APOL Review: Our Experience Sitting On Kraken and Behemoth Ergonomic Chairs For 2 Months

APOL started when their founder, Jason, was frustrated about having to use pain relief patches to soothe his neck and backaches. Thus, he made it his mission to come up with the best-quality and affordable ergonomically-designed gaming chair! 

Jason tested 20 different prototypes to ensure the best comfort level and designed the chairs for different sitting postures. He also made them pocket-friendly for both students and working adults. 

With that, APOL released their Classic series which boasts ergnonomic features to suit your comfort requirements. This series has 3 chair models — Sphinx, Kraken and Behemoth — that are specially made for individuals who prioritise posture and seat quality.

3 options tailored based on your height and weight
Leather and fabric options available
50 days risk-free trial
2 years warranty
Interest-free instalments available via hoolah and Grab

^{Disclaimer: The chairs featured in this article were sponsored by APOL. However, this is not a paid review and all opinions are our own.}

Sphinx, Kraken and Behemoth Chairs by APOL

APOL has 3 ergonomic chairs — Sphinx, Kraken and Behemoth — and here’s a comparison of their features. 

	Sphinx	Kraken	Behemoth
Maximum weight	Below 120kg	Below 120kg	Below 130kg
Recommended height	150cm - 165cm	165cm - 190cm	170cm - 200cm
Materials	Fabric	Fabric PU leather	Fabric PU leather
Colours	Charcoal Charcoal punch	Ash storm Charcoal Charcoal azure Fossil grey Carbon black	Charcoal Carbon black
Price	$428.00	$428.00	$428.00
Where to buy	Shop now	Shop now	Shop now

First Impressions of Kraken and Behemoth

APOL has kindly sent us the Kraken and Behemoth ergonomic chairs to try. Here, we take a first look at the chairs and review them based on our first impressions!

^{Left: Behemoth, Right: Kraken}

First impression rating:

All-black design looks quite sleek
Seat is very soft

At first glance, the chairs look rather sleek with the all-black design. However, we do feel that it doesn’t look as high SES as other more premium chair brands, which is why we -0.5 stars. 

The upside is the comfort level of the chairs as the cushion is really soft. In fact, the Behemoth was an edge more comfortable as it has a very cushioned backrest as well! 

Features of APOL Chairs

Breathable PU leather material

Looking at the close-up, APOL’s chair seat has tiny pores to allow better airflow. This is designed to make the seat more breathable and comfortable for users. 

Cloud Tech™ Foam

The seat and backrest are made with their unique Cloud Tech™ Foam. This technology uses tightly packed cells to offer maximum ergonomic support, comfort and enhanced durability. 

In fact, APOL claims that it’s incredibly soft and you’ll feel like you’re sitting on clouds! 

4D Adjustable Padded Armrest

The padded armrests have 4 directional functions that can easily be adjusted. Directions include front and back sliding, left and right sliding, and clockwise and anti-clockwise rotations. 

Additionally, the armrests are padded, soft and easy to clean — made to boost productivity.

Memory Foam Lumbar Pillow and Headrest

Each APOL chair comes with a complimentary signature Memory Foam Head Pillow and Lumbar Pillow. These are made for the highest level of comfort and support so you can say goodbye to head, neck and shoulder aches! 💪🏼

165° Backrest Recline 

The backrest reclines up to 165° with a smooth recline mechanism. With this, you can lean back to take a rest or do a full body stretch.

Multi-functional Tilt Mechanism

APOL’s multi-functional tilt mechanism feature has 2 control levers to offer full customisability of your ideal position and ability to rock backwards. This brings your comfort to the next level.

Aluminium Wheel Base and Caster Wheels

The aluminium wheelbase is silver for a more trendy look, plus it’s resistant to corrosion and rust and is built to last 😉 

A total of 5 dual-wheel caster wheels have been mounted to make it easier to roll around while reducing noise and preventing any damage to the floor. 

Review of APOL Kraken After Trying For 2 Months

Rating:

Comfortable: Seat feels like sofa cushion
Functions are easy to adjust
Lumbar pillow very soft

The good:

• Comfortable seat 
I love how soft the seat cushion is — it almost feels like a sofa! It’s also great if you like a body hugging effect as the sides of the seat fit the frame of my body well. 

