Thanks for the awesome review! Quick answers: 1. A full chair swivel lock for use with pedals is already in development and will probably be available as an add-in. 2. All new chair mounts with swivel adapters are now gen 2 and fully lockable in every position. Thanks Olsen
I found that i had to mount the swivel lock in the opposite side for it to lock my joysticks fully swiveled to the back but it works amazing! I am only using the star knob to hold it in place and then lock when needed.
I suggested this in the past, but if you folks can make a bass shaker mount for office/gaming chairs you would have a huge number of orders coming in from sim enthusiast and movie enthusiast who live in apartments (subwoofers are not allowed). The only actual product in the market right now is buttkicker gamer, but it already comes with the bass shaker attached which is on the lower end quality of even their own product family. Since you folks have decided to make your own chairs, then I suggest exploring the idea now before someone else jumps on it. The only reason, I have not done it myself is because I don't have the money to invest on a company to make it.
Maybe make a version without the swivel base. A base similar to the Playseat Airforce comes to mind. Something with rubber feet that's easy to set and forget. Just a suggestion.
Hi Olsen, will there be a version for rail mounting or at least sold separately from the lower assembly for those of us who want to integrate it into existing pits?
This video is a thousand times more useful than Nobbifier's... It's critical and gives a proper overview of the pros and cons. Keep it up!! You deserve way more subscribers than you have.
Thanks for another great review! One comment (not a criticism!). For US based simmers I don’t think any Monstertech review is complete without observing the price of shipping. I own a bunch of Monstertech gear and every time I buy something their shipping charge is a gut punch (my Monstertech table mount went from $150 to $200 with shipping). This chair actually costs $850 for US customers. These guys need to get on Amazon or devise some other method for distribution over here.
I hope they bring out a version of this (without the mount) that can be attached to seat runners for installing onto a sim rig frame. I need that centre cut out!
Fantastic another great in-depth review on the Monstertech Blackbird Flight Chair awesome to see it in use. Also looks like you've got the pre-production, newly announced VPC MongoosT-50CM3 Throttle with the adjustable detent system since you've got the Throttle dust cover covering over the Finger-Lift mechanism. You must have recorded this video prior to the Virpil announcement made last week. So we will be looking forward to the upcoming review on the VPC MongoosT-50CM3 Throttle soon. Hopefully your doing the finishing touches with a polished edit on that review video also.
Many Jesse Calder for a very informative video ,, I wasn't looking to buy a new chair ( just yet, lol ) , I was more interested in how things looked when fitting throttle and stick systems too chairs ( lol) .. Even so Your video brought me too thinknig about this chair as it looks perfect ,Comfortable ,and "pre" thought out for us Vir Pil's when fitting said controllers to chairs , plus the fact this chair can be in so many ways adjusted that I've never really noticed by other firms , has proven to me even though the price's are maybe more than other similar type of chair systems out there , this firm has definitely put thought into comfort and practicability of there products !!! Many thanks !!!
I just received mine today,i got the night falcon with the cordura fabric. I can tell you that i gave my Titan chair to my neighbour without second thought. It is lighter overall than the Titan,it has softer back rest which is super important for me and the cordura fabric seems to be more breathable than then pu leather. Nice chair overall but i just wished it was cheaper.
Great video. I am happy to hear the Monstertech is planning on making a Blackbird Sim Rig option. They pretty much have all the bases covered. Now all they need to do is spread their love to other countries other than the US and ship to other countries. They are top tier and other countries need top tier love.
Thanks Joe! I don’t know what country you’re trying to ship to but they are actually located in Germany and service Europe as well as the US. In fact I’m not sure there is anywhere they don’t ship to so I’d check with them if you’re interested in getting something from them.
@@jessecalder Thanks. I found out that Monstertech ships internationally from their German site, but the shipping is crazy high. I might have to wait and see if they start shipping to other places in North America from the US subsidiary. Either that or I might have to look at other options. The black MTX base alone ends up being $916 CAD after shipping. That is $721 USD. The prices are also higher on the German site. There is a price increase of about $44 USD on the black base.
