AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair review

REVIEW – Computer and console gaming are intense activities that may require sitting for long stretches. The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair has the ergonomic support and aesthetics that gamers seek as well as a few tricks that any office chair would be jealous of. I have one to review. Read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is a gaming chair with the aesthetic of a car seat designed to accommodate a 5-point racing harness. The seat features high-quality materials and multiple ergonomic adjustments to ensure comfort, even for extended use.

What’s in the box?

• AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair
• Manual and Allen key for installation

Hardware specs

Design and features

Unboxing

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair comes in a gigantic shipping box.

The box is well packaged and includes several layers of foam to protect the seating items from damage during shipment. All of this protection comes at a cost – the gross weight of the box is 70.5 lb and the box dimensions are 14″ x 27″ x 33″.  The net weight of the chair is a substantial 62.8 lb. Please consider that the box and the assembled chair may need to be carried by two people based on their size and weight. The seat may be designed with some heavier parts to prevent the 165 degree tilt from causing a tip-over, but at least the wheelbase is constructed of structural aluminum to lower the weight of that component.

The first thing the person assembling the seat is greeted with is a caution to not touch the backrest recline lever until the backrest is installed.

This warning caused me to remove the contents extremely carefully. Later, I discovered that the lever is protected from accidental operation by a screwed-in safety guard and a paper cover with another warning. 

Some of the components are shipped in very robust and well-designed packaging. The boxes that the armrests are shipped in look like reusable sleeves.

The casters, seat-back bolt covers, pneumatics, bolts, and seat adjustment levers come in an “accessories box” which sounds like it contains items that may be added to the seat according to the preference of the user, but which are actually required for assembly.

Each component is fitted inside a custom molded tray.

The box also contains the manual. I’m not sure if there is a way to describe this type of packaging, but I’ll refer to it as “put-on-your-own white glove service”

While the packaging is very secure, almost all of the contents must be removed to get to the manual. It is helpful if there is at least a 6ft by 6 ft area available for chair assembly.

Assembly

It only took 23 minutes from the time the box was put into the assembly area until the time the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair was fully assembled and ready to be used. There was no review of the manual or other familiarity with the assembly process, nor was there any rushing. While the chair comes with the only tool required (an Allen key) it helps if you have a pair of scissors or a blade to slice through the plastic overwrap on the components.

The instruction manual is a full-sized book printed in Spanish, French, German, Simplified Chinese, and Arabic. Each step is captured in a full-color photo with an explanation. After assembly, there is a two-page spread in each language to describe the functions of the various controls.

There are two issues I ran into during assembly.  I found getting the screws to the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair when the receiving threads are below the outer material can be a bit tricky. I don’t have any other advice but to keep trying until they bite. Perhaps widening the hole with a pen or marker may be another option. The other issue was that while opening the blister-packed set of bolts I almost lost the plug that fills the void in the side of the chair where the red-topped recline lever safety bolt is installed.

The plug is a small lightweight plastic piece that press-fits into the chair and maintains the ribbed plastic texture. This item is only an aesthetic accessory and is installed in the picture below.

If you do happen to misplace a bolt during assembly, the chair is shipped with two spares.

The covers to the seatback bolts are held in place by magnets. While using magnets makes the parts easy to assemble and attach, a snap-fit assembly would be just as fast and a screwed-on cover could look just as professional. Neither of these other methods has the risk of falling off or getting lost.

Materials

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair comes in nine color options: Robin Egg Blue, Cloudy White, Creamy Pink, Bentley Brown, Blaze Orange, Elegant Black, Classic Maroon, Carbon Black, and Ash Gray. The carbon black and Ash Gray units have a linen cloth exterior and the other units have DuraXtra™ leatherette upholstery. The DuraXtra bonded PVC leather provides a really soft and comfortable sitting experience with scratch and stain resistance. The vegan leather has a matte finish and a premium texture which doesn’t immediately adhere to my legs when I’m wearing shorts.

