SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review: Hyper premium gaming comfort

Welcome to T3's SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review. Over the past week I've been testing out the Cookies & Cream variant of this gaming chair and what follows is my considered take on it.

And, to be blunt, I was very keen to test out the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave as, one, we take reviewing and rating the best gaming chairs very seriously here at T3 and, two, it seemed to deliver something genuinely new and exciting in terms of its "SoftWeave" material finish.

• Find out more: SecretLab Titan SoftWeave Fabric Gaming Chair guide
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Here was a seat from a gaming chair maker with real pedigree that offers a new material finish that feels as premium as leather, but delivers an entirely different aesthetic. For me, as a mature professional who loves to game, it felt like a match made in heaven.

And, for those who want a quick take-away from this SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review, let me tell you — it sure doesn't disappoint. This is one of the absolute finest gaming chairs I have reviewed and, if you can afford it, I wholeheartedly recommend it. For even more information about why this is the case, then read on.

Anyone considering buying the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave should also know that this chair has won the Best Gaming Chair award at the T3 Awards 2021, beating off plenty of quality competition.

SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review: official video

SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review: price and release date

The SecretLab Titan SoftWeave Cookies & Cream gaming chair is available to pre-order right now. This chair is so popular that, despite already technically being on the market, there is now a backlog of orders. 

At the time of writing placing an order now in the UK will see the chair ship by 9th September or earlier, while placing an order in the US will see the chair ship by 21st August.

The SecretLab Titan SoftWeave Cookies & Cream gaming chair can be bought directly from the UK SecretLab store for £379, while it can be picked up at the US SecretLab store for $429.

The SecretLab Titan SoftWeave is also available in Charcoal Blue and D.Va colorways.  More information about all the SecretLab Titan variants can be viewed at the maker's official website.

SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review: package and setup

The SecretLab Titan SoftWeave comes packaged in a large black box with SecretLab's logo on it. The whole package weighs a great deal and feels very dense in the hands, which starts to radiate an air that this is a serious piece of kit before you even open the box.

Open the box, though, and the first thing you are greeted with is a welcome message as well as some friendly advice and contact details. On the flip side of this message is a large, glossy set of assembly instructions, which include large full-colour photographs and very clear, simple to read instructions.

At this stage I found the small little badge of authenticity, which is accompanied with a note to show that the whole package has been hand inspected by a SecretLab employee really classy, and it continued that initial air of a premium piece of tech.

The components in the box are all wrapped in Cellophane baggies, while the smaller components like bolts and nuts, as well as the tools needed to assemble the chair, come in their own dedicated sub-box.

And, while we're on these tools, I thought it was supremely classy to see that the package comes with its own dedicated tool box, which clearly labels what everything is and what it is used for. Indeed, every component in the Titan box was clearly labelled and it imbued confidence that putting it together would be straight forward.

The instructions also include plenty of handy tips, such as that you should use some of foam packaging material to rest the components on to protect them from scratches while you are installing other ones. There were many little things like this I noticed during the review that shows an holistic attention to detail of the customer's experience that I really welcomed.

As you can see from the images above, preparing for the build and then getting stuck in was a seamless experience. The assembly of the Titan SoftWeave then proceeded at a rapid pace, with there actually not that much needed to have the chair fully assembled and up and running.

The wheels and holder were joined together, as too the seat and backrest, with the backrest simply sliding into a struts on the seat and then being secured with thick, solid steel bolts.

From there the chair is gently turned over and its adjustable full-tilt mechanism is affixed to the base and connected with the hydraulic piston in the wheelbase. Aside from adding a few coverings and adjusting the chair's armrests to your preference, that is pretty much everything you need to do.

Again, my experience here was truly first rate, and I felt like SecretLab had gone above and beyond to not only make the assembly process as clear and as easy as possible, but also to warn me about potential pitfalls.

For example, there is a large cardboard sleeve that comes wrapped around the seat itself and this advises you not to use the tilt adjustment handle until the backrest is installed. Not everyone would find this obvious, so I thought it was good that SecretLab held gamer's hands so to speak as they were putting together their new investment.

In total I would say it took me 30 minutes from opening the box to fully assemble the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave Cookies & Cream gaming chair, and as I hope you can see from the image below, the finished result was truly something to behold.

Visually the chair shares the same iconic Titan design as SecretLab's leather variants (both PU and genuine Napa leather), but this new SoftWeave material bestows upon it a very different presence. The material itself is incredibly soft to the touch; not smooth like leather, but in no way coarse like fabric finishes on lesser gaming and office chairs.

It's a chair that has very clean lines but a soft and welcoming aesthetic, and one which seems to radiate a sense of its superiority. There's no doubt about it, as soon as you see the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave you understand that you are looking at a premium product.

SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review: performance and features

Sit in the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave and its comfort and support are immediately evident. The soft fabric is very gentle on the skin while the armrests boast a spongy exterior layer that makes leaning elbows on them a pleasure. Typically on gaming chairs makers tend to place their focus on comfort in terms of the seat and backrest, so it is really nice to see that extended to the armrests here.

And speaking of the armrests, the Titan's are incredibly customisable. Not only can the armrests be moved up and down, moved forward and backward and in and out, but the armrest tops can also be rotated, too. All of these changes are achievable with a few button presses, and it makes setting the chair up for your specific frame super easy.

The main gaming chair itself is also customisable in terms of tilt, with a single lever on the right hand side allowing a near horizontal level of backwards tilt. Fancy a nap between gaming sessions? With this chair that is not a problem.

The chair's height is controlled by a lever that is located under the seat on the right handside, which takes the form of a paddle. Lift the paddle up when sat on the chair and the hydraulic piston falls and the height is reduced, while depressing the paddle when stood up and the chair rises.

Elsewhere, if you look at the SoftWeave material up close you discover just how tight the weave is, with subtle shade changes over its surface. The stitching is also, as you would likely expect, tight and consistent, while seat's logos and badges all have smart finishes (there's both the SecretLab Logo and badge on the rear of the backrest, as well as the "Titan", while Titan and the SecretLab badge are also evident on the seat).

Over the past week I've used the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave Cookies & Cream for everything from gaming (Hitman 2, Command and Conquer Remastered Collection, Dragon Age Origins and Wolfenstein Youngblood) to creative use on PhotoShop, through office work in G Suite and onto admin, listening to music and watching some Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix. And, I have to say, I've found the gaming chair to be supremely comfortable.

I'm a 6ft 2in guy and while I can hardly say the chair I was using prior to this was actively uncomfortable, the Titan has definitely taken things to and entirely new level. Sitting for hours on end at my desk in this thing is easy thanks to its excellent support and premium-quality build materials, and it is easy to see how this chair would perform during extended gaming or streaming sessions.

SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review: verdict

I hope my comments throughout this SecretLab Titan SoftWeave review has effectively communicated why I rate this seat so much. I see a lot of gaming chairs here at T3, as I want to ensure that only the very finest make it into our best gaming chair buying guide, but there's no doubting that many deliver similar aesthetics.

This new SoftWeave material from SecretLab, though, is something that looks genuinely different to the majority of the gaming chairs on the market and when wrapped around the iconic Titan design, and partnered with excellent build quality and customisation features, the end result is something very special indeed.

If you're serious about your gaming and can afford its undoubtedly high price point I therefore find it impossible not to recommend. SecretLab has done a fantastic job here, producing a genuinely exciting proposition in a crowded market, and for that it should be applauded.

More information about the Titan SoftWeave can be found at SecretLab's official store.

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