Should you buy a Secretlab Titan Evo or a high-end ergonomic office chair for healthy desk work? I’ve tested all of the world’s best office chairs, but have spent the past four years using a Titan Evo. This review compares the Titan’s neutral posture support to that of leading office chairs, then shows how it excels with its freestyle sitting versatility.
The Secretlab Titan Evo supports biomechanically perfect neutral postures with the same precision as elite office chairs like the Herman Miller Aeron. However, while the Aeron provides support for the lower back, the Titan also supports the upper back and neck.
Beyond its full spinal support, the Titan’s versatility is a key advantage. Unlike competing office chairs designed solely for work, you can also use a Secretlab Titan Evo for gaming, watching movies, relaxing, or even taking a nap.
Titan Evo chairs on Amazon: Leatherette $669.00 | Softweave Fabric $689.00
Titan Evo (M) from Secretlab $549-$664
Also available in small ($549-$674) and XL sizes ($599-$694) in the Secretlab Store.
Titan Evo specifications
This section breaks down the Titan’s key features and the exact dimensions of its three available sizes. The section after summarizes my long-term impressions of the features in action.
Titan Evo ergonomic functionality
The Titan Evo has three standout features. First, its integrated, height x depth adjustable lumbar provides more precise lower back support than every high-end office chair on the market.
Second, its magnetic headrest offers a massive adjustment range to perfectly support your neck. Third, its waterfall pebble seat supports strict neutral postures and more causal ones. Details:
In all types of chairs, light pressure applied to the lower back is the key to sitting up straight. This system lets you set the perfect depth and height to support your lumbar spine sweet spot.
Beyond full adjustability, the unit also has a matrix made of 63 adaptive hinges. These flex left or right as you move.
The pillow itself has a more aggressive upper curve than the old version. That provides more support for the base of the head while sitting in a neutral position.
It also holds in place with magnets instead of straps. These provide a massive 11″ adjustment range.
A waterfall seat lip reduces pressure on the thighs and knees. That gives users more freedom to position their feet under the chair.
As well, gently sloping side wings help guide the user toward the middle of the seat. That provides supportive comfort without the restriction of bladed seat edges.
Summary of features
- Functionality: 4D armrests; multifunction tilt-lock; pebble seat base with waterfall edge.
- Back support: integrated 4-way adjustable lumbar support; magnetic headrest pillow; recline from 85-165°
- Sizing: small 4’11” to 5’6″; medium 5’7″ to 6’2″; XL 5’11” to 6’9″.
- Warranty: five years.
Titan Evo chairs on Amazon: Leatherette $669.00 | Softweave Fabric $689.00
Titan Evo (M) from Secretlab $549-$664
Also available in small ($549-$674) and XL sizes ($599-$694) in the Secretlab Store.
Sizes: small, medium, XL
The Titan Evo comes in small, medium, and large sizes. Our Titan seat width measurements cover the total inner width. That measures the total amount of space between the soft edges that’s available for use.
The above photo also shows the flat inner seat width for all three sizes. That inner zone guides the legs to stay within the flat inner width. Even so, the legs still enjoy room to move past the total inner width.
Titan Sizing Specifications
| Specification | Titan 2022 Small | Medium | XL |
| Seat (total inner width) | 17.7″ (W) x 18.9″ (D) | 18.5″ (W) x 19.3″ (D) | 19.3″ (W) x 19.7″ (D) |
| Backrest | 20″ (W) x 32.3″ (H) | 21″ (W) x 33.5″ (H) | 22″ (W) x 35″ (H) |
| Seat height | 17.7″ to 20.5″ | 17.7″ to 20.5″ | 18.1″ to 21.9″ |
| Size rating | 4’11” to 5’6″; 285 pounds | 5’7″ to 6’2″; 285 pounds | 5’11” to 6’9″; 395 pounds |
It’s possible to up-size beyond Secretlab’s suggested size ratings. For instance, I stand 5’10” and fit perfectly in a medium-sized Softweave Titan. I also have an XL leatherette Ash edition that’s barely usable for my size.
