RECARO Rae: Test & Reviews

Features

• Recommended size: Single range
• Maximum weight: 150kg
• Coating: Composite materials, high quality padding foam from the field of motorsport and breathable and environmentally friendly fabric covers
• Cushions : None
• Backrest adjustability: 25° maximum and Lockable in 5 positions
• Colors: Blue/Anthracite/Orange/White
• Guarantee : ?
• Total height : 120 – 138cm
• Price : €599.00

German quality

Initially recognized for its bucket seats, often used in sports cars and in motor racing, the German brand is taking advantage of its expertise to enter the gaming market with two ranges of chairs:

Unboxing

We pay particular attention to the content as well as the packaging of the product, which remains the first contact with it. Regarding RECARO Rae, the protection seems quite weak to us since only in cardboard. No bubble wrap or foam to protect the various components of the chair. Note, however, that the cardboard will be useful for the final assembly between the seat and the backrest.

Manufacturer’s note: boxes are subject to the standard ISTA 6 SIOC B, requested by Amazon, which justifies a specific organization as well as an adapted resistance in order to prevent the contents of the packaging from being damaged. What’s more, the manufacturer relies on the fact that the absence of plastic is economical, but also ecological.

The return of the cat

In order not to change a winning team, Coca, the cat, took great pleasure in running into the box in the seat. The lack of padding elements did not seem to impact its comfort.

Mounting

As we had already seen with the BACKFORCE seat, the German manufacturers seem to have their own assembly methodology. If the latter is effective, it was still more difficult to apply. Moreover, no assembly manual was available in our box (an oversight according to our last discussions with the manufacturer) and it is thus necessary to approach the official site to understand certain subtleties. The box of the gaming chair will be useful for those who wish to assemble their seat alone, although it makes sense to do it in pairs. Indeed, the seat and the back are assembled by means of a plate which is inserted in a designated location of the armchair.

Finally, the armrests are not fitted as standard, but have a groove to adjust their distance from the seat.

Zoom to components

Coating and format

The manufacturer makes the most of its expertise in the automotive world to benefit the players. As a result, we find composite materials, high quality padding foam and covers made of breathable fabric and environmentally friendly. Although we are not fans of the fabric, we must admit that in use the chair offers pleasant ergonomics. Interesting note, the seat does not take the heat. In the end, you will never be surprised to have a backrest that is too hot or too cold, enough to sit on without risk, whatever the time of year.

Case

The backrest is bucket enough to accommodate your back as well as possible, without falling into excess and lock your body in a particular position. At first contact, the back seems rigid, but will easily take your curves.

The file is intended to be simple and without additional options. We find the specific aspect of the German manufacturers, who put all the effort of maintenance on the seated station. Consequently, all of the curvatures necessary for prolonged comfort of use, such as the lumbar or the back of the back, are present.

Very atypical, the latter are in no way an obstacle to employment and are surprisingly effective.

Seated

We remain in the atypical aspect, since the seat imposes by its thickness. The latter combines perfectly with the curves of the backrest in order to take advantage of of an honorable ensemble. Its shape is more like a hyperbole to avoid an overly pronounced tub look. For followers of specific positions, it is easily possible to sit cross-legged on the armchair provided that the armrests are adjusted as well as possible.

The armrests

We find the famous 4D armrests which allow some rotations as well as up/down/forward/backward movements. The upholstery is nice while the built-in foam is stiff enough to hold you down, but soft enough to let your shapes soak in. No particular frills. Let’s just note that the engagement buttons are reduced and sometimes multitasking. The one for raising and lowering is located on the front face of the upright, which is not very innate.

Chassis and finishes

RECARO offers an atypical assembly since in plastic for the base which accommodates the wheels. We do not know if the choice follows an internal reflection or simply, in order to reduce production costs. Anyway, no finishing problem in this case, the whole is relatively clean.

For the rest we have no real information concerning the frame and/or the chassis. Nevertheless, the visible elements are qualitative, the finishes, drillings and others do not contain any imperfections.

Manufacturer’s note: The base complies with the standard ” global affiliated with office chairs which is is as follows: DIN EN 1335. In composite materials, it is as resistant as aluminum for a more suitable price.

casters

No particular information to communicate concerning the wheels. They are like those on the market, assemble easily and roll to perfection.

The piston

The support part is also one of the most important of your seat since it recovers the efforts and compensates them. However, we will not go into details. Moreover, the manufacturer does not announce the class of its pistons. Nevertheless, during our test, the cushioning was under control and without any particular flaws to note. As a reminder, the class of a piston simply means that it has undergone a battery of tests to which it has responded positively. The piston has a plastic cover.

Manufacturer’s note: Although not notified, the piston is Class 4.

The cushions

Surprisingly, especially in the face of the competition which puts many arguments in the latter to improve the comfort of use, here, RECARO provides us with a flat head area, while the curvature at the bottom of the backrest serves to replace the lumbar cushion. Nevertheless, the latter is not too rigid and easily takes the curvature of your back in order to maintain it as well as possible.

Manufacturer’s note: ” The curvature in the lower back corresponds to an integrated lumbar support. This has been designed by our ergonomists so that all users can have perfect seating and thus avoid using an incorrectly adjusted chair which could have the opposite effect to that desired. »

Adjustment and rocking

Like many seats, it is possible to rotate and tilt the seat, but also to stop it. However, this is not a key point for this device. First of all, the maximum inclination is 25°which remains much more interesting for a rest between two games than for watching a movie or taking a nap (we agree that this is not its primary use).

Finally, the levers allowing the inclination of the seat, the blocking as well as the action on the piston are not very intuitive. Like an endless screw, the joysticks rotate to lock or unlock the controls. If we are used to using a knob under the seat to adjust the backrest holding force, RECARO offers a new and quite practical alternative.

Indeed, the support force of the backrest is adjusted via the right lever, simply by rotating it. As a result, we lose the possibility of making precise adjustments, but the manufacturer provides us with enough notches for this to be effective. Finally, RECARO offers five adjustable inclinations by locking/unlocking the appropriate handle.

Daily use

We are beginning to understand the operation of German seats which offer a solution adapted to a daily activity linking work or play, but a little less for the look ” rest ». Indeed, the lack of inclination of the backrest does not allow you to watch a movie lying in your chair or simply take a nap to enjoy the comfort of the latter.

That said, we are surprised very quickly to appreciate the comfort of the materials associated with integrated technologies and allowing a particular maintenance of your body. Non-slip fabric contains temperature changes while high density foam avoid sinking too far. An armchair that you don’t appreciate at first sight, but which, in the end, will know how to tame you.