Introduction
AndaSeat is a brand that’s been in the gaming chair business for quite some time. As such, we thought it was high time we checked one of their products out. One of their newest releases in the Kaiser line is now adding 6D armrests, and brings a number of other features to the table. Find out if it’s all worth it in our full AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D review.
At A Glance
AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D
Used by 2 players ()
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cmtry
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dem0n
The AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D does not do very much to convince me that it’s worth the purchase over other options at this price.
Pros
- The fabric upholstery feels nice
- The neck pillow feels good
Cons
- Assembly process is frustrating
- Some corners were cut with the overall design (exposed coils, exposed padding, etc.)
- Seat feels very soft/stretchy
- Overall finish and quality does not match the price point
Specs
| Adjustable Seat Height |
Yes |
| Adjustable Seat Depth |
No |
| Adjustable Armrests |
Yes |
| Adjustable Backrest |
Yes |
| Lumbar Support |
Built-in and adjustable |
| Material |
Fabric, Artificial Leather |
| Max Weight |
120 |
Assembly
Assembling the Kaiser 4 6D is not an easy feat. Some parts required quite a bit of force to keep them in place while trying to fit a screw, for example. The ‘margin for error’ is also quite small, meaning that you had to line up holes pretty much perfectly or you’d risk not being able to continue. That results in a frustrating assembly experience.
Finally, the process isn’t laid out super clearly and can be confusing. The manual could be better, and there are some quirky elements as well, like a piece of cable you have to find hidden ‘within’ the backrest.
All in all, the building process took me quite a bit longer than it usually does, and I did have to call in a second person to help.
The packaging also did not feel great. The cardboard used is quite thin and some parts felt like they were kind of awkwardly thrown into the box rather than placed within a thought-out system.
Adjustability and Features
The AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D has everything you need from a modern gaming chair:
- Height adjustment
- Adjustable armrests (6D)
- Adjustable lumbar support
- Backrest adjustment
- Chair tilt adjustment and tilt-lock
- Head cushion
The lumbar support can pop out and lock at any angle the user finds comfortable, which helps in achieving a good fit, but I will speak on that further down in the review.
First Impressions and Materials
The Kaiser 4 6D is available in two sizes and two finishes; PVC leather and linen fabric. The PVC leather version offers a whole bunch of colors to go for, while the fabric version is currently only available in black. I went with fabric for this review.
Something that catches the eye immediately is the branding and overall design. This is very much a racing-style gaming chair, and it doesn’t try to hide it. In a way, this design feels like a blast from the past when these types of chairs first hit the market. Whether you like that or not is a matter of personal preference, of course, but for me it looks a little bit too aggressively gamer-like, especially with the carbon-style sides.
Something that I was also not impressed with when I first assembled the chair was the amount of branding. I can live with the smaller ‘AndaSeat’ on the top of the backrest (on both sides) but I do find the larger ‘Kaiser’ that’s on both sides to be a bit much. There’s also a smaller ‘Kaiser’ tag applied to the bottom section of the backrest, which definitely takes it over the edge.
I was also not that impressed with the overall design. The parts that are visible when you’re sitting on them look fine, but the underside of the seat area has exposed coil springs and foam, for example. That’s not a huge deal in and of itself, but other chairs in this price range are finished to a higher degree in those parts.
Comfort and Adjustability
Foam
AndaSeat uses a cold-cure foam for the seat, but I’m not a big fan of this particular version. I know that this is personal, but the foam has too much give for me. That, combined with internal springs that seem to be on the weaker side makes for a chair that feels like it’s too soft and bendy. Almost as if you’re sitting down on a thin cushion that’s placed on top of a trampoline.
The foam itself is quite consistent, though. I did not encounter any weaker spots during my testing. So if you like the seating experience I just described, this will no doubt serve you well.
Lumbar Support
The lumbar support on the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D is interesting. It features the usual up-down and in-out adjustment, but you can also choose the angle of the whole system. This is done by popping out the lumbar section (by using a lever on the right side of the seat) and then leaning back. Whatever position you’re happy with, the chair will lock there.
All of this results in a lumbar support section that feels more tunable than what most other chairs in this category have to offer.
