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Sumo Lounge Chief Rocker
Testing
Again I put my trusty posterior to the task of testing the stuffing out of a Sumo Lounge product. Sumo makes some quality seating options and the Chief Rocker is no exception. But unlike my previous experiences testing a Sumo product, this model is really two loungers in one. As mentioned above the Chief Rocker is simply an upgrade to the Omni PLUS bag by way of the metal frame. But as my test subject didn’t first arrive with a skeleton, I had the chance to use the Rocker as a plain old Omni PLUS. However as compared to the Sultan and the regular old entry level Omni (no PLUS), the Rocker sans frame is slightly less versatile. It handles the duties of a large pillow with ease, but the ability to flip and flop the suede coated mass into a boneless barcalounger isn’t there. With the nylon covered Omni, turning the bag on a side and swinging a leg over the middle created a sort of lounge saddle. Placing your bum on a corner of the Omni and relaxing downwards created a supportive, if not a bit low-sitting, chair. But the frameless Chief Rocker is a rectangle shape and just doesn’t fold up in the same useful manner.  Initially I seated my gaming self towards the front portion of the Chief. This results in a teetering scenario requiring the use of your feet to maintain balance and remain in a comfy, slightly reclined pose. However, if you drop your buttocks back a foot and situate towards the middle portion of the Rocker your body weight will help tilt the bag back a bit. I found this to be the most agreeable position as I could fold my legs and happily jump barrels, piss off monkeys and save princesses. With a little practice I was even able to rock back and forth a bit without using my feet. Perhaps I should have started with a session of whittling on my front porch rather than a round of Donkey Kong? But as a long term solution to video game seating, I have to give the Chief Rocker a thumb downward. The curvy framed seat just requires a bit too much baby-sitting to be useful during an intense Xbox or PS3 session (don’t bother trying to play a Wii in a bean bag, trust me). The Chief’s rocking aspect is nice at first, but the constant need to adjust and hold your balance isn’t what I’m looking for in a seat needing to house my fragile fragging arse for hours on end. Even sitting well back in the middle of the bag with my legs crossed I still found that my neck wasn’t supported and became fatigued easily. Don’t get me wrong, for watching TV or general lounging the Chief Rocker is nothing short of comfy. But for any actions requiring you to sit up just a bit, the lack of neck support becomes annoying. The dense foam of the Chief Rocker will sag a bit after prolonged use, but a quick fluff restores its shape. I’ve found that I quite like the way the foam holds up and forms to my manly proportions. It isn’t so soft that you sink to the floor yet it doesn’t feel as though you’re resting on a pine bench. I did notice that the suede cover likes to attract lint, dust bunnies and any other floor dwelling filth. This is no doubt exacerbated by the fact that I’ve got hardwood floors. I’m sure it sucks up stray carpet fibers like a magnet too, though. I can’t fault Sumo for their craftsmanship or quality of materials. The suede is durable yet soft and the foam innards are top notch. But all that density does create one heavy seat. A tossable bean bag this is not. And while it is nearly half the size of the Sultan, the Chief Rocker is still a large and uncommonly shaped piece of furniture. It definitely overpowers my medium sized front room (which, admittedly is stuffed with furniture to begin with). But the rocker frame also causes an empty Chief to balance right in its center of gravity, taking up more room that it would if you could just fold it in half until needed. Those folks with large, open floor plans or who are looking to add a seat to their vacant TV lounge will be more suited to this atypical seating option.
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