REVIEW – Spending long hours in front of a computer, whether for business or pleasure, necessitates a really comfortable chair. Preferably, an ergonomic, sturdy chair designed to support over extended periods of time. A lot of gaming chairs achieve this but aren’t exactly what I’d call subtle, boasting huge ridiculous logos, bright garish colors, and designs that definitely favor form over function.
Mavix, a maker of high-end gaming chairs, has a few chairs that couple comfort with simple design. I got a chance to try out the newly released M4, which is the entry-level chair in Mavix’s lineup. What I like about the Mavix M4 is that it’s a well-designed, comfortable chair that would fit right in at the office or in an RGB-lit gaming room. What I don’t like about the M4 is that it has a low feature set and a price of $444.44. This is far from an entry-level price point for most gamers and is more in the range of top-of-the-line, full-featured chairs from a lot of other manufacturers. While the M4 does have some great design features, I’m not sure they justify the high price of the chair.
What is it?
The Mavix M4 is an entry-level, ergonomic, reclining, fixed backrest mesh gaming chair. Entry-level in this case means the M4 costs a bit less and has fewer features than Mavix’s other more expensive gaming chairs. The M4 has a simple, understated design compared to most gaming chairs and requires some basic assembly. The Mavix M4 is available in four color sets, all have a black seat with blue, black, red, and green as options for the backrest.
The Mavix M4 arrives in a surprisingly small box for a full-size gaming chair. The options, colors, and materials of the specific M4 inside are listed on the outside of the box along with the five dot Mavix logo.
Everything you need to assemble your Mavix M4, including an Allen Wrench, is packed very securely in the box with air bladders and bubble wrap.
What’s in the box?
- 1 Backrest
- 1 Headrest
- 2 Armrests
- 1 Base
- 1 Chair Mechanism
- 1 Seat Cushion
- 5 Locking Casters
- 1 Pneumatic Gas Lift
- 1 Allen Wrench
- Assorted Screws and Washers
Hardware specs
- 135° Fixed back reclining support
- HD foam seat
- One-way adjustable arms
- Plastic wide 5-star base
- Dynamic Variable Lumbar (DVL) support
- Adjustable headrest
- Locking wheel casters
- Class 4 heavy-duty gas cylinder
Design and features
The Mavix M4 is a sleek-looking, well-designed chair. Like the majority of Mavix’s lineup, the M4 features a mesh material stretched over a hard plastic frame which makes up the backrest. The backrest can recline up to 135° and lock in place, but cannot be adjusted vertically like most other chairs in this price range.
The seat is made of Mavix’s HD Foam and Spacer Mesh which overall feels soft and comfortable but firm and includes an element of breathability. The seat is fixed in place and cannot be adjusted forward and back or angled.
The armrests have a sort of hard foam feel to them and are relatively comfortable. Unfortunately, the armrests are only adjustable one way, vertically. Fake metal-looking plastic buttons on the sides of the armrests allow you to move them up and down. There are no side-to-side or front-back armrest adjustments found on other gaming chairs at this price point or Mavix’s own higher-end chairs.
One major design choice I really didn’t care for was using plastic for the base. I’d prefer that a chair at this price, with this angle of recline, had a metal base for increased support.
Despite some shortcomings, the real selling point of the M4 for me is the mesh backrest. The mesh is well made and provides great back support while also allowing your body to stay cool while seated.
The lumbar support, what Mavix calls its Dynamic Variable Lumbar (DVL), is basically a springy lower portion of the backrest that adjusts itself depending on how hard your back pushes against it. Along with the mesh, this is another great feature of the M4 which provides a lot of comfort during long periods of play.
The headrest also features Mavix’s mesh over frame design, but for me, it’s set too far back to be of any use unless I am fully reclined in the chair.
The headrest’s angle and height are adjustable, although I had to search online to figure out how to change the height since it’s never explained in the one sheet of supplied instructions nor on the M4 landing page on Mavix’s website.
The Mavis logo is embroidered into the mesh of the headrest in white no matter which of the four colored backrests you choose.
The logo looks ok, but on closer inspection, there were little frayed ends of the embroidery around the letters. It’s a little thing, but again, if I am paying over $400 for a chair, I’d like everything to be tidy.
Overall, the design of the Mavix is well thought out and executed with a couple of standout features.
Setup
One good aspect of the Mavix M4 is how simple it is to assemble out of the box.
Again, some better instructions would’ve been great here because there are two sets of washers that come with the M4, but the instructions only show one being used. Protip, use both washers, big under locking.
