Corsair TC100 RELAXED Gaming Chair Fabric Review UK (2026) - Comfort, Ergonomics & Value

Most gaming chairs are selling you a fantasy. Red stitching, bolsters that squeeze your hips like a vice, and a bucket seat so aggressively shaped it'd be more at home in a track-day Civic than a home office. Your lower back, after four hours in one of those things, will let you know exactly what it thinks. The Corsair TC100 RELAXED takes a different approach: wider seat, softer bolstering, fabric upholstery, and a name that tells you exactly what it's going for. Whether it actually delivers on that promise is what we're here to figure out.

Corsair is best known for RAM, keyboards, and peripherals, but they've been making chairs long enough to understand what their audience actually needs. The TC100 RELAXED sits in their Relaxed Series family, which is designed around the idea that not everyone wants to feel like they're strapped into a Formula 1 car. It's a mid-range chair sitting at £149.99, with a ★★★★☆ (4.1) rating from 444 owners. That's a decent sample size, and a score that suggests mostly happy customers without the suspiciously perfect reviews you sometimes see on newer listings.

So who is this for? Broadly: anyone who spends serious time at a desk and has given up on the idea that looking like a racing driver is worth sacrificing their spine for. If you're broader in the hips, tend to run warm, or have found that most gaming chairs leave you with a sore back by mid-afternoon, this chair is at least asking the right questions. Whether the answers are good enough, read on.

The seat height adjustment runs on a Class 4 gas lift, which is the standard you want at this price. Class 3 lifts, common on cheaper chairs, are less reliable over time and carry lower weight ratings. The steel construction here is a good sign. You get 100mm of height adjustment range, which is enough to accommodate a reasonable spread of user heights, though we'll get into the specifics of who fits best in the size section. The frame itself is steel, which is the right call for longevity.

Upholstery is fabric rather than PU leather or mesh, which is a deliberate choice and one that has real implications for comfort and breathability. The lumbar pillow is high-density foam and adjustable in position, and the neck pillow is memory foam and detachable. Both are included in the box. Armrests are adjustable. Here's the full spec rundown:

The neck pillow is memory foam, which is a step up from the standard foam you get on many chairs at this price. Memory foam responds to the shape of your head and neck rather than just pushing back uniformly, which reduces pressure points during long sessions. It's also detachable, which is worth mentioning because not everyone wants a neck pillow at all. If you're taller and your head naturally rests above the pillow's position, being able to remove it without it getting in the way is a genuine quality-of-life feature. Owner reviews broadly confirm the neck pillow is comfortable, though a handful of taller users note that positioning it correctly takes some fiddling.

The relaxed bolstering on the seat and backrest is arguably the most important ergonomic decision Corsair made with this chair. Traditional racing-style bolsters are great if you're a specific body shape, but for anyone wider in the hips or thighs, they create pressure points that build into real discomfort over time. A 375mm seat width with relaxed bolstering means the chair isn't fighting your body shape; it's accommodating it. That's a more sensible approach to all-day sitting than trying to look like you're on a podium. The full-body support framing of the backrest, combined with the adjustable lumbar, gives you a reasonable chance of finding a position that works for your spine rather than against it.

The 100mm of height adjustment via the gas lift means you can set the seat at a range of heights to suit your legs. For the chair to work ergonomically, you want your feet flat on the floor and your knees at roughly a 90-degree angle. Whether the TC100's adjustment range covers your specific height depends on your leg length, but 100mm of travel is a reasonable spread for most adults of average to above-average height. Shorter users may find even the lowest setting still leaves their feet dangling slightly, which is a common issue with gaming chairs generally rather than a specific failing of this one. A footrest is an easy fix if that's you.

The RELAXED Series is built around the idea of wider seating and plush contact points, so this chair will suit people who want a bit of room to shift around rather than being locked in one position. If you tend to sit cross-legged, lean to one side, or generally move around a lot during long sessions, the wider seat gives you the space to do that without feeling constrained. Corsair's own product page for the TC100 RELAXED positions it explicitly for users who want more room and more comfort than a standard racing-style chair offers, and the spec backs that positioning up.

