Blacklyte Athena Pro review: a worthy competitor to Secretlab?
Reviewed By: Aaron Ritchie
Table of Contents
The Blacklyte Athena Pro gaming chair cuts a very similar to profile to those who know a thing or two about the market. Blacklyte are a relatively new brand on the block, with the Canadian company being founded in 2021, and with their latest designs (including a height adjustable table) they’re clearly trying to take aim at Secretlab in particular. The Athena Pro is an attempt to take on the Secretlab TITAN Evo, but at a more affordable price point; does it match the quality of that chair though? Let’s find out.
- Max recommended user height: < 190cm/6'2”
- Max recommended load: < 150kg/330lbs
- Seat width: 59.5cm / 23.4”
- Base width: 71cm / 28”
- Reclining angle: 90-168°
- Lumbar support: 4-way, built-in adjustment
- Armrests: 4D detachable magnetic armrest
- Adjustable seat height: 47.5-53.5cm (6cm range) / 18.7-21.1”
- Adjustable full height: 125-131.5cm (6.5cm range) / 49.2-51.8”
- Weight: 29.5kg / 65.1lbs
Overall this chair is a great option for those looking for a comfortable office/gaming throne that’s slightly more affordable than better known brands. It is very comfortable if you like a softer chair, has great overall adjustability, and superb adjustable lumbar support in particular. It’s not quite up to the competition when it comes to build quality, and the material is annoyingly prone to marking, however if you can look past this, it’s a very worthy choice.
- Comfy
- Great lumbar support
- Good overall adjustability
- Quiet, PU caster wheels
- Cheaper than the competition
- Material prone to marks
- Build quality & aesthetics not quite there compared to competing brands
Pricing & Availability
If you purchase directly from their online store, the Blacklyte Athena Pro can be bought at reduced price of £359 instead of the standard asking price of £429. This compares favourably to the Titan Evo, which sells for £469 at its reduced direct price (from $539).
Assembly
Assembling the chair was pretty straightforward, and typical of setups from competing products on the market. You get a pair of white gloves included in the box that you can use for the construction process, as well as a blister pack containing all the screws you need, plus an Alan key – no additional tools are required.
When inserting the casters into the wheel base, we recommend using a push (with a fair bit of pressure) and twist method until they snap into place. We found that the gas cylinder did stick a bit before we got the height adjustment working properly, which required a bit of pushing up and down to resolve.
Although the majority of the construction can be done by a single person, when it comes to screwing in the backrest you will probably find it difficult to do without a second person to hold the threads of the guiderails together with those on the backrest as you screw it in. This is also the case with Secretlab chairs so isn't something we'd mark the Athena Pro down for, however it would be nice if all chair brands could improve this design as not everyone has the luxury of being able to get a helper.
It took us about 30mins to put the full thing together but we were stopping to photograph and video the process. If you're a seasoned chair builder, you could probably manage it in around 10mins. We recommend using the included instruction booklet alongside the official construction video guide.
Materials, Build Quality & Aesthetics
The Athena Pro feels solid when constructed but the overall build quality falls a bit short of the Secretlab models and similar products from noblechairs and the like. Details like the adjustment knobs and logo stamping look a bit cheaper and the joins and mechanical sections feel slightly less robust, though not by a great deal. That being said the vertical strip down the back does looks quite nice though in our opinion.
We think that the caster wheels are actually better than those on the Secretlab, in both construction and appearance, not that you'll likely spend a lot of time looking at these. Made of a transparent PU (Polyurethane) material, they look similar to those you'd find on roller skates, and are both a bit quieter when rolling around and also less damaging to a floor than the hard plastic you'd find from other brands.
In terms of more negative aspects of the construction, we had a brief issue getting the gas cylinder to loosen as mentioned to get the height adjustment operating. The main issue of note though is that the faux-leather material the chair is made of is prone to staining. There were some oily stains on the seat on ours when we unboxed it that we had trouble getting rid of, even with an alcohol wipe. Most annoyingly the armrests retained a powdery layer of dirt that we couldn't remove at all, which is probably my biggest gripe with the chair overall.
Ergonomics, Adjustability & Comfort
The best features of the Blacklyte Athena Pro are in the area that most counts for a chair: comfort. The Athena Pro is arguably more comfortable than the Titan and Omega if you're looking for a squashier feel to your chair, though obviously some people prefer a firmer feel. When fully reclined, it's great for a power nap! The seat width also feels quite wide and roomy for those with larger thighs and hips.
The chair has great lumbar support – beyond that which we've seen in a Secretlab chair up until now – and when set to the strong highest setting and moved up and down it feels like you're getting a bit of a massage.
Overall adjustability for the chair is good, from the chair itself to the 4D armrests. The recline action still engages with a rather sudden jolt as you'll find in other similar chairs, but after this point it moves smoothly, rising up nice and slowly when you release it again into the upright position (compared to the quick thwack up on the Secretlab Titan).
Blacklyte Athena Pro Chair
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