I’ve been lucky enough to have used a good few seats, chairs and even beanbags to aid my working – and more importantly, gaming – life. In fact, ask me about gaming chairs and I’ll sit here and wax lyrical about them for hours on end. If you can afford one, you should most definitely get out there and buy one.
But what about those chairs that don’t particularly look to harness the gaming world, instead providing a nice, easy, simple seating position across a variety of aspects? I’d say that’s where Boulies come in, if not with their rather good Boulies EP400 Chair then most definitely with their NUBI series chairs.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been using either the Boulies EP400 or Boulies NUBI pretty much exclusively, whether that be working at my EZ Desk Carbon, gaming via the Cloud and Game Pass, or sat in front of the big screen with Xbox Series X. If I had to pick one of those two chairs to last me a lifetime, it would be the Boulies EP400, with its adjustability, comfort and included footrest. But I wouldn’t be overly concerned if I had to slam my arse into the NUBI either. Game changer? Nah. Good chair, though? Most definitely.
The Boulies NUBI is the slightly larger, higher-cut version of the NUBI Lite. What this means is that should you be in the market for a neat little office chair, and are slightly up against things in terms of space, then this should certainly be considered. For anything more than that though, or if you’re wanting some decent features, glancing elsewhere would probably be recommended.
We’ve been hands-on with the beige version of the NUBI and it’s definitely a good looking seat. From the all white wheelbase that is complemented by five black caster wheels, the combination of colours is good, with beige, black and white aesthetics working well.
It’s simple to put together too, and we had this one out of the box and fully up and running without minutes. And we did it alone too, for none of the parts – the seat base, seat back, armrests, wheelbase – are particularly heavy. With included instructions that detail a six stage installation process, the NUBI goes together like a dream.
It feels good to sit on too – and we guess that’s the most important part of any chair. We’ve found ourselves stuck on this for hours at a time, happily typing and gaming as we’ve gone, comforted by the brilliantly contoured back and base. And aside from wanting a bit of a higher back, one with a neck rest, we’ve been happy with what we’ve got.
Much of that is down to some decent padding – across the seat base itself and into the back that you’ll rest on you’ll find cold-cured foam covering the plastic externals. There’s even some armrests that – whilst not as spongy as we’re used to – feel absolutely fine under the arm. They are fully adjustable in multiple ways too, so it’s simple enough to get set up as you see fit.
That adjustability moves into other areas. The chair base itself moves in and out, whilst height adjustment is taken care of via the Class 4 hydraulics and gas strut underneath. There’s obviously some reclining on the seat back too and whilst we’ve used that near daily, have found that the forward tilt function included has been utilised rarely – set and get on with it being the preferred method. If you do need to shift stuff around though, the under seat levers and knobs do a great job of allowing it. It’s just a case of learning what each lever and dial does, but from there things are good.
All of this, and the Boulies NUBI has been able to handle our 82kg, 188cm frame with ease, with Boulies stating that things should be good for anyone up to 120kg in weight and between 160-190cm in height. Personally, I’ve found it to be just about fine size wise, although I would like a tad more depth in the seat base. I have to admit to missing any neck support too.
On the whole though, there’s little to complain about with what Boulies have put together with their NUBI chair. Similarly, there’s not too much to get overly excited about either – this is a good chair that fits well within an office environment, especially if space is at a premium. If you’re looking for more than that, then the Boulies EP400 or maybe a fully committed gaming chair – we love our Noblechairs Hero and SecretLab chairs – would be a better fit. Horses for courses though, and you’ll not find yourself purchasing the NUBI and being left wanting.
Huge thanks go out to Boulies for providing us with the NUBI Chair for review. Grab one for yourself from Boulies direct for around £400. If you do, let us know which colour you decide on – the beige or grey?