Look closely to see the Titan XL’s seat depth is a bit too close to the back of my knees. Fortunately, there are several methods available to address this issue. See this guide for details:
Titan Evo gaming chair usability
After four years of full-time use, I’ve mastered all the nuances of this chair. Use these tips to get the most out of your own Titan Evo:
Titan Evo durability
After four years of full-time use, I can also attest to the Titan Evo’s durability. The chair’s padding remains firm, and all functions are still flawless.
One annoyance: my SoftWeave fabric upholstery has required frequent cleanings (including years of heavy scrubbing). Despite this, it remains in excellent condition.
The only flaw after four years has been a split armrest cap. This is a known issue, but according to Secretlab, their support team is happy to resolve it, assuming your chair is still under warranty.
Optimal Recline Angles
Cornell University’s Ergonomic Guidelines state that lumbar disc pressure and back muscle activity are lowest with a supported recline angle of 110° to 130°.
The Titan Evo’s recline functionality has a massive 85-165° range. Three sweet spots I use often:
- Perfect desk work posture (100°): promotes a perfect neutral posture, which is deal for focused desk work.
- Passive computing (110°): promotes a slightly slouchier recline that’s suits passive computing tasks like web scrolling.
- Watching movies (120°): this angle pulls you further away from your keyboard. It’s extremely comfortable, and ideal for relaxing, reading, or watching movies.
Notably, three esports doctors dispute my 100° recommendation. To sit so upright for long periods, you need strong back muscles and stamina. For those with poor posture or weak back muscles, a 110° default recline is easier to adjust to and maintain.
Tuck your hips, plant your feet
For optimal comfort and support, aim for a neutral posture when using the Titan chair. Two steps are crucial:
Tuck your hips deep into the seat
Sitting without support flattens the lower back curve. As the curve gets flatter, the hips shift forward. To prevent this, make it a habit to position your hips deeply into the seat pan every time you sit down.
The Titan’s lumbar support has a limited outward extension. By tucking your hips in more, you create closer contact, maximizing its effectiveness.
Plant your feet
When your feet dangle unsupported, it increases the workload on your back muscles as they counteract gravity to keep you upright. This sustained effort can lead to fatigue, discomfort, and even pain in the lower back.
The solution: make a habit of keeping your feet flat on the floor while sitting. This will distribute your weight more evenly, reducing strain on your back muscles and promoting better posture.
Bonus Tip: If your desk height prevents comfortable foot placement, consider using an adjustable footrest to bridge the gap and ensure proper support.
Maintain semi-neutral postures
Tucking your hips and planting your feet with a recline angle of 100-110° should be enough to support imperfect (not precise) neutral postures in a Titan chair.
According to Dr. Jordan Tsai (Secretlab Ergonomics Advisory member), frequent movement alongside good posture is the ideal:
This philosophy is reflected in the design of the Secretlab Titan chair. While it supports and encourages neutral postures, its spacious seat pan allows for natural movements.
Think of it this way: the Aeron chair works like a strict posture trainer. In contrast, the Titan is more flexible. It guides you towards good habits — but also recognizes the benefits of movement. Learn more:
Master your lumbar support height
Maintaining a healthy lower back curve is essential while sitting. To that end, the Titan Evo chair’s superb integrated lumbar support system is exceptional. You can customize the height and depth to match your lower back curve perfectly.
The ideal position for lumbar support is just above the beltline, around 1.5 inches deep. To adjust the height, toggle the dial on the left side of the Titan Evo backrest. Once you find the perfect height, toggle the dial on the right side to adjust the depth.
Although the system works great, it may be subtle for those who have never used an adjustable lumbar support system before. In such cases, you can try using a Secretlab external memory foam lumbar pillow.
These are compatible with Titan Evo chairs and straightforward to use. Just place the pillow behind you and lean back to hold it in place. Then, adjust it up or down until you find your perfect support position. Learn more:
Move your hips with multifunction tilt
The Titan Evo chair comes equipped with control levers located beneath both the right and left sides of the seat. The lever on the left-hand side manages the multifunction tilt lock.