Owner feedback on the armrests is broadly positive, with most users finding them functional and comfortable enough for long sessions. A few reviewers mention that the padding is adequate rather than exceptional, which is pretty typical at this price point. Armrest padding that's too soft compresses quickly; padding that's too firm creates pressure on the forearms. The TC100 sits in the middle, which is where you want it. No one in the owner reviews is flagging the armrests as a deal-breaker, which is a reasonable signal that they're doing their job.

One thing worth understanding about armrests on gaming chairs generally: they work best when you're using them as a place to rest your arms between active use of the keyboard and mouse, not as a permanent support while you're typing. If you're resting your wrists on the armrests while typing, you're probably causing more harm than good regardless of what chair you're in. Set them so your arms can drop naturally when you're not actively using peripherals, and you'll get the most out of them. The TC100's adjustability gives you the range to do that properly.

Owner reviews at 4.1 from 444 people suggest the comfort holds up reasonably well in real-world use. The pattern in the reviews is fairly consistent: people who found previous gaming chairs too narrow or too firm are generally happy with the TC100. The lumbar pillow gets positive mentions for actually working, which sounds like a low bar but isn't when you consider how many chairs ship with lumbar pillows that are either too firm, too soft, or positioned in completely the wrong place. High-density foam holds its shape better than cheaper alternatives, and that's what you want for something that's going to be pressed against your lower back for hours at a time.

Where some owner reviews flag issues is around the longer-term foam compression in the seat cushion, which is a common complaint across gaming chairs in this price bracket. Foam that feels great at month one can start to feel noticeably thinner by month six, depending on how much you use the chair and how much you weigh. This isn't unique to the TC100, but it's worth being aware of. If you're a heavier user or you're in the chair eight-plus hours a day, the seat foam will compress faster than it would for a lighter user doing shorter sessions. That's physics, not a product defect, but it's honest to flag it.

The trade-off with fabric is durability and cleanability. PU leather wipes down easily; fabric absorbs spills and can be harder to clean. It also tends to show wear differently, with fabric potentially pilling or fading over time in a way that PU leather doesn't. That said, PU leather has its own durability issues, specifically peeling and cracking after a year or two of heavy use, which is a very common complaint with cheaper gaming chairs. A fabric chair that pills slightly after two years is arguably in better shape than a PU leather chair that's shedding flakes of fake leather all over your clothes. So it depends on what kind of wear you'd rather deal with.

The grey and black colourway is sensible for a home office or gaming setup. It's not going to clash with much, and grey fabric tends to show dirt less obviously than black fabric does. The racing-inspired aesthetic is present but not overwhelming, which is probably the right call for a chair that's supposed to appeal to people who don't want something that looks like it belongs in an eSports arena. It looks like a decent chair, which is exactly what it is. Textile upholstery in gaming chairs has been growing in popularity precisely because users have figured out that breathability matters more than aesthetics when you're sitting for hours at a stretch.

Reclining properly matters for back health. Being able to open the angle between your torso and thighs slightly reduces the pressure on your lumbar discs compared to sitting bolt upright at 90 degrees. Neutral spine positioning research generally supports a slightly reclined posture for extended sitting, somewhere in the 100 to 110 degree range, as being less fatiguing than a rigid upright position. A chair that lets you find that position and stay there comfortably is doing something genuinely useful for your long-term back health, not just giving you an excuse to slouch.

Owner reviews don't flag the recline mechanism as a problem area, which is a reasonable indicator that it works as expected. The most common recline complaints on gaming chairs in this price range are either a mechanism that's too stiff to adjust easily, or one that's so loose it won't hold a position. Neither appears to be a consistent issue with the TC100 based on the review pattern. The RELAXED Series framing suggests Corsair has prioritised a comfortable lean over an aggressive full-flat recline, which makes sense for a chair positioned around everyday comfort rather than LAN party nap breaks.

