Tom's Hardware Verdict
The AndaSeat Jungle 2 Series maintains the form factor and design of its predecessor while improving its material and focusing on sitting health. Unfortunately, that posture correction comes at the cost of comfort.
Pros
- +
+ Maintains good posture
- +
+ Sturdy and firm
- +
+ Nice material improvements over original
Cons
- -
Lumbar and neck pillow are too stiff
- -
Poor footrest
- -
Questionable rocker function
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware
The AndaSeat Jungle 2 series ($299.99 MSRP) is the next evolution in the manufacturer’s Jungle Series line of gaming chairs. It takes the form factor and design of the original Jungle Series chair and upgrades the materials with newly developed fabrics and stitchings for extra added flair. In line with the company’s aim to “improve the sitting health of gamers [and] office workers,” AndaSeat’s latest chair’s design focuses on keeping your posture straight while you sit for extended periods with the help of its neck and lumbar pillows.
Unfortunately, there may be too much focus on posture correction and not enough on comfort. Even mild additions like the footrest to promote comfort leave much to be desired. If you’ve got severe posture issues while sitting, this may be the chair for you. Otherwise, you may want to do a bit more research to find the best gaming chair for you.
Upholstery | AD PVC Leather |
Recline | 160 Degrees |
Total Height (with base) | 49.60 - 53.54 inches (126 -136cm) |
Seat Pan Height (with base) | 18-21.5 inches (45.7-54.6cm) |
Backrest Height | 32.48 inches (82.5cm) |
Backrest Width (shoulder level) | 22.06 inches (57.5cm) |
Seating Area Width (total) | 20.1 inches (51.1cm) |
Seating Area Width (point of contact) | 14.17 inches (36cm) |
Depth Seating Area (total) | 16.92 inches (43cm) |
Armrest Width | 27.36 inches (69.5cm) |
Armrest lowest-Highest | 23.81-30.5 inches (60.5 - 77.5cm) |
Recommended Maximum Weight | 330 pounds (150kg) |
Weight | 56.2 pounds (25.5kg) |
Warranty | Up to 2 years |
Price | $299 |
Design of AndaSeat Jungle 2 Series
The AndaSeat Jungle Series 2 utilizes a PVC leatherette vinyl finish with velvet plush liner fabric that gives this gaming chair a premium feel and look. The scratch-proof leather feels comfortable and durable while the velvet fabric accentuates the design and feels soft to the touch. I love the orange stitching against the black leather colorway, which is something the base Jungle chair didn’t have. It gives the chair some gamer flair, but not so much that it would look out of place in an office setting.
But don’t misunderstand, the Jungle still retains a racer chair design like many other gaming seats on the market, unfortunately. So the design is pretty standard when compared to all the other gaming chairs that look just like it. Thankfully, the colorway is inconspicuous. Our review unit is the only color available to buy as of now, and it's a solid design to go with.
The Jungle Series 2 comes with AndaSeat-branded lumbar and neck pillows. Both are supposed to strap along the back of the chair. It’s a basic design, and that’s a good thing for the most part. But I yearn for a future where gaming chairs stray from the covered-in-pleather design and baby car seat ergonomics we’ve seen for over a decade.
Assembly of AndaSeat Jungle 2 Series
After the seat and headrest were aligned, the assembly went by much faster, and I finished about 15 minutes later. However, I then realized that a footrest accessory could be added onto the seat that we had to put on as well. All that was needed was to unscrew some screws under the seat and reapply them with some braces that allow the footest to slide in. There are also two black circles you have to put on at the end of the footrest legs to keep them from sliding out of the brackets fully.
You won’t need to bring your own tools for the assembly process. The chair comes with a kit that includes an Allen Key to assemble the chair and a small screwdriver to install the footrest.
Comfort and Adjustments for AndaSeat Jungle 2 Series
According to AndaSeat, the Jungle 2 Series can handle up to 330 pounds and folks up to 5’9”. I’m 280 pounds and 5’10”, and I can safely say I feel secure in it. There’s just enough seat here to avoid feeling like my hips were hanging out. But the seat could be somewhat unforgiving to someone who fits the max specifications of the chair. The way the seat curls up leaves very little space to move your legs, especially if you have wide hips or a lot of thighs. However, the seat itself was very comfy to sit in, and I never felt the need to get up to give my butt a rest.
