E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair review: Classy and sturdy for any office

Considering that I spend a significant portion of every day sitting at my office desk, it's important for me to have a comfortable chair that helps me sit with good posture. There are dozens of office and gaming chairs on the market, but some are significantly better than others. Since I've put together dozens of gaming chairs over the years, it's easier for me to determine when a chair is worthy of purchase. 

Over the last two weeks, I've been testing the E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair by using it during my eight-hour shifts at my computer as well as during gaming sessions. While it does have some flaws, it's a very sturdy chair overall that can work with a large number of people. 

E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair: Price and Availability

The E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair has an MSRP of $359, but is often found selling for roughly $100 less on E-Win's official website. It will soon be available on Amazon as well. It's available in 10 colors with the base chair being black and highlights around the edges being either black, red, blue, grey, brown, white, yellow, green, pink, or orange. That way you can choose a look that fits your office best. When in doubt, black on black is a sleek choice. 

Anyone purchasing from E-Win's website who uses the code imore at check out can get 20% off their purchase. 

E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair: What's good

As with most gaming chairs, this one comes with separate parts that you must assemble yourself. The instructions that came in the box weren't in English nor did they have the most helpful illustrations. If I hadn't already put together dozens of gaming chairs over the years this probably would have confused me. 

That being said, if you've never put a gaming chair together before, this assembly process will likely be frustrating for you. As it was, the familiar process was relatively straightforward and only took me about an hour. 

PU leather enfolds the metal frame and foam for a chair that is soft to the touch and comfortable to sit in. Some cheaper office chairs will use lower-quality materials that will peel off over time, but this felt like it will hold. I'm currently fostering two kittens and have two grown cats of my own. Despite the numerous times this feline quartet climbed around the chair, no significant claw marks were left behind. 

This material is also very easy to clean, so if you happen to spill food on it, it won't sink into the material like other fabrics. It's been very hot over the last two weeks, so I did find my skin sticking to the chair a bit, but that's the tradeoff when it comes to PU leather versus fabric.  

The chair is made sturdy thanks to a metal frame and an aluminum star base. It feels stable and solidly built. E-Win's website claims that this chair can hold up to 400 pounds, but the Amazon listing says 330 pounds. I'm more inclined to believe the manufacturer's website, but regardless, both capacities are high and will serve the vast majority of people.

The one problem I foresee for larger folks is the wing-style cushion. I'm five-foot-six inches tall and 200 pounds. As it is, I hardly feel the rising sides when seated at my computer, however, people with larger thighs might feel pressure pushing in on them. But that's always the case with the wing-style racing cushion.

A lever under the chair allows me to raise or lower the overall height. I was surprised by how tall it could go, forcing me to strain my feet to reach the floor when fully extended. In that way, it's also a good fit for taller people. For my personal purposes, I was fine to keep it at its lowest level while at my office desk.

With the help of the right-side lever, I can also recline the chair as far back as 155 degrees. It's not actually parallel to the floor this way, but it feels like it to me. Shortly after assembling the E-Win, I sat down, reclined, and nearly fell asleep. It felt that comfortable for me.

The armrests have three buttons on them. One near the front shifts them forward and backward. A second one just under the resting area slides them sideways. Finally, a third one on the base raises and lowers them. This being the case, no matter what reclining angle I put the chair at, I always found a comfortable position for my arms to lay in. 

E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair: What's not good

It's a truth universally acknowledged that lumbar and neck pillows on gaming chairs usually aren't the most comfortable thing. This is especially true of less expensive seats but was also the case with the E-Win gaming chair. 

I removed the lumbar pillow soon after I first sat in the seat as it protruded awkwardly into my back and didn't feel comfortable at all. It actually made me sit far too forward in the seat at an odd angle. The base seat doesn't provide lumbar support without it, but I felt like my back was supported well without the lumbar pillow in place. But that might not be the case for everyone. 

When I first removed the neck pillow from the packaging, I had high hopes for it. It's very soft to the touch and the dual texture looks very sleek. However, when attached through the holes in the headrest, the pillow sags in such a way that I don't even touch it when leaning back, making it useless. Unfortunately, I found there is no way to adjust the length of the neck pillow straps, so I couldn't tighten it to a better position.

Sometimes when a gaming chair has an uncomfortable neck pillow, I click the straps into place around the headrest above the holes rather than through them. However, these straps were not long enough to do that. So basically, even with the neck pillow in place, it was like it wasn't even there unless I reclined back almost parallel with the floor.

It's possible this was just a flaw of the neck pillow I received, but it's equally possible that they are all like this. I'm five-foot-six inches tall, so if you're shorter than me and the pillows are all like this, then the pillow might work for you, but if you're my size or taller, there will likely be an issue.

E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair: Competition

The absolute best gaming chair I have ever used is by far the Anda Seat Kaiser 3. I'll warn you that it is expensive, but it will last you a very long time and is extremely comfortable. The lumbar support is built inside the backrest and you turn knobs to adjust the lumbar height as well as the amount of pressure you feel when sitting. It has a high weight limit of 395 pounds and has the most comfortable neck pillow I've ever used. 

If you're looking for something that can fit taller people better, I highly recommend the Secretlab Titan XL. It offers built-in lumbar support so you don't have to worry about pillows and is made of quality materials. It can hold up to 390 pounds and has a flatter cushion instead of the racing wings that can dig into your thighs. 

E-Win Calling Series Gaming Chair: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if...

• You want a sturdy gaming or office chair.
• You're looking for something that looks classy.
• You'd like something that's easy to clean. 

You should not buy this if...

• You need something with good lumbar support.
• You'd like something that comes with helpful instructions.
• You're a larger person and want a chair without wings. 

Despite the disappointing neck and lumbar pillows, this gaming chair proved itself to be comfortable and sturdy. Thanks to the high-quality faux-leather materials used and the strong aluminum build, I am confident that this office chair will last for a very long time. It can also hold up to 400 pounds making it useable for more people. 

The two-texture design is also very chic and gives the chair a classy look. The PU leather is soft to the touch and very easy to clean in case of food spills. Some areas had gotten creased in transit, but this didn't negatively impact the overall feel. More importantly, this PU leather material won't easily crack or rip as some inexpensive chairs do.