Introduction
Blacklyte is a chair and office furniture brand that has made a name for itself in recent times. From sponsoring big tournaments to seating some of the world’s best teams, it’s hard to look past them if you’re into esports. We’ve taken a look at some of their chairs already (see our Blacklyte Kraken review) and now we’re looking further into their lineup. In our full Blacklyte Athena Pro review, you’ll find out everything you want to know about the chair.
At A Glance
Blacklyte Athena Pro
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The Blacklyte Athena Pro is a solid entry into gaming chair market. It’s comfortable, well-built where it matters most, and offers enough adjustability to fit a wide range of users.
Pros
- Good build quality
- Good price/performance proposition
- Great casters
- Easy to (solo) assemble
Cons
- Limited breathability (on the leatherette version)
- Packaging could use some work
- Some plastic parts feel cheap/flimsy
Specs
| Adjustable Seat Height | Yes |
|---|---|
| Adjustable Seat Depth | No |
| Adjustable Armrests | Yes |
| Adjustable Backrest | Yes |
| Lumbar Support | Built-in and adjustable |
| Material | Artificial Leather, Fabric |
| Max Weight | 150kg |
Assembly
Assembly was straightforward. Despite not being the most beautiful manual I’ve ever laid eyes on, it was clear and easy to follow, and building the chair solo took about 30 minutes. As with the Kraken, I really love the backrest brackets that Blacklyte uses. These allow you to slide in the backrest to the point where you just need to screw it down. On other chairs, you quite often have to align the backrest yourself, and that can be quite annoying if you’re building solo.
There are plenty of spare screws included, so even if you manage to lose one there’s no need to panic. You also get a pair of gloves to help you safely assemble the chair, which is a nice touch. People who prefer video instructions can also look at Blacklyte’s assembly video on their website.
One area where Blacklyte can improve lies in the packaging. The individual parts were somewhat loosely placed in the box, lacking the ‘premium’ unboxing experience that other brands around this price point offer. The parts are decently well-protected, but if you’ve got a rough courier service in your area I’d make sure to thoroughly check your chair for damage once it arrives.
Adjustability and Features
The Athena Pro comes loaded with all the features you’d expect from a modern high-end gaming chair.
The armrests, for starters, are 4D adjustable. The tops of these arm rests are attached with magnets, which is a nice touch, but currently there’s no real modularity benefit as there are no alternative tops available.
The built-in lumbar support is also adjustable. You can tweak both the height and the depth, allowing for a more personalized fit. If you don’t like to have lumbar support, you can make it disappear almost entirely. Do note that it’s not the deepest lumbar support out there, so players who prefer very aggressive lower-back support might want to take note.
Aside from all of this, you can adjust the height and backrest tilt. All of this leads to a chair that can be personalized to comfortably seat just about anyone.
The pro version comes with PU casters, similar to what you’d find on roller skates, and I love these. They’re extremely smooth and don’t have the potential to damage wooden floors like regular plastic casters would.
First Impressions and Materials
The Athena Pro is available with leatherette or fabric upholsteries. I got the black leatherette version to test. This looks very classy and wouldn’t look amiss in an office environment. There is a grey stripe with Blacklyte branding running down the back of the chair that kind of betrays the fact that this is a gaming chair, but all in all I’d say that this is a pretty sleek and professional-looking product.
The chair itself feels decently premium right out of the box. Stitching is done well, and the leatherette upholstery is supple and feels nice to the touch. It doesn’t fully match the quality level of some of the top choices in the gaming chair realm, but then again those usually do cost more.
Comfort and Adjustability
Foam and Seat Base
The foam that the Kraken Pro uses is on the firmer side. You’re not getting a cloud-like feeling with this chair, and that can help with posture. This chair might not be as couch-like comfortable as something like Blacklyte’s Kraken, but if you’re mainly purchasing a chair to improve/maintain good posture, firmer seating is the way to go.
Whether you like a firm foam or not really comes down to personal preferences. And although the foam leans firm, it doesn’t feel unbearably stiff or take long to adjust to. It should suit most people.
The seat base is wide and doesn’t feel restrictive. It has soft, rounded edges, and the side bolsters are fairly subtle. This means that you can adopt ‘chill positions’ (sitting cross-legged, for example) without any issues. The side bolsters on the backrest are a bit more aggressive though, and they do kind of guide you towards the middle when using the chair.
Lumbar Support
The lumbar support system allows for both height and depth adjustment. It’s good for getting a more customized fit, though it does not extend out extremely far. I managed to find a setting that works for me, though users who prefer an extremely aggressive or wide lumbar push might find this one to be a little too shallow.
