I was debating whether or not to purchase this chair over the Nobelchairs Hero. What pushed me to buy this chair was not only the unavailability of the Hero, but also the attractive price of this chair at the time of purchase (it was on sale). From all my research and after narrowing down my choices to Nobelchairs, Secretlabs, and AKRacing, I decided to pull the trigger and take my chances on purchasing two Onyx Deluxe (Real Leather) chairs. To my delight, this chair was better than what I was expecting.
The chair was packaged really well. Unboxing the chair and assembly was super easy. I was able to put my chair together in about 20 minutes.
I've been using this chair for about a month now and can honestly say that I have no regrets. The seat is very comfortable and has been from the very beginning. Others have claimed that the chair is too firm and needs to be broken in. While the chair does start off a little firm, it wasn't so bad to where the chair felt uncomfortable. While comparing my primary chair to my second chair that hasn't been used, I can say that the chair did break in and has softened up. It's also worth mentioning that If you're looking for a chair that's soft and something you can sink into, this chair is not for you. This chair is very solid, stable, and supportive. What it is not is a very soft living room chair that will put you to sleep.
For me personally, since I'm only 5'8", I find the headrest pointless. It may be beneficial to taller people, but while sitting, my head rarely ever touches the back of my chair. In addition, I tried using the lumbar pillow for a couple weeks but stopped mainly because I kept having to position the pillow every time I got up and sat down. It would be nice if this chair had an adjustable and built-in support like the Nobelchairs and Secretlabs chairs, but I'm personally fine having a chair without lumbar support.
The armrests are adjustable in various ways and also pretty comfortable. They are firm but slightly cushioned; let's just say that they aren't rock-hard plastic armrests. To be honest, I actually purchased a memory foam cover, but my elbows would ache WITH the cover than without. This goes to show that the armrests were already built for comfort and support. It's also worth mentioning a slight design flaw. While standing up, I typically push up and off the armrests. Since there's no way to lock them, the armrests will occasionally slide from where I had them adjusted.
While comparing this to my Herman Miller Aeron, which broke after having owned it for over 15 years, I can say that I'm happy with the Onyx Deluxe. There's no way to make an apples-to-apples comparison between the AKRacing and Herman Miller, but what I'd like to compare is the difference between a fabric chair and a mesh chair. Even with my A/C on, I noticed that my legs and back would be slightly more sweaty with the AKRacing. I'm sure the problem would be worse with a chair made with PU Leather or some other unbreathable material. Since the Onyx Deluxe is made with real leather and is more breathable, the SLIGHT perspiration isn't really that big of a deal to me. If you are bothered by perspiring, stick with a mesh chair.
Height adjustment, tilting, and reclining this chair are all very easy and straightforward. The only thing that wasn't straightforward was figuring out how to adjust the "forward tilt", which wasn't clearly explained in the instructions nor on the AKRacing website. After searching online, I discovered that the forward tilt could be adjusted by loosening the knob under the chair. I must say that you MUST be careful not to lean too far forward while making this adjustment otherwise you'll end up faceplanting and the chair will shoot out from behind you (no this did not happen to me, but I could see it happening since I noticed a slight stability issue, which could be noticed with ANY chair while leaning forward).
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this chair. It feels great and looks excellent. Although it's marketed as a gaming chair, its design gives it a look that's also suitable in an office. If you don't need a built-in and adjustable lumbar support and don't have a perspiration problem, I would highly recommend this chair to anyone who wants a modern looking chair that's both solidly built and comfortable.