Excellent review. If you need the center seat cutout for center sticks like an F-18 rig, or are using something like a floor pedestal Boeing yoke from PFC, etc. this seems like a good choice, but if your into side sticks like the F-16 or Aibrbus airliners .. for close to the same price you can get a big rig truck seat from Suburban seating and safety like the Bostrom T915 High Back Truck Seat in Gray Vinyl with Dual swing away Arms .. which is going to be infinitely more robust and comfortable, and has true tilt adjustment which important for both the F-16 and Airbus, etc. The Bostrom T915 seat narrows at the top like this review seat as well .. but not quite as much. It’s interesting just how much this review seat does narrow towards the top, I co-built a commercial flight simulation facility in Anaheim, Ca near Disneyland called Flight Deck Air Combat Center which houses six F-16 cockpits with Aces II replica seats, and actual F-111 Ardvark cockpit from a decommissioned plane, and a commercial level Boeing 737NG cockpit, none of the seats are anywhere near as narrow as this review seat, i personally think this review seat looks toooo narrow .. but I’d have to sit in one. I had a Precision Flight Controls seat with a center cutout I bought years ago for my 737 home cockpit project .. but I ended up throwing it away 10 years ago after burning out on building flight simulators for commercial use and thinking I would never take it up as a hobby again .. stupid me .. now I’m getting back into it as a hobby and need a seat again .. and am weighing what’s out there now, this review was very very helpful and I really appreciate it. Thanks 👍
I am so jelly of you for having the chair, I've gotten myself two Virpil Constellation Alpha's and they are amazing. I got the VPC mounts but I think I may try for the Monstertechs along with the chair somewhere next year! Great review and happy holidays to you and yours!
Just ran into your channel - impressed by the no BS review and your production quality is top notch...one omission I noted that you could add info on in your timing/links area is that your chair config is WAY more than just the chair. The chair is not that useful w/o the options you have on it. This starts to add up $$ wise fast. Be nice to know what the price can top out at if fully kitted out. Thanks!
Great vid. 9:40, how did you mount the button box behind the throttle? I don't see what I should buy on the monstertech website to enable that kind of setup. Thanks
Good to know that these seats are handmade it explains the high cost. I hope there will be a way to put this on the sim rig. If there is I haven't read anything about it yet.
Awesome video and review Brother. I appreciate your honest opinions when you review an item. I’m looking forward to see your review of the Virpil CM3 throttle. I placed an order for it but would love to see your take on its strengths/weaknesses. Great job.
I enjoy your reviews. I was eager to hear what you had to say about this chair since I have been considering getting a dedicated gaming / flight sim chair along with the desk mountings for the throttle and stick. I was somewhat disappointed there was no direct comparison of the pros and cons of chair mounted vs. desk mounted controls. One area I was particularly interested to hear about was the wiring / routing of the joystick & throttle cables from the chair to the computer. Do they run down to the floor and across to the computer? Do the chair wheels run over them? Can you damage the cables if you run over them? Can you get out of your chair without stressing the cables or having to step over them? I particularly liked the ergonomics of the chair for flight simming, and the lockable wheels for preventing pushback from the rudder pedals is a definite plus. A lockable rotation would be desirable, too (I noticed a comment that that feature is now available). The images of the chair certainly suggest a quality product. I just don't get a good 'feel' for which approach (desk or chair mounting) would be most efficient.
Great review, and video work. I'll be watching Monstertech and see how this evolves. BTW Recently received all my Virpil gear, decided based on your review. Incredible setup!
Great review - Gotta get this ! Im trying to figure out if there is a RACING Wheel possibility here ? I cant seem to find a way to attach to my current desk . . . Fanatec CSL DD. I suppose a wheel stand as a separate device. The options I have seen are basically that from Monster T. I would opt for desk attachment but havent seen that either for FFB Wheel.
love your reviews. in this one I feel like having a HOSAS segment for space sims is a missed opportunity, given you already have the gear for SC. looks to be a big advantage of this chair design for HOSAS given the extra elbow room.