Neck Pillow
The neck pillow attaches magnetically, which feels much cleaner and more premium compared to traditional straps. It’s comfortable and strong enough to stay in place during normal use, and you really have to forcefully move it with your hands if you want to position it differently.
The pillow itself is very soft and, for me, comfortable as well. Due to the fact that it’s so easily detachable, you can easily remove it if it doesn’t suit your current seating position, which is another major advantage of using magnetic neck pillows.
I used to not like magnetic head pillows because it felt like a flimsy and unreliable way of attaching a head pillow, but Blacklyte has changed my mind on this.
Everyday Usage
Upholstery and Breathability
As I mentioned earlier, the faux leather upholstery feels good to the touch. It’s supple and seems durable enough, and I did not encounter any issues with the leatherette material over the course of my testing.
Breathability is a bit of an issue though. That’s always the case with (faux) leather materials, but the leather chosen here feels particularly dense. It’s only spring here in the heart of Europe, and I had some days where I felt my back was getting a little sweaty during an intense gaming session. Luckily, Blacklyte also sells this chair with a fabric upholstery. If you like breathable chairs (like I do), you should probably go for that one.
Build Quality
Overall, the Athena Pro feels solid once assembled. The stitching is clean, the mechanisms operate smoothly, and the chair feels stable. However, the lower quality of some plastic parts does bring down the perceived quality slightly.
One of the plastic side pieces that attaches to the chair to hide the controls cracked when I tried to put it on. The crack is only visible on the inside so there are no aesthetic issues, but it didn’t take a lot of force at all to get this crack to appear.
The arm rests also could use some work. They can feel a little loose and flimsy at times. Not being able to lock their ‘pivot’ worsens the problem. I’ve had multiple instances where I accidentally moved the arm rests while I was sitting down or getting up, and that can get a bit annoying.
Aside from that, the build quality seems good. There’s no creaking, the wheels roll wonderfully smoothly, the gas lift works consistently, and the product as a whole has a sleek and professional appearance.
Ease of Use
All controls for the Blacklyte Athena Pro (aside from the tilt strength adjustment) are within arm’s reach. Adjusting the lumbar support can be done while sitting in the chair by rotating two knobs on the side of the backrest. Other controls are found underneath the seat in the usual positions.
All of the controls feel smooth and easy to use, and I did not encounter any instances where adjusting the chair felt janky or stuttery.
Alternatives
Office chairs often are too different in their design to make any ‘1:1 replacement’ suggestions, but here that’s quite obviously not the case. It’s clear that the Blacklyte Athena Pro took inspiration from the Secretlab Titan Evo, so I’ll elaborate on the two for a bit.
Blacklyte Athena Pro vs Secretlab Titan Evo 2022
In terms of seating comfort, both chairs are pretty much the same. They both are racing-style chairs with a built-in lumbar support. That lumbar support can get adjusted by using two dials on the side of the backrest.
In terms of the padding, the Blacklyte Athena Pro feels slightly softer than the Secretlab. With that said: I wouldn’t call either chair ‘soft’, as they both seem to focus on a ‘posture first’ type of experience. The Secretlab’s synthetic leather looks and feels slightly higher in quality than what Blacklyte is offering, but the margins are quite small.
Secretlab does offer a far better unboxing and assembly experience, however. This isn’t all that important to the overall performance of the chair, but it’s one of the major differences between the two chairs.
Finally, the casters on the Blacklyte feel a lot smoother than on the Secretlab. Blacklyte’s magnetic head pillow also uses stronger magnets, so it stays in place better.
Conclusion
The Blacklyte Athena Pro is a solid entry into gaming chair market. It’s comfortable, well-built where it matters most, and offers enough adjustability to fit a wide range of users. The chair doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but instead focuses on getting the important things right: good support, decent materials, and practicality for everyday usage.
Is it flawless? No. The plastics could use an upgrade, the unboxing experience isn’t quite on par with the competition, and the armrests could be more solid. The leatherette that they’ve used also isn’t fully on the level of other (admittedly more expensive) gaming chairs and isn’t super breathable. If you can live with those drawbacks, this is a fantastic chair for the money though. Considering the fact that it can quite often be found on sale for around $400 (at the time of writing) you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.
If you’re after a gaming chair that leans slightly more toward ergonomic support rather than a ‘couch style experience’ without going full-on office chair, the Athena Pro is absolutely worth a look. It feels like Blacklyte is really starting to find their stride, and if they keep tightening things up, they’re going to be a brand to seriously watch.
This product was received for free from the manufacturer and given to our reviewer to test and review. Brands and manufacturers have no editorial control over our reviews. For more information, check out our review FAQ.
