Ergonomically-designed chairs have become all the rage for home office and PC use in recent years. It’s nearly impossible to turn on a Twitch stream without seeing someone playing games in a DXRacer-branded seat. Among the other companies all vying for market space and a shot at visibility is a company known as Respawn Products, whom I found out by accident while browsing Facebook. It wasn’t long after that I was offered the opportunity to review the Respawn RSP-205, an ergonomic racing chair that’s already found a home in my modest office space.
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Being my first real computer chair upgrade in nearly four years, I was pleasantly surprised at how simple the RSP-205 was to set up. From box to butt, I had the chair assembled and ready for christening my first online match of PUBG in under an hour. The assembly instructions were little more than a single sheet’s worth of pictures and their corresponding parts, but as someone that’s successfully built an Ikea couch without losing a single bolt, the pictures were simple to decipher. In the case of the sample chair I was provided, I did find myself with an unusual number of screws and washers. I was left with extras of the common pieces and left one shy of the smaller bolt I needed to secure the chair back in place. Because of this, I’m currently rocking the chair with one screw missing but there’s no rattling or creaking that would indicate an issue.
The Respawn RSP-205 comes in a handful of bright and enticing colors, but I opted for the simple grey model to check out. If you already have a common theme going in your home office, the same model comes available in blue, red, and green (which looks more along the lines of a highlighter green than Razer’s signature color). The option for embroidery for the headrest is also available if you’re sponsored by a specific brand or just want to announce to the world just how much you love tacos (spoilers: it’s a Tuesday that I’m writing this and you can tell what’s on my mind).
Going from an Ikea rocking chair as my primary writing accessory to the Respawn RSP-205 has been quite the game changer. I no longer find myself hunched over the keyboard to write my articles and the adjustable lumbar pillow easily slides into the perfect spot to cushion and support. Nothing feels better than that perfect alignment of pillows and knowing that Respawn has my back. Once the chair is fully assembled, the lumbar pillow is strapped into the RSP-205 like a four-point harness (the head pillow is merely strapped into position with a single strap) and easily adjustable by sliding them up or down into position and unlike my roommate’s old gaming chair, the pillows stay in position without sagging and falling prey to the menace of gravity. The five sets of casters that keep the Respawn chair elevated are both silent and sturdy, both aspects I tested well while trying to rock and readjust every lever on the chair to find the perfect sitting position.
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Respawn’s premium RSP-205 performs all of the basic functions you’d expect from an office-slash-gaming chair. Height adjustment, tilt adjustment, and raised armrests are all part of the norm that is offered on the RSP-205. The height adjustment is simple with no frills or abnormally tall adjustment heights. Respawn’s reclining mode on the RSP-205 worked better than expected and it was easy to lock it into whatever angle I desired with the underbody levers, pulling it in one direction to lock it into place and then pushing it into the other locked position and then reclining to unlock the mechanism. It became second nature to readjust on a moment’s notice and get back into a fighting position when it came time to put in the work for my chicken dinner in PUBG (which still eludes me to this day).
Supporting the RSP-205’s chair back behind the adjustable pillows is a mesh fabric that is as comfortable to rest upon as it is breathable. That sensation of clinging to the back of a leather office chair during the more humid months of the year is among the most unappealing aspects of staying home and playing games in the Summertime. When that adrenaline surge kicks in during a heated match, the additional airflow is phenomenal for helping me keep my cool.
Perhaps the weakest aspect on the Respawn RSP-205 is the basic armrests. Offering only the option to raise and lower, I would’ve loved to see a premium chair like the RSP-205 offer an armrest that could also telescope horizontally or even extend outwards for those with larger builds. The armrests certainly do their job they’re intended to, but they aren’t anything special compared to the craftsmanship of the rest of the chair. If you recall our review on the Arozzi Vernazza, these armrests are of a similar quality.
The Respawn RSP-205 is one of those rare upgrades to my workspace that I only wish I had known about sooner, as my back is certainly thankful for the additional support. While it isn’t without its imperfections, the RSP-205 easily contends against the likes of DXRacer and Secretlab for a shot at comfortable gaming at a fraction of the price. Whether you’re upgrading from a flimsy folding chair or want something comfortable to stream in for hours at a time, the Respawn RSP-205 has your back.
Respawn’s flagship chair, the RSP-205, hits all of the marks for comfort and style while including some great upgrades, such as the mesh backrest, that help it stand out in an evergrowing market of gamer-marketed chairs.
