in 37 minutes using the provided tools — but there were a few sweaty moments.

Inside the box is a glorious amount of exceptionally dense packing foam (which I will be reusing), a manual, a quick reference card, and a pack of leather wipes. The manual was exceptionally clear to follow, and the quick reference card helped me fully understand the unboxing process. The chair comes with all the tools you'll need to assemble it, including a T-handle with an embedded magnet to hold the bit, and two bits: an M8 hex driver and a Pozi screwdriver. (You can use other ¼ inch bits with the handle, but shorter bits will need an extension piece or they'll get lost in the handle.) The handle will prove useful around the house and office when I need a little more torque. This included tool was the only tool I used to assemble this chair — unlike when I assembled my previous Boulies Master chair, which required my Wera hex drivers to attach the base of the chair to a frame. The SecretLab Titan Evo NanoGen already had this section connected to its chair base, which made for an easier assembly process.

While building the chair, one area where I hit an issue was when I needed to slide the backrest onto the base. My unit had come with the guiding rails slightly out of line, meaning that I could not push the back onto the seat without moving them. One of the rails is freely moved, while the other is kept under tension via a huge coiled spring. The manual advises that you should not release this rail without the chair back on — but I needed to.

I opened the plastic cover, and slowly released the retaining safety screw (the orange plastic piece in the image) and, with my hands well clear of any moving parts, pressed the release. The loudest metallic “CLACK” sound reverberated around my home, causing my wife to shout, asking if I was ok — I was, and so were my hands. The sound was the rail moving forward at very high speed, and if my hand had been in the way, I would have ended up in the ER with half a chair attached to me. Don’t do that, dear reader — I had to, but you shouldn’t.

Other than that minor hiccup, assembly was smooth and I soon had the chair upright and ready for testing.

Specifications

Design and Construction

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I asked for the all-white version of this chair for two reasons: First, it looks nice in my room, and second, it is much easier to photograph. But pure white furniture dulls and loses its clarity over time. UV rays from sunlight and stains will quickly turn bright white into an off-white. Secretlab, however, claims that this chair will stay bright white — even in a sunny room. Without subjecting it to an all-day session in a tanning salon and/or throwing a jar of turmeric over it, I have to take those claims with a pinch of salt. The leatherette material is easier to clean than fabric, and the included wipes will certainly be on standby, as I am clumsy (and have a love for raspberry jam (jelly) on toast).

The Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition looks every bit like a stereotypical gaming chair. Secretlab claims that the seat has been made softer, but it is still firmer than my Boulies chair — which pulls double duty as a gaming and office chair. But Secretlab’s chair really pushes the gaming aesthetic with hard edges and large logos.

Once built, I had to set the chair up to get the best sitting experience. This meant that I needed to tweak the settings, and this is where I had to pull out the manual.

To adjust the chair there are a series of dials, paddles, and catches. Starting from the top to bottom, while seated: On my left is the lumbar height adjustment dial, and on the right the lumbar curvature dial. Together, these dials are used to move the chair's lumbar support up and down the chair back, tweaking the curvature to match my back. After a short while tweaking the dials, I found a setting that supported my back and stopped any sciatica ache. Under the dials are the rails that guide the seat back onto the base — these are covered with a magnetic cover, which is a really nice touch that adds to the chair's overall quality and finish.

Next, we have the arm rests. They can move up and down, slide further into my side, slide further away, and move forwards and backwards. They can also twist diagonally to support my forearms. The included Secretlab PU foam armrest tops are nice, if a little cheap-feeling. They are magnetically held to the chair arms, and can be replaced with memory foam or cooling gel tops instead — for an extra cost, of course.

On the right side, at seat level, there is a lever which controls the backrest recline position. If you pull this lever without putting weight on the backrest, it will fly forward; otherwise it works like a typical backrest that reclines as you lean back on it. When you've found your position, return the lever to its original position and the back locks into place. The lever feels like I am pulling an ejector seat.

Underneath the seat are levers for chair height and tilt lock. The chair height lever uses your weight to move the seat down. Remove the weight and the chair will rise and you can tweak the height to your preference with a little patience. Tilt lock is used to alter the tilt angle of the seat. Moving the seat angle backward will place a little more pressure on your butt, moving it forward, and there will be more pressure on your legs. When you are comfy, lock it off and you won’t have to worry about falling over when you sit down. The final dial is for tilt tension, and twisting this will make the seat’s tilt mechanism feel stronger or weaker as you find a comfortable position.

The base of the chair is made from power coated steel and it has certainly got some weight to it. The base didn't creak or flex when loaded up with my 205 pounds (93kg) of weight, plus the weight of the seat. In the two weeks that I have been sitting on this chair, the base has remained scratch free, but the white does show every little speck of dust. Luckily, it's easy to wipe clean, with no seams to snag on as you wipe away dirt and grime. The included casters work on carpet, but I much prefer the aftermarket “rollerblade” casters that I purchased for my Boulies chair. On hard floors, the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition rolls around like a figure skater at the Winter Olympics, but on carpet it is difficult to move around without removing my weight from the chair.

Comfort and Adjustments

Is the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition comfortable for a person of my size? Yes, but this is a gaming chair and not an office chair. What do I mean by this? The chair’s seat is much firmer than my previous Boulies chair, which was clearly made to be an office chair, first, and a gaming chair, second. Secretlab claims that the seat base has been “deliberately sculpted" to be medium-firm. It's all about "optimizing pressure distribution,” with firmness being used to counter pressure placed on your “sit bones.” Some areas — notably, under the knees — are softer to provide support, but where my butt touches the seat, the seat pad is firmer and this makes long-term sitting not as comfortable as I would’ve liked.

The seat is supportive and I am not in pain, but a little more comfort for my butt would’ve been appreciated. Is it because of my weight or height? At just under 205 pounds (93kg), I am 15 pounds under the maximum weight for the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen. My height of 5'7" (172cm) is at the lowest end of the supported height.

I asked my wife to take a seat in the chair and tweak it to her own preferences. She is of a similar height to myself, but weighs about one-third of what I do. She found the chair comfortable and supportive in general, but agreed that it was a little too firm for long term sitting.

The magnetic head rest is genius. My old Boulies chair used an elastic band to keep the headrest attached, and made the chair look cheaper, overall. Finding a comfortable spot for the head rest took a little time — I didn’t want my head pushed too far forward, nor did I want the pillow to bury itself into the back of my neck. But I got there in the end: turns out, all I needed to do was adjust the pillow while wearing a hoodie.

The leatherette material is comfortable, and I don’t see it becoming too sticky or clammy during the end of a remarkably hot British summer. Warmer climates may be different, however. The softness of the material feels nice to the touch, and the underlying firmness of the upholstery amplifies the luxurious feeling.

Bottom Line

Secretlab's Titan Evo NanoGen Edition is a great gaming chair that can be tuned to meet the needs of the user. The seat pad is a little too firm for me, but I can appreciate that Secretlab is trying to provide both comfort and support in one package.

If you want a gaming chair, then the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition should be a consideration. But if you want an office chair, I still recommend my old chair — the Boulies Master. The Titan Evo NanoGen Edition's leatherette finish is a subtle luxury, and the claims of UV and stain protection will need to be put to a long-term test — I'll update this review once I've had this chair for longer.