If you are less than 5 feet 6 inches tall, finding a good gaming chair can be difficult. Many people who are shorter than average have a hard time finding a desk chair that’s comfortable for them, as most chairs are designed with seat heights and widths for taller people.
For short people who are tired of using footrests and figuring out tricks for oversized gaming chairs, Noblechairs Epic Compact is the perfect solution. This gaming chair is designed for people under 5’6″ tall, but it’s also not a low-quality “kid’s” chair. Since I’m only 5’0″ tall, I can say that the Noblechairs Epic Compact is the most comfortable gaming chair I’ve ever tried.
Here we take a closer look at one of the best gaming chairs for short people.
Noblechairs Epic Compact: Pricing and configurations
of Noble Chair Epic Compact Prices range from $519 for eco-synthetic leather upholstery to $489 for cloth upholstery. The color of eco-synthetic leather is black. black and blue; or black and red. The upholstery color is gray only. All models come with matching neck and lumbar pillows. Our review unit featured a black and blue eco-synthetic leather construction.
Noblechairs Epic Compact: Design
The Noblechairs Epic Compact is designed specifically for short people, adapting the full-size Epic form factor for gamers under 5’6″ tall. Being only 5’0” tall, I had high expectations for this chair, and it not only met but exceeded them. This is the first gaming chair I’ve ever tried that has a seat height low enough to allow my feet to sit flat on the floor, with no need for a footrest. The minimum seat height for the Epic Compact is 15.7 inches, which was perfect for my height.
It’s not just the seat height that’s sized appropriately for short people. The entire chair has been scaled down from the seat width to the backrest. When I’m on a video call, the back rest goes to the top of my head instead of over my head, so I no longer look like I’m sitting in an oversized chair.
One of the distinguishing features of the Epic Compact is its adjustable seat depth. By operating the lever on the left side of the chair, you can slide the seat backrest back and forth. This means the edge of the seat won’t be constantly pressing against your thighs and the backs of your knees. It was a game changer for me from an ergonomics standpoint. Seat depths range from 18.9 inches to 16.5 inches.
Unfortunately, there’s a bit of a trade-off. Since it has a seat depth adjustment function, it cannot be reclined. The seat backrest is a little more slanted than I would have liked, but that was fixed with the included neck pillow. As such, the lack of reclining functionality was not an issue, especially since seat depth adjustment is a very rare feature in gaming chairs. There’s also a tension knob, so you can lean against the Epic Compact if you want.
The build quality of the Epic Compact is excellent. The seat base is made of powder-coated solid aluminum and the frame is all-steel, making it extremely sturdy. The casters were smooth and quiet on both hard and soft floors. Since the seat depth can be adjusted, I was a little worried that the backrest would wobble a little, but that wasn’t the case. The seatback slides easily during adjustment, but stays perfectly in place when you re-lock the depth.
Noblechairs Epic Compact: Comfort
This is the most comfortable gaming chair I’ve ever tried, due in no small part (and I’m not kidding) to its shorter-friendly sizing. Other brands offer “small” gaming chairs, but many are still too large for people around 5’4″ or less tall. This is not the case with Noblechairs’ products. As such, it legitimately manages to be a very comfortable gaming chair for short people.
Whether I’m working from home or playing games for hours, sitting with my feet flat on the floor without an awkward footrest has done wonders for my posture. . The neck support pillow and lumbar support pillow that come with the Epic Compact are also comfortable. It has a light velvety texture that provides a good balance of firmness and cushioning.
The quality of Epic Compact’s materials and construction is paramount. Eco-synthetic leather is non-slip and soft. The seat pad also has some cushioning, but not so much that I sink into it, which was just right for me. The slightly narrower seat width also made armrest spacing very comfortable (I never realized how awkwardly wide most chair armrests are until I tried this chair).
Noblechairs Epic Compact: Assembly
The assembly process for the Noblechairs Epic Compact was very easy. I was able to assemble it by myself in about 20-30 minutes. However, it is quite difficult to carry the contents of the box by yourself, so it is a good idea to ask someone else to help you.
I had no problems following the assembly instructions. Everything I needed was in the box, including hardware and tools. We recommend assembling the chair on a soft floor such as carpet. If you’re on hard floors like I am, you can also use the foam padded sheet that comes in the box.
The assembly process involves only a few steps. First, fit the casters into the seat base and attach the air cylinder. Next, attach the depth adjustment bracket to the seat surface. This was the most complicated part, but it was still very easy. Just screw on a few pieces before flipping the seat over and gently attaching it to the top of the air cylinder. Finally, we installed the backrest and made final adjustments to the height and depth.
conclusion
Overall, the Noblechairs Epic Compact is a great gaming chair, especially for short people. There are plenty of “big and tall” desk chairs out there, but you rarely see desk chairs designed for people at the other end of the height spectrum. For this purpose, Epic Compact goes above and beyond.
The size and ergonomics are adequate, and the minimum seat height worked perfectly for me, who is only 5 feet tall. You can adjust the depth of the seat, which sacrifices some reclining ability, but is a great feature for short people. The Epic Compact’s build quality, materials, and comfort level are on par with its $519 price tag. This is the best chair for short gamers.
