Razer Iskur review: Well worth the $500 price tag

I spent most of last year sitting down.

Since the pandemic started last March, when many of us were forced to work from home and had to transform our living spaces into home offices and upgrade accordingly. New monitors, a better desk, and arguably the most important part, a better chair to rest your butt and back all day.

Whether you're gaming or just working, keeping comfortable and keeping good posture go hand in hand. Picking the right gaming chair is vital. You would invest in a high-quality bed because you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, right? So why wouldn't you invest in a high-quality chair?

Enter the Razer Iskur, Razer's first foray into gaming chairs. Coming in at $500, one might ask themselves if it's worth it when there are so many other chairs to choose from. Well, when your chair comes with a built-in, fully adjustable lumbar curve, 4D armrest, and high-density foam cushions wrapped in slick, multi-layered synthetic leather, it just might be. The Razer Iskur is one of the best gaming chairs available and is well worth the price of admission.

Razer Iskur review: Price and availability

The Razer Iskur is available in all black and black with green trim. The black version of the chair is available for preorder now and ships on April 2nd, while the black and green chair will ship on March 25th. Both versions of the chairs will cost $500 and are available on Razer's website and through Amazon.

Razer Iskur review: A handsome chair

The Razer Iskur arrived in a huge, intimidating box, but the setup was surprisingly straightforward. Much like other Razer products, the packaging was glossy and clean and the chair was packed with premium packaging to ensure that nothing ended up broken in transit. It even comes with a giant welcome card signed by Razer's CEO. Cool, if not a little excessive.

Assembling the chair was a simple matter of following the directions, which were laid out on an easy to understand instruction sheet. Using just the hex driver, which comes packaged with the rest of the parts, I was able to attach all of the parts with ease. It's particularly heavy, coming in at about 66lbs, so while I was able to assemble it by myself, you may need help holding some parts in place, in particular moving the top half of the chair onto the rolling wheel base. If you do run into trouble, Razer also has a setup tutorial video available that walks you through every step in greater detail.

Once together, the Razer Iskur is a sight to behold. The Iskur uses high-quality multi-layer synthetic leather, which looks great and quite expensive. The black Razer Iskur does away with the Razer's standard green stitching, so if you're looking for a gaming chair that's lowkey and doesn't scream Twitch streamer, this is a good bet. The 4D handles allow for different heights and angles and can be adjusted easily by pressing the button hidden on the handle.

The main selling point of the Razer Iskur is, of course, that sweet lumbar support. Most gaming chairs may provide a pillow with varying degrees of comfort, but the fully sculpted lumbar support can be adjusted out to about 26 degrees with a simple press of a lever under the chair. There is also a lever that adjusts height as well as the tilt of the chair. It only took a minute to adjust before I was sitting pretty.

And special mention must be made to the super-soft memory pillow that slides onto the top of the headrest. From top to bottom, the Razer Iskur outclasses many of the leading gaming chair brands.

Razer Iskur review: Not for the money conscious

My biggest, and probably only major problem with the Razer Iskur was that it takes a bit of time to break in. The seat is bordered in a bucket-like shape, not unlike many other gaming chairs, but when I sat in it, I found that my thighs were pinching against the sides of the seat.

At 5'10 and 175 lbs, I'm well within Razer's height and weight range ( Razer's recommended height is 5'6" to 6'2" and up to 300lbs). So while I felt validated that my squats were paying off, my leg area was pretty uncomfortable those first few days. After using the chair for a week, however, I can feel the chair stretching to my body and it's becoming less of a problem each day.

Another point of contention is the chair's price. At $500, Razer is squarely targeting the premium market, but if you think about it, $500 dollars isn't too bad of a deal. The Secret Lab Titan, for example, is the same price and doesn't offer significant lumbar support at all. But there are many decent gaming chairs available for about half the price of the Razer Iskur. I do think the investment is worth it, however. Just like a good bed, a good chair will make all the difference in how you work and how you game.

Razer Iskur review: Competition

The aforementioned Secret Lab Titan is comparable in price and quality and is one of the most popular premium chairs. The AndaSeat Dark Demon chair is a great overall choice with excellent reclining range, while the EasySMX Memory Foam Chair with Footrest is under $200 bucks and has a footrest, which is a game changer. Also, if you're interested in customizing or styling your chair, you're out of luck. The Razer Iskur only comes in all black or black with Razer's signature green trim.

Razer Iskur review: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if ...

• You're looking for the best chair money can buy
• You're concerned about your posture
• You're looking for a chair that doesn't scream gamer

You shouldn't buy this if ...

• $500 isn't in your budget
• If you're over the recommended height and weight. If that's the case, seek a big and tall chair like the Anda Seat T-Pro 2

The Razer Iskur's sculpted lumbar support, multi-layered synthetic leather, and high density foam cushions make the Razer Iskur an excellent purchase, despite the high price. But if $500 isn't in your budget, you'll find plenty of lesser gaming chairs at better price points.

5 out of 5

The Razer Iskur is an impressive chair and is the best premium chair you can buy. While $500 might be difficult for some to stomach, what you get is a high-quality gaming chair that excels in comfort and back support.