What an awesome review. Great video! I've been debating on getting a Secretlab chair, but this seems better. I'm a bit worried that the PU leather will flake off eventually...hope it'd last 10 years to be honest.
Dude you should review the VKB Gladiator NXT stick. I think it would be a great option for people just looking to get into flight sim gear but aren't sure if they plan on sticking with it. I upgraded to a Virpil throttle but still use the Gladiator as the stick and am very happy with it.
Thanks for the awesome review! I have not seen anything that attaches in the center to handle Wheel or Yoke ... is that available do you know ? Gotta get this !
Missed this one sorry lads! Yes virpil button box 1 and throttle. Mounted to the chair with Monstertech chair mount hardware. I'd say its somewhat straight forward.
Hey Jesse, don’t know where you are in the world, but I understand that leather-like cover is a new material. How is the feel of it, and how about the breathability?
It's rated for 125Kg only though. Bit of a letdown considering, like you said yourself, we are expected to mount quite a lot of additional weight on it. I'd rather wait for the next revision. It's good to have another player in the chair game, desperately needed.
Great Video.. I would love to get into DCS, but not sure the overall cost is worth it. That being said, I would love to see how you use your set-up and how you use it for the F18 from start up through a mission. I have yet to see this time of video using a control system setup for DCS. Thanks.
Can the arm rest be easily removed and set back in? I tend to also use my pc for learning guitar which i need the armrests to be moved out of the way so I can have multi use for it.
An option to convert this to their MTX rig would be great. I want to get this chair, but also want to eventually get the MTX base and don't want the chair to go to waste.
Stellar! Would you say this chair would be comfortable for someone under 6’? Being able to adjust the seat back to support the back of the leg for someone that is shorter is something other chairs are sorely lacking.
Expensive is a slight understatement. They took a 400-500€ !Office! Chair replaced the seat and ask 200€ more. If you want to have all the mounts too, you are at €1,233.39, fucking insane price for an office chair with joystick mounts. What's the difference between this and other chairs? The seat and the fact that you can mount aluminium extrusions to it. Why not design a chair from the ground up that is built to handle all that extra weight/leverage instead of simply taking an office chair with a different seat/baseplate? Would you pay allmost 1300€ for this chair including mounts? I sure as hell wouldn't. For that price I would expect no flaws at all. Thanks for the in depth review again! :)
this is why im sticking to my obutto rev i paid $1300 with monitor mount and side trays. i cant justify buying anything else unless it costs me half the price. but if i didnt have it id prob go full monster tech setup but NOt this chair its silly for the price
I'm not worried about the value. I have a Herman Miller chair I bought 8 years ago for $900, it's solid. I'm worried - with this chair - about sweating. It's a thick chair. My Herman Miller is breathing, this is thick. I'd like a breathable version of this chair.
gaming chairs are the worse thing for ones body, creates bad posture but pushing the shoulders forward and improper lumbar support when offered, all very well hyped marketed. I have a great breathable netting chair with ideal lumbar support. this chair does look cool and love how it allows shoulders to sit back for proper posture, but not as breathable and your ass will sweat on hot days
I thought the Secret Lab Titan would be the last and most expensive office chair I'd consider buying... I really want one, but if I got it, I think that my wallet would animate and strangle me. Plus, the price doesn't even factor in the cost of the attachments. After adding the attachments I would need and shipping, it's 100 bucks more than an obuttu revolution with all the attachments I would need and shipped. Luckily, that burning desire to buy the chair has slightly gone away now. You can let go of me now, wallet, I promise I won't do anything stupid...
Legit question, where do all the cables go? My mongoose cable barely makes it to the usb port on my computer on my desk just sitting on the opposite side of my desk, do they just hang down infront of your legs to your computer? Did they cables make it to the computer if you had it next to your desk or on it?
"Something bounced up and hit my undercarriage!" OF COURSE its over engineered.... Its German designed! ;) Seriously, I've been looking at the chair... I have about $2000 worth of Virpil stuff enroute and running around in circles on how I'm going to design my sim area. I got 1 room with limited space where I can do all "my stuff" and nervous the Virpil mounts are too bulky and the chair looks right! But damn, gonna need a mortgage with the PC, gear and now maybe the chair/setup to get sorted. Ouch, but I may have to do it.
how did you go by mounting the throttle and control panel like that? I've been looking to do the same, but havent yet been able to make senfe of how to do it. Cheers!
