Cooler Master Caliber R3C and X2C Gaming Chair review — An incredibly comfortable duo, which will keep you cool during intense gaming sessions

The gaming chair market is, quite frankly, oversaturated at the moment. With so many competing options, nobody would judge you if you were to admit to being overwhelmed and confused about what chair would best suit your needs. It doesn’t help that many chairs feature similar designs and confusing naming conventions. Still, there are a few brands which manage to stand out in this crowded field, with Cooler Master being one of the most reliable – despite also being guilty of the trope of using perplexing chair names.

For this review I checked out the Cooler Master Caliber R3C and the Cooler Master Caliber X2C. (See what I mean about the names?) While both are extremely similar in design, the X2C does feature a slightly different tilt mechanism along with a wider range of comfort customizations, though ultimately, I wouldn’t blame someone for not immediately grasping the differences between the two chairs as they are nearly identical in most other aspects. Both chairs biggest selling points are their COOL-IN technology said to keep the chair 1 to 2 degrees cooler than other similar chairs, along with being cat-scratch proof, which is one of the main qualities I look for in a chair lately.

 

Ultimately though, what matters most when it comes to choosing a chair is comfort, and that is where Cooler Master leaves much of their competition in the dust. What I like best about this line of Cooler Master chairs is that they aren’t attempting to compete with the ultra-flashy chairs on the market and are instead focusing solely on the sitting experience. Sure, the bells and whistles included in some chairs may make for great show pieces when friends visit, but comfort is what really matters when you’re in the middle of an intense, multi-hour gaming session.

As previously mentioned, the main selling points of both the Caliber R3C and Caliber X2C are the COOL-IN fabric technology which is also allegedly cat scratch proof. This COOL-IN fabric, made from formaldehyde-free materials, claims to keep the chair between 1-2 degrees lower than a regular chair by allowing heat from the user or environment to be absorbed and then dissipated throughout the chair, rather than reflected back into the environment, thereby reducing the heat buildup in any particular section of the chair. I can’t say I have any real method of establishing whether or not this claim is true, as I don’t normally monitor the temperature of my gaming chairs, but I will say that the chair does feel noticeably cool when you first sit down and remained feeling that way even when I sat for prolonged periods of time. Whether this was due to my house’s overall temperature or the fabric itself remains to be seen, but I am of the mind to believe that the chair is doing what it claims from the time I’ve spent with it.

I’ll be honest, this COOL-IN fabric being cat scratch proof is what really caught my eye when deciding to check out these chairs. I have four cats, and I have fallen victim to more than one chair being destroyed almost immediately after bringing it home, which long ago led me to only purchase mesh chairs. I’m happy to announce that so far none of my cats have caused any damage to either of these chairs, despite their interest in climbing on both. I do want to warn prospective buyers that only the front of the chair is technically cat scratch proof, while the back is not. On the front of the chair, the COOL-IN fabric resembles mesh in how it reacts to cat’s claws, and I do believe that aside from the most aggressive cats attacking it, it should survive any day-to-day interactions with your pets.

The back is a different story, and while my cats have yet to harm it, I don’t think it would take much to destroy. If the only reason you are looking at these chairs is due to their ability to survive cat attacks, then I’d recommend passing, but if you are OK with most of the chair’s fabric surviving a cat attack while the back may or may not end up resembling Swiss cheese, then these chairs should suffice.

Assembling both chairs was incredibly easy, taking no more than five or ten minutes each. The instructions are well drawn out, and the parts are easy to work with. These chairs can easily be built by one person on their own, though I always recommend having a second as it can get quite heavy towards the end when assembling the seat and back to the base. The only real differences I noticed between the X2C and the R3C during assembly is the tilting mechanisms are different, with the X2C offering a bit more freedom to rock the chair and two handles for adjustments, while both have slightly different wheel designs, and the X2C has an aluminum base while the R3C has a metal base. 

The overall design of both chairs is extremely similar, featuring molded foam seat bases and memory foam lumbar and head supports, which are immediately evident by the pleasing feeling of sinking into the included back pillow or head pillow, and how well both mold around you whether you are sitting up and gaming or reclining and relaxing. Speaking of reclining, both the X2C and the R3C have impressive leans to them, easily shifting from 90 to 180 degrees without ever feeling like you are in danger of tipping the chair over. This, coupled with the extreme comfort of both chairs, means that I refuse to take either to my day job as I’d be in severe danger of falling asleep during work.

Here are a few additional specs for each chair:

Cooler Master Caliber R3C: 27.6” base diameter, 22.8” seat width, 2.4” caster, 32.3” backrest height, 4.1” seat thickness, 49.4” – 52.6” total height range, 18.9” – 22.0” floor to seat top, steel frame, class 4 gas lift, maximum weight load of 330 lbs., 22.8” backrest width, 28.0” armrest to armrest, 15.0” sitting area, steel legs, 2D arm rests, 11.2” – 14.4” armrest adjustability.

Cooler Master Caliber X2C: 51.2” – 54.3” total height range, 33.9” backrest height, 22.8” backrest width, 28.3” armrest to armrest, 21.3” seat width, 21.3” sitting area, 27.6” diameter of base, 4.5” seat thickness, 11.8” – 14.6” armrest adjustability, 19.7 – 22.8” floor to seat top, 3.1” height adjustability, 0.6” armrest width adjustability, 4D armrests with lift/sway/swivel/forward, steel frame, aluminum base, 3.0” caster, class 4 gas lift, maximum weight load of 330 lbs.

Out of the two, the X2C is the more feature heavy, though visually you’d be hard pressed to distinguish any differences between the two. The differences are minor, as noted above, with the main changes relating to the total height range and backrest height, along with a few other small and barely noticeable tweaks in height ranges. I’d be lying if I said that when sitting I could feel any difference between the two. That said, both the X2C and the R3C are well made, extremely comfortable chairs which I would highly recommend to anybody who sits for multiple hours a day. 

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