The AndaSeat Kaiser 3E XL might be one of the best value gaming chairs today

AndaSeat's Kaiser 3E XL: One-minute review

AndaSeat has built something quite remarkable here. With the Kaiser 3E XL, it's balanced the books near perfectly, selecting just the right complement of modern features, and discarding those often gimmicky marketing additions some of us have come to loathe from most modern gaming chairs.

There's no intra-dimensional armrests, or super form-fitting ergonomic wire weave mesh cushions capable of stopping a bullet, nor any RGB lighting that'll sync with your Philips Hue bulbs, or built-in seat warmers.

It's just a simple, clean design that does exactly what it says on the tin, and that's nothing if not to be praised. The Kaiser 3E XL blends budget with comfort, providing outstanding build quality, plenty of ergonomic clout, and a comfy seat base to place your posterior on, either during, or after a hard day's work.

Is this the best gaming chair out there? Well, not quite. There are a few things it misses out on, namely, there are no included pillows of any kind (you need to buy them separately), and you can't adjust the lumbar support in any way, but if you're a fire and forget, taller kind of person, it's a real nice place to be.

AndaSeat's Kaiser 3E XL: Price and Availability

• Costs $389 (around £290 / AU$580)
• Only available via AndaSeat directly
• Six colors across two finishes

Ahh, the old Achilles heel of AndaSeat chairs rears its ugly head once again. Unfortunately, as the Kaiser 3E XL is still so new that it's only available via AndaSeat's webstore, and only in the US. At least for the time being.

The good news is that these do make their way to traditional e-sellers and retailers across the regions (including Amazon) after a period of time, once the shipping containers finally land in their designated countries, but that's usually three to six months after the initial debut.

To be fair, the webstore does a fine job selling it too. Not only do you get access to additional colorways with the Kaiser 3E available in black, brown, orange, maroon, white, or this lovely fabric, ash gray (the others mentioned are all PVC leather), but there's also free shipping too, along with some extended warranties here as well.

AndaSeat will also kindly lop off $20 off its $69 magnetic memory foam pillow with cooling layer, which doesn't come included as standard unfortunately. Still there's a reason the 3E XL and its subsequent standard L model are so cheap, and that is part of it.

AndaSeat Kaiser 3E XL: Specs

AndaSeat Kaiser 3E XL: Design and Aesthetics

• Simple clean design
• Soft cloth finish is exceptional
• Could use a pillow or two

I've always been a big fan of the Kaiser series for its design philosophy. Aside from the dubious 6D armrests found on the pro line, the overall aesthetic is top-tier, competing with chairs two to three times the cost. The Novis in particular is a fine example of that, you wouldn't guess that that chair costs just $250 on average, and the same can be said for the Kaiser 3E as well at $390.

The soft cloth finish that I have on review here is exceptionally clean. It comes complete with a sleek black leather back, black detailing and trim throughout, and satin black plastic componentry too.

The armrests are impressively comfortable as well. If I were to be hypercritical, I could moan about the fact that they are a little square, but once you've sat in it for all of 20-seconds, you forget about that quite quickly, as they're perfectly comfortable, and adjust nicely, certainly compared to the cheaper Novis, and the ridiculously expensive 5D and 6D ones found on the pro-lines.

There are a lot of colorways, too, and although admittedly most are only available from AndaSeat's webstore directly, it's good to see a brand offer so many choices at such a low entry-point. In short, this is a chair that looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.

Where it falls short, and I'll touch on this a bit more in just a second, is that lack of lumbar adjustment and included pillows. That does hold it back somewhat, particularly if you don't get along with the default settings AndaSeat's implemented here. Still, for the money, it's overall seriously good.

AndaSeat Kaiser 3E XL: Comfort and adjustability

• Armrests are excellent
• Seat base isn't squishy
• No Lumbar adjustment

Getting into the nitty-gritty, the good news is that, overall, the Kaiser 3E does impress on the comfort front. The cloth is incredibly soft to the touch, wicking away moisture well, and it's not abrasive in the slightest.

The armrests, too, are excellent here. They're your standard "4D" affair, with 2.7in / 7cm of up-down motion, 0.78in / 2cm left-right adjustment, 1.2in / 3cm forward and back, and 36 degrees of rotation available to you. They don't fold in half or have some periscope pivoting design like those found on the 5D and 6D variants, and it's honestly leagues ahead as a result. Sometimes simpler designs are industry standard for a reason. They're also slightly padded, too, and although not super squishy, it does give your elbows and forearms a bit of give

The seat, though, is another matter. Compared to something like the Novis or the standard Kaiser 3, it doesn't feel quite as comfortable. If you've ever used something like a Noblechairs Icon, you'll understand fully what I'm talking about here.

Effectively, it's more of an ergonomic padded firm base, rather than a soft plush squishy affair you'd find from other models. That might be preferable for some, and arguably it's much better for your backside and spine long-term, but if all you want to do is sit back and relax after a hard day, it's not quite up to the same standard as the alternatives out there.

Then there's the lumbar support, and like the Novis, the Kaiser 3E has no adjustability built in as standard. That keeps the cost down, but takes away choice from the user.

That lumbar support is not entirely absent; there's a 1.9in / 4.8cm "outward curve" present at the base that does follow the curvature of your spine (even comfortable for a short 5ft 8in / 174cm fellow like myself), but if you're not a fan of the protruding ergonomics, you're stuck with it and there's little you can do.

Still, overall, it's a solid four out of five on comfort; you've just got to be prepared to deal with the lumbar support being what it is.

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: Assembly

• Easy to build
• Traditional setup
• Pre-attached arms

It took me around 15 minutes to build the Kaiser 3E XL. I'm a bit of a pro with gaming chairs at this point, but to be clear, there's a total of six screws for you to fandangle with here, and that's about it. You're not likely to have any major issues, and AndaSeat includes an incredibly detailed instruction manual with it as well.

Intriguingly, my guide did ask me to install and secure the armrests to the base; however, mine came with those pre-installed. That could be a regional thing as a heads-up, but even so, you're talking an additional four bolts, so not a lot of work by any stretch.

Usually, the biggest bugbear I have when it comes to building chairs like this is attaching the backrest to the seatbase. It can be a challenge with other chair brands to align the threads with the brackets that connect the two. Fortunately, AndaSeat has included a slot mechanism design on the tilt arm side that allows you to slide the backrest directly down and onto it, keeping the two roughly in position for you to thread the two screws back into.

I would recommend (for all chairs, as a matter of fact) that you don't tighten the four backrest screws up all the way one at a time, but rather do all four a little at a time, until they're all nicely secure.

Should You Buy The AndaSeat Kaiser 3E XL?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

Not your style? Just want something without fancy frills, or looking for something that's refined the design beyond all expectations? Then try out these alternatives.

How I tested the AndaSeat Kaiser 3E XL

• Used for two weeks before writing the review
• Notes taken throughout the process, including building
• Asked many people to sit in it for external feedback

I spent a grand total of two weeks testing the Kaiser 3E XL after it arrived on my doorstep. I took notes and detailed the gripes, bugbears, and pleasantries that I experienced while using it throughout that period.

Additionally, I also received a second unit, which was then tested externally at a place of work, giving me a good idea as to how it functioned in both professional and relaxed settings.

Read more about how we test.