Mavix M9 Gaming Chair Review: Is This $1,000 Chair Worth The Price?

If you spend a significant portion of your day at a desk, a comfortable, ergonomic chair is one of the most important purchases you should make. Since they tend to focus heavily on ergonomics, gaming chairs are ideal for both work and play. A high-quality gaming chair is an investment that your body will wind up thanking you for, and if you have the cash to spend, the Mavix M9 is about as premium as it gets unless your name is Herman Miller. Mavix jumped into the gaming chair space late last year, and the company currently has three models, each with a similar design. At $1,000, the M9 is Mavix’s most expensive. While that's a steep price for a chair, the M9 absolutely delivers; it is, bar none, the most comfortable chair my bottom has ever graced.

Design

While many popular gaming chairs look like racing seats, the M9 is understated. Designed to look more like a conventional ergonomic office chair, the M9 has an elegance to it that will likely appeal to those who want something that meshes with their space. It's not flashy or boisterous, but it still has a quiet style about it.

The M9 has a wide seat cushion with a subtle curvature. The two-piece backrest gets wider as it goes up and is made of soft, multilayered nylon. The ergonomic lumbar support has a pronounced bend, and the upper portion of the backrest is covered with what Mavix calls "M-Breeze Fabric” to match the seat cushion. It has a leathery feel to it but is much softer than most faux leather chairs. The M9 is extremely clean, with few logos strewn about its exterior. The M9 comes with soft rollerblade-style wheels, which gives you a cleaner roll and eliminates scratches on hardwood floors that can be caused by normal casters.

The M9 is available in multiple colors, too. Solid black and solid white chairs are available as well as two-tone black/white and black/blue color schemes.

Ergonomics

The simplicity behind the M9's design is deceptive. It's easy to look at the M9 and think that it's a regular, albeit classy, office chair. It doesn't have the super visible lumbar pillow or neck cushion that a lot of gaming chairs have, and the straightforward color designs don't accentuate any of its features more than the others. The first time I sat on the M9, though, it was clear that Mavix put a lot of thought into the ergonomics.

Without question, the best feature of the M9 is its seat cushion. The cushion has a gentle inward slope that helps relieve pressure on your legs. It rises in the center, creating a shallow pocket for each leg to nestle into nicely. The M9's cushion is filled with cool-gel memory foam. Other Mavix chairs--the M5 and M7--have mesh seats, so the cushion really is the standout upgrade--and it's truly a game-changer. Soft but not too squishy, the cushion is genuinely one of the comfiest seats I’ve ever sat on. For lack of better phrasing, my butt and tailbone tend to get sore from sitting in a chair all day. I've been using the M9 for about two weeks now, and I have yet to experience any discomfort--it provides ample support. I now prefer sitting in the M9 when playing games on my TV, rather than lounging in my recliner. It's simply that comfortable of a cushion.

The backrest and headrest, on the other hand, do more with less. The lumbar support, a curved section covered in soft elastic nylon, is every bit as supportive as the dedicated memory foam pillows I've used with other gaming chairs. The backrest is made of the same material but is covered with soft fabric to give it a more premium look. Practically speaking, I'm not sure that the fabric really adds anything comfort-wise, but the mesh foundation is more than enough to support your back. The backrest does its job admirably, as I've yet to feel any lower back or shoulder pain while using the M9.

Mavix M9 key specs

Adjustability

Naturally, everyone needs something different in a gaming chair--no one desires the exact same settings. The M9 is anything but rigid in this department. There are a wealth of adjustability options available at your fingertips.

The Mavix M9 has three levers and two knobs beneath the cushion. One of the knobs activates the recline function, while the other adjusts tilt tension. The M9 reclines to 127 degrees, and while some gaming chairs recline back much further than that, I found that the M9 was still a fitting lounge chair for relaxing. The tilt tension knob helps you find the perfect setting. I prefer a chair that has some resistance when you push back, while others may like it to be easier to rock. There's also an easily accessible lever that tilts the backrest freely if you want to switch from work to play in a flash.

