VERTAGEAR SL3800 review: Luxury throne with odd discomforts

The VERTAGEAR SL380 gaming chair is a stunning addition to the office or game room with several ergonomic features fit for a king, but a few odds and ends provide minor discomforts in unusual ways.

Selecting the right gaming chair is a daunting task, especially with all the options on the market today. No matter the price range, buyers will be met with dozens of brands claiming to have the most comfortable or flashy chair or ones that provide the most health benefits.

These are all factors buyers need to take into consideration as a single chair can be where a gamer or office worker spends the majority of their time in a day. Fortunately, VERTAGEAR combines all three of a gamers’ most significant asks to deliver chairs that are not only pleasing to look at but also feel luxurious to sit in.

The VERTAGEAR SL3800 comes in at $379.99 (US) or £313.30 (UK), making it the least expensive option out of the new 800 Series. VERTAGEAR also offers customizable RGB LED upgrade kits that can give your chair a bit of personal flair, but those will cost consumers another $250 to $300.

Assembly & Setup

The VERTAGEAR SL3800 comes in a single reasonably large box containing only a few pieces making assembly a breeze. The unboxing experience felt like a taste of the experience that was to come. All of the parts were neatly packaged, some inside their own custom-molded boxes. And assembling the chair was as simple as stacking parts on top of one another with a grand total of four screws (with an extra-long Allen key included).

From start to finish, it took around 10-15 minutes to put together. No spare parts left over, just an egregious amount of foam packaging and a rather large empty box.

Design & Comfort

One of the greatest things about his chair is how it looks. We were sent the Black/White color combo, which meshes perfectly with modern console color trends (looking at you, Sony). While some gaming chairs can be over the top with flashy color schemes or themes, the VERTAGEAR SL3800 is a cool yet elegant piece of ergonomic furniture.

Speaking of ergonomics, this chair is designed with gamers’ needs in mind. The back is lined with memory foam and VERTAGEAR’s own TPEE Module Lumbar support, which adapts itself to your body to truly make it your chair. This lumbar isn’t manually adjustable, which was bothersome at first, but over time it became a more comfortable experience.

If you’re coming from a straight-back chair with a detachable lumbar pillow, the built-in support can be jarring at first. But it’s worth the wait for the SL3800 to adapt to you.

The pillow is also a nice addition. It’s a traditional removable rectangle sporting the VERTAGEAR logo that some users may find a bit too firm. Unless you press your head into the pillow (or if your head weighs a considerable amount), it will end up feeling like a bit of extra “lumbar support” for your neck.

The armrests are deserving of much praise but are also the biggest gripe. They are very adjustable, allowing users to adjust the height and angle of each rest. However, they are fairly stiff. While the rest of the chair is made of materials that cater to the user’s comfort, the armrests feel like an oversight.

For controller gamers, it’s a pretty tight space to fit your arms in your lap – even when the armrests are at their widest. And for KBM gamers or long-form writers, it can feel like resting your arms/elbows on rocks. But for those who don’t typically use armrests, this won’t be an issue.

That being said, the HygennX fabric and PUC faux leather feel great to the touch. Even in those high-octane moments when the backs of your legs sweat and rub against the base of the chair, there’s comfort instead of distracting chaffing.

Should you buy it?

While there are minor issues found in the VERTAGEAR SL3800, it’s still well worth its $400 price point. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better-looking chair within the same price range, and the discomforts are easily overlooked.

Prices of high-end chairs can be a huge turn-off for buyers, but it’s an investment in your health and comfort. And the VERTAGEAR SL3800 meets the needs of gamers without breaking the bank like the Herman Miller Vantum or Secretlab Titan Evo.

The Verdict – 4/5

The VERTAGEAR SL3800 offers luxurious comfort mixed with a timeless design, and it’d score perfectly if not for its minor issues. These flaws seem like they could have been avoided had the chair spent a bit more time in development, but it’s a great piece of equipment regardless.