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Aspects like stability, design and rocking are important, but you shouldn’t forget to think about the surface material. Would you rather have a leather or a fabric gaming chair? The material is really important because you certainly don’t want to sweat like a pig in the summer, do you? And you don’t want your seat to be covered in sticky dirt and stains either, do you? Then you should read this short article before choosing your personal PC gaming chair. Leather vs. fabric, who wins the battle?
I can’t make that decision for you, I can only recommend what seat cover I would choose if I had to buy a new PC gaming chair right now. Ultimately, you have to make this decision by paying attention to what YOUR priorities are. So ask yourself the question: what are my priorities? Would I mind sweating a little more during longer gaming sessions? Do you really sweat the same on every faux leather cover? Did my parents teach me how to eat right, or am I going to screw up my PC gaming chair? And so on. Question yourself and read my words:
Unlike the classic faux leather, this cover is breathable and still brings the classy “leather” look. It consists of a PU and vinyl mix, is abrasion resistant, pleasant to the touch, breathable and easy to clean. If you now think that PC chairs with this material must surely be expensive, you are wrong. The price difference to normal PU covers is only small.
There are not so long gaming chairs with this cover on the market. Noblechairs has released an edition with this cover in 2019 – the noblechairs Black Edition. The usual features of each chair remain the same, only the cover has changed.
The look and feel is, of course, a matter of taste. One likes it better in a cozy look, the other prefers a noble look.
Many people like the classy look of leather furniture and PU leather is cheaper than real leather. I like the look too and have tested several PU leather gaming chairs.
I would rank the seat feel the same for PU leather, faux leather and genuine leather. Of course, the feel is slightly different depending on the quality and material, but all three covers have the same seat hardness.
The new hybrid material, on the other hand, is a bit softer and also provides a slightly softer seat.
Especially in winter, some might find a fabric cover more pleasant, since the chair does not bring this “cold feeling” with it when you first sit on it, like a real leather or faux leather chair. Which of course is also a purely personal feeling.
A seat with a fabric cover is usually softer than any other cover. Of course, it also depends on the particular upholstery of the chair here. In all my gaming chair tests, however, it has also been shown that the same model with the same upholstery is softer when it is covered with fabric.
Slipping off the seat at some point while gaming because the cover is not breathable is very unpleasant. Especially in high summer, gamen is simply less fun.
PU leather gaming chairs sometimes make you sweat a bit more, that’s the main reason why some people don’t like PU leather. This material is not always really breathable, and so some gamers sweat on a PU leather chair in the summer and then feel very uncomfortable while gaming. A few hours go by, and suddenly you realize that the seat is just as sweaty as the backrest. Is that what you want? No one wants that. You want to feel comfortable on your PC gaming chair.
Chair covers made of PU (polyurethane) are offered in different quality classes – “Grades”. So there are Higher Grades, which are accordingly higher quality, and lower Grades. On PC chairs with a High Grades cover, you sweat less than on lower Grades. Ultimately, it also depends on how much you sweat. Some people tend to sweat a lot more than others, so you have to decide how important this aspect is to you.
The new hybrid material is considered particularly water and air permeable. The breathable material reduces sweating on the chair and leaves the classic PU material in the shade.
That you sweat less on a fabric-covered chair is nothing new. The material is nice breathable and air permeable.
Together with the hybrid material and fabric covers, genuine leather is considered the most breathable cover material in a PC chair.
Who wants to constantly subject their chair to complete maintenance? Probably not many. It should be as uncomplicated and easy to care for as possible.
One advantage of PU leather is that you won’t have too much of a problem if you get your PC gaming chair dirty with food or something, because it’s very easy to clean. You can simply wipe the dirt off your seat.
Real leather can also be cleaned easily and quickly with a cloth. However, you should take good care of your genuine leather chair and treat it with leather care from time to time in order to get the most out of the good cover for as long as possible.
I have to admit that stains have a much better chance on fabric-covered PC gaming chairs. If you like to eat while gaming, you might get stains on your chair once in a while. Synthetic leather, hybrid material or genuine leather can be easily wiped off – fabric covers, on the other hand, readily absorb dirt and need to be cleaned with upholstery cleaner or similar if they are more heavily soiled. For minor soiling, however, cleaning with a wet cloth should also suffice.
Who decides for a gaming chair would like to have of course also as long as possible something from him and not that the cover after irdgendwann dissolves or becomes cracked.
In terms of durability, not all gaming chairs with a PU cover can be lumped together. As already mentioned, there are higher grades and lower grades that also differ in terms of durability. Very “cheap” synthetic leather covers can dissolve softeners over time, which are a problem for health on the one hand, and for the durability of the leather on the other. The cover can thus become “brittle” over time and form unsightly cracks.
Covers made of the hybrid material are said to be more durable than PU covers. The material is of higher quality and less sensitive. I would say that the hybrid material is between artificial leather and real leather in terms of durability. How long the cover with this material really lasts, I can not say yet. The chairs with this cover have not been around long enough for that.
Genuine leather is known to be quite a durable cover material. With proper care, your chair can really age with this cover.
With a fabric cover there are also differences in quality. It can happen that after some time individual threads peek out of the seat or the backrest. But here, too, it depends very much on the respective quality and workmanship.
You have a cat or a dog at home that would like to jump on the chair? You should consider this when choosing the right cover for your PC gamer chair. Even if your pet would not intentionally scratch your chair, accidents can still happen quickly with the sharp claws.
In this case, I would definitely advise you against a genuine leather chair. It would be just too bad if the expensive chair with the good cover quickly gets scratches. Even a faux leather cover would not come off so well here. A chair with a fabric cover might be best for you. Sure – the fabric cover can also get the animals broken, but scratches are not so visible and can be concealed if necessary even better.
PC chairs with a PVC cover are fortunately very rare. In my opinion, it is simply the cheapest cover you can take. It doesn’t feel nice and reminds me of a thick PVC paddling pool liner. Due to greasy substances – like skin grease – softeners come off the cover. -> Bad for the health and durability of the cover.
Which cover is better or worse is not so easy to say. Each material has its advantages and disadvantages, and in the end it all depends on personal needs and wishes.
In addition, there are also great differences in quality among the individual materials. One manufacturer uses high-quality materials, the other less good.
You want to know what else is important for you when buying a chair? Then take a look at our -> gaming chair test, where you will find other important factors such as upholstery, backrest, mechanics, adjustment options, size advice and much more.
If you have any further questions or need help choosing the right chair, feel free to contact me.