AndaSeat Kaiser 4 review: I've reviewed dozens of office chairs and this is the most comfortable one yet thanks to its unique functions

Over the years, I've tested dozens of gaming chairs and this has helped me to see that AndaSeat offers some of the very best options on the market. I've been using the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 for the last two years as my main office chair for work, even though I could have easily swapped it out for one of the many others that I've reviewed. But honestly, no computer chair I've tested has even come close to matching the comfort, quality, and durability of the Kaiser 3, which is why I've continued to use it. It's honestly a pinnacle of perfection that helps me sit up straighter and feel more comfortable while working at a computer for long stretches. There's a reason why I've listed it as one of the best desktop PC accessories. 

So, when AndaSeat announced the Kaiser 4, I was unsure how the company could build upon its predecessor, but it managed to do so by adding a pop-out backing as well as additional armrest adjustments. After spending a few weeks using the Kaiser 4, I can definitely say I'm in love with this chair. It's not only the best gaming chair, but the best office chair of them all.

• AndaSeat Kaiser 4 at AndaSeat for $649.99

AndaSeat Kaiser 4: Price and availability

AndaSeat is a premium gaming chair company that used to produce car seats for BMW and Mercedes. The company brings this same level of quality to its chairs without the uncomfortable bucket seat design. 

The AndaSeat Kaiser 4, specifically, has an MSRP of $649.00 and can only be purchased from the AndaSeat website. At the time of writing, a sale was going on that brought the price down to just $539.00 at AndaSeat. Additionally, the company often has deals throughout the year on its various seats, so you might be able to get this chair at a different discount down the road.

You might be thinking to yourself, $649.00 is a lot for a gaming chair or even a nice office chair, but it's honestly perfectly priced for the features it offers and the durabilty it provides. This chair will last you for years whereas cheaper gaming chairs will need to be replaced as often as once a year or sooner. Additionally, the Kaiser 4 offers far more customization options to get the chair fitting perfectly to your specific body type. 

As such, I recommend the Kaiser 4 as not only the best office chair but also the best computer chair and best gaming chair for anyone who tends to sit at a desk for long stretches each day. Believe me, your back will thank you. 

AndaSeat Kaiser 4

This is one of the most customizable gaming chairs and office chairs on the market right now. Alter the internal lumbar support using the side knobs or pop out the backing to just the right position to match your body shape. It comes in several different colors and is made of either fabric or a faux leather material. 

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AndaSeat Kaiser 4: What I like

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As with most computer chairs, the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 needs to be assembled before you can use it. Be prepared to have someone help you bring the heavy box into your home as it will be awkward to grab, weighing around 88 pounds. 

Since I got the Kaiser 4 before launch, the manual wasn't ready when I put this chair together, but AndaSeat pointed me to a Kaiser 4 Assembly Guide video on YouTube, and this was easy to follow. That said, AndaSeat has assured me that the Kaiser 4 manual will be included when the chair officially launches. Now, I've always found previous AndaSeat gaming chairs relatively easy to assemble, and this is largely thanks to the included illustrated instructions and set of tools that come in the box, so I'm sure the Kaiser 4 manual will be similarly useful. 

As it was, I didn't need to provide any additional tools, as a hex key (Allen wrench) and the various screws I needed came in the box. All in all, it took me about 45 minutes to get the Kaiser 4 put together. I did it on my own, but you might find things go a little more smoothly if you have someone helping you to steady the parts while you screw them in place. 

Quality materials that are built to last

Like I've previously said, I've reviewed dozens of gaming chairs throughout the course of my career. This has helped me see that many of the most popular (and cheap) options on the market are often uncomfortable and not built to last. Just the other day, I was helping my friend move and was shocked to see his gaming chair (from a company I don't recommend at all) had fallen to pieces. In the year that he had owned it, the cheap leather covering had flaked off, and the seat cushion seams had come undone, revealing the interior foam and frame. One of the armrests had even broken off. To be clear, my friend is a very tidy and calm person, so it was shocking to learn that the state of the chair had come about simply from normal use. 

I've never seen this kind of degradation in an AndaSeat gaming chair. For instance, the Kaiser 3 I've been using (up until receiving the Kaiser 4) still looks brand new despite having been sat on for an average of over 50 hours every week for two years. The Kaiser 4 has the same reliable build with a steel framework and an aluminum five-star wheelbase that's covered in high-density foam, and you can choose either soft PVC leather or linen fabric. 

There are ten colors to choose from, including everything from your standard black and white to more colorful options like purple, light blue, orange, deep red, and more. Just note that the linen fabric material only comes in black or white, so if you want a more colorful choice, you'll need to go with PVC leather. For most of my life, I've disliked leather furniture, but the material used on AndaSeat chairs is super soft and easy to quickly wipe clean if I accidentally spill food on it.

Adjustable lumbar and armrests to fit your specific body shape

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As with many office chairs, there are arms underneath the cushion that allows users to raise and lower the chair or allows them to lock the tilt function. A lever on the right side also allows the chair to recline back between 90 degrees and 135 degrees. It's surprisingly comfortable to lay back in this chair, thanks in part to the soft memory foam head pillow that attaches to the chair magnetically, so you don't have to deal with unsightly straps.

At CES 2024, I met with Dr. Matthew Hwu of 1HP, and he explained to me that many people sit in their computer chairs wrong, causing various aches and pains. He further explained that the most important part of an office chair wasn't lumbar support (like I had guessed) but rather the customization potential of the chair. In other words, in order to get the best sitting experience that doesn't fatigue our bodies, it's best to have a chair that can be adjusted to meet our individual body shapes and usage needs. This is an area that the Kaiser 4 truly excels in. 

