AndaSeat Kaiser 4

The Kaiser 4 is the most advanced gaming chair in AndaSeat’s lineup. It takes the Kaiser 3's foundation and builds upon it with an additional adjustment axis for the built-in lumbar support. Both Kaisers use knobs to set lumbar firmness, but the Kaiser 4 has a new pop-up mechanism that lets you set the support angle. That said, it doesn't make the chair feel much more comfortable than it already is. At $649, it’s also notably more expensive than the Secretlab Titan Evo (which starts at $549), our Editors’ Choice winner. Still, the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 is a sturdy gaming chair that you should check out if you want a new spin on lumbar support.

Design and Assembly

The Kaiser 4 doesn't have branded collaborations like Secretlab’s chairs, but it has a wide range of color options. The PVC leather version has eight colors, including black, white, purple, orange, or robin’s egg blue. The linen-upholstered chair, available for the same price as the PVC model, only comes in black or gray.

Assembling the Kaiser 4 is similar to most other conventional gaming chairs. You put the casters and gas cylinder in the aluminum base, bolt the chair back to the seat (a plastic bracket on the right side helps align one of the metal struts, making this step a bit easier than usual), flip the chair over, attach the tilt mechanism to the seat's bottom, and put the entire assembly on the gas cylinder. The armrests come attached to the seat, which is always nice to see. Plastic covers snap to the chair's sides via magnets and stay in place fairly well.

(Credit: Will Greenwald)

AndaSeat's website has specs for both the L and XL versions, but only the XL is available for purchase as of this writing. It has a generous 395-pound weight capacity, and is recommended for people between 5’11” and 6’11”. The seat is 21.26 inches wide and 20.67 inches deep, which should accommodate most large users.

The Kaiser 4 comes with a five-year extended warranty, putting it at the top of the gaming chair pack. The only way you’ll get a longer warranty is by spending four digits on an Anthros or Herman Miller chair, since both companies guarantee their models for 12 years. Secretlab also offers a five-year warranty for its chairs, but not by default; the Titan Evo and Titan Evo Lite have two-year warranties that you can extend to five years if you share a picture of the chair on social media. AndaSeat doesn’t make you jump through that hoop.

Extensive Adjustments

The Kaiser 4 has a few more customization options besides the standard height, which you adjust using the gas cylinder, lockable tilt function, and reclining lever with a range of up to 135 degrees. The armrests are described as “5D,” which goes a dubious step beyond the usual 4D armrests, which you move up, down, left, right, forward, backward, or rotate horizontally between four different positions. The 5D armrests have a hinge in the middle that lets you angle their front halves upward about 60 degrees.

Although I usually lift my hands up to reach my keyboard on most desks, the armrests' steep ramps are extremely uncomfortable. Folding armrests might be a good idea if you can set their angle with some granularity, but given the choice between flat and far too high, I’ll stay with flat.

(Credit: Will Greenwald)

The Kaiser 4 also has an adjustable lumbar support that’s a cross between the Secretlab Titan Evo’s internal support and the first version of the Razer Iskur, which had a lumbar support that you could pop out and set at a given vertical position. Here, a small lever makes the lumbar support swing forward and up to sit at 10, 17, or 22 degrees (in addition to the default three degrees). Two knobs let you shift the lumbar support’s arch higher or lower, or make it flatter or more pronounced. This is impressive granularity, though it takes time to find a sweet spot. The support is firm when set, lacking the wiggle of the Razer Iskur V2.

The Kaiser 4 includes a head cushion. It’s a small, rectangular pillow made of soft, supportive memory foam that's wrapped in suede-like fabric. The cushion attaches to the headrest via magnets, keeping it secure and in place.

(Credit: Will Greenwald)

Soft PVC Leather and Firm Foam

The PVC leather version we tested uses a material different from many other faux leather gaming chairs. Cooler Master, Razer, and Secretlab all use PU leather, which is generally a more premium-feeling material that’s softer and more breathable than PVC. PVC leather is less porous, but easier to wipe down and generally more stain-resistant. The leatherette is soft to the touch, but less leather-like and more plasticky than the Iskur V2 or Titan Evo. It feels pleasant and not cheap, but noticeably more artificial than the aforementioned chairs; it will probably stick to sweaty skin far more easily than PU leather. This didn’t happen in our air-conditioned lab, but I could definitely feel the potential for skin adhesion if it was a few degrees warmer. It doesn't squeak, which is a risk for cheaper leatherette.

The Kaiser 4 is padded with firm, cold-cure foam that thoroughly fills the chair back and seat. It’s dense and supportive, with enough give to keep it from feeling too hard. The pop-up lumbar support features a few inches of padding, for a solid and stable feel even if it’s separated from the chair back.

After experimenting with the lumbar support, I found the Kaiser 4 comfortable whenever I leaned forward or reclined back. It's comparable with similarly priced conventional gaming chairs. It doesn’t feel like an improvement, despite the 5D armrests; the Secretlab Titan Evo’s knobs-only lumbar support is just as comfortable.

(Credit: Will Greenwald)

Verdict: The Kaiser 4 Is Highly Comfortable and Adjustable

The Kaiser 4 is a well-made, comfortable gaming chair that justifies its $650 price and position at the top of AndaSeat’s catalog. It distinguishes itself from similarly priced chairs with its pop-up, knob-adjustable lumbar support and use of PVC leather instead of PU leather. It's different from the Secretlab Titan EVO and Razer Iskur V2, but not necessarily better. The leatherette version doesn’t feel quite as leather-like as those other chairs, and while the lumbar support incorporates adjustment methods from both Secretlab and Razer, it’s more complicated than either without being more effective. That said, the Kaiser 4 is an excellent chair, especially if you can find it on sale. However, the Secretlab Titan EVO remains our Editors’ Choice for its more premium-feeling and breathable faux leather, its simpler lumbar support, and its greater design options.