Secretlab SKINS SoftWeave
design
Secretlab SKINS ship in two pieces, one for the backrest and one for the seat base, each in its own protective bag within a typically well-presented box. The vibes are just as premium as any other Secretlab product. There’s a pretty clear instruction card with QR codes linking to video guides, though honestly the process is intuitive enough that you probably won’t need them.
Installation only took me a couple of minutes each and is easy enough to do solo. The backrest sleeve slides over the top, feeds through the gap between the back and seat, and zips up at the bottom. The seat base pulls over the front, clips underneath, and uses plastic tabs that snap into the rear surround. Done. I was pleasantly surprised, if I’m honest, having expected at least some degree of faff.
The fit is certainly impressive. Secretlab say it’s precision-mapped and the SKINS really do contour to the Titan Evo’s shape with minimal bunching or slack. From the front, you’d be hard-pressed to spot that it’s a cover at all. The SoftWeave material feels identical to a factory-fitted SoftWeave chair, soft and textured and breathable, and the stitching and embroidery match Secretlab’s usual standards.
That said, a few areas give the game away if you know where to look. I slipped a Frost Blue skin over my Pure White NanoGen chair, something I’ll admit is pretty sacrilegious given it’s Secretlab’s most premium material I was covering up. The cutouts around the lumbar adjustment knobs are slightly oversized (intentionally, Secretlab says, for easier access), and there are small gaps visible around the zips at the back. These exposed sections of stark white are pretty obvious against the blue fabric if you know what’s going on, but would a casual observer notice? Probably not. I also found lining up the wings a little fiddly and they never quite sat perfectly flush compared to the original. It was close enough that it’s not distracting but it’s not the seamless precision fit that the rest of the SKIN achieves.
The material itself is the star here, though. If you’ve used a SoftWeave Titan Evo, you know exactly what to expect. It’s the same pleasantly textured fabric that breathes well in warmer weather and doesn’t stick to bare skin like leatherette can. Secretlab says this is an adapted version of their SoftWeave Plus fabric, and having sat on both extensively, I’d struggle to tell the difference.
performance
It looks flat, but the first thing I noticed when sitting down on my now SKINS-covered chair was a slight trampoline effect across the backrest, the fabric pulling taut with a little give when you lean back. It’s not unpleasant, just different, and it creates a subtle layer of cushiony resistance that wasn’t there on the bare NanoGen. After a couple of hours I’d stopped noticing it entirely, and across two weeks of daily use it hasn’t registered in my mind again.
The magnetic headrest is where things do get a bit more compromised. With an additional layer of thick fabric between the magnets and the backrest, the hold is noticeably weaker. It still works, the pillow stays put during normal use, but it’s far more prone to being knocked off and I was guilty of this a couple of times during testing. Catch it with your shoulder while reaching for something, and it’ll tumble. On the bare chair, the magnetic grip is firm enough that you can be fairly cavalier about it. With the SKIN installed, you’ll want to be a touch more careful. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but it’s the most obvious compromise I encountered.
While there’s something to be said for being able to completely change the look of your chair, it’s the protection angle that makes the more compelling case for SKINS, to my mind anyway. Leatherette chairs, even premium ones, can crack and wear over time and while fabric chairs fare better in some ways, they’re much harder to clean when accidents happen. A machine-washable cover that absorbs the daily punishment while keeping your actual upholstery pristine underneath is, in theory, a sensible proposition. I haven’t put that claim to the test (I wasn’t willing to start making deliberate coffee spills in the name of journalism, sorry), but the ability to whip off a SKIN and throw it in the wash does address one of the bigger concerns about fabric gaming chairs.
It’s not available in all markets, with the UK being a noticeable absentee, but it’s worth noting that Secretlab also offers SKINS Lite, a more affordable alternative at roughly half the price. These aren’t quite the same concept, focusing more on rebranding your chair than revitalising it. SKINS Lite use a thinner, stretchier printed material rather than woven SoftWeave, but come in a range of licensed designs as a result. If you’re keen to clad your chair in something inspired by the likes of Dragon Ball Z, World of Warcraft, Cyberpunk 2077, or One Piece, the Lite range might be the smarter buy for most people.
summed up
In truth, Secretlab SKINS are a bit of an interesting proposition because the product itself is excellent. Installation is quick and painless, the fit is impressively precise despite a few exposed areas, and the material quality matches what you’d expect from a factory SoftWeave chair. But it’s tricky to know quite who they’re best suited for and why.
As a vanity purchase, simply a way to switch up your aesthetic when you fancy a change, £169 feels steep for what amounts to a very nicely made chair cover. It’s certainly nicely made, but you’d need to really value that flexibility to make it add up. It’s less glamorous, but for me where SKINS make far more sense is as a rescue product. If your leatherette has started cracking, if your fabric has taken a stain that won’t shift, if your chair is fundamentally sound but looking rough around the edges, a SKIN offers a way to restore it to showroom condition without buying a whole new £500+ chair. In that context, £169 is a bit of a bargain. It’s also a route into SoftWeave territory for leatherette owners who’ve developed fabric envy, converting the feel of your chair without replacing it entirely.
If you’re rescuing a worn Titan Evo or converting from leatherette to fabric, SKINS are a smart investment. If you just fancy a change of scenery, the SKINS Lite range is probably the more sensible shout if you can get one.