This feature lets you tilt and securely lock the chair at various angles. This presents an engaging method to activate your hip, calf, and lower back muscles.
When utilized independently, it delivers a refreshing burst of movement, aiding in the support of your calf muscles. When combined with a footrest, it transforms the Titan chair into a luxuriously comfortable recliner.
Incorporating a footrest alongside the tilted seat and deep recline presents an exceptional opportunity to take a rejuvenating break without the need to stand up.
By anchoring your feet against the footrest, you can effortlessly maintain an upright torso position, while gravity lends its support to your spine, alleviating strain from your back muscles. Learn more:
Easy Titan Evo chair back pain fix
While the Titan Evo chair is designed to support a neutral posture, freestyle sitting can lead to back pain over time. Frequent movement can help. But that doesn’t guarantee proper spinal alignment, especially during extended sitting sessions.
Here’s why a neutral posture matters: studies suggest that a neutral seated position, similar to a healthy standing posture, best minimizes strain on your spine. This can significantly reduce back pain.
An easy fix: the postural reset. As recommended by an esports doctor, this method involves:
- Positioning: Maintain a 0° neck tilt and support your lower back’s natural 25-45° curve. Adjust the lumbar support slightly above your beltline for comfort. Set the backrest to a 100° incline.
- Engage your core: Tuck your hips into the seat, plant your feet firmly on the floor, and press your entire spine against the backrest, lumbar support, and headrest.
- Maintain upright posture: If holding this position feels challenging, use the armrests for additional support.
- Adjust for comfort: If maintaining an upright posture remains difficult, slightly recline the backrest to 110-120° to ease pressure on your back muscles.
If you follow these steps, you should start feeling your lower back pain recede within 20 minutes or so. If not, refer to this checklist:
Titan Evo Chair buying advice
If you’ve decided to invest in a Titan Evo chair, these tips can help to optimize your buying experience:
Softweave Vs Leatherette
I use a medium Cookies and Cream Softweave chair and an XL Ash Neo Hybrid Leatherette in tropical weather. Neither upholstery will touch your skin while you sit, unless you’re naked.
Under a layer of clothing, both chairs offer good breathability in warm weather; neither gets clammy.
I find Softweave slightly more comfortable, while Neo Hybrid Leatherette has a slightly more formal feel (similar to the difference between wearing sweatpants or leather ones).
Though Softweave has a slight comfort edge, it requires more maintenance. Fabric absorbs body oils and builds up stains, which you need to scrub out and clean regularly.
In contrast, Leatherette is easy to keep clean with a damp cloth. A simple wipe and it will look like new.
Final verdict: Both upholsteries are good. If you’re willing to do regular deep cleanings, Softweave has a slight comfort edge. But if you want the most convenient option, Leatherette is super-easy to maintain.
- Breathability: both stay cool over long sitting sessions. It’s hard to tell a breathability difference.
- Tactile sensation: SoftWeave has a soft, plush, textured feel. Leatherette has a bigger ‘wow’ factor. It feels ultra-smooth and buttery soft.
- Maintenance: leatherette is stain-resistant and easy to clean with a damp cloth. To keep SoftWeave fabric clean demands more work.
Buy: Softweave Plus Titan Evo $569-$694 | Neo Hybrid Leatherette Evo $549-$674
Best Accessory: Magnus Pro Desk
After 1.5 years using Titan Evo chairs, I gained stronger back muscles, improved posture, and more energy while computing. Adding a Magnus Pro sit-to-stand desk brought even more benefits that I didn’t expect.
Firstly, my desk has made it possible for me to cut my sitting time in half. This means that I am putting less work on my back muscles, which in turn makes it easier to maintain good posture while sitting.
Secondly, standing desks also provide great support for mobile computing. I used to suffer from text neck (a severe forward neck tilt) while using my phone. Raising my Magnus Pro desk to support my elbows while mobile computing solved that problem.
With less time sitting plus support for mobile computing, my posture has improved even further. As well, my back muscles have become even stronger.