It’s easy enough to line the chair mechanism up with the corresponding holes under the seat cushion and tighten the screws with the included Allen Wrench.
Then you drop the gas lift into the top of the plastic base.
Remembering also to pop the five locking casters into the plastic base as well.
If you’re assembling this solo, it takes a little creative lap balancing for the next step, bolting the armrests onto the bottom of the seat cushion. Remember to note which armrest goes on which side, they aren’t marked on the armrests themselves, only on their packaging.
Once the armrests are attached simply drop the whole seat assembly onto the base.
Make sure to line up the gas lift carefully with the socket for it on the chair mechanism.
Attaching the backrest to the seat assembly also takes a bit of balancing, but once achieved the three bolts go in easily.
With the backrest attached, all that’s left is to add the headrest.
The headrest attaches easily to the backrest with two screws. There’s a small plastic cover with an adhesive backing that snaps into place over the exposed screws.
If you opt not to add the headrest at all, the small plastic cover can be affixed to cover the empty screw holes.
All said and done, the M4 took a leisurely paced twenty minutes to assemble.
Performance
Since I’m working from home, I was able to really put the Mavix M4 to good use for the month I tested it. For both my full workdays and weekends gaming on my computer, the Mavix M4 held up well and was quite comfortable to sit in for hours at a time. The mesh backrest in particular was very comfortable and prevented overheating and fatigue. The lumbar support was supportive while being completely unobtrusive which was a delight. I never had to think of it, it just worked, providing support when needed.
I kept the backrest locked upright most of the time because that’s what’s most comfortable for me, but I did enjoy reclining in the M4 occasionally to watch the random YouTube video. The M4 in recline is comfortable, but I did almost tip over a few times and I was always conscious of the plastic base, which added to my trepidation.
The M4’s casters rolled easily, and though I never found a need to use the locking mechanism on them they did occasionally lock by accident, which was annoying. The armrests, even at their highest setting felt a bit too low for me and I found myself constantly trying to adjust them side to side, even though that adjustment isn’t available on the M4.
I rarely ever do this in reviews, but after spending a lot of time in the Mavix M4 I couldn’t help but compare it to the almost identically priced Noblechairs Hero gaming chair that I purchased about a year ago. The Noblechairs Hero is currently priced at $459.99 compared to the Mavix M4’s $444.44 but the Hero has a number of features that the M4 lacks as well as a build quality that’s practically bombproof.
I know Mavix prides itself on its lightweight design aesthetic, but in comparison to the Hero, the M4 is downright anemic looking. Not only that but the comfort level and sturdiness of the Hero compared to the M4 is strikingly noticeable. All of the adjustments that the M4 lacks are included as basic in the Hero along with metal controls and a metal base where the M4 uses plastic. The one bonus the M4 has over the Hero is the mesh backrest for breathability, but I don’t feel that justifies the pricing of the M4 within $20 of the Hero.
There is a lot I like about the Mavix M4; it’s comfortable over time, has innovative lumbar support, and keeps your body cool. But I do feel like this chair should be priced closer to $200 rather than over $400. A quick search on Amazon brings up a slew of similarly featured chairs to the M4 for under $200. Granted a lot of those chairs don’t have the Mavix pedigree and build quality, but I also don’t think that deserves a $200 premium.
Ultimately, it’s every person’s choice whether to pay extra for brand loyalty or perceived brand quality, but for me, the M4 isn’t worth the current price, especially after being presented by Mavix as an “entry-level” chair.
What I like
- Easy to assemble
- Mesh allows breathability
- Comfortable seat and back support
What needs to be improved
- Lacks basic adjustments
- Cheap feeling controls
- Overpriced for features
Final thoughts
The Mavix M4 is a comfortable chair, just not $444.44 comfortable. While the seat is soft and cozy for extended periods of time and the mesh helps prevent a sweaty back, the lack of basic features I’d expect on a gaming chair at this price is really disappointing. Calling the M4 an entry-level chair but pricing it higher than most other companies’ flagship models doesn’t help either. With the cheap plastic feel of the base and few controls on the M4, you’d be better off spending $400+ on a gaming chair with a full feature set or buying a sub $200 generic office chair with the same features as the Mavix.
Price: $444.44
Where to buy: Mavix
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Mavix
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Joe, thanks for your excellent review of the Mavix gaming chair and the side review of the Noblechairs Hero. I completely agree the Mavix is way over-priced. I can’t hate kind of chair at Costco for half the price.