A good chair is essential for anyone sitting behind a computer all day. Whether writing all day, working on spreadsheets, or gaming, the chair is a massive part of your comfort. Traditional office chairs can do the trick for many, but I have found that gaming chairs are far more comfortable than some office chairs that can cost nearly $1,000. The Boulies Elite Max is one of those chairs priced under $500.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
While a gaming chair may not fit the aesthetic of an office worker’s workspace, sometimes comfort trumps aesthetic. The Boulies Elite Max does a fantastic job of balancing a neutral aesthetic look with gaming chair comfort. Let’s jump right into the full review of this comfortable gaming chair.
The Quick Take
The Boulies Elite Max is a reasonably priced gaming chair that is comfortable and neutral enough for any office or decor. It’s easy to assemble and has plenty of adjustments that suit any user. The fabric upholstery may not be to everyone’s liking, but Boulies does offer other chairs with a faux leather option. The seat pan is nice and wide and long enough for my liking. This is a simple chair but offers many comfort and features; I recommend it.
Specifications
The Boulies Elite Max has the following features and specifications:
- 360° swivel
- Seat height adjustable
- Full-length backrest recline
- 15-degree rocking
- Tilt position lock
- Armrest: 8 ways adjustable
- Upholstery: Boulies ultra flex leather (with partial perforated) + microfiber suede Boulies W/R fabric + microfiber
- Frame: Extra Strong Steel Frame
- Five-star foot base: Aluminum
- Foam: 100% Cold-cure foam
- Tilt mechanism: Multi tilt
- Casters: 6cm PU casters
- Hydraulics: Class 4 (Top Class)
What’s In The Box
- Boulies Elite Max
- Head Pillow
- Back Pillow
- Hardware
- Assembly Instructions
- Warranty Card
Design
The Boulies Elite Max looks familiar if you’ve ever looked at a gaming chair. Most of these gaming chairs are designed to look like a racing seat—something you might see inside a race or sports car.
The back is sculpted to hug your body and provides excellent lateral support. The seat pan is wide, flat, and extends to a comfortable length. Boulies says this model has a more expansive and enlarged backrest for big and tall users; I found this accurate. Compared to another gaming chair I have, it was evident that it was the case.
The steel frame gives the Boulies Elite Max a feel of robust sturdiness, and the company says it was reinforced and made for larger users. Again, compared to another gaming chair, I found this to be accurate.
The armrests are constructed of aluminum, plastic, and rubber material. They articulate in eight different ways giving you many options. The reclining mechanism is stepless, and the tilt mechanism has height, rocking, tilt, and tension adjustments with a locking function.
The included head and lumbar pillows are nice, but I never use these on any chair. You can recline the Boulies Elite Max to flat, though I am not sure why you’d ever need this feature.
Overall, the design of the Elite Max is very nice, and there are a lot of great features here. The construction is top-notch, and the chair feels robust for heavier and taller users. The fabric is nice but can get warm after long periods of sitting. Some users might not like the fabric, and I am sure it probably stains easier. This is a very nicely designed chair and fits my needs perfectly.
Assembly
The Boulies Elite Max is straightforward to put together. I love that the company has preinstalled the Allen bolts into the chair rather than putting them into a plastic bag.
The instructions are mainly illustrated and simple to follow. For a quick overview, this is how you would assemble this chair.
- Remove the screws that will hold the armrests in.
- Install the armrests to the bottom of the seat pan, installing the left and right properly.
- Remove the screws that hold will hold the adjustment and seat pan mount.
- Install the adjustment/seat pan mount to the bottom of the seat pan.
- Push wheels into the seat stand.
- Install the piston and piston cover into the seat stand.
- Turn the seat pan over and install the seat pan into the piston.
- Remove screws from the sides of the backrest.
- Install backrest to seatpan.
- Install hardware covers on the sides of the backrest.
- Install screw covers over screws on hardware covers.
That is a simplified explanation, but putting the Boulies Elite Max together is not hard. One person should be able to do this very easily. Though I would recommend two people to pick up the box it comes in, it is rather heavy. Overall, the assembly is straightforward and requires little effort for most users.
Ease of Use
The Boulies Elite Max is easy to use and operate; this should not pose a problem if you’ve used any office chair, this should not pose a problem.
Height and tilt adjustments are straightforward, as is the locking feature. The eight-way adjustable armrests are simple to manipulate and operate and give much flexibility.
One thing I loved about the Elite Max vs. my old chair is that the recline can be set to “float,” so I can recline back at will without pulling a lever. Sometimes I want to lean back for a few seconds and return to upright; this chair allows me to do that.
Overall, this is an office chair. It should be easy to use, and it is.
Boulies Elite Max Gallery
Performance/Comfort
Being a larger dude, I appreciate it when companies make things that are a bit ampler. The Boulies Elite Max fits me nicely. The wider backrest is nice, and the wider seat pan is also excellent. I would have liked the seat pan slightly longer, but it works fine.
Overall, this chair is super comfortable though I will say that the fabric material may not be for everyone. It can get warm after long stretches of sitting, and sometimes your pants can give a bit of resistance when moving around. But I love it.
Price/Value
Priced at $459 (and currently on sale for $399 on Boulies’s website), this is a very affordable yet premium gaming chair with a lot of value, especially for larger users.
Wrap Up
What else is there to say? The Boulies Elite Max is a damn nice gaming chair that’s great for larger users, and well worth looking at.
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Boulies Elite Max
$459
Nailed it
- Very nice looking chair
- Sturdy and well-built
- Easy to assemble, love that the bolts are already in the holes
- Easy to operate and use
- Very comfortable, great seat pan and plenty wide
Needs work
- Might be too pricey for some
- I don’t like the head pillow or lumbar pillow, but that is mostly me. I just do not ever use these on any chair.
- Fabric may not to everyone’s liking