The sides of the seat and the seatback have a woven texture.

The seat pillow is a luxurious velvety material.

The upholstery is based on PVC, which is easy to clean and should provide years of reliable use. Below the exterior is dense foam padding. After a month of heavy use, it does not feel like it is any less firm in the seat or the back. The armrest covers are made of polyurethane foam and attached with magnets. The head pillow has a memory foam layer topped by a cooling gel and also attaches with magnets.

Features

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair has the following adjustments:

• The seat can raise and lower
• The seat back can be adjusted and locked from 90 degrees to 165 degrees from the seat bottom
• The armrests can raise and lower, move back and forth, in and out, and rotate
• The lumbar support can move up and down and provide more or less support.
• The head pillow can move up and down or be removed.
• The 15 degree rocking motion can be adjusted based on the user’s weight
• The 15 degree rocking motion can be locked in place
• The chair has a 360 degree swivel

There is no adjustment for the following:

• Seat angle while the chair is upright
• Seat depth adjustment

Some of the more outstanding features of the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 include the deep tilt function of the seat back. when the chair is fully reclined it feels that you are almost prone. I would not be surprised if one could enjoy a good night’s sleep in this chair. AndaSeat recommends that the chair can be set to 90 degrees for work and study, 100 degrees for gaming, 120 degrees for reading, 140 degrees for movie watching, and 165 for rest. Using the feature for the first time requires a bit of a “recline of faith,” but once it has been done once without resulting in a feet-up chair wreck, the use of this tilt becomes one of the seat’s favorite features.

The armrest adjustments are not atypical of a high-end office task chair. The armrests come installed at about mid-range of the adjustment range but can be made about 1/2″ wider or narrower based on the adjustment of the M8 bolts below the chair. The armrest covers are attached by magnets and one of the more unique and exciting capabilities of the chair is the use of the armrests to support a work surface.  AndaSeat has not released the magnetic table attachment for the Kaiser 3, but when they do it will allow the Kaiser 3 to be converted into a mobile workstation or gaming desk. Even if this table top has never been replaced, the armrests usually get the most severe use on a chair. Because these are swappable a worn set of armrests may be replaced very quickly with a new set and allow the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 to be used for much longer.

The seat back has built-in lumbar support with knobs on each side of the chair that provide adjustment of the height and severity of the support. While seated, turning the left knob will increase or decrease the pressure of the support while turning the right know will raise and lower the position of the support. The guide cautions to not put weight on the seat while adjusting and to not turn both knobs at the same time – two things that many people may be tempted to do.

Video courtesy of AndaSeat

The head pillow is adjustable along a steel track built into the top of the seat back. It can be lowered so the base of the pillow is about 21″ from the seat or raised so the base of the pillow is about 27.5″ from the seat. The magnets used have just the right amount of adhesion to stay put but do not seem difficult to move or slide.

Video courtesy of AndaSeat

Operation and Performance

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair is a joy to sit in. My body is well supported by the foam seat and the back support mirrors my spinal profile and provides excellent support. Lifting the seat lever and easing back into a 165 degree tilt is like having a first-class airplane ticket to your own computer screen. My daily driver seat at work is the Steelcase Amia Task Chair, and I think that the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is even more comfortable than this premium seat which costs almost twice as much. 

What I like

• very comfortable
• ergonomic adjustments tailored to each user’s needs
• customizable and replaceable armrests

What I’d change

• not a thing

Final thoughts

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 gaming chair is priced in the same range as many commercial task chairs by Herman Miller, Humanscale, Hon, and Steelcase. I feel that the Kaiser 3 should be ranked in this higher-priced category because of the quality workmanship, components, and features that are used in its construction. Lower-priced chairs start to lose the resilience of the foam and squeak not long after they are assembled. The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 has performed well and remained comfortable during this evaluation and I have a good feeling I will do the same for you.

Price: $499.00  – $549.00
Where to buy: AndaSeat and  Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by AndaSeat.