The Christmas season is slowly approaching. In addition to cookies, mulled wine and roast goose, enjoying a few hours of gaming is always on my agenda. While in the past I didn’t care what kind of chair I was sitting on, unfortunately my age is increasingly putting a spoke in my wheel in this regard. Just one or two hours on the old wooden chair from the kitchen and back pain is virtually pre-programmed.
But proper seating should by no means be a question of age when it comes to gaming. After all, by choosing the right seating furniture, you can effectively prevent back problems later on, even at a young age. It’s not without reason that orthopedists are increasingly saying that sitting is the new smoking. The solution is customized gaming chairs. But a look at the segment of seating furniture reminiscent of sports car seats quickly causes confusion.
Thus, one is not only overwhelmed here by a sheer flood of the most diverse manufacturers. In the meantime, pretty much every gaming peripheral company produces its own chair. The price differences are also really frightening. One of the most expensive manufacturers is probably Recaro. With its premium models, the German company has meanwhile built up a very good reputation worldwide. Here, the gaming community especially appreciates the high-quality workmanship, the chic design and the high seating comfort of the chairs made in Germany.
Today we want to take a look at a comparatively inexpensive model of the manufacturer. Whether you can tell that the Recaro Rae is the company’s new entry-level model, you can read in our test. We take a close look at what Recaro fans love so much about the upscale brand – workmanship and comfort.
Technical details of the Recaro Rae
| Name | Recaro Rae |
| Total height | 126 cm – 138 cm |
| Seat height | 46 cm – 58 cm |
| Wide backrest | 47 cm (shoulder area), 52 cm (widest point outside), 33 cm (inside) |
| Wide seat | 53 cm (widest point outside), 40 cm (seat inside) |
| Deep seat | 50 cm |
| Dimensions armrest | Width: 10 cm, Depth: 25 cm, Height: 16 cm – 26 cm |
| Material | Composite seat structure, breathable fabric cover, plastic turnstile and armrests |
| Lordosis support | No adjustable separate cushion, but integrated solution |
| Price | from 599.00 euros |
The assembly
Before we are allowed to sit on the pretty piece of furniture, we must first assemble it. The assembly turned out to be exceedingly uncomplicated and quick. After you have mounted the backrest to the seat, you only have to screw on the armrests and last but not least install the base.
I found the assembly instructions from Recaro particularly pleasant. This even gives you tips on the correct unpacking of the box. By the way, the packaging can be used as a practical support during assembly. Recaro is very economical with packaging material, so unlike other gaming chairs, you don’t need 1-2 yellow bags, but can simply stuff the protective films into a yellow bag that is already almost full.
Design and workmanship
In terms of design, the Recaro Rae is beyond reproach. The fact that this is a premium product from German lands is already clear here at first glance. In principle, the Rae also corresponds to the now established racing seat design, which the vast majority of manufacturers use. But somehow it always seems wonderfully light and loose at Recaro and not as forced as at others. The reason for this is that the company’s design department relies on chic edges here, which create a cool look, especially in the shoulder area. Combined with the lack of lush padding, this ensures that the Recaro Rae doesn’t come across as bulky, but rather loose – not a given for a gaming chair.
However, the positive first impression continues on closer inspection. In particular, the choice of materials leaves hardly anything to be desired. High-quality breathable fabrics ensure that the Recaro Rae not only feels good. On top of that, they are supposed to prevent a sweaty back even during hours of gaming sessions. Whether this promise also comes true in “seating practice”? More on that later. By the way, the Made in Germany chair is handcrafted. And you can see that! Just one look at the seams reveals that this is a real premium product. Here you will look for overhanging fabric or thread remnants in vain. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case with inexpensive alternatives.
In terms of upholstery, connoisseurs of gaming chairs will miss the lumbar support. The lumbar support has the task of relieving the intervertebral discs of the person sitting on it and thus enabling hours of gaming without back pain. Don’t worry – the Recaro Rae has also thought about back-friendliness. However, while the lumbar support is attached as a separate cushion in others, the German premium manufacturer relies on an integrated solution. Thus, the lumbar support is unceremoniously located under the gaming chair’s upholstery. That may look chic, but will it prove useful in practice? More on that later, too.
The Rae not only scores with a chic design, but also looks extremely sturdy and robust on top of that. At the heart of the gaming chair is a construction made of high-quality composite materials. At first glance, however, the base as well as the armrests seem a bit like the black sheep of the Recaro Rae’s otherwise positive overall image. After all, the company relies on plastic here. At least in the case of the base, one or the other would certainly have been happy about a metal solution. However, in the course of using plastic, one by no means has to make concessions in the area of stability.
The reason for this is that Recaro reinforces the base with high-quality fiberglass. This ensures that you don’t have to worry about stability at all. Recaro decides against a solution with metal for a good reason. After all, the combination of plastic and fiberglass not only ensures stability and resistance, but a low weight on top of that.
All in all, the Recaro Rae is a really chic and also high-quality piece of furniture. Recaro proves once again that design and workmanship at the highest level is the trademark of the manufacturer. The now over 50 years of experience in the field of aviation and motorsports just pay off at the desk.
