AndaSeat Transformers Edition Review: Rollout with the Autobots

If your favorite Prime comes from Optimus, not Amazon, AndaSeat has a chair made for you. The AndaSeat Transformers Edition allows you to show your love for the cartoon robots, but much like the car / living machine hybrids, this chair is more than meets the eye. 

Priced at $399 – and currently on sale for $359 – this is an ergonomically designed chair on par with many of the best gaming chairs and great for both gaming and work-related computing. It comes in three bold Transformer themed designs printed and stitched on premium faux leather. There are two removable pillows – foam for the lumbar region and a gel for behind the neck.

The chairs come in three colorful designs: bright yellow Bumblebee; black, red and blue Optimus Prime; or black, gray and purple Megatron. The chairs are otherwise identically made from premium PVC leather with the Transformer of your choice printed on the seat back and an Autobot insignia embroidered on the rear of the chair.

They only come in a “large” size, which AndaSeat lists as appropriate for people under 5’9” and supports up to 200 pounds while rocking. As a short 5’2” human I found the seat to be wonderfully adaptable to my tiny legs with a seat wide enough to sit in cross legged. I turned the chair over to my 6’3” and somewhat over 200 pound testing assistant and he reported that he fit quite well. 

Specifications: AndaSeat Transformers Edition

Assembly of the AndaSeat Transformers Edition

The AndaSeat Transformers Edition gaming chair arrives in a 61.5 pound box with a hefty manual and a single hex key – the only tool you need to assemble it.  

Chair assembly is fairly straightforward. Snap the wheels onto their sockets and mount the piston onto the wheelbase. Screws on the backrest are pre-installed so you know where they belong. Remove them, and slide the backrest onto the seat’s brackets. Now put the screws back. A magnetic cover quickly hides the screws when you’re finished.

For safety reasons, the recline function is locked down with a bright red screw and a dire warning to only remove it after the upper portion of the chair is assembled. Once the safety screw is removed, the hole is replaced with a snap-on cover.

Next, tip the chair face down. Attach the levers to the tilt mechanism and place the mechanism on the bottom of the chair with four screws. Slide the wheelbase into the mechanism and carefully return the chair to its upright position. 

The neck pillow sticks in place with concealed magnets, and the lumbar pillow is unattached and therefore optional.

Design of the AndaSeat Transformers Edition

The AndaSeat Transformers Edition gaming chair is based on the Phantom 3 series, the most reasonably priced AndaSeat offering. There’s a price to pay for ultimate fandom – about $110 more – at least until the current Black Friday sale ends on Nov. 30, 2022.

The Transformers Edition chair is a typical gaming seat that serves well as a multipurpose desk chair. It’s probably a bit too flashy for most office settings, but if you live or die by the mighty AllSpark, it’s perfect.

There’s only one size and one material – large and leatherette. But you can choose between three of the most popular Transformers to rest your bumper: Bumblebee, Optimus Prime or Megatron. Each is brightly screen printed onto the backrest, with the Transformer’s insignia stitched into the backside of the chair. Megatron fans might be slightly annoyed that the Decepticon symbol wasn’t used for his chair.

I reviewed the Optimus Prime chair, as that’s my son’s favorite Transformer. I’m a bit more of a Bumblebee fan myself, but the bright yellow leatherette hurts my eyeballs. Not that it makes a difference – once you’re settled in the chair, you don’t notice the color.

The DuraXtra leatherette is a good choice for this chair, as it’s stain resistant and easy to clean with a damp microfiber cloth and soapy water. The upholstery wraps completely around the chair, including the back — there’s very little exposed plastic.

The chair is embroidered with AndaSeat on the headrest. The name of your favorite Transformer is embroidered on the front edge of the seat.

The magnetic pillow is the same ingenious design used on the deluxe AndaSeat Kaiser 3. It has a layer of cool gel and a layer of memory foam on top of a rubber pad embedded with four super strong magnets. The magnets hold the pillow securely to steel rails in the headrest that keep the pillow centered while allowing it room to move up and down. If you choose to not use the pillow, the rails have enough padding that you won’t notice them.

Comfort and Adjustments on the AndaSeat Transformers Edition

The AndaSeat Transformers Edition has an ergonomic seat base and dense foam padding to provide solid support. Everything is smooth to the touch without any scratchy surfaces if you game in your shorts.  

The chair is quite adjustable, with black on black buttons and levers that blend into the chair’s overall design. A lever on the side of the seat allows you to recline. You can recline to any point, from 90° vertical to a nearly flat 160°.

A hefty knob on the bottom of the seat adjusts the tilt tension to control how much the chair will rock based on your weight. A large lever on the bottom of the chair locks the tilt mechanism to your desired angle, or lets you rock freely. Another lever controls the chair height.

A discrete button on each arm rest allows you to move it up and down for the perfect height. There’s no adjustable internal lumbar support on this model, instead you get a foam pillow embroidered with your Transformer’s head.

Bottom Line

This chair is obviously catering to the Transformers’ fan base, but it’s not all gimmicks and hype. Underneath the graphics is a solid gaming chair with an ergonomic steel frame, supportive foam and a smooth PVC leather surface. If your computer desk needs a pop of color, this chair will serve you well for years of enjoyable gaming sessions. 

It’s also a great computer chair for tackling homework or working in your home office. Simply sit the chair more upright for serious keyboarding, or lounge it back for casual play. The lumbar pillow offers extra support if you need it, though I ended up sticking mine on the couch. The neck pillow, on the other hand, is really great since the magnet allows you to put it exactly where you need it.

At $399, it’s more expensive than your typical office chair, but this is more of a statement piece proclaiming your fandom. We spend a lot of time at our computers – we should enjoy the experience. Besides, this chair has better quality and construction than something cheap you could pick up at the big box store. If you’re looking for something a little less Transforer-themed, consider the a more mainstream design like that of the AndaSeat Jungle or Secretlabs Omega.