Vertagear PL4800 in test: The best gaming chair in its class?

Vertagear recently unveiled their new 800 product series on August 4, 2022, which is supposed to adapt perfectly to the body and offer maximum ergonomic comfort. Especially during long gaming sessions, it is quite relevant to have the perfect chair – surely everyone can do without back pain! To prevent exactly this problem, Vertagear relies on patented technology such as the ContourMax™ lumbar support, the VertaAir™ seat and accumulated knowledge since the company’s launch in 2015. We test for you the Vertagear PL4800, which is mainly aimed at taller people and take a closer look at all components of the new gaming chair!

Technical Specifications

Vertagear PL4800

Vertagear PL4800

€ 579.90

N/A

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Scope of delivery

• All components are protected by foam
• Tools for assembling the gaming chair integrated
• Optional accessories such as pet hair roller included

The Vertagear PL4800 comes in a large cardboard box. The first thing you notice when opening the box is that there is a lot of foam and bubble wrap on each side to prevent damage during delivery. All of the accessories are packed separately in their own box, while the backrest, five-link base, seat mechanism and seat share the rest of the space in the box.

The assembly instructions are housed in their own envelope and include step-by-step instructions on how to properly assemble the Vertagear PL4800. At this point, the high-quality workmanship of the M8 tool should be emphasized, which is ideal for use in the workshop even after the chair has been assembled. A cushion for the headrest and an optional pet hair remover are also included.

Setup

• simple assembly
• requires a maximum of 20 minutes of effort

The enclosed assembly instructions provide a total of eleven steps for assembling the Vertagear PL4800. In total, you need about 20 minutes of time for independent assembly without outside help. First of all, you have to turn the seat upside down and remove the four screws with washers. Then the seat mechanism is taken with both handles on the side, placed on the seat surface accordingly and subsequently fixed again with the previously removed screws. Now remove the five Penta-RS1 casters from the box and attach them firmly to the base. After removing the protective flap on the gas strut, place it in the hole of the seat mechanism and install the foot base on top of it.

Now the bottom of the Vertagear PL4800 is already fully assembled and can be flipped over with the foot base facing the floor. To attach the backrest, simply make the two brackets on the seat upright, slip the backrest over them and mount it using two M8 screws on each side. Optionally, the head cushion can now also be attached to the backrest.

The assembly of the Vertagear PL4800 is thus quite simple and also reasonable for any layman. From the moment of opening the box to the complete use of the chair is not even half an hour.

Optics & Workmanship

• PUC faux leather makes a very good visual impression
• Beautiful transition of the different materials into each other
• Fabric is rather prone to lint

Visually, the Vertagear PL4800 offers quite an aesthetic look in our test with its combination of black and white accents. The PUC faux leather on the seat and back looks excellent and any inconsistencies on the gaming chair could not be determined at any moment. All seams are flawlessly finished and all materials blend into each other in a cohesive manner. However, due to the somewhat garish color selection, lint is more likely to be visible – Vertagear has probably included the pet hair remover in the PL4800’s package for this reason.

The HygennX nanotechnology patented by the manufacturer is supposed to reduce bacterial growth on the surface due to the coffee fibers present in the fabric and additionally neutralize stinky odors such as sweat. Consequently, this is definitely a very thoughtful decision and helpful for anyone who spends a lot of time at the desk on hot summer days. Alternating back and forth rolling also feels very comfortable on the Vertagear PL4800 and the 4D armrests can also be configured perfectly thanks to the three adjustment options in several directions. Finally, it can be stated that the installed materials look quite resistant and give a solid impression.

Seating comfort

• Comfortable and comparatively large seat
• Mainly suitable for tall people

In short, the comfort from the PL4800’s seating area can be described as mostly cozy. Due to the waterfall design and the extra wide seat of the gaming chair, the legs move to the floor at a natural angle, preventing blood circulation from being interrupted. Contrary to the usual racing chairs with a rather firm seat, you can definitely sit on both sides of the PL4800, as you don’t notice a constricting feeling at any time. The UPHR foam on the seat and backrest feels amazingly good and ideally hugs your body dimensions.

Overall, however, the overall comfort of the Vertagear PL4800 can rather be titled as stiff or hard. The main reason for this is the backrest, which hardly allows any leeway for different sitting positions. The backrest is ergonomic from our point of view and keeps the user from slouching, but it can be painful over a longer period of time if the sitting position is not exact. This often results in a short stretching to relieve the spine. Consequently, Vertagear should probably have better integrated its own function here to adjust the hardness of the backrest as desired or alternatively rely on a lumbar cushion as is customary in the industry – the patented ContourMax^TM lumbar support cannot completely cast a spell over us, however.

Ergonomics

• Various adjustment options such as tilt, seat height and 4D armrest
• tiltable up to 140°
• 4D armrests provide solid added value

Tilt the backrest from the standard 80° up to 140° with a separate handle on the side. Pity is that the chair has no synchronous mechanism. This is detrimental to the back muscles and tends to cause back pain in the long run. The similarly priced Backforce One, on the other hand, offers one..

Seat height adjustments can be made on the underside of the seat and locked in place with a second handle. Also, the included memory foam cushion fits perfectly around the headrest and can be variably adjusted to your own comfort level. The 4D armrests, meanwhile, are a good extra to adjust the arms ideally to one’s preferences. In our test, we swiveled the armrests inwards and outwards several times, and also made changes to the front and back or up and down. During gaming, a comfortable position for the arms could be found at every conceivable moment, whether it was in the more upright position for using the keyboard or even sometimes in the fully 140° tilted state with the controller.

Conclusion

The Vertagear PL4800 is a very well-made gaming chair, which is literally aimed at the taller audience of 175 cm and above. At around 580 euros, the PL4800 does belong to the high-priced segment of gaming chairs, but Vertagear is able to compensate for this with sophisticated features such as the 4D armrests, the waterfall seat edge and surprisingly good comfort when sitting upright. The fabric cover is pleasant to the touch and complements the overall high-quality impression.

However, the lumbar support on the backrest takes a bit of getting used to and is unfortunately not adjustable. Although this definitely contributes to the ergonomics – the resulting upright sitting position will probably not appeal to every gamer equally. So, if you like to sit comfortably/crosswise in the chair, it is recommended to test the Vertagear PL4800 in advance. Nevertheless, it is enormously important that the chair guarantees an optimal sitting posture, especially during long workdays at the desk – unfortunately, the PL4800 cannot guarantee that without a synchro mechanism. So, unfortunately, it’s not the best in its class, which is still the Backforce One.

Vertagear PL4800

Vertagear PL4800

€ 579.90

N/A

Buy now* Vertagear