List Price: $319.99
Sale Price: $308.84
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Not much info on the champion-m online if do you a quick google search. No video reviews or anything on the champion-m specifically that I could find so this purchase was a bit of a gamble for me. I usually like to research the product as much as possible before purchasing, especially something that costs $300. Here's my quick rundown of Playseat's Champion-M:
Compatibility:
As far as the steering and pedals go, I have the Logitech G27 and it fits perfectly with the product. The foot pedals is a bit tough to get on the mounting plate of the playseat, but once you get the holes aligned and screw the pedals down, the pedals are on not moving on the plate. I could only use 3 of the 6 mounting points in the logitech pedals as the mounting plate wasn't big enough to reach all the mounting points, but like I mentioned before, the pedals aren't shifting around at all.
Placing the steering wheel onto the mount was super easy. No drama at all.
I had purchased the playseat gearshifter mount Playseat Gearshift Holder Mount (Black) and for some reason the holes on the gearshifter mount didn't align up with the playseat champion m's holes. What they have you do is share two mounting points underneath the seat's frame and you slide the gear shifter into place. The problem I had was screwing everything back together. The gearshift mount's holes didn't align with the playseat's holes and as a result, couldn't get the screws through. What I ended up doing was drilling (using a titanium drill bit) and then dremeling a wider hole in the lower hole in gearshifter mount so that the screw could go through and fasten to the rest of the playseat's frame. Luckily I have these tools around, if you don't...you may have to make a trip to the hardware store or do some fancy work with the included zip ties.
After that big of mcguyver-ing I had to get the g27 shifter on, which was not fun either because if you don't have a long and skinny enough screwdriver (I only have those bit screwdrivers where you can interchange multiple heads to philip, flathead, etc) to remove 4 tiny screws to remove the front table mount (the one with the giant plastic screw) you're pretty much SOL when trying to put that thing onto playseat's gearshifter mount. Luckily I found a tiny hobby screwdriver hidden in a drawer and was able to get the screws out with some help of some pliers.
Build:
Overall I would say this is a pretty solid design. The seat is stiff and supportive. The steel is thick and doesn't flex. There is some wobble in the steering column and the pedals, but not noticeable when you're actually playing. I'm sure if you wedged some paper into the steel sleeves they won't be moving around at all, but then it'll probably be much more difficult to adjust once they're in.
I did strip one screw when installing one of the frame mounts under the seat because I read reviews that there was some wobble in the product. Unfortunately, the wobble wasn't in the frame, but in the sleeves of the steering wheel column and pedal mount. Luckily I only stripped the screw's threads and not the holes threads. Just to be safe, I added a couple zipties that came included with the package around the screw and the frame for a bit more reinforcement.
One important function I didn't realize in this model is that this seat doesn't fold down for "compact" storage. If you want to make it compact, you'll have to loosen two screws underneath the seat's fabric and take off the back part of the seat.
Comfot:
Seat is comfortable over long periods of play. The vinyl surprisingly feels good. Getting in and out can be a bit tricky but since the steering wheel column is attached to the floor mount and not the seat mount, like some of their more expensive options, it isn't too difficult. At first I thought the steering wheel column would get annoying and in the way of me operating the pedals but after a few hours of playing you kind of forget that it's there. Ideally I would like it if nothing was there, but there aren't many options as far as video game driving units out there.
The steering wheel positioning is somewhat limited due to the design, but it's at a good height and distance from me (I'm 5'10").
Conclusion:
Would I buy this again knowing what I know now? Probably not. I think I would have opted for the more expensive model ($80 difference): Playseat Evolution Gaming Seat (White with Silver) but the only reason is so I could install the gearshifter without having to resort to punching and cutting metal. Playseats are the best option that I've found for something that includes a seat, wheel mount, pedal mount, and gear shifter mount (not this model of playseat's products) all built in. I would get another Playseat again if I had to for my video game racing needs, but just not this model.I like it over all but there are somethings I dont like. 1 the seat is made well it just has alot of wobble in it since you cant lock it down very well and the seat that I ordered the back rest was supposed to fold down flat on the butt rest and this one does not. NOT very happy about that at all. But other than that I do loke it, a bit pricey tho.
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