Performance
The ICON is one great looking chair, and also fairly easy to build despite its hefty weight. The wheels, base, gas lift, and gas lift cover, can all put together in about one minute. You’ll need the included Allen Key to mount the base cushion to the rocket mount though, but it only takes a couple of minutes. The tricky part of any gaming chair is always the backrest. The sides can be difficult to screw into place, and having a friend help you hold it in place is advised, but not essential. After about ten minutes, the whole chair is complete and looking fantastic.
Of course, if you want to fully complete the setup, you can add the cushions. They’re not required, but since they’re easy to add/remove, you can use them anytime you feel the need. They’re super soft though, and the neck cushion is something I always leave on. The lumbar support, I use rarely, but it’s a nice addition to have.
The base cushion is quite hard on the ol’ bottom. However, that’s an aspect of all noblechair chairs. Typically, the softer padded chairs are cheaper and wear out very quickly. This base cushion feels the same at the EPIC, and I’ve been using that one for 18 months with zero sign of fade to the material or padding. The big change here is the wings on the side. They’re much wider, lower, and softer, making them a lot more comfortable and forgiving. The chair now also goes lower on the gas lift than the EPIC, which left most people under 6ft with their feet dangling; that’s no longer the case.
4D Arm Rests
There’s a button on the side, and one under each side of the armrest. These buttons allow you to adjust the height of the rests with ease, as well as how far forward or back they are. However, you can also move them closer or further away from your horizontally too. They’re quite hard on the top but are made from a rubbery foam with some give to it. This means that if you dig your elbows in, it’s actually quite comfortable.
On the underside, you’ll find two control handles. The left allows you to lock/unlock the rocker system. What’s great is that you can tilt the whole chair back and lock it there, giving you a bucket seat vibe. The right handle is for the gas lift, which allows for easy height adjustments.
Lumbar or Not to Lumbar
Unlike the EPIC, the ICON doesn’t have holes at the top of the backrest, so the lumbar cushion cannot be strapped to the chair. However, it sits here quite nicely, but you cannot adjust its height.
Overall, it’s a great looking chair and oozes premium quality.
As I said, I’ve had my EPIC for over a year now, and while it shares some similarities with the ICON, you can see that the ICON is much more rounded and padded in comparison. Comfort wise, they feel the same to me. However, the ICON does have improved neck support and improved height adjustment range.
