Our Verdict
80%
Great styling, robust build quality and decent fabric define this slimline gaming chair, although there are a few compromises.
We’ve previously been impressed with the output of noblechairs, with its gaming chairs earning points for smart styling, build quality, and features, although there’s often a high price attached as well. The noblechairs Icon, though, is a slightly more compact model than the company’s usual chairs, and the new TX fabric option we’re reviewing here brings the price right down to £349 in the UK, although it demands a heftier price of $499 in the US.
The TX fabric might be cheaper than the high-tech faux leather used on the noblechairs Hero Black Edition, or the real leather option, but in many ways, it’s a better choice. It’s soft and warm to the touch, and it looks superb in this anthracite grey color, which is currently the only option. The fabric noblechairs uses for this option also offers more support than leather, as its higher friction means you don’t slide down the chair.
At Custom PC, we’ve been reviewing the latest PC hardware since 2003, and we’ve been testing chairs for over a decade. For more information on our gaming chair test process, see our How we test page.
The downside is the material’s greater vulnerability to grot. You can use a carpet cleaner to keep it fresh, but it’s a far cry from the wipe-clean ease of use of leather variants. Also, the slightly fluffed finish to the fabric leaves a very obvious bum print when you get up.
The shape of this Icon chair is much more akin to a standard office chair than the bucket seat style used by most gaming chairs. Combine this shape with the simple grey fabric, unobtrusive stitched logo, and all-black arms, legs, and wheels, and this chair is among the best options for doubling as a smart home office chair and chic-looking gaming throne.
The shape also helps with comfort, as the lack of shoulder wings means you don’t feel at all hemmed in and hunched over. It also accommodates different sizes of sitters better than some chairs – our three testers of heights between 5ft 2-inch and 6ft 2-inch all found it worked for them.
However, the seat cushion isn’t the most comfortable. It’s a touch firm, and the front edge rises up slightly, so it can dig into the underside of your legs. This is a common problem with gaming chairs – and the Icon TX far from the worst – but the AKRacing chairs we’ve reviewed suffer less from this issue.
This chair doesn’t include the built-in adjustable lumbar support of the noblechairs Hero either, but instead comes with a lumbar cushion. As with many such cushions, we found it too large and firm to be comfortable, preferring the chair without it, and the same goes for the headrest cushion.
There are plenty of adjustment options, though, with handles on the right side for height adjustment and reclining the back of the chair, and on the left for locking and unlocking the tilt system. The latter is easy to use and locks in any position, but its balancing isn’t quite right. We couldn’t get the chair to just tilt back by leaning back, instead needing to prop up our feet – the heavier-backed Hero tilts back more easily (depending on the sitter’s weight).
Meanwhile, the armrests slide forward and back, in and out, and up and down, but don’t rotate. Their padding is a very stiff foam plastic that’s hard-wearing but not all that cushioning. One other slight disappointment is the castors, which don’t roll all that freely. Finally, assembly is fairly easy, but the included right-angled Allen key/screw tool is a bit fiddly to use compared with a T-shaped tool.
noblechairs Icon TX pros and cons
Pros
- Smart design
- Solid build quality
- Decent overall comfort
- TX fabric feels great
Cons
- Tilt system isn’t balanced
- Pointless neck and lumbar pillows
- Raised front edge of seat
- Poor castors
noblechairs Icon TX price
The price of the noblechairs Icon TX offers great value in the UK at £349, but its US price of $499 is harder to justify.
Price: $499 (£349).
noblechairs Icon TX review conclusion
The noblechairs Icon TX gets a lot right. It’s a great-looking, robustly made chair with a shape that will suit a variety of sitters. The TX fabric feels superb and the chair as a whole is reasonably comfortable too, although the tilt system could be better balanced. The fairly throwaway lumbar and headrest support cushions are disappointing when you’re spending this much money on a chair though.
If you’re looking for a more fully-featured gaming chair, have a read through our noblechairs Hero review. We also recommend having a read through our guide to creating a comfortable ergonomic office or gaming room, which includes help with finding the most comfortable gaming chair.