So, how exactly does this internal lumbar and pop-out function work? There are octagonal knobs on either side of the Kaiser 4 — rotating one adjusts the height of the internal lumbar while rotating the other adjusts how much pressure the lumbar pushes into my back. With these adjustments, I can get the exact amount of pressure I want to fit perfectly with my spine. 

The knobs have text on them to tell me which way adds more curvature and which way reduces it, but they aren't labeled for depth or height, which would be more useful. It's not the worst thing as I find I have to sit in the chair (where I can't read the knobs) and reach backward and rotate the knobs until it feels the way I want it to, but better labeling could resolve some initial confusion. 

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Now for the pop-out function. If you look at the above pictures, you'll notice that a rounded rectangular section on the blue side of the backing stands out from the rest of the chair. This houses the internal lumbar mechanism inside it and pivots out when a lever on the side of the chair is unlocked. To get this pop-out function to work, I had to connect a wire coming out of the back part of the seat to a mechanism on the bottom of the cushion while assembling the Kaiser 4. In order to get it positioned to my liking, I pull on the lever, which releases the back pad, and then I push back against the padding until I get it to a position I like. At this point, putting the lever back in the locked position keeps the back padding at that location. 

I'll be honest: I wasn't expecting to like this pop-out function all that much as it seemed like a superfluous addition, but I was wrong. This pop-out back padding helps me sit up straighter and provides the perfect amount of additional support that my body needs. It's extremely comfortable and makes it so I don't have to deal with a shifting back pillow, like is often the case with many other gaming chairs out there. 

Technically, Kaiser 4's official specs claim that this gaming chair is recommended for people who measure between five-foot-eleven inches tall and six-foot-eleven inches tall. That said, I'm personally five-foot-six-inches tall, and my husband is six-foot-five-inches tall. Both of us have found the Kaiser 4 fits us nicely. It can also hold up to 395 pounds, which is more accommodating than many other gaming chairs out there.

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The armrests are yet another way that the Kaiser 4 surpasses other office chairs when it comes to adjustments. These are what AndaSeat calls 5D armrests, which means they can be adjusted forward, backward, up, down, slid sideways, pivoted inward, and the front part can be pivoted upward too. For some, this might seem like overkill, but I did find that pivoting the armrests inward and pivoting the front part upward allowed me to get the chair in the perfect position to support my arms while they held an Xbox controller. At any rate, these options provide more customization opportunities to help you get the chair set up specifically to your needs. 

AndaSeat Kaiser 4: What I do not like

No joke. I've been sitting here for 20 minutes trying to come up with something, anything, critical to say about the Kaiser 4, and honestly, the only thing I can think of is that the knobs should be labeled better as either adjusting the height or adjusting depth. Additionally, If you're a smaller person, then you might find this chair a little too big. But really, this is the ideal office chair for people who frequently sit at a desk for long stretches. 

Sure, it would be nice if it was a bit more affordable. But, the Kaiser 4 is made of quality, durable, materials and offers far more customization options than most other chairs on the market, so the high price is justified. 

AndaSeat Kaiser 4: Competition

When considering durable competitors against the Kaiser 4, you don't have to look outside of AndaSeat's other offerings. As you know by now, I previously did a Kaiser 3 review from iMore (where I worked before coming here to Windows Central). But our own Sean Endicott also wrote an AndaSeat Kaiser 3 review, so you can read both and see why we recommend this previous gaming chair model. It has an MSRP of $549.99 for the Large or XL version and can often be found on sale at AndaSeat. It's also selling for just $469.99 at Amazon at the time of writing. This, of course, makes it significantly more affordable than the new Kaiser 4. 

Another highly customizable gaming chair with a quality build is the Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair. It also features internal adjustable lumbar support, but instead of having a pop-out function, the lumbar area is built to pivot from side-to-side in order to better match your exact positioning. I was able to sit on this gaming chair at CES 2024, and I can definitely say that it was a comfortable experience. The Razer Iskur V2 has the same $649.00 MSRP as the Kaiser 4.

AndaSeat Kaiser 4: Should you buy it?

✅ You should buy this if...

• You want an office chair or gaming chair that will last a long time.
• You get uncomfortable sitting for long stretches and want a chair that offers great lumbar support.
• You want a reliable chair that can better match the shape of your body.

❌ You should not buy this if...

• You don't spend a lot of time sitting in one place for work or play. 
• You'd prefer not to spend quite as much, in which case I recommend looking at AndaSeat's other gaming chairs. 
• You aren't a fan of assembling furniture yourself.

Given how impressed I was with the Kaiser 3, I didn't think AndaSeat could offer any improvements I would want in the Kaiser 4, but boy, am I happy I was wrong. The adjustable, internal lumbar support allows me to place pressure in just the right place that exactly matches my body shape. Plus, the pop-out back function adds a little extra support to help me sit up straight while still being comfortable. 

This chair does take some effort to assemble, but the included illustrated instructions and tools should make it very easy to set things up correctly. True, it's pricey, but thanks to the sturdy build of the frame combined with the quality materials used, this chair will last you a long time so you won't have to replace it for several years to come. Plus, the various colors and cover materials will help you find a chair design that looks good in any room. It really is one of the very best office and gaming chairs out there right now. 

• AndaSeat Kaiser 4 at AndaSeat for $649.99