• Smooth wheels
The wheels are so smooth and quiet! Just a light push and the chair will glide away. If you’re a night owl, your neighbours would appreciate this a ton 😂 This is also great if you like to change your seating position a lot and tend to drag your chair while you’re at it.

• Soft lumbar pillow
The lumbar pillow serves its purpose as it supports my back well! The plus point is that it’s sooo soft and comfortable to lean on. Additionally, if you like to place your pillow higher, the body hugging feature of the chair actually allows the pillow to stay in place without sliding down!

Other things I like are that the different features are very intuitive to use and adjust.

The not so good:

• Head pillow not the best
Just a note that the Kraken is designed for individuals who are 165cm – 190cm. Thus, at 160cm, the head pillow was a bit too high for me — it rests at the back of my head, rather than my neck. Also, I felt that the head pillow can be softer for better comfort. (I’ve been using the chair without it 😛)

Another thing I noticed:

The sides of the seat have gaps, so you’d need a vacuum with a thin attachment to clean it. And you’ll be cleaning almost blindly, as the seat can’t be fully lifted 😅

Review of APOL Behemoth After Trying For 2 Months

Rating:

Great for sitting for long hours
Seat and backrest are wide and comfortable
Cooler than other gaming chairs

The good:

• Seat cushions
The seat cushions are indeed softer than most of the other gaming chairs I’ve tried. The degree of softness can be compared to a sturdy sofa. I’d say this is the best part of the Behemoth! My skinny butt cheeks appreciate its cloud-like cushion for long working hours 😂

• Slightly cooler indeed
What I really like are the tiny holes that do feel cooler at room temperature with just a fan turned on. 

I initially disliked the look of the holes as they aren’t as aesthetically pleasing as the other gaming chairs. But when I realised they do cool down the contact temperature quite a bit, I can see why APOL designed it that way. 

• Lumbar support without pillow
The lumbar back support of the chair is comfortable even without the lumbar pillow. I believe it’s due to the curvature of the back support and the softer cushion. When using the lumbar pillow, you won’t even notice the pillow is there since everything is so soft already 😂

The not so good:

• Not as sleek and elegant 
I’ll be honest, the Behemoth doesn’t look as sleek and elegant as other gaming chairs, like SecretLab. I’d blame this on the checkered design on the armrests, the shape of the back support and also the chrome finishing of the wheel base. 

However, if you prioritise comfort over everything else, this is a good comfortable chair of value that I’d recommend!

APOL Kraken vs Behemoth

At 160cm, I personally prefer the Behemoth even though Kraken is recommended for more suitable for my height. The Behemoth’s seat cushion is softer and has a larger surface area. Coupled with a wider back support, this is perfect for someone who likes to cross their legs 90% of the time while working or gaming. Hence, it naturally feels a lot more comfortable for me.

The Kraken does fit my body shape better given the slimmer back cushion and smaller seat base. It also forces you to sit upright and is perfect for those who don’t slouch (or don’t want to slouch). 

For my height, both pillow placements for Kraken and Behemoth aren’t suitable for me. I usually remove the pillows because they aren’t adjustable to my neck area. Perhaps, this is something the APOL team can look into for future chairs!

Overall Thoughts on APOL Kraken and Behemoth Chairs

Overall rating:

Overall, the APOL Kraken and Behemoth are very comfortable (cloud-like as they’ve claimed) but don’t look as high SES as some other brands. They’re definitely value for money in terms of comfort, but not so much for aesthetics.

Quality wise, we’ll have to wait another 1-2 years to tell if the leather will last. But so far, so good! 😉 we’d recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a comfy office chair with a budget of $400 — APOL regularly has promos so keep a lookout + use our $19 off promo code! 

Email: support@apol.sg
Phone: 6570 0223
Showroom address: 7030 Northstar@AMK Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, #06-53, Singapore 569880

Assembly fee: $29.00
Delivery fee: Free
Delivery lead time: Depending on stock availability

Stay tuned as we have an APOL vs Secret Lab article coming up! 😉

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