Boulies Master Rex Review

Gaming chairs aren’t exactly uncommon these days, though the perception of them certainly hasn’t gotten better over time. Most are often at a premium, while not offering a noticeably better experience than simpler office chairs. However, if you’re not looking to drop a hefty sum on a Herman Miller chair, there are still plenty of good midrange chairs to choose from.

For the past month I’ve been testing out a newer entry in the gaming chair space, the Boulies Master Rex. While not cheap at £409.99 (sort of, we’ll get to that later), it’s still a good deal cheaper than some of the bigger names in the business. It might not have everything its more expensive peers do, but the Master Rex is a great choice if you want a sturdy chair with plenty of extras.

Setup

I’ll admit, the Master Rex didn’t make the best first impression as I started to put it together. The instructions included with the chair are rather brief, with a number of steps not being explained as well as they could be — some of the text instructions also contain typos or strange wording.

I also wasn’t a fan of every screw already been attached to the chair base, meaning I had to unscrew them all first during installation. I’d understand if multiple types of screws were used, but most (outside of the ones for the footrest) are identical. At least they’re simple enough to remove and re-apply, with the required allen keys included in the box.

Outside of these quirks, actually putting the chair together wasn’t overly difficult. As with most gaming chairs of this type, it’s not exactly light, so you either need a decent spot to lie parts on, or a willing helper. Thankfully, most of the hard work happens early on, and the last part of assembly is reserved for smaller steps like the plastic covers and wheels.

Design

The Boulies Master Rex definitely has that gamer chair look, with an overall shape similar to other ones on the market. However, it doesn’t make use of any garish colours or unnecessary RGB. I went with the black PU leather option (there’s also brown), though you can also go for a more textured water repellant material. While we didn’t test the latter, they should be comparable when it comes to comfort.

It’s definitely the sort of design I prefer over the ones that lean heavier on the “gamer” style. It’ll never pass for a regular office chair, though if you’re going for a gaming one that’s likely not something that’s an issue anyway.

The armrests, despite having a number of useful features and adjustments, are a fairly plain plastic. They’re far from uncomfortable, though they do feel a little less premium that the chair itself. Alongside the plastic, the armests also have a tendency to wobble slightly, but this isn’t a dealbreaker (I barely even noticed this while actually using the chair).

One area that I didn’t think of until after I actually got the chair are the wheels. The wheel base is made of aluminium and feels sturdy, while the actual wheels are incredibly smooth. I’ve been using this chair on carpet, though I wouldn’t be worried about it damaging wooden flooring or other more delicate surfaces.

Comfort

I’m a fairly big guy, so I’m always a fan of larger chairs. The Master Rex is absolutely a large chair, leaving plenty of space on either side where the contoured edges are. You can even make some extra room by adjusting how the armrests are attached to the back, moving them further out if necessary.

While it’s hard to fully convey what sitting on a chair is like over text, I can say that this is definitely a comfortable choice for many hours of working and gaming. The material is soft enough to stop your rear from getting numb, without feeling mushy or too pliable.

I will say though that the PU leather has a tendency to trap heat over longer sessions, something that the water repellent fabric could potentially mitigate. I haven’t tested the chair during extremely hot weather (this is the UK after all), though I’d imagine things could get rather sweaty due to the lack of breathable fabric.

On the back, you get access to integrated lumbar support, which can tweaked via two dials attacked the the chair. These dials allow you to adjust lumbar positioning and intensity, depending on your needs. I like this as an idea, though actually getting it into the right position is rather finicky. At the very least, once you have it perfect you’ll never need to touch this feature again.

The amount of adjustments that you can make to the armrests is also more than welcome. Each one can be moved independently, with multiple degrees of motion in each direction. My only real issue (outside of the plastic used on top) is that you can’t twist the top exactly how you want it, instead only choosing from three positions. Neither of the non-default positions feel that useful, so I left this orientation as-is.

One feature I was hoping would be nice is the option to recline the Master Rex back, and it mostly delivers. You can tilt both the back of the chair, and the base itself if you want something closer to a rocking chair. While not something I’d use while at the PC, it’s nice for Switch gaming, or just relaxing after work.

However, I would have liked if there were better options for headrests. Your only real choice (outside of nothing at all) is a small cushion that attaches to the top of the chair via an elastic strap. It does the job in a pinch, though the material used is fairly stiff. At the very least, it’s possible to open up the cushion and change out the material with something of your own choosing.

One feature that I used surprisingly less often than I expected is the leg rest. In fact, it’s probably the only real part of the package that truly feels less-than-premium. When not in use, the leg rest stays folded under the chair and out of the way. When you want to use it, you have to manually pull it out and fold the foot rest over to get it into position.

It doesn’t come out very far, resting on your calves rather than feet which I’d personally prefer. The metal poles holding the chair in place also feel somewhat flimsy, with the leg rest bending noticeably when in use. It’s fine when used alongside the reclining feature, though you’re better off with a separate footrest.

Pricing and Final Thoughts

As mentioned earlier, the Boulies Master Rex is priced at £409.99. While not the cheapest chair, you’d also be looking at a few hundred more for other big brands in the gaming chair space (and four digits for top-end office chairs). At this price, it’s definitely a good addition to your gaming setup, but the real price is actually a little cheaper.

It’s currently available for £329.99 directly via Boulies as part of their spring sale, and has been for the past few months. Assuming there’ll be more sales later down the line, and this puts the Master Rex in the sub £400 category.

If you’re after a gaming chair specifically, then you’d be hard pressed to do much better for this price. While still clearly a gaming chair it doesn’t have the garish design seen on some other offerings, and it’s packed with nice features (even if the leg rest leaves something to be desired).

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The Boulies Master Rex was supplied by the manufacturer for this review.

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