The best review so far, I've already pre-ordered but had 2 questions on setup - 1. Is it worth adding the VPC Control panel considering its a bit behind you - is it still comfortable enough to use and does it affect adjusting the throttle mount position? 2. Is the 20cm extension working perfect with the chair or is it a bit large ie should I stick with my 10cm extension?
Thanks for your review.. how is it being tethered in being attached to your computer with the flight stick, throttle and button box usb cables coming from those peripherals? I have a winwing flight stick with extension.. could I mount that to This chair? Thanks
Thanks for watching Justin! You know I used to think I wouldn’t want the cables running from my chair but with the detachable cables at the device side now on the controls it makes it super easy to pop the cables off when done flying the chair and pop them back on again when I fire up. Monstertech does make a plate for the winwing stick so you can use it on the chair yes.
@@jessecalderthank you.. so your virpil throttle and all other peripherals mounted on the chair all have detachable usb cables? My saitek throttle doesn't but may consider getting the new virpil one
Thanks for the review. I was thinking about getting the same setup/chair, using the Virpil curved 20 cm extension center mounted with a Virpil Constellation Alpha grip on a CM2 base. Unfortunately, it’s hard to pull the trigger on the exorbitant purchase without any way to feel out the ergonomics first. Are you happy with where the stick ends up with the way you have it set up? It looks like you are kinda hunched forward in the clips with you using the setup in VR. The Monstertech website has another similar config for the center mount, but where the height of the base/stick can be adjusted. Have you tried that? Does the additional vertical piece needed to accommodate that bring the stick too far forward for comfort?
great video! may I ask, are you using the AW3821DW monitor? I am thinking to switxh from a 27inch 1440p 165hz to this uw monitor, and I just recognized that you are using that same monitor model? Can you recommend it for SC?
I have hit the locks many times with my feet too. Haha yeah Tek If you’re on deep carpet like me I would certainly recommend lockless wheels to avoid having to unlock accidental locks often. However if you’re on smooth surfaces I think it’s very nice to be able to lock them for more purchase on your rudder pedals.
Are you planning on reviewing the Virpil CM3 throttle? Not really expecting you to get a completely new Virpil throttle so soon honestly, but just wondering!
Here’s my question. Connections. On a rolling chair all those usb cables need to be connected without getting yanked out or rolled over inadvertently. From your layout I’m seeing three cords at least with this issue. How does that play out? Would it be to MTs benefit to place a central hub on the base that could then be hooked up with one connector? Or perhaps a wireless Bluetooth controller that will still require a power source cable?
This is the idea that kept me from a chair setup for a long time Palindari. But I got the opportunity to try it and it turns out to be extremely comfortable and practical and I don't find the cabling to be a hinderance. I don't move the chair when I am flying but I am careful not to roll over the two cables I have if I need to get up and when I sit down again. It is helpful that on higher end controls you can remove the cable at the device (the Virpil devices I am currently using have quick releases for example) so when not in use you don't have coiled cables hanging from your chair. I now think a bit of cable management is not a reason to pass up a chair setup if you think it would be good for you. I'm sure someday wireless could be a possibility. But you would need to ensure multiple low latency connections and you'd also be charging every device that needs connectivity which on some setups is a significant number of devices. All good ideas but in the mean time just keeping the cables tidy is very easy and if you get good equipment you can disconnect it at the device while not in use. Hope that is helpful! Cheers!
@@jessecalder Agreed there are obstacles, but being the type that has difficulty with even a wired headset, I don't know if this would be a viable option for me. Don't get me wrong. Absolutely love the design and thought put into it. But to just get the chair without all the extra attachments would be cool - but not at that price point. Half that would work for me.
How about a built in usb hub or mount for one? It would cut down the cables to two. I am trying to figure out how to build my set up and I am picturing a usb hub duct taped to the back of the chair lol.
