The AndaSeat Kaiser 4 is the newest entry in AndaSeat’s popular gaming chair lineup. Though it’s a breeze to assemble and certainly offers some excellent features, such as 4-way pop-out lumbar support and a super comfy head pillow, it misses the mark in other equally important areas that may make you think twice about splurging on it.
AndaSeat Kaiser 4 – Design and Features
Visually, the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 is a fairly standard but attractive gaming chair that comes in either linen fabric or PVC leather versions. While the fabric version only comes in black or gray, the PVC leather offers an array of colorways ranging from basic black or white to vibrant options like pink, purple, orange, and more.
AndaSeat sent me the gray linen version of the chair, and I found the material to be pleasant to the touch. It’s no doubt much more breathable compared to what you’d expect from PVC leather, and it’s also stitched very well, which bodes well for its long-term durability.
Beyond its admittedly good looks, there are a few things about the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 that feel at odds with its $650 price point. Perhaps most notable is its bizarre 5D armrests which, in addition to the usual 4D-style up/down and in-out adjustability, allow you to fold them at an upward angle. It sounds interesting (if unnecessary) at a glance, but AndaSeat has sacrificed a lot to make it happen.
Not only do the buttons to adjust the angle feel mushy and difficult to press, but the split down the middle of the armrest causes the entire structure to look cheap and janky. This two-piece design isn’t just ugly, though – the armrests as a whole are extremely wobbly and unstable. And they’re inherently uncomfortable as well because they bend up slightly on the very back for some reason, which puts pressure on the elbow at an undesirable angle.
The armrests are some of the worst I’ve seen on a premium gaming chair, but the AndaSeat Kaiser 4’s seat cushion isn’t exactly a knock out of the park either. That’s not to say it’s utterly terrible, but it’s firm enough that I couldn’t spend more than an hour or two in it without a bit of pain and discomfort. I suspect it may break in over a long enough timeline, but I don’t see myself wanting to see that through.
The AndaSeat Kaiser 4 comes out swinging with killer lumbar support, however. Like many recent gaming chairs in the premium space, it features a 4-way pop-out backrest design that moves with your body as you adjust to different postures. You simply adjust precisely where you want your lumbar support and how intense you want it to be, then the backrest ensures that support follows you as you change positions left and right – though it obviously won’t do a great job at following you into a major slouch.
In addition to top-tier lumbar support, I adore the AndaSeat Kaiser 4’s ultra soft but supportive head pillow, which connects to the top of the chair magnetically and is a cinch to adjust. It’s virtually identical to the one on the AndaSeat Kaiser 3, which I’ve been daily driving for nearly a year, and it’s among my favorite head pillows of all time. I’m happy to see the company stick with what’s working in that department – I just wish they’d done the same with the armrests.
AndaSeat Kaiser 4 – Gaming
A gaming chair can be used in an office setting, of course, but most folks will grab one for the typically wide seat pans and armrest adjustability that really benefits gaming sessions. In that regard, the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 just doesn’t really do it for me.
As I touched on before, the armrests provided here are pretty lousy. Their one new trick – the ability to fold the front part up – is too niche of a feature to warrant the tacky two-piece design required to make it happen. And if you don’t like your elbow hurting, you’ll want to avoid resting it anywhere near the back of the armrest, as it’s likely to impinge a nerve after a while.
Elsewhere, the ability to recline up to 135 degrees is a step down from the Kaiser 3’s 165 degrees, and the few times I’ve fully reclined, it somehow never felt quite as stable, either. During multiple testing periods, I didn’t experience anything that led me to believe it will actually topple, but there’s a feeling at maximum recline that just makes me a bit uneasy compared to many chairs I’ve used.
I’m very happy with my Kaiser 3 for both work and gaming with its comfortable seat, straightforward 4D armrests, and stable 165 degree reclining, so I can’t see myself moving to AndaSeat’s newest model. You can still snag Kaiser 3 for $499 ($150 less than the Kaiser 4) on the AndaSeat website, and that’d be my recommendation for most gamers interested in one of the company’s chairs.
AndaSeat Kaiser 4 – Assembly
The unboxing experience of the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 is fantastic, with everything sealed in plastic and foam and easily removed from the box. The included instructions are very clear and concise as well, and there are only a handful of screws required to get the job done.
I particularly like that the Kaiser 4 sticks with its predecessor’s bracket-based backrest assembly, which allows you to slide the backrest on the seat pan to hold it in place while you attach it with screws. This takes a lot of guesswork out of the affair, and for those who don’t put together a ton of chairs like I do, I imagine smart design like that is even more of a godsend.
I also appreciate the magnetic side covers that pop on with no effort whatsoever, as well as the magnetic head pillow that can be moved around at any time. It’s all of these efficient little aspects of the assembly that make it a quick and easy experience that the average person should be able to complete solo in about 20 or so minutes.