A decent chair is one of the best things you can invest in for your ergonomics while PC gaming. Unfortunately, it’s a tricky market, with knock-off chairs that all look the same littering the internet. There are budget friendly chairs out there, but it’s almost impossible to tell if budget seats are worth the cost and potential back-ache. Boulies are one such purveyor of cheap seats, with options like the Boulies EP200. A chair that looks like a Herman Miller but comes in at only $209 USD on sale like it seemingly always is.
That’s pretty cheap for a decent computer chair, so I wasn’t bothered by the blank cardboard packaging it came in. Set up was fairly standard. After going through the instructions and assembling the parts, I was left with a cool office chic-styled chair sporting a mesh material and an all-over light grey colour. This would look at home in any office, even if it is acting as a stealth gamer chair.
It’s worth noting that my unit came with a slight perforation in the back mesh which I was initially really worried about. Despite being about the size of a pen head, I expected the wound to stretch and become a real problem. So far I haven’t noticed it getting any bigger, which is a solid nod to the potential durability of these units, but it’d be better if it wasn’t there to begin with.
What you can and can’t adjust is just a bit strange. You can, for instance, push the lower cushion back and forth, and up and down, but not tilt it. You can tilt the backrest, but not all the way. The headrest moves in angles, and the arms lift, but don’t pivot. There is an adjustable lumbar support option, but you can’t move it up and down so it’s only going to work if it’s already sitting just right for you.
Materials: Fabric seat, mesh fabric back, metal frameControls: Up/down and forward/backwardUpper: Lumbar in/out, adjustable headrest, reclinePrice: $209 – $299
I’m a fairly average sized human and haven’t had any trouble sitting, but I tried a tall person out on it (willingly) and they couldn’t get completely comfortable. The head rest and lumbar being static just didn’t work for their body size. Even after lowering the bottom pad it still wasn’t quite right. The raisable arm rests were however much appreciated by everyone who tried, but again it’s a shame that they don’t also pivot. You can’t expect everything on this chair to move in more than one very specific way.
✅ You’re on a budget: $210 is a damned good price for this seat. If your budget was $200, I’d suggest knocking it up the $10 for this one.
✅ You’re woefully average like me: This chair works fairly well for my incredibly average height and sized body.
❌ You’re Australian: You can’t get it here.❌ You’re tall: You probably know by now that tall bodies need tall chairs made for them. This might not be the most comfortable ride for someone who’s feet are further from their head. ❌ You have specific ergonomic needs: While there’s a fair few, every function on this chair only moves in one axis so it’s a bit limited for those with specific requirements.❌ You can spend more: Spend more on a better chair and feel even better in the long run.
Thankfully it’s fairly comfortable at its basic setting options. The ASS PAD (what else do we call it?) is quite thick giving a fair bit of cushioning. Often my sit bones and legs will tire first while sitting but the bottom padding is thick enough that this hasn’t been an issue. Being able to slide the bottom forward also allows me to put one of my legs up so I can sit like the gremlin I truly am.
Like this I can sit and game at this chair for hours and still feel ok. I get sick of it like I do all chairs eventually and want to move to the couch, but the padded seat really makes long sessions viable. I’ve streamed happily in this throne with my green screen attached too with no troubles.
The Boulies LP200 is easily the most comfortable chair I’ve used in its price range, making it a win for average sized bodies all around. If you need super specific ergonomics or are just a different shaped or sized person you might find yourself struggling to make this one work, but for us mediocre folks it’s really quite good. If your budget is around the $200 USD mark this is a really solid option, and well worth coughing up the extra $10 bucks over budget for.
