Review – Sitting in front of the computer for a long time, whether for business or leisure, you need a very comfortable chair. The best is an ergonomically strong chair, designed for long-term support. Many gaming chairs achieve this, but not exactly what I call subtle, with huge absurd logos, bright fancy colors, and designs that are absolutely conducive to form rather than function.
High-end gaming chair manufacturer Mavix has several chairs that combine comfort and simple design. I had the opportunity to try out the newly released M4, which is the entry-level chair in the Mavix lineup. What I like about Mavix M4 is that it is a well-designed and comfortable chair, suitable for office or RGB lighting game room. What I don’t like about the M4 is its low feature set, which is priced at US$444.44. For most gamers, this is far from an entry-level price point, but more of a range of top-notch, fully functional chairs from many other manufacturers. Although the M4 does have some great design features, I am not sure if they can justify the high price of the chair.
What is it?
Mavix M4 is an entry-level, ergonomic, tiltable, and fixed back mesh gaming chair. In this case, the entry level means that the M4 is less expensive and has fewer features than Mavix’s other more expensive gaming chairs. Compared with most gaming chairs, M4 has a simple, low-key design and requires some basic assembly. Mavix M4 is available in four colors, all with black seats, and the backrest can be selected from blue, black, red and green.
The Mavix M4 comes in a surprisingly small box for a full-size gaming chair. The options, colors and materials of the specific M4 interior are listed on the outside of the box along with the five-point Mavix logo.
Everything needed to assemble the Mavix M4, including the Allen key, is very firmly packed in a box with an air bag and bubble wrap.
What’s in the box?
- 1 backrest
- 1 headrest
- 2 armrest
- 1 base
- 1 Chair mechanism
- 1 seat cushion
- 5 locking casters
- 1 Pneumatic air lift
- 1 Allen wrench
- Various screws and washers
Hardware specifications
- 135° fixed backrest reclining support
- HD foam seat
- One-way adjustable arm
- Plastic wide 5-star base
- Dynamic Variable Lumbar (DVL) Support
- Adjustable headrest
- Locking wheel casters
- Class 4 heavy gas cylinder
Design and features
Mavix M4 is a stylish and well-designed chair. Like most of Mavix’s product lines, M4 is characterized by the mesh material stretched on the hard plastic frame that forms the backrest. The backrest can be tilted up to 135° and locked in place, but it cannot be adjusted vertically like most other chairs in this price range.
The seat is made of Mavix’s HD Foam and Spacer Mesh. The overall feel is soft and comfortable but strong, and breathable. The seat is fixed in place and cannot be adjusted back and forth or tilted.
The armrest has a hard foam feel and is relatively comfortable. Unfortunately, the armrest can only be adjusted vertically in one way. The imitation metal plastic buttons on both sides of the armrest allow you to move them up and down. There are no left-right or front-rear armrest adjustments found on other gaming chairs at this price or Mavix’s own high-end chairs.
One of the main design choices that I don’t really care about is to use plastic as the base. I prefer a chair at this price, with this tilt angle, and a metal base for added support.
Despite some shortcomings, the real selling point of the M4 for me is the mesh backrest. The mesh is well-made to provide excellent back support while also keeping your body cool while sitting.
Lumbar support, which Mavix calls Dynamic Variable Waist (DVL), is basically the elastic lower part of the backrest, which can be adjusted according to how hard your back presses it. Together with the mesh, this is another important feature of the M4, which provides a lot of comfort when playing games for a long time.
The headrest also uses Mavix’s mesh frame design, but for me, unless I completely recline on the chair, it is useless to set it too far back.
The angle and height of the headrest are adjustable, although I had to search the Internet to find out how to change the height, because it was never explained in an instruction provided or on the M4 login page of the Mavix website.
No matter which of the four colors of the backrest you choose, the Mavis logo will be embroidered in the mesh of the headrest in white.
The logo looks good, but after careful inspection, the end of the embroidery around the letters is hardly frayed. This is a trivial matter, but again, if I spend more than $400 on a chair, I want everything to be neat and tidy.
Overall, Mavix’s design is well thought out and has several outstanding features.
set up
One advantage of Mavix M4 is that it is very simple to assemble out of the box.
