Boulies Master Rex Office Chair – Review
By Ellie Victor
Homeworking has many advantages. The commute involves fewer cancelled trains, lunch costs considerably less and nobody raises an eyebrow when slippers become part of the office dress code. But working from home also means taking responsibility for the equipment.
The makeshift kitchen-table arrangement might have sufficed during the early days, but the modern home office deserves better. The sit-stand desk is in position. The monitor is crystal clear. A desk fan tackles the unexpectedly warm days Britain now receives each year, while the desk tidy bravely prevents stationery from forming its own breakaway republic.
Yet one essential component is frequently overlooked: the chair.
A poor office chair can turn an otherwise sophisticated workspace into an expensive back-pain delivery system. Long periods spent sitting can place considerable strain on the lower back, shoulders and neck, particularly when the seat offers inadequate support or encourages the occupant to fold gradually into the shape of a question mark.
The Boulies Master Rex arrives as a serious proposed solution. It sits somewhere between an ergonomic office chair and a luxurious gaming throne, although its appearance is restrained enough to avoid making the spare bedroom resemble an esports arena.
First Impressions
In Charcoal Grey, the Master Rex is an exceptionally handsome chair. Its water-repellent fabric has a smart, tactile finish, while the neat black stripe provides just enough contrast to sharpen the design. It looks substantial without becoming visually cumbersome, balancing executive polish with a faint air of command-centre grandeur.
This is a chair with tasteful presence.
Construction proved refreshingly straightforward. Office chairs can arrive as intimidating boxes of metalwork, bolts and diagrams apparently translated from an ancient mechanical dialect. Here, however, the components were clearly organised, the instructions were easily followed and the chair came together without unnecessary head-scratching. I mean, I’ve had happier half hours – but it was never the ordeal I’d feared at first unboxing.
The finished product feels reassuringly solid. Its steel frame, aluminium base and generous padding produce a chair that appears built for the rigours of daily office use.
Sitting Comfortably
The Master Rex offers extensive adjustment. Its built-in lumbar support can be altered for both height and depth, allowing the lower-back support to meet the sitter rather than expecting the sitter to contort around the chair.
The 4D armrests can also be repositioned to suit different desks, working postures and arm lengths. Meanwhile, the backrest reclines as far as 165 degrees, with a 15-degree rocking function and the option to lock the chair in a tilted position.
Then there is the retractable padded leg rest. It slides easily from beneath the seat and actually transforms the Master Rex from office furniture into something approaching a compact recliner. It may not be required while answering emails, but it becomes considerably more attractive during a late-afternoon coffee break or a suspiciously prolonged “thinking session”.
The broad seat and rounded cushion edges provide plenty of room without creating hard pressure points around the thighs. Everything feels firm and supportive rather than immediately squashy, which should prove more useful during a full working day than a chair that feels wonderful for ten minutes before surrendering completely.
What Boulies Say
“With its adjustable features and a sleek, modern aesthetic, Boulies Master Rex chair offers unparalleled sitting comfort and better body support.”
The company adds that its integrated leg rest enables “pressure-free reclining”, while the ergonomic support is intended to improve posture and productivity. Boulies also promotes the chair’s vertically adjustable lumbar support, broad rounded seat cushion and 95° to 165° reclining range.
Verdict
At £409.99, the Boulies Master Rex is a significant home-office investment. But it is also the item upon which every other piece of homeworking equipment ultimately depends.
A fine monitor cannot prevent aching shoulders. A sit-stand desk is less useful when its companion chair provides the structural support of a deckchair. Even the finest desk tidy can do little once its owner has seized up somewhere around the lumbar region.
The Master Rex is attractive, highly adjustable, sturdily constructed and comfortable enough to make extended desk sessions feel far less punishing. The integrated leg rest adds an indulgent flourish, but the chair’s real strength lies in the fundamentals: support, adaptability and build quality.
The monitor may attract more attention and the sit-stand desk may contain more motors, but the Boulies Master Rex might ultimately be the ultimate homeworking piece of kit.
If you’ve got the budget, it comes highly recommended.
Product Name: Boulies Master Rex Ergonomic Office & Gaming Chair
Maximum weight capacity: 135kg
Price: £409.99
Colour / Upholstery: Charcoal Grey water-repellent fabric
Key Features: Built-in adjustable lumbar support with height and depth adjustment, integrated retractable padded leg rest, 165° recline, 15° rocking and tilt-position lock, and 4D adjustable armrests
Warranty: Two-year warranty, with the option to purchase a one-year extended warranty
Website / Where to Buy: boulies.co.uk/products/master-rex
Ellie has spent over three decades dissecting riffs, rhythms, and rockstar egos, all in pursuit of the perfect review. Her music writing journey began at 12 with a glowing 10/10 diary entry for Echo and the Bunnymen, and she’s been chasing that high ever since. Armed with encyclopaedic knowledge and a soft spot for the sonically daring, Ellie will review anything that’s put in front of her – as long as it’s on vinyl.
