Gaming chairs are perhaps the most ubiquitous aspect in one’s gaming set up. Even if you’re not familiar with the brand; the design, and overall aesthetic is immediately recognizable. This can make picking a new chair rather difficult, especially in a space where white label products seem especially common. Among the bigger options are AndaSeat‘s Kaiser 3, which is currently having a big holiday push. With appealing features, unique concepts, and affordable prices, is Kaiser 3 worth your time, or are you better off sticking with more familiar brands?
Editor’s Note: This review is based off a full calendar month of use. We will also update this article periodically to reflect how well it stands the test of time.
AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Review Overview
Unboxing
Unsurprisingly, Kaiser 3 comes in a rather large box that is rather bland. This is fairly common for larger products like this are shipped without additional packaging.
Despite the underwhelming initial presentation, the inside was surprisingly thoughtful. Every product came in its own protective packaging. Two items that immediately stood out were the arm rests tops, and manual.
Lovely presentation
Given each arm rest top is designed to be easily replaced, they come in their own unique packaging. It feels closer to a bonus, even if these items are essential for the product. As for the manual, it’s surprisingly big, in color, and printed on nice quality paper. It shows the type of impression AndaSeat wants their buyers to have, and something many players will appreciate seeing.
Accessories
Given there is something of a range with these products, both between tiers, and brands as well, I wanted to briefly touch on what you receive with Kaiser 3.
In addition to the chair, and all the normal components, a set of arm rest tops, and head pillow are included. This model does not include a lumbar pillow, nor any speciality options. Those interested can purchase them via their store if you want them.
Assembly
Building the chair took me approximately 50 minutes to do. Some of this is inflated due to me taking pictures, so I would estimate something in the 30 to 40 minute range. I say range because I had some issues with a single screw that increased the time by a couple minutes.
Included Manual
Personal struggles aside, it was a fairly simple process that the included manual made extremely easy. All steps were clear, concise, along with helpful details that made the process even easier. I also love the arm rests are already attached, as that is a step you don’t need to bother with unless you want to move them.
For those unfamiliar with the office chair building process, it basically amounts to attaching the wheels to the base, gas lift to the base, attaching the tilt mechanism to the bottom, back to the bottom, attaching the chair to the base, and then finishing touches like covers to hide screws. Mind you, it’s not necessarily in this order, just the basic sequence of building.
Design
Kaiser 3 has an interesting mix of good and bad elements. As much as I like the arm rests, other negatives, such as the stitching of the company logo, do not look as elegant. These concerns are limited to designs, not the actual thread holding the leather together.
Many Visible Gaps
Compared to my noblechair Hero, AndaSeat offers a number of aesthetic improvements. These include metal buttons on the arm rest, magnetic covers (it’s screwed in on the Hero), easily removable arm rest tops, and more.
If these features sound familiar, that is probably due to Kaiser 3 having a lot of similarities to Secret Labs Titan Evo. Unfortunately, we do not have one to evaluate against, but going off the Kaiser 3 we have and images of Titan Evo they’re more like a really uninteresting Spot the Difference game.
Some examples for those curious include the same leather look, just with different stitching. AndaSeat put their tag is on carbon fiber looking part, whereas Secret Labs is to the left of it. On the back there is a black square tag on the bottom for AndaSeat, compared to Secret Labs placing it at the bottom on the backrest. Armrests have the same general design, though the metal component is different so you can’t theoretically swap them.
This is likely due to certain things having a similar source, or something along those lines. I mostly mention it due to how many of these features as beloved on Titan Evo, so you might not need to spend as much to get them..
Arm Rests
One of the most notable features on Kaiser 3 are the magnetic arm rests. As previously mentioned, this is not a unique design, but a wonderful addition to any chair. The reason for this is my noblechair received about 3 years of use before the arm rest started to break.
Despite this being a common issue with any foam arm rest, this is slightly more common with designs like noblechair due to there being a seam on the middle part. This creates a point that is more prone to breaking, and long term creating significant damage.
Time will tell is Kaiser 3 holds up, but the benefit is how easy they are to replace. With noblechair I need to remove the entirely arm rest just to replace it. However, this is an $80 replacement with Kaiser 3 that can be performed in a couple seconds. Simply lift up, toss the old one, grab the new one, and you’re good. Even if they don’t break, the option for colors alone is going to appeal to some players. Best of all, they hold firmly in place.
Leather
AndaSeat went with a soft “premium PVC leather” with their Kaiser 3 chair. This offers the distinct advantage of an inviting cushion, but next to noblechairs synthetic leather I have concerns about longevity.