I can now easily work throughout the day with constant movement and position changes. This has helped me maintain a healthy spinal alignment while keeping my muscles constantly engaged during work.
Buy: Magnus Pro from Secretlab from $799 plus accessories.
Titan Evo Vs pricey office chairs
Using a Titan Evo chair helped to improve my posture and motivate me to strengthen back muscles. Then, I went shopping for a chair with objectively superior neutral posture support.
After testing various high-end ergonomic chairs, I found that with proper posture habits, all chairs offered similar levels of neutral posture support. This suggests that personal posture habits play a significant role in achieving proper alignment, regardless of chair choice.
Consider these points when comparing chairs:
- Neutral Posture Support: All chairs (with adjustable lumbar + arms + recline) provide a similarly high quality of comfortable back support.
- Sync-Tilting: High-end chairs offer elaborate sync-tilting functions, but the Titan’s manual multifunction tilt provides a similar experience. For me, frequent standing breaks and a standing desk proved more effective in preventing slouching.
- Warranty: High-end chairs offer longer warranties — with a higher cost.
The Titan Evo provides comparable back support to high-end office chairs. Additionally, it offers superior adjustability (height and depth lumbar support), a wider recline range, and full-back support for neck and back.
The Titan is also significantly cheaper than high-end chairs. In fact, a Titan and a Magnus Pro desk cost roughly the same as a Herman Miller Aeron chair.
Final Verdict: For users with good posture habits, the Titan Evo offers similar support to high-end office chairs with added versatility and at a much lower price point. The substantial price difference makes the Titan a compelling option for those seeking value and comparable ergonomic benefits.
Is Secretlab a reliable company?
Secretlab launched as a company in 2014 with its first Titan chair. That flagship went through three iterations before being released as the Titan Evo in 2021.
During COVID lockdowns, the company broke its own sales records. In FYE 2024, Secretlab’s revenue grew 9% to USD $283 million.
To put its standing in perspective, here’s how its 2024 earnings compare to the world’s top office furniture companies:
| 2024 Earnings (USD billions) |
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Wild Card: HNI + Steelcase $5.6 Billion combined
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Verdict: With over a decade in business, Secretlab has consistently demonstrated the reliability of its robust warranties and aftercare services.
Furthermore, aside from a brief sales dip following the COVID-19 boom, the company has maintained steady year-over-year growth. These strong indicators confirm Secretlab as a legitimate office furniture provider worth considering for both personal and corporate budgets.
Verdict: most versatile posture support
The point of an ergonomic chair is to support dynamic neutral postures. The Titan provides biomechanically-precise neutral postures on part with the world’s best ergonomic office chairs.
Even so, sitting in any fixed position for too long – even a perfectly neutral one – overworks muscles and causes fatigue.
What sets it apart?
- Price-defying performance: Compared to high-end office chairs, the Titan Evo delivers comparable back support at a fraction of the cost.
- Beyond basic support: The Titan Evo boasts a deeper recline range, superior lumbar support adjustability, and a flexible seat that encourages dynamic movement.
- Dynamic comfort, not forced posture: The Titan Evo empowers you to choose perfect posture, not endure it. It encourages micro-adjustments while sitting, satisfying the need for both neutral support and dynamic movement.
- Versatility: A massive 85-165° recline range supports desk work, reading, watching movies, mobile computing, and even napping.
- More bang for your buck: This chair delivers everything a high-end option does – plus more – for under $700. Durability, performance, and versatility make it a thrifty throne for health-conscious warriors.
Final verdict: Like many top chairs, the Titan Evo chair supports perfect neutral postures. However, it stands out as one of the few models offering complete back support — from hips to neck. It also uniquely provides the most opportunities for movement. Given its superior features and price point, it easily ranks as one of the best ergonomic desk chair options of 2025.
Titan Evo chairs on Amazon: Leatherette $669.00 | Softweave Fabric $689.00
Titan Evo (M) from Secretlab $549-$664
Also available in small ($549-$674) and XL sizes ($599-$694) in the Secretlab Store.