I personally found a very comfy fit for my body, and I noticed no pressure points or other undue contacts during my testing, but I did not necessarily find the adjustable angle to be a gamechanger in terms of the overall fit. That’s personal, though. Your body might be different, and the whole lumbar section is done really well, so I’m all for it.
Neck Pillow
The included neck pillow attaches to the chair via (strong) magnets. It stays in place perfectly well, even if you’re someone who moves their head around a lot. I do have to say that the pillow’s foam is quite hard, but I personally prefer a slightly harder pillow over one that’s too soft.
Do note that the cushion is quite pronounced. If you like a flatter or less voluminous style of pillow, you’ll probably end up leaving this off of the chair entirely.
Everyday Usage
Upholstery and Breathability
The fabric option that I went with feels and looks high-quality. It’s a historically hot summer where I live, and I managed to stay quite comfortable in the Kaiser 4 6D even on the hottest days, so for me that’s a testament to how well it breathes.
The material itself also feels nice. It’s perhaps a touch coarser than some other fabric upholsteries I’ve tested, but it doesn’t feel rough to the touch and is perfectly pleasant to use even with shorts on.
All in all, I’m satisfied with the way the chair feels and breathes. The stitching also looks well-done and consistent; I did not find any flaws there.
Build Quality
It’s evident that AndaSeat has cut corners here and there to drive down material costs. Parts like the lumbar adjustment knobs are made out of quite cheap-looking plastic, for example. The cutouts in the backrest are also plastic and feel a little bit loose in their sockets. Same goes for the side panels that are meant to cover the backrest-to-seat attachment points.
All of the above could be forgiven if this was a budget chair, but it’s really not. With an MSRP of $549.99, it’s a little bit cheaper than today’s top options in the pro scene, but not by much.
One could also argue that the use of quality plastics does not have to equate to a product of lesser quality, and I would agree, but these are not quality plastics. I know that because the plastic lever to adjust the armrests snapped off while I was adjusting the chair. Whether this part was pre-damaged in transit (which would indicate a subpar packaging process) or is just structurally weak does not really matter: something like this shouldn’t really happen in normal usage.
So for me, the build quality does not match the asking price. Even if the plastic part did not snap off, I would’ve argued that the plastic parts feel and look too cheap for this price point.
Ease of Use
Once assembled, the Kaiser 4 6D is quite easy to use. All of the controls are within reach, and the control layout makes a lot of sense.
One thing I will note is that the armrests could use some work. I am someone who likes to ‘live’ in his chair during work days; I work in (somewhat) optimal ergonomic positions, I grab my guitar during a five-minute break, I lounge back when I’m done working to game a bit or browse YouTube, and so on. So the idea of extremely adjustable, 6D armrests sounds great to me, but the execution isn’t all there.
That’s fully down to the fact that the armrests can’t completely lock into position. As a consequence of that, they’re often flopping around when I’m adjusting my position, which kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion. Some gains can definitely be made here. I also don’t like how easily the shiny plastic smudges, but that’s more of a cosmetic issue.
Conclusion
The AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D does not do very much to convince me that it’s worth the purchase over other options at this price.
That sounds harsh, but this chair has two features that set it aside from its peers in this range: the lumbar support (to some extent) and the 6D armrests. The lumbar support is admittedly very nice, but the 6D armrests are often more of a nuisance than a blessing due to the fact that they flop around quite a bit.
Moving on to the rest of the chair, there’s simply not much to justify buying this over the competition. If the lumbar support sounds great to you and you want a seating experience that’s much softer and more ‘stretchy’ than something like a Secretlab Titan, then this could be a good option. But the adjustable angle of the lumbar support is quite niche, and you can find similar seating feelings at this price point that are better finished.
And that finish is where the difference lies, if you ask me. I don’t mind the use of quality plastics, but I already felt like the plastic parts on this chair were flimsy during the assembly process. This feeling was confirmed by a lever just snapping off in normal usage a couple of weeks later.
If this chair was perhaps $100 cheaper, I would’ve been way less tough, but at the moment it’s priced right near where competitors who deliver a much better product live. That makes this an incredibly difficult sell.
You can learn more about the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 6D on AndaSeat’s website.
Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.