Again, it would be great to have some better instructions here, because the M4 comes with two sets of washers, but only one set is shown in the instructions. Protip, using two washers, lock the lower part.
It is very easy to align the chair device with the corresponding hole under the seat cushion and tighten the screws with the included Allen key.
Then put the gas lift device on top of the plastic base.
Also remember to insert the five locking casters into the plastic base.
If you are going to assemble this single person, the next step requires some creative knee balancing, fixing the armrest to the bottom of the seat cushion. Remember to pay attention to which handrail is on which side, they are not marked on the handrail itself, just on their packaging.
After installing the armrests, you only need to place the entire seat assembly on the base.
Make sure to carefully align the air lift device with the socket on the chair mechanism.
Connecting the backrest to the seat assembly also requires some balance, but once achieved, the three bolts can be easily inserted.
Install the backrest, and all that’s left is to add the headrest.
The headrest can be easily fixed to the backrest with two screws. There is a small plastic cover with an adhesive backing that can be snapped onto exposed screws.
If you choose not to add a headrest at all, you can attach a small plastic cover to cover the empty screw holes.
All in all, the M4 took twenty minutes to assemble leisurely.
Performance
Since I work from home, I was able to use Mavix M4 really well during the month I tested it. For me playing games on the computer all weekdays and weekends, Mavix M4 performed very well, and it was very comfortable to sit for several hours at a time. Especially the mesh backrest is very comfortable and can prevent overheating and fatigue. The lumbar support is supportive and at the same time completely unobtrusive, which is a pleasure. I never thought about it, it just works and provides support when needed.
I keep the backrest upright and locked most of the time because this is the most comfortable for me, but I do like to lean on the M4 occasionally to watch random YouTube videos. The reclining M4 is very comfortable, but I have almost tipped over several times, and I am always aware of the plastic base, which adds to my fear.
The casters of the M4 roll easily, and although I have never found the need to use a locking mechanism on them, they occasionally lock up accidentally, which is annoying. Armrests, even at their highest settings, feel a bit too low for me, and I find myself constantly trying to adjust them left and right, even though the M4 does not provide this adjustment.
I rarely do this in the reviews, but after spending a lot of time on the Mavix M4, I couldn’t help comparing it with the Noblechairs Hero gaming chair that I bought about a year ago at almost the same price. Noblechairs Hero is currently priced at $459.99, while Mavix M4 is priced at $444.44, but Hero has many features that M4 lacks and almost bulletproof manufacturing quality.
I know that Mavix is proud of its lightweight design aesthetics, but compared to Hero, the appearance of M4 is downright anemic. Not only that, compared with M4, Hero’s comfort and sturdiness are also very eye-catching. All the adjustments missing from the M4 are contained in Hero, as well as the metal controls and metal base, where the M4 uses plastic. One of the benefits of the M4 to Hero is the breathable mesh backrest, but I don’t think this is enough to prove that the price of the M4 is within Hero’s 20 dollars.
There are many things I like about Mavix M4. It will be comfortable over time, with innovative lumbar support, and keep your body cool. But I do think the price of this chair should be close to US$200, not more than US$400. A quick search on Amazon will reveal a series of M4 chairs that cost less than $200. It is true that many of these chairs do not have the pedigree and manufacturing quality of Mavix, but I don’t think it is worth the $200 premium.
Ultimately, whether to pay extra for brand loyalty or perceived brand quality is everyone’s choice, but to me, the M4 is not worth the current price, especially after being shown by Mavix as an “entry-level” chair.
what do I like
- Easy to assemble
- Mesh allows ventilation
- Comfortable seat and back support
Areas for improvement
- Lack of basic adjustments
- Inexpensive sensory control
- Overpriced features
Final thoughts
The Mavix M4 is a comfortable chair, but it is uncomfortable for $444.44. Although the seat is soft and comfortable for a long time, and the mesh helps prevent sweating on the back, my expectations for the lack of basic functions of a gaming chair at this price are indeed disappointing. Calling the M4 an entry-level chair, but pricing it higher than most other companies’ flagship models will not help. Due to the cheap plastic feel of the base and the few controls on the M4, you’d better spend more than US$400 to buy a full-featured gaming chair, or buy a general office chair with the same features as Mavix for less than US$200.
Price: $444.44
Where to buy: WeChat
source: The sample of this product is made by WeChat
