Razer Iskur Black Edition review: when gaming chairs go pro

The original Razer Iskur was given a maximum score of 5 stars on review by T3 and, as such, was immediately placed into our prestigious best gaming chairs buying guide. And, in the simple terms, this new Razer Iskur Black Edition continues that legacy, offering the same premium gaming chair experience but now with a more mature, office-friendly aesthetic.

That's because the upholstery and stitching of this new Iskur are all black, and that results in a seat that looks much more at home in a home office or office environment. It now presents a more executive office chair-like look, but retains the features and performance that made the original Iskur a hit.

This review shows what the Razer Iskur Black Edition is like to build and use, as well as shows the best places to buy it at the cheapest price.

Razer Iskur Black Edition review: price and availability

The Razer Iskur Black Edition, along with the original Iskur, are available now and cost £499/$499. The chair can be bought directly from the Razer store, as well as from large online retailers like Amazon.

That price point puts the Razer Iskur among the most expensive gaming chairs on the market today, and there's no doubting that even compared to other premium brand gaming chairs like the SecretLab Titan SoftWeave, it really does cost.

As with all of Razer's gaming products, though, while you are undoubtedly paying a bit extra for the name, you very much get what you pay for, and the Razer Iskur presents a top tier fit and finish.

To see today's best prices on the Razer Iskur be sure to check out the deal prices listed below.

Razer Iskur Black Edition review: setup and design

Open the large and rather quite imposing Razer Iskur Black Edition box and you are met with a welcome message from the company's chief, which once flipped over reveal the chair's setup instructions.

Razer's setup instructions are printed large, which makes seeing exactly how the chair fits together when taken out of the box easy. There are nine steps involved in constructing the Razer Iskur and it took me about 30 minutes to complete it.

Each part of the chair comes securely wrapped in cellophane and foam, with key components separated by large foam sheets that, handily, can be layed out on the construction floor to protect the parts from getting dirty or scratched.

The chair comes in basically three main parts, the seat and armrests (which are pre-installed to the seat), the backrest, and the platform for the wheels. These are then joined by the hydraulic lift, wheels, facia plates and a few other smaller components like the chair's neck pillow.

In terms of tools, the entire chair is put together with just one, which is a hex key with T-shaped handle. This handle makes getting purchase on the hex key a lot easier. In terms of bolts and caps, there are only a handful if truth be told, which makes construction quite straightforward.

Along with four to connect the backrest to the seat, and a further set of four to connect the hydraulic mechanism to the seat, there's not really much more to write home about. A few plastic caps are included to cover bolt holes in plastic facia plates, but be under no illusion that the Iskur is a complex build.

Image 1 of 3

As ever with a gaming chair build, the most difficult part of the whole experience is attaching the backrest to the seat. I've built a fair few gaming chairs now in my time with T3 and I recommend buyers to line up the backrest with the seat's attaching struts, and then slowly try to connect each bolt, tightening just a little bit at each time.

I found the Razer's included tool to help with this, as well as aligning the bolt with the internal thread, which needs to be done blind as it sits recessed in the seat's foam/upholstery. Just don't make the schoolboy error of tightening one bolt completely before the others are inserted and lined up, as it will lead to the bolt holes to be misaligned.

In terms of fit and finish of components, unlike some gaming chairs we've tested (AndaSeat T-Pro 2 we're looking at you) I found all the components fitted together perfectly on the Razer Iskur Black Edition. The chairs wheels all just slotted flush and level into the wheel base, for example.

This chair comes with one of those telescope plastic surrounds for the hydraulics strut, but after taking a look at chrome finish I decided to keep it off, and am very happy with the result. Just a quick note on these smaller components by the way, such as the chair's wheels – they all come secure in a small internal box.

Overall, constructing the Razer Iskur Black Edition took me about 30 minutes, and that included everything from unboxing the components to actually building it. I was particularly pleased with how streamlined the process was, and it meant that I wasn't a frustrated sweaty mess by the time I could first sit down on it.

Razer Iskur Black Edition review: comfort and features

As we noted in our original Razer Iskur review:

"The Razer Iskur is at the premium end of premium gaming chairs. It’s a very comfortable chair with tons of bells and whistles, some of which you just won’t find anywhere else. It’s made from multi-layered synthetic leather, stitched to look like the skin of a lizard.

"Because of its built-in lumbar support, you only need one extra cushion with the Iskur. The supplied headrest. Opinions vary on headrests I find, in terms of whether you actually use them. But I’m a big fan, and the Iskur’s is of good quality, though I do prefer to be able to sit them slightly lower than the Iskur allows."

And, as there, here the Black Edition delivers the same experience. The lumbar support and how it is built into the chair subtly is great, and regardless of your love of neck cushions or not, means your lower back is totally supported.

I'm a huge fan of mature looking gaming gear and, as can be seen in the nearby images, the multi-layered synthetic leather just looks super premium on the Iskur. The seat has this rippled hexagon pattern on it, while the ridges of the seat have an almost carbon fibre effect.

The stitching, which is also jet black, is also very fine and neat and I spotted no loose ends or frayed patches. The armrests are also 4D, meaning that they can be moved up and down, in and out, forward and backward, and rotated inward and outward as desired.

There's plenty of other nice details on the Iskur, including branded name plates on the armrests, padded armrest top plates and the fact that the lumbar support adjuster is located in a slide clip on the base of the seat. 

The lumbar adjuster works in the same way that a traditional tilting mechanism does. When you pull the lever the lumbar plate of the backrests moves away to the degree you want, or if you use your own body weight, you can return it to its flat-against the chair back stock position.

You're basically moving a padded cushion forward and backward, but its well implemented and delivers great lower back support flexibility.

Overall, as you might expect from a gaming chair that cost half a grand, the comfort and features delivered by the Razer Iskur Black Edition are top tier. And I think that for all but the largest gamers, who should opt for a dedicated XL model chair, extended comfort will be guaranteed.

Razer Iskur Black Edition review: verdict

The original Iskur was a 5-star product, and this all-black edition does nothing to change that. It doesn't change the fact that the seat probably won't suit the largest of gamers, or that the price is undoubtedly high, too, but it's a Razer product so the latter is to be expected.

The new black upholstery and stitching is a game-changer, though, in terms of the fact that it makes the Iskur 100 per cent home office or office friendly, with the seat stealthily blending into a non-gaming environment. The fact that the Iskur Black Edition does this while also then delivering great gaming performance means I can see a lot of professionals who game in their spare time being drawn to this chair.

So, yes, it remains a very expensive, premium gaming chair, but one that now seems better equipped to offer the dual gaming/home office setup that more people than ever are now in need of. As such, if you've got a sizeable budget to spend on a gaming chair upgrade, it's hard not to recommend the Razer Iskur Black Edition.

• Get one of the best gaming mice to use, too