Even though the hard synthetic leather is less inviting, it’s also far less prone to damage. I can run my nails across it without potentially damaging the chair. I can’t say the same about AndaSeat, which is already starting to show some level of wear. It’s hard to say if the more flexible leather will handle things better in the long term, but I would strongly consider this before purchasing either.
Height and Weight
One aspect not always considered is height and weight. These can be really important, especially since they can determine how usable the chair actually is.
This review is technically based off the XL version of Kaiser 3, so it’s intended for a 5’11” / 181 cm to 6’8″/ 210 cm individual that weighs under 180 kg / 400 lbs. Despite the high initial height, much like dating apps, it isn’t set in stone.
Great Head Pillow Range
My girlfriend is 5’8″ / 172 cm and finds the chair perfectly usable. In fact, the only thing that matters is knee to foot length. If that is roughly 17″ / 43 cm this model should work fine. One massive advantage to Kaiser 3 is the magnetic pillow.
At first glance it might not seem like a big feature, but it’s actually quite massive. In addition to looking nicer than elastic and other banded pillows, it allows for a far greater range of height. There is a range of about 10″ / 25 cm the pillow can be placed. I’d wager a 5′ / 152 cm person could make the pillow work in this chair, along with someone who actually approaches that 6’8″ / 210 cm height. I also love that the pillow can be effortlessly moved without struggling towards the top, or having issues with usage over time.
As far as weight goes, I am in the 250 lbs / 113 kg range. This is something I am working on, though I do like that Kaiser 3 handles the weight better than Hero. The aforementioned chair caps off at 330 lbs / 150 kg, so I am well below either cap, yet it was making groans of protest. I won’t say Kaiser 3 is without any protest, just nothing that would actually negatively impact a recording, or play session with others.
Comfort
I was surprised by how comfortable Kaiser 3 ended up being. This is thanks to a couple things beyond the inviting leather.
Among the biggest is the 4-way adaptive lumbar support. One dial determines the height, whereas another alters how much support it gives. Upon setting it up I was surprised how good it felt even without a pillow. That is one thing this model does not include, and while I still use the noblechair one, it probably isn’t as supportive as their optional one.
I say this because the head pillow is surprisingly nice. It’s a firm memory foam that feels fantastic against my head. I would go so far as to say I’ve used it more than the noblechairs version in this short period of time.
In all I’d say they’re both good experiences, though if I had to choose between the two in regard to comfort I would almost certainly pick AndaSeat. Pillow quality, positioning, and enhanced lumbar support makes a substantial difference.
Longevity
Throughout this review I tried to highlight how Kaiser 3 handles longevity in a variety of ways. These include all the parts being available on the store, easily replaceable arm rest tops, higher weight capacity, better handling of height, and so forth.
Initial Look and Damage After a Month of Use
What I really wanted to touch on is the stuff I mentioned in leather. After a month one of the edges is already showing some wrinkling. It’s impossible to say if it will advance to a tear, or if it will continue to warp without creating a problem. This was not a concern I had with Hero, as the hard leather looked perfect until it eventually broke.
I do think, if this was to break, it wouldn’t escalate as quickly. Once it finally shatters downward pressure creates additional cracks that slowly break up the bottom. Those curious can see the outcome in this reddit post. Mind you, this is more speculative, though I just don’t see it having the same issues if it were to break.
Regardless of what happens, both chairs offer a 2-year warranty. I can say noblechairs has remained amazing in that regard, and gave me a lot of confidence suggesting their products. Thankfully, I haven’t experienced an issue with AndaSeat that required customer service, though I also like the option to extend your warranty to 5 years for “free” exists. This is similar to HexGaming where you must post to social media, leave a review, and fill out this form. Assuming this is a stress free experience it’s a huge benefit. Doing so puts it on par with Secret Labs warranty.
AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Review Verdict
Overall I think Kaiser is in a really good place. Things like the magnetic headrest make it an easy choice for anyone concerned about height. In addition to that, the magnetic armrest tops are a fantastic solution to any potential damage they might incur. All of this, plus good overall comfort, makes this a fantastic choice for someone looking for a gaming chair without paying top dollar.
Unless there is a hit in longevity, the only real negatives are limited designs. There are only 11 editions, including some really unique ones like WBG or FlyQuest, compared to Secret Labs 67 total variations. Unless design is a deal breaker, I genuinely believe this is a fantastic choice.
Editor’s note: AndaSeat Kaiser 3 was provided to us for review purposes.