The Jungle 2 Series “has upgraded its user experience with improvements to its fabric” called the AD+ Design, which is meant to “counter sedentary fatigue, improve posture and alleviate discomfort.” To these ends, the seat is fitted with DuraXtraAD+ Leather and EverSoftAD+ Linen while the back uses a 22mm TitanSteelAD+ Framework and AD+ Moulded Foam.
The chair does well in that it keeps your posture in check. No matter how you angle or adjust the back (by pulling the lever on the side) the sloped angle of the back will keep you properly aligned. However, it is not the most comfortable feeling in the world, especially in conjunction with the chair’s stiff pillows. It felt like my posture was corrected, but the support provided felt hard on my back.
The Jungle Series 2 comes with AndaSeat-branded lumbar and neck pillows, both of which I didn’t find to be very comfortable. Unlike Secretlab’s Signature Memory Foam lumbar and neck pillows, the ones here protrude into your back, head, and neck, respectively. The lumbar for the Jungle 2 also has straps, same as the pillow, both of which are hard to adjust. Instead of sinking into the support accessories, they’re stiff in an attempt to keep your body posture correctly. While it does work to keep your body erect, the comfort leaves much to be desired. I had to recline the back a bit, adjust the pillows, and raise the height of the chair in order to feel more comfortable.
You adjust the height by pressing a lever underneath the seat. Below that is the iron base that allows the chair to roll and swivel. Rolling around in the Jungle 2 was easy enough and relatively quiet. The Jungle 2 utilizes 60mm caster wheels to move around, assuring folks on carpets or hardwood floors have no issues moving around in the chair.
The chair has a rocker and full recline function, but I enjoyed the latter more than the former. I didn’t feel entirely secure using the rocker because I always felt I’d fall. Although I never did, it’s never a good feeling when a chair meant to support someone my size still makes me wary of falling. However, the back does a nice full recline that made me feel comfortable.
Unfortunately, the accompanying footrest does nothing to take advantage of the full recline. It’s made of the same velvet that’s on the back, but feels flimsy and like it can’t support the weight of my legs. It slides in and out from under the seat with two legs kept in place by a base and rubber circles at the end, which require additional assembly to use. From there, you flip the footrest out and over to reveal its soft velvet side. It functions as cheaply as it’s held together, and I never used it beyond this review.
The armrests are coated with PU rubber, and it feels soft to the touch. The armrests also adjust in two dimensions. The arms can move up and down or left and right, which creates support for your arms, elbows, and forearms no matter how you configure your chair. You move the armrests to the left or right simply by pushing, while a small lever on either side of each armrest allows them to move up and down.
Bottom Line
AnsaSeat’s Jungle Series 2 is an obvious improvement over its predecessor. It utilizes improved materials over its predecessor, has an upgraded design that builds upon the original’s look, and maintains the series of chairs’ focus on keeping the user’s posture intact. I wish that comfort was given as much attention as posture, though. The lumbar pillows felt very stiff, and the strap-in design leaves very little room to adjust things at your discretion.
Some will find the support provided by the lumbar pillows is too beneficial to take them off while others, like me, will think they are too uncomfortable to use. . Either way, the chair’s back provides sufficient support, and its seat cushion is comfortable enough to sit in for extended periods of time.
I recommend this chair for people with posture issues or gamers who just want a basic chair. However, if you’re a sloucher looking for a chair that puts comfort first, the Jungle 2 is not the chair for you. The pillows are built for posture correction more so than comfort, and the footrest is atrociously flimsy. Moreover, at $299.99, there are much cheaper options available, such as the previous Jungle model if posture support is your main concern. There’s also the similarly priced Razer Enki X, which has built-in lumbar support. Another good alternative is Anda Seat’s T-Pro 2 if you’re a bigger person. At best, wait for the Jungle 2 to go on sale or drop in price before you buy.
Isaac Rouse is a staff writer at Tom's Hardware. He reviews laptops and various gaming peripherals.