Colorful design
Gaming chairs are not exactly known for having a wide range of colors. While they usually score with chic colorful accents, manufacturers rarely donate different finishes to their models. Recaro takes a different approach. With its Rae, the German company offers you a few colors to choose from. In total, you can choose between five different color variants. While three of them come in a more muted mix of gray and black (Essentials), the Bright Orange and Bright Blue models should definitely stand out a bit more in your gaming room.
However, Recaro also charges a hefty premium for the colorful design. While the three Essentials in muted colors start at an MSRP of 599 euros, the Bright editions cost a whopping 100 euros extra at 699 euros. That’s a lot of money for purely visual and no functional differences. However, you have to give Recaro credit for putting a lot of attention to detail into the colorful designs. So you don’t just get a colorful fabric cover here, but color-matched decorative stitching, seat units and backrests. To achieve bright colors, Recaro uses a special 3D mesh fabric. Since this is more complicated in processing, the price premium also comes about.
Take a seat on the Recaro Rae, please
Enough about the look and finish of the chair. Now it’s time to take a seat. The first impression? Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised by the great ergonomics offered by the gaming chair. In view of an “only” integrated lumbar support solution, I didn’t expect this. However, you can feel the support for the back directly. I can even imagine that it comes across a bit too exaggerated for some people. For my personal taste, the lumbar support does a really great job. You’ll feel the results at the very latest when you’ve been gaming for several hours at a stretch. So get on the computer!
After I had a long gaming session, my back felt great. This is certainly because the lumbar support forces you into a back-friendly posture and prevents an unhealthy hunched back position. This makes the Recaro Rae ideal for long working days. By the way, the special synchronous mechanism that Recaro uses here also ensures a healthy back posture. Selbige ensures that the position of the backrest and seat optimally adapts to your movement.
This flexibility ensures that the Recaro Rae is suitable for any back. By the way, with the synchronous mechanism you have the choice between a dynamic motion sequence or five different already predefined seat positions. A typical problem when spending long periods of time on gaming chairs is sweating on the back. Although winter is just around the corner, you sweat on cheap gaming chairs even at low temperatures. Recaro relies on a breathable fabric cover that actively prevents a sweaty back. And what can I say. The Recaro Rae cuts a fine figure in this respect, too. My back was still dry even after a few hours of gaming.
Intuitive operation
Recaro itself advertises its Rae with, among other things, a catchy and self-explanatory control system. After my extensive practical test, I can only confirm this. There are catchy controls on the chair itself, which are used to set the most important parameters.
A lever on the front right side of the seat is used to adjust the seat height. The counterpart on the left side is the lock or unlock knob to adjust or lock the tilt of the backrest. Directly next to the switch for raising or lowering the seat height is another rotary control. You can use this to “tell” the chair your weight. The Recaro Rae can withstand a weight of up to 150 kg.
Last but not least, we want to take a look at the multifunction armrest. This is not called “4D multifunction armrest” without reason. Its position can be adjusted to your personal preferences in every conceivable way.
To adjust the height, you press a kind of trigger, which is located at the bottom of the armrest. If you want to adjust the armrest horizontally, you press the switch on the inside of the backrest. I quickly warmed up to the Recaro Rae’s intuitive controls. So calling it intuitive is definitely justified.
Summary of Recaro Rae review
The Recaro Rae may be an entry-level model in Recaro’s product lineup. But when compared to other lower and upper mid-range gaming chairs, it quickly becomes clear that this one is in a whole different league. That starts with the beautiful design and build quality. This is a product that not only bears the “made in Germany” quality seal, but is also handcrafted. What can I say. You can feel and see that in every little part of the chair. Of course, it’s a little surprising that Recaro puts a damper on the otherwise pretty premium look with armrests and a plastic turnstile. In view of the high quality and durability of these components, however, this should be deducted from the B grade at most. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned.
And then there’s the seating feel and ease of use of the gaming chair. You sit far more comfortably on the Recaro Rae than you might think at first glance. The integrated, but not adjustable lumbar support does a really good job and I wouldn’t want to miss the special synchronous mechanism. However, some people might find the support a bit too strong. Here you simply have to try it out. The whole thing is rounded off by the breathable fabric cover, which effectively prevents sweaty backs. If you are still not satisfied with the factory settings, the Rae can also be customized to fit your body. Thus, every person with a maximum of 150 kg on the ribs will find the optimal settings for themselves. With the Recaro Rae, the German premium manufacturer has managed to deliver a really good gaming chair.
However, one should keep in mind that Interstuhl has a similar model in its range with the Backforce One, which is available for 100 euros less. The Backforce One Plus, on the other hand, is priced about the same as the Recaro Rae, but offers more features with an adjustable lumbar support and seat depth.
Recaro Rae
Design & workmanship
Features
Ergonomics & seating comfort
Value for money
91/100
With the Recaro Rae, the German premium manufacturer has managed to deliver a really good gaming chair whose price does not hover in priceless spheres. Great work!
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