Refine the fractal design

Expert rating

Benefits

• Super ergonomic
• Very comfortable
• Many adjustment options
• Custom lumbar support
• Superb memory foam neck pillow
• Comfortable fabric cover

Disadvantages

• A little old-fashioned appearance
• Few colors
• The armrests adjust too easily

Our Verdict

The Fractal Design Refine may not look like a typical gaming chair, but it’s one of the best chairs we’ve tested. Even when sitting for prolonged periods, there are no signs of fatigue and the numerous adjustment options allow for a truly ergonomic sitting experience.

Price when reviewed

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Price when reviewed

549 euros

The Refine is Fractal Design’s first gaming chair and looks like a normal office chair at first glance. This is probably intentional, as the Swedish company conveys a kind of Scandi-chic already prevalent in many homes. The chair should therefore suit you particularly well if you prefer a simple look over colorful logos and RGB lighting.

Further reading: Don’t give up on your gaming chair: upgrade it!

Fractal Design Refine: Design

In our case, the chair looked a little more boring or even outdated, but this hardly bothered us during the test. It’s just a shame that the gaming chair is only available in white or black, with the white version looking more light gray.

It is much more important that the chair is well made and this is the case with the Fractal Design Refine. Moreover, two versions are available, one with upholstery fabric and one with mesh (both in black or white). We do, however, recommend the version with padding rather than a mesh back, as it is generally better to have a padded surface rather than a simple mesh back, especially when sitting for long periods of time.

Fractal

Fractal Design Refine: Structure, ergonomics and comfort

Assembling the Fractal Design was relatively easy and could be done alone. As with most other chairs, you can already see how well the product is made. In addition to the seat elements feeling heavy and high quality, the individual seams and screws also fit very well.

Once the chair is installed, it’s time for adjustment options, and there are many of them. In addition to the four-way adjustable seat height, backrest position and armrests, you can also adjust the seat depth. This makes the chair suitable for people with long and short legs.

The height of the neck pillow can also be adjusted to provide ideal head support. On the back of the chair, on the other hand, there is a rotary dial that allows you to adjust the position of the integrated lumbar support. If these two points are correctly adjusted, the natural shape of the spine is ideally supported.

Fractal

Overall, we were completely impressed with the ergonomics of the chair. The backrest in particular stands out here, as it is not only ergonomic, but also comfortable and leaves just enough space for sitting a little more actively than just leaning back.

Thanks to the integrated Synchro-Tilt mechanism, the seat and backrest always adjust together, which should prevent the body from falling into an abnormal and uncomfortable position. We found this to be very reliable during testing.

The memory foam neck pillow is also ideal, as it’s neither too hard nor too soft and supports the neck much better than many other versions we’ve tested so far. We also found the Refine to be very comfortable even when sitting for long periods of time.

The only downside of the chair for us is the armrests. This is because they are too easy to adjust and therefore continue to slip if you accidentally touch them with your arm. They also wobble slightly when you shake them, meaning they don’t feel as high quality as the rest of the chair.

Refining Fractal Design: Conclusion

The Fractal Design Refine is an excellent ergonomic gaming chair that is also suitable for the home office. He doesn’t really impress with his look, rather sober and without agitation. However, the interior values, namely workmanship, ergonomics and comfort, were convincing across the board in our tests.

In principle, we can therefore recommend the chair without reservation, because it is not only comfortable but should also be suitable for people with back or neck problems. However, you have to be careful if you opt for the fabric or mesh version. In fact, they differ not only in their lids, but also slightly in their dimensions (see also technical data).

Refine Fractal Design: Specifications

• Product weight: 25.7 – 25.8 kg
• Maximum load: 125kg
• Recommended height: 1.65m – 2.0m
• Recommended weight: 60kg – 125kg
• Material: cold foam, memory foam, plastic, aluminum; covering: either nylon-reinforced mesh fabric or non-organic woven Alcantara fabric
• Seat width: 540 mm (fabric), 550 mm (mesh)
• Seat depth: 460 mm (fabric), 465 mm (mesh)
• Seat width: 435 millimeters
• Seat height: 475 mm – 595 mm (fabric), 490 mm – 610 mm (mesh)
• Seat depth: 425 mm – 480 mm (fabric), 450 mm – 505 mm (mesh)
• Armrest height: 160 mm – 270 mm (fabric), 145 mm – 255 mm (mesh)
• Armrest spacing: 420 mm – 560 mm (fabric), 430 mm – 560 mm (mesh)
• Armrest depth: adjustable up to 60 mm
• Casters: 65mm soft PU plastic hubless casters
• Gas spring: 120 mm class 4
• Mechanism: Synchronized tilt
• Adjusting the height of the lumbar support: 110 millimeters
• Adjusting the depth of the lumbar support: 20 millimeters
• Maximum tilt angle: 125° (~130° under load)
• Mechanism tilt function: Donati Dynamic
• Backrest/seat inclination ratio: 2 to 1
• Headrest height adjustment: 120 millimeters
• Guarantee: 5 years