Thermaltake ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair Review

How Much Does It Cost?

Office chairs seem to exist in their own weird realm of prices, you can get chairs that are £50 from Amazon or upwards of £6000 from specialist websites. But where does the Argent sit in the price spectrum? It sits at a pretty pricey £900, but this is a pretty decent deal given that’s down from the MSRP of £1199. While this price puts it in direct competition with Herman Miller, the company that’s widely considered to make the best office chairs on the market, so does this hold up to that standard?

Overview

Before I start evaluating the value of the chair, I need to make it clear that the opinions and thoughts shared are entirely subjective and that your opinions may vary from mine. With that being said, the obvious first question to ask is do I like this chair? And the quick answer is no, not really. But the long answer to that is a bit more complicated.

Durable Design

To start, the cushioning is far too tough for me, I prefer a soft chair; but I am equally aware that this is technically a positive for the chair, as this will improve the longevity of the char and provide a longer lifespan for the product, giving it extra value over a cheaper chair that wears away sooner.

Real Leather?

My second gripe is one of the main selling points of the chair, this being that it’s made of real leather, this is a very personal issue and obviously subjective. I know that leather is a high-quality material with many benefits, but I personally don’t approve of it. I won’t criticize if you like it, It’s just not for me. However, I can’t deny that the material certainly does feel nice, but wonder if the material cost could have been distributed differently. The door handle design sticking out if you want to lock the position is a bit odd, but hardly a deal breaker too.

A Big Investment

At £1200 MSRP, this chair was very expensive at launch this price range makes this hard to recommend to pretty much anyone who hasn’t got this kind of money, and let’s be honest, most people aren’t looking for chairs this expensive. However, since it’s come down to £900, it’s a little more appealing, but I won’t pretend that’s not a lot of money.

From the perspective of someone with this kind of budget, should you buy this chair? At this price range, you will likely be considering Herman Miller as an option, and how does this stack up with the chairs from them? Well, Herman Miller is much more focused on the ergonomics of their chairs, while the Thermaltake is clearly focused more on the build and design of the chair, which is evidenced even further by the involvement of Studio F.A Porsche. Advertising for the Argent would have you believe that ergonomics were a key factor in the design of this chair, but personally, I find this hard to take seriously when the chair doesn’t feature any sort of lumbar support.

Should I Buy One?

The design is quite striking, you’re either going to love it or hate it, there’s likely very little middle ground there. As for the materials, they are very high quality and feel very nice, but real leather may not be for everyone. Finally, what do you find comfy? Is it soft and cushiony chairs? Then I don’t think you’ll be all too pleased with this chair, but if you like a more firm cushion, and the durability that brings, then you’ll find the E700 is perfect for you.

If you want a unique and innovative design, that’s unlike anything else on the market right now, the ARGENT E700 certainly delivers, there’s no doubting this is a premium product, but it’s obviously not going to be to everyone’s taste or budget.