Boulies Master Max office chair review: all work and play

Straightforward to build, not too bulky, and reasonably comfy to sit in once you’ve got it adjusted, the Boulies Master Max is a office/gaming chair that’s able to undercut many of the other top choices for somewhere to park your posterior while working or playing at your desk. Does this lead to unacceptably cut corners? We’ll have to find out.

Design and assembly

The instructions that come with the Master Max are a masterclass in clarity. They use photographs instead of drawings and are fairly large, making them easy to follow. Some tools are provided - a pair of hex keys - in one of those annoying blister packs that’s impossible to open without spilling its contents everywhere, and the whole thing packs down neatly into a box that’s big, but not impossible to lift and carry.

We found that the early stages of building the chair, when you attach the armrests to the seat, to be the worst - you’ll need another person to hold the base upright while you first remove, then re-screw with the rests attached, six bolts in the bottom. The distance the rests sit from the seat, and therefore the maximum width of the chair, can be adjusted while the bolts are loose, and it’s worth bearing this in mind if you intend to push the chair through any doors.

Once that’s done, the rest slots together easily enough, with the wheels clicking easily into the legs, though you may need that helper again to hold the wheeled contrivance still while you try to place the seat onto the post. The four thick plastic washers that sit between the bottom of the seat and the base unit, through which the bolts that hold it all together pass, prove to be the trickiest part of the assembly, as there's nothing to hold them in place and they can drift while you’re trying to lower the base into place, falling out and putting the seat askew.

The chair we were sent for review is a grey one, with a water-repellent fabric finish, and it looks like something you’d find in a bank. That’s not necessarily a criticism, if that’s the aesthetic you’re going for in your studio, but compared to gaming chairs with leather finishes and coloured panels, it can look a bit plain. Leather and synthetic finishes are available for the Master Max, but you’ll pay a bit extra for them.

Features and comfort

Along with the adjustable armrests, which move up and down, in and out, forward and back, there are the expected height and angle adjustments for the seat, via controls under the seat itself, and the back angle can be changed by means of a handle on the right-hand side that looks like it might be an ejection mechanism. Sadly, that’s not included, but you do get a pair of rotary controls that move sections of the backrest about to improve your comfort. As with just about every chair, this requires trial and error, and you can end up making things worse if you’re not careful.

Adjustment is easy, and everything is easily reachable when you’re sitting in the chair. From a design point of view, having the two under-seat handles set up identically looks great, but it’s perfectly possible to send yourself plummeting toward the floor by pulling the height adjustment lever when you wanted the tilt lever - they feel the same, and you’ll need to remember which is which. With the lumbar support adjusted to fit you, the tailored cushions are comfortable to sit on for long periods, but we’ve seen thicker ones elsewhere. The Max variant we’re reviewing here is suitable for people up to 200cm tall and weighing as much as 135kg - if you’re smaller than that, you can save a bit of cash by going for the non-Max Master chair, which we've also reviewed.

With a name like Master Max, the Boulies chair is going to be compared to the SecretLab Titan, and while it’s smaller than that particular gamer throne, it does have some similarities. The armrests, in particular, are very closely aligned with SecretLab’s, with the adjustment buttons in the same places, and the bolts that hold the whole thing together are the same too. The Boulies head cushion attaches with an elasticated strap rather than SL’s classy magnets, however.

Price

The Boulies Master Max retails from $439.99/£399.99 at the time of writing.

Unless you were considering a budget chair, you’re likely to be saving at least £100 with the Boulies Master Max. Chairs are expensive because of the number of components required to build them, and the fabric or leather finish adds to the cost. As something you’re likely to be sitting in all day, you want something that’s going to be comfortable and not leave you stiff and aching after a day slaving at the content mines, which means investing in this area can pay off in terms of quality of life. A chair like this represents the middle ground, and offers a good value proposition, but isn’t the cheapest available.

Who is it for?

As a home office chair, the Boulies Master Max will look very good in a back bedroom or garden cabin, and as it’s comfortable to sit on and easy to build, makes a good choice for all kinds of home use. The adjustability, and extra size and weight capacity, mean it’s a good choice for most users, who won’t have to worry about weight limits.

Buy it if...

• You need a mid-range office chair
• You’re taller or heavier than average
• You want to sit all day

Don't buy it if

• You want a flashy gaming chair
• You’re after something cheaper

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