Gallery

The other two levers change the seat depth and height. Seat depth customization is particularly helpful, and it's not possible with a lot of gaming chairs. The M9's fragmented design lets you find the right positioning for your seat in relation to your legs to reduce strain and help maintain proper posture in your lower body. Since you generally want a couple of inches between the chair and the curve of your knee, this adjustment relies on your own height. The same goes for the chair's height, which you can adjust freely to find what works best for you and your setup.

While the lumbar support itself isn't technically adjustable, the backrest's height can be changed. In effect, this alters the position of the lumbar curve to find the right spot on your spine. Given the ergonomic shape of the lumbar support, the backrest adjustment is all that's needed to provide superb comfort. To adjust the backrest, you have to stand next to the chair and simply pull up. Once you let go, it will lock into the closest height level. You can pull the backrest all the way up and then let go to return it to its lowest position.

The headrest is an optional component of the build, but it can be tilted up and down to fit your own personal preference. It's also easy to adjust while sitting in the chair, which certainly helps you find the right angle. The 4D armrests can be moved up and down with the press of a button, and the angle is also customizable by simply twisting inward or outward.

I had never tried a gaming chair with rollerblade-style wheels before. I have to point out that while the wheels offer a ridiculously smooth roll, they move very easily. You can lock them by pushing down a clamp on each wheel. I usually only push down one or two and that does the trick--I almost never have all of the wheels unlocked. It's much easier to adjust the M9's settings when you're not rolling around.

Assembly

I should disclose here that the M9 chair Mavix sent me was pre-assembled, but it normally ships in pieces that you need to assemble. The only thing I had to do was pop off the regular casters and replace them with the rollerblade wheels. That said, Mavix has a handy instructional video on its site for M9 assembly. So I disassembled my chair and put it back together again. The whole process took no more than 15 minutes, as there are only a few main pieces and a handful of screws. Some gaming chair assemblies are difficult to accomplish without an extra pair of hands, but the M9's simplistic design extends to its build process.

Is the M9 actually worth $1,000?

There's no way around it: $1,000 is a whole lot of money for a gaming chair, even one as stellar as the Mavix M9. Still, the M9's superior design and comfort make it a significant step up from some of the most popular gaming chairs on the market--including the ubiquitous Secretlab Omega/Titan Series chairs. At more than double the price of those chairs, you really have to consider how often you will use it. I sit at my desk for at least 10 hours per day, so the M9 is a chair that makes sense for me. The more time you spend at your desk, the more important your chair becomes. The M9 is worth it for those looking for an ultra-premium gaming chair without paying Herman Miller-type prices. Not everyone needs a gaming chair like this, but those who need maximum comfort for all-day use will truly appreciate the Mavix M9. Mavix's cheaper options, the M5 and M7, have the same ergonomic shape, which would make them good choices as well. But the M9's seat cushion and more fine-tuned adjustments give it a clear edge over its siblings.

The bottom line

To put it plainly, the Mavix M9 is the most comfortable gaming chair I've ever used. Its understated design makes it a winner for those who don't like the flashy look of many other gaming chair options. Practically every component of the chair is adjustable, making it an incredibly versatile option that focuses on not just ergonomics, but ergonomics that fit you. The cool-gel memory foam seat cushion is a step above the competition and remains as comfortable as a couch even after all-day use. If you can get past the price, the Mavix M9 has everything you need in a gaming chair.

Mavix M9

The M9 is only available directly through Mavix.

$1,000 at Mavix

The Good:

• The cool-gel memory foam seat cushion provides supreme comfort for extended periods of sitting
• Ergonomic lumbar support isn’t flashy, but it offers all the support you need
• Nearly every aspect of the M9 is adjustable, letting you find your perfect position for the seat, backrest, armrests, and headrest
• Rollerblade-style wheels provide an ultra-smooth roll
• Understated design fits into both professional and game room settings

The Bad:

• Extremely pricey

About the author: Steven Petite tested the Mavix M9 over a two-week period, spending well over 100 hours sitting in it. The M9 will be a fixture in his office for a long time. Mavix provided a sample of the M9 for the purpose of this review.