Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner review: a seriously luxurious add-on

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner: One-minute review

It should be very easy to work out whether the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner is the add-on for you. If the idea of additional leg support when you kick back in your Secretlab gaming chair to watch a movie or even sneak in a quick nap in between competitive games isn’t appealing enough to justify the hefty $199 / £159 price tag, then stop reading now because I doubt that there’s anything that I can say to change your mind.

If that prospect does sound up your street, though, then the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner is well worth your consideration. This useful accessory adds dedicated leg support to any Secretlab Titan Evo or Secretlab Classics Series chair, many of which rank among some of the best gaming chairs, bringing all the comfort of a traditional recliner to a considerably more compact format that would fit under any of the best gaming desks. It’s incredibly easy to install too, securely locking to the bottom of your chair in a matter of minutes.

The overall build quality and design are also up to the high standards that you would expect from a Secretlab product. Its plush exterior is soft and cozy and the company’s excellent PlushCell Memory Foam is used to good effect, providing the perfect level of support without ever feeling overly firm or stiff. The recliner can be freely adjusted to a range of angles via a conveniently placed lever, making it well-suited to a number of sitting positions, and can be smartly tucked away underneath the bottom of the chair when not in use.

The many metal elements of its construction do make the accessory very heavy, though, which makes it considerably more difficult to roll your chair around when it’s fitted. This seems like an almost unavoidable limitation given the choice of material and is definitely preferable to a more flimsy plastic design, but is still worth bearing in mind if you need to frequently move your chair from place to place. Otherwise, the experience of using the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner is hard to fault if you have the cash to splash and want to invest in some serious comfort.

Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner: Price and availability

• $199 / £159 version coming soon
• Limited Founder’s Edition costs $249 / £199
• Available via Secretlab

The Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner that I tested will be available in early 2025 and will cost $199 / £159. If you don’t want to wait, you can pick up the limited Founder’s Edition which is on sale right now via the Secretlab website. This costs $249 / £199 and features an added layer of cooling gel in addition to a special quilted pattern and Founder’s Edition metal tag.

The idea of a limited edition for die-hard Secretlab fans is quite appealing, but it’s frustrating that it comes in at a higher price when the other model isn’t available yet. Rather than being a cool bonus for early adopters, this seems designed to push these upgrades on shoppers who might not want to spring out for them given the choice.

Launching both at the same time, with the Founder’s Edition offered as a pricier limited edition alternative, would have been a much more consumer-friendly move.

Specs

Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner: Design and aesthetics

• Sleek black look
• Matches most colorways
• Durable materials

The Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner comes in a sleek black design that compliments many of the existing Secretlab Titan Evo colorways. I tested the accessory with the already fantastic looking bright Plush Pink Secretlab Titan Evo and found that it fitted the overall design perfectly, matching the black accents of the side of the chair and the black magnetic neck pillow.

There are two gold details on the recliner: a Secretlab logo and a tag that’s labeled with the product name. They’re just small enough not to be intrusive and the gold color adds to the premium look. The same is true of the subtle pattern on the recliner’s cushion, which features two stitched grooves for some added texture.

Cushion aside, the majority of the rest of the recliner, which hangs just underneath the seat of the chair, is constructed from a durable feeling metal. For movement, it has a pneumatic gas spring that provides up to 80 degrees of motion. This is controlled via an easy-to-reach plastic lever that neatly slots next to the chair’s existing height adjustment controls.

Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner: Comfort and adjustability

• Very spacious and pleasantly soft
• Range of supported seating positions
• Can withstand lots of force

It’s hard to fault the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner in terms of raw comfort. It’s spacious, soft, and provides a good level of support for your legs. Images of a number of suggested positions are included alongside the instruction manual, each geared towards different activities.

For everyday work or playing in an upright position, the cushion can be positioned at a slight angle. I found the sensation of having something pressed up against the back of my legs a little disconcerting for the first few hours, but it was easy to appreciate the added support once I got used to it. If you’d rather sit upright with nothing touching your legs at all, you can always lock the recliner out of reach by pushing it backward with the adjustment lever raised - a very convenient feature.

As you begin to recline the backrest you should set the recliner to increasingly greater angles, taking pressure away from your lower back and leading to a more natural body position. It’s great if you want to kick back and watch a movie on your PC display or just need to change up the feel of your seat while you take a break and browse social media on your phone.

With the recliner set all the way out to the full 80 degrees and the backrest fully reclined, your Secretlab chair becomes the perfect vehicle for relaxation. It’s comfortable enough for a nap and is perfect if you really want to stretch out and give yourself a bit of a rest after a long day or particularly intense gaming sessions.

That being said, users who frequently recline their chairs to this position are the ones who will notice the biggest benefits here. I do it quite often, so I really appreciated the addition of the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner. If that’s not you, then it’s safe to say that you’re better off just sticking to your existing chair on its own.

On a final note, there’s no need to be concerned about any potential issues if you use an XL chair. The accessory is fully compatible with them and should provide more than enough space for most legs. The mechanism it uses is also extremely high quality and durable. Throughout my testing, I repeatedly pushed down on it with as much force as I could muster and it didn’t budge an inch.

Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner: Assembly

• No tools required
• Incredibly quick setup
• Impressively easy

No tools are required to install the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner. A large and clear set of instructions is included in the box, which have you fitting some small rubber clips to underside of your chair and then sliding the recliner on to them and pulling a lever to fasten it all in place.

The manufacturer states that everything can be installed in just three minutes, so I timed myself to see how this claim would stack up. Although I expected to exceed that estimate, I actually managed to complete the process in just 65 seconds. This didn’t include getting the product out of the box, which I had done a few hours earlier, but I can’t imagine that taking more than about a minute to accomplish.

It’s incredible to see such a substantial and mechanically complex addition installed so quickly and easily, so hats off to Secretlab. The process was so smooth that I would even go so far as to say that it partly justifies the high price tag.

Although it’s not required in any way, a spare chair assembly toolkit with an allen key and magnetic screwdriver tool is still included too, which could be handy if you want to adjust the armrests or tighten up any screws before getting the add-on in place. Top marks across the board.

Should I buy the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

For some other ways to customize your Secretlab chair, take a look at these two official accessories.

How I tested the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner

• Tested with a Secretlab Titan Evo 2022
• Tested for over two weeks
• Compared to other hands-on testing

I tested the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner for over two weeks with a Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 provided by the manufacturer. During that time I made sure to use the chair and accessory daily, assessing its overall performance and the level of comfort that it provided.

I carefully compared my experience to my hands-on testing with some of the most comfortable gaming chairs plus other models including the Razer Iskur V2 and Herman Miller Sayl Gaming Chair in addition to the feeling of sitting on the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 on its own.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2024.