The base material and wheel type aren't specified in the verified data, so we won't guess. What we can say is that at this price tier, most chairs use a nylon base with standard PU-coated wheels, and there's nothing in the owner reviews to suggest the TC100 is an exception in either direction. Wheel quality is worth paying attention to if you're on hard flooring, because hard plastic wheels can scratch and are noisier than soft PU-coated ones. If you're on carpet, it matters less. If you're on hardwood or laminate, it's worth checking whether the wheels that ship with the chair are floor-friendly.

Corsair's build quality reputation in the gaming peripheral space is generally solid. They're not a budget brand trying to punch above their weight; they're an established brand with a reputation to protect. The TC100 RELAXED's 4.1 rating from 474 doesn't suggest widespread build quality failures, and the absence of consistent complaints about creaking, wobbling, or structural issues in the owner reviews is a reasonable positive signal. Chairs that have frame or mechanism problems tend to generate a very specific and vocal pattern of complaints. That pattern isn't present here.

Assembly time for most gaming chairs in this category runs to roughly thirty to sixty minutes for someone doing it for the first time, and the TC100 is in that range based on owner accounts. The instructions are reported as adequate, which in gaming chair terms means they're illustrated rather than text-heavy and cover the key steps without being actively misleading. A Phillips screwdriver is the main tool you'll need; most chairs include an Allen key for any hex bolts. The packaging is typically well-padded to protect the components in transit, and the TC100 doesn't appear to have a pattern of DOA or transit-damage complaints in the reviews.

One practical tip: when you attach the gas lift to the base and then lower the seat onto it, make sure the lift is properly seated before you put your full weight on it. It should click or drop firmly into position. This is true of any gas-lift chair and isn't specific to the TC100, but it's the step where people occasionally panic because the seat feels wobbly before the lift is properly engaged. Once everything is tightened and the lift is seated correctly, the wobble disappears. If it doesn't, check the bolts at the seat-back junction first; that's the most common source of post-assembly wobble on gaming chairs generally.

The Secretlab Titan Evo is probably the most direct competitor. It's well-regarded, offers an integrated lumbar adjustment (a dial rather than a pillow), and comes in a range of sizes. The integrated lumbar is arguably more elegant than a pillow system, but it's also less flexible; you can adjust the firmness but not the vertical position. The TC100's pillow-based lumbar can be moved up or down the backrest to hit exactly the right spot for your spine, which some users will prefer. The Titan Evo is also a more traditional racing-style shape with more aggressive bolstering, which suits slimmer users but can feel restrictive for broader ones. The TC100's 375mm seat width gives it a clear advantage for anyone who finds the Titan Evo's seat too narrow.

The Noblechairs HERO is another solid option at a similar price. It offers a wider seat than many gaming chairs and has a reputation for good build quality, but its upholstery is primarily PU leather or a hybrid material rather than fabric, which means it runs warmer than the TC100 in sustained use. If breathability is a priority, the TC100's fabric wins that comparison outright. The HERO's lumbar support is also pillow-based, so that's a wash. Build quality on both is generally well-regarded, though the Noblechairs tends to feel slightly more premium in terms of materials.

Is it perfect? No. The lumbar pillow system, while flexible in positioning, requires more fiddling than an integrated lumbar mechanism. Longer-term foam compression in the seat is a potential issue for heavier users or those in the chair all day every day. And the exact recline angle range and armrest adjustability axes aren't specified, which means you're taking some things on trust. But at a mid-range price, with a 4.1 from 444 real owners, the TC100 RELAXED is a chair that's clearly making the right people happy.

If you've been burned by gaming chairs that looked great and felt rubbish after a month, or if you've found that the standard racing-seat shape just doesn't work for your body, this is one of the more sensible options in the mid-range bracket. It's not trying to be the flashiest chair in the room. It's trying to be the one you're still comfortable in at hour seven. Based on the evidence, it gets a lot closer to that goal than most of its competitors do.

Editorial score: 7.5 out of 10. Solid ergonomic thinking, good materials choice, and a wider fit that genuinely sets it apart. Held back slightly by the pillow-based lumbar (which works but requires adjustment) and the lack of detailed specs on recline range and armrest axes. For the target audience, a confident recommendation.