Mavix M4 Review: One of the Best Gaming Chairs in Its Price Range

11/24/2021 07:53 pm EST

At $444, the Mavix M4 has one thing on the Mavix M9: it's not coming out of your kid's college fund. The Mavix M9 is one of the greatest chairs I've ever sat in, but it's $999. Not many have a grand burning a hole in their pocket, but for those that do, they can get a luxurious throne fit for Louis XIV. At $444, you don't get to feel like a 17th-century French king, but you do get an excellent ergonomic chair. While the M4 is missing a sumptuous finish and a wide range of customization options, it delivers on the essentials with only a few caveats.

The first thing you'll notice when you sit in the Mavix M4 is its ergonomic design. Like other Mavix models, it's very comfortable to sit in from minute one to hour eight of your workday or Rocket League grind. The biggest issue with the Mavix M4 is its material undermines this comfort at times.

The lumbar support of the chair is kryptonite to back problems, but it consists of a mesh material that, whilst providing breathability and temperature regulation, falls short of the comfort provided by supple fake leather or the ATR fabric of other Mavix chairs. When comparing it to other models, this is the biggest downgrade. There's nothing egregious about the mesh material that comprises the M4's lumbar support, but the friction in moments of repositioning wasn't always the most comfortable. Meanwhile, the material is not very complimentary to the massage functionality of the Elemax (sold separately), leaving my (sensitive) skin red and irritated after use. Unlike the headrest, the back of the chair also can't be adjusted, which is not a problem for most, but may be a problem for some.

Thankfully, the seat of this chair isn't made from the same material, and consists of a foam encased in a spacer mesh material. The combination of the two provides a firm, and surprisingly comfortable seating experience. That said, compared to the other models, there's less "natural" curvature to the seat of the M4, which means there's no sinking into the chair in a bliss of comfort. There's also no wide seat option, so if you're someone who needs a wider seat, you may find yourself a little too cozy sitting in the M4. Meanwhile, if you're accustomed to or prefer raised sides that provide the hip-hugging sensation, well, your hips may find issues with the flattened seat.

At $444, you will be hard-pressed to find a chair with a more comfortable design than the Mavix M4, however, at the same price point, you can find a chair with a more comfortable material from seat to headrest. Meanwhile, unlike other Mavix models, which indulge you with more customization options than you can remember how to use, the Mavix M4 is a pretty standard affair, especially at its price range.

The M4 has a fixed back recline, which means it's not as responsive as other models. You can still sit back, float, or lock in, but the process is less fluid than more advanced recline technology that you only get if you spend more. The arms of the chair also offer less motion and fewer options than the other Mavix models, but the downgrade is hardly noticeable. The one-way adjustable arms mean that you can't adjust the depth of the armrest, only the height, but this is really all you need. Meanwhile, fewer options of motion mean the arms are sturdier. As for the top of armrests, Mavix has stayed away from the flat design its other models have in favor of a design with a slight sink, which only becomes problematic when you use them as an elbow rest rather than an arm rest.

The final part of the chair is the casters. Unlike the M7 and M9, the M4 doesn't have wheels, but casters which are standard for its price range. What is nice about the M4's casters is that they lock, which is essential if the chair is going to be on any hard, smooth surface. They don't glide as effortlessly as wheels and they are louder when they are in motion, but that's about the extent of the downgrade beyond pure aesthetics.

Speaking of aesthetics, while the Mavix M4 doesn't look as good as the M5, M7, and M9, it's still a Mavix chair, which is to say, it looks better than most of the competition, regardless of the price range. Across every model, the minimalist Herman Miller-esq Mavix design looks good in every space you put it in. Whether it's a man cave devoted to gaming, a streaming setup lit up by neon and RGB lighting, or in a professional office, the Mavix M4 looks great every time, without fail. 

The Mavix M4 tries to simultaneously offer an advanced design at a more budget-friendly price point. All in all, it succeeds in doing this, but there are sacrifices to reducing cost. There are aspects of the M4 that make it feel like an absolute steal, but there are other aspects that make it feel slightly overpriced. The Mavix M4 is more comfortable and it's better for your health and productivity compared to the abundance of racing-style chairs it's competing against in its price range, but be prepared to sacrifice some premium finishings and customization options for this comfort. 

The Mavix M4 (Black) was provided by Mavix for review purposes. You can browse through Mavix's collection of chairs here.

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