Joule Performance Raid Alcantara review: fuzzy, racecar feel, crumb magnet
Gaming chairs only differ in the details, such as the dimensions, seat or material. Sometimes they’re made of synthetic leather, sometimes real leather and, sometimes, thanks to years of loyal service, there’s hardly any leather left. And very rarely, there’s a gaming chair made of Alcantara.
Although most gaming chairs share the whole racing chair look, Joule Performance does stand out from the crowd with its Raid Alcantara model. Because it’s not just made of PU leather; as the name suggests, it’s also made of Alcantara – a faux leather with a velvety surface reminiscent of suede. The seat’s back rest is made of it. I’ve put it to a sitting test to uncover what else the black chair with flashy red decorative seams – depending on how the light falls – has to offer.
You can also get the Raid Alcantara model with blue decorative stitching.
The specs:
- Max. load capacity: 150 kg
- Materials: PU leather, Alcantara, metal, cold-cure foam, plastic
- Dimensions (length, width, height, weight):** 57 × 72 × 130 cm, 31 kg
- Seat (width, depth): 39 × 49 cm
- Back rest (width, height): 57 x 86
- Back rest angle: 150°
- Tilt function: stepless, can be locked
- Minimum seat height: 48 cm
- Maximum seat height: 57 cm
- Armrest pad size: 26.5 × 10 cm
- Armrest adjustability: 4D
- Cushions: neck and lumbar support
Assembly and material check
The chair manages to make me rage. Just a bit. I really wanted to build it myself, as I’ve always done. And it generally doesn’t take me more than 15 to 20 minutes from the moment I open the package until I’m comfortably sitting on my new chair. But I just don’t manage this with the Joule Performance chair. I can’t build it up by myself. The issue: when I try to screw the backrest to the seat, the holes of the backrest are not flush with the metal of the seat. They’re flush as soon as I apply some weight, pushing the two parts together. Problem solved? Nope, because now I don’t have a free hand.
Hence my rage while I wait for a kind person to lend a helping hand. As two people, assembly was easy as pie. My initial frustration quickly morphed into excitement. The chair looks good. I like black. Especially when the black is complemented by subtle red. I’m further reassured by the fact that I seem to be the only one with the assembly problem. There don’t seem to be any customer complaints about it yet. And the chair is selling well. To borrow some car terminology: I guess I ended up with a lemon. But hey, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Before I put the chair to the sitting and – thanks to the 150-degree back rest – lying test, I check out the material.
The casters on the Raid Alcantara are the standard in office chairs. But there are also gaming chairs with different wheels, for example by Corsair, that come with «Rollerblade style» caster wheels. These do make a difference; I notice I have to use a bit more leg strength to roll around on the Joule Performance Raid Alcantara. The Corsair is easier to get rolling. And it’s certainly better for office chair racing.
The base is made of metal and should last a lifetime. Of course, as with just about all chairs, the same can’t be said of the chair as a whole. Every cushion has a limited lifespan. I can’t say just how long it is, though, or if Alcantara lasts longer than leather or faux leather. If any leather connoisseur or fetishist among the readers knows the answer, do throw in your two cents in the comments below.
The «high quality Italian Alcantara», as advertised by Joule Performance, feels nice. As a side note, all Alcantara is equally «high quality» or «Italian». The same Italian company has held and continues to hold the only licence for Alcantara production worldwide since 1974. Alcantara, as I’ve mentioned, feels similar to suede. It’s like «fuzzy leather». The thing is, I can only feel it when running my fingers over the chair. Thanks to the clothes covering my butt, thighs and back, I can’t actually tell if I’m sitting on PU, faux leather, a different kind of leather or Alcantara.
The black PU leather outside the Alcantara areas, i.e. the polyurethane-coated leather, feels like nice faux leather. Not quite as leathery as the faux leather on the Noblechairs Hero chair, but still leathery enough to know what material it is.
The lumbar support and neck pillows are covered in the same leather. The neck pillow feels comfortable. It’s quite plump. I don’t usually use the pillows that come with gaming chairs. But this neck pillow quite special, and it’s the first to stay on my chair the entire time I test it. On the other hand, I find this chair to be comfortable enough without the lumbar support pillow.
Last part of the material check: the armrest. It doesn’t actually look any different from the gaming chairs I’m familiar with. And, like most armrests, it can be adjusted in four dimensions – up/down, left/right, forward/back or swivel. Of course – and unfortunately – it's made of plastic. Still, the 26.5 × 10 cm pad feels pleasantly rubberized.
The sitting test
I sink into the chair. Close my eyes. Simply «feel». Try out the pneumatic height adjustment. Travel downwards. I get up. Adjust the tilt function to the minimum using the rotating knob. I sink into the chair once more. Tune the back rest angle. Place the lumbar support pillow behind my back. Decide to remove the lumbar support pillow after all. Move the neck pillow to the right position. Ah, there we go. Perfect.
The Raid Alcantara’s back rest can be angled back 150 degrees. But if you want to lie with your upper body in a horizontal position, you can do so using the tilt mechanism, which can also be locked.
It’s comfortable to lie on. Sitting is also perfectly pleasant. It feels slightly softer than the Noblechairs Hero or the 2018 Corsair T1. With my height of 181 cm, the seat reaches the end of my thighs when I’m not using the lumbar support pillow. And wearing nothing but socks, my feet just reach the ground at the lowest seat height setting. Works for me.
What I find a bit odd is that there’s a built-in crumb magnet on either end of the seat. What’s more, these two grooves also act as great storage for your phone. Although my rather lanky build fits quite nicely onto the 39-centimetre chair, it probably wouldn’t be the worst idea to do away with the grooves and offer a larger seat instead.
After a good two weeks of test sitting, the chair still feels comfortable. I don’t have any back pain, though that’s not something I suffer from otherwise. But compared to other gaming chairs, I still prefer to sit in the Corsair T1. That's only because it's a narrower cut, though, so it fits my body better.
Conclusion: crumb magnet is unnecessary, Alcantara is pleasing, can recommend chair
There’s not much left to write. The title this section already says exactly what my verdict is.
The Joule Performance Raid Alcantara gaming chair is a comfortable throne for gaming. It performs well. I would just be careful not to chow down on too many croissants or other pastries while sitting on it. Or cheddar cheese popcorn. And if you’re under 180 centimetres in height, keep in mind that your feet might end up dangling in the air.
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Martin Jud
Senior Editor
martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.chI find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
