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Fractal Design Refine

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Central features

• Frame: Glass Fiber reinforced
• Seat: Mesh and cured foam
• Wheelbase: Aluminum
• Casters: hubless 65 mm with soft PU wheels

We have received Fractal Design Refine for testing in the dark Mesh version. However, it is also available in a fabric and an Alcantara version. The mesh and fabric versions are available in light and dark, while the Alcantara version is only available in the dark version.

A tour around Fractal Design Refine

Of course, like all chairs of this kind, the Fractal Design comes partially disassembled in a box. Fractal Design includes a giant Quick Start guide that takes you step by step through the assembly of the chair.

It is a process that is over quite quickly, and everything you need for the collection is included in the box. If you have assembled a gaming/office chair before, the process will be familiar.

It took me about 15 minutes to assemble the chair.

Although Fractal Design calls Refine a gaming chair, there are not many design similarities with the majority of gaming chairs on the market. There is no shadow of racing chair elements with Fractal Design Refine.

As I said, we have had a visit from the Mesh version. This means that the seat and backrest are made of a mesh material. It is of course a lot more breathable, but also not quite as soft as if it had been fabric.

In the end, it's a matter of personal preference. I personally like the mesh look and enjoy the more breathable experience. The frame around the mesh material is made of a dark gray fabric, which also feels comfortable.

The wheel base of the chair is made of aluminum and feels sturdy and solid with a matte black finish. The wheels are made with soft PU material and glide really well on hard floors.

Fractal Design has shaken up the bag a bit in relation to the operation of the chair. Where virtually every chair I've tried has a selection of rockers and mechanisms under the chair to adjust height etc, Fractal Design has chosen a different solution.

There are three rocker handles here, which control the various setting options via wire pulls. I think it gives a cleaner and more rounded design that they are built in as part of the seat instead of sticking out at the bottom. At the same time, they are also easier to get to than having to go down under the seat.

The three options for adjustment are the seat height, seat depth and then a lock for the tilting function on the chair.

The Refine chair can be adjusted with a seat height of between 490 and 610 mm and is rated to carry up to 125 kilos.

The flip function is also a bit different, but not unique. Fractal Design calls it Synchro-Tilt and, in short, it means that the angle between seat and backrest is not locked. So when you lean back, the backrest reclines further than the seat tilts. It is done in a 2:1 ratio and should be a more natural and pleasant experience.

The degree of resistance in the tilting function can be adjusted by turning a knob under the seat. It is possible to tilt up to 45 degrees backwards.

There are armrests on the Fractal Design Refine, but they can easily be omitted if you prefer your chair without them. They can be adjusted both during installation and afterwards.

They are "4D armrests", which means they can be adjusted in height, forwards and backwards, to the sides and at an angle. All the functions, except for the forward and backward adjustment, are locks and require a button to be pressed before they can be adjusted.

Refine also comes with an adjustable lumbar support. It can be adjusted up and down and in and out, so there are good opportunities to find the optimal setting.

Finally, there is also a memory foam headrest. It can also be adjusted up and down or completely removed if you prefer. This is done by pressing the button at the top of the backrest. So no messing around with a neck support, which is just a pillow fastened with elastics.

The materials and build quality feel comfortable and complete all around the chair. Fractal Design also supports this with a 5-year warranty on the chair itself and 3 years on fabric and mesh materials.

The test

I've had the Fractal Design Refine as my primary work and gaming PC chair for about a month now and it's generally been a pleasant acquaintance.

I am really happy with the design of the chair, which is more classic than the majority of gaming chairs on the market. I have become quite tired of the "racer chair" style and even more tired of the often not particularly good ergonomics in these kinds of chairs.

So it's nice to see a manufacturer like Fractal Design break with that trend and come up with something different. Of course, it is not past Fractal Design has invented the deep plate, and it is more common now to see "Gaming Chairs" with this more classic Herman Miller inspired look.

However, the execution from Fractal Design is complete, and they have added small details, such as the different adjustment handles on the side of the chair.

In general, I would say that the sitting comfort in the chair is really good and with the various adjustment options it is easy to find a position that is comfortable, even for longer periods of time. Especially the Synchro-Tilt function is nice, as it works as Fractal Design describes it, and provides a more natural reclined sitting position, where your legs are not necessarily lifted up.

However, there are a few details that annoyed me about our test model.

Partly, the plastic materials in the backrest creak quite a lot when I lean back. I have not immediately been able to remedy the problem. At the same time, it also annoys me that the back and forth adjustment of the armrests is not locked with a button, like the others.

I often adjust my sitting position and pull a leg up from under me when I sit for a long time, or just raise myself slightly in the seat to adjust my sitting position. When I do that, I'm used to leaning on the armrests of my chair.

On the Fractal Design Refine, it usually results in the armrests being pushed all the way forward in one jerk, if I don't think about placing my hands just right. A minor detail perhaps, but at least one that annoyed me a bit.

However, the headrest on the Refine is pretty much the only headrest on a gaming/office chair that I've found to be both practical and comfortable. The shape of it means it matches my head placement pretty much perfectly. That, combined with the comfortable memory foam and the adjustment options, gives that feature top marks for me.

Price

At the time of writing, I can find Fractal Design Refine in the dark mesh version that we have visited, with an online price of just under 550$.

It's certainly not a cheap price for a chair in this segment, but it's also nowhere near the most expensive. It is, however, a rather high price when you compare, for example, with the latest chair of the same type that I have tested. The ThunderX3 XTC, which comes with a very similar design and a matching feature list, can be found for example for around 420$.

Conclusion

Personally, as an older and perhaps a bit grumpy gamer, I am happy that there is a brand like Fractal Design that has chosen a more mature design style for their products.

Their Refine chair fits well both with the gaming PC, but also nicely in a tidy and stylish office.

Overall, I think that Fractal Design has made a nice looking chair with sensible materials and a solid feature list.

However, there is a little sliver in the joy after my weeks with Fractal Design Refine. In part, I think the price is high when I compare it with, for example, ThunderX3 XTC, which I have also tested. There is a difference of 100-150$ and it is certainly not insignificant.

If there was a big leap in quality and features that could justify the higher price, that's fine, but I don't think there is in this case.

The design, style and headrest of the Refine are better, but that's where it stops. The Refine chair, at least the one I've visited, creaks quite a bit, which just makes things feel cheaper than the price tag justifies. Here, of course, it must be noted that it may be a problem with the specific chair I visited.

All things considered, it's hard to be quite as happy with Fractal Design Refine as I'd like to be.

We end up with a final score of 8, for a beautiful chair with good features, but also with some slight negatives to add.

Advantages:

• Beautiful design
• Good features
• Great head support
• Good new take on the adjustment levers

Disadvantages:

• The price is high compared to similar competitors
• The chair creaks a lot