r/ProtoArcHub

I just recently got the ProtoArc EM11 NL and I really liked it. I'm a graphic/motion designer and have a medium to larger hand (about 19cm) so when I found out there was a pro version with a horizontal scroll wheel I immediatly wanted to try it.

Unfortunately I can't seem to find it in Europe. All amazon listings are unavailable, I looked in France, Germany, Belgium etc... Also the product is not listed in their official website once you change the location to any European country.

I saw that its release is pretty recent so I'm wondering if it's just a matter of time for them to start shipping it to Europe or if it will be a US-only produt. Do you have any information about that?

For some context, I’m a software engineer who works from home and uses the desk for gaming as well. I am 162 cm (5'4") tall and weigh around 62 kg (137 lbs.), so finding an ergonomic chair that properly accommodates my height and build can sometimes be challenging since I have a small build. After previously sharing my own personal review of the LiberNovo Omni, I was contacted by ProtoArc, who offered me the opportunity to try their EC200 ergonomic chair. Based on my height and build, the EC200 was the model they felt would be the best fit for me. Before getting into the review, I want to make a couple of things clear. I am not a professional chair reviewer, and this review is simply based on my personal experience using the EC200. I’ll be approaching it in the same way I approached my LiberNovo Omni review: from the perspective of a regular user, focusing on what I liked, what I didn’t like, and how the chair actually feels to use. The chair was provided to me free of charge by ProtoArc for the purpose of trying it out and sharing my thoughts. This does not change or influence the opinions expressed in this review. Everything below reflects my genuine experience with the chair.

My experience with chairs is also fairly limited. Before the EC200, the two chairs I had meaningful experience with were a Trust GXT gaming chair (around 250eur) and, more recently, the LiberNovo Omni (around 1000 euro). Both sit at different price points from the EC200, so I’ll keep that in mind throughout this review rather than expecting a roughly €190 chair to compete directly with more expensive alternatives.

Keeping in mind that the EC200 is a chair that goes around €190, I was genuinely impressed by the packaging. Everything was well organized and securely packed, and the overall presentation had a surprisingly premium feel for a chair in this price range. Assembly was also a breeze. You don’t need any of your own tools apart from your hands, as everything required for the assembly is provided in the box. The different parts and hardware are clearly labelled, and the included step-by-step instructions are straightforward and easy to follow.

Considering the price point, I think the overall build quality of the EC200 is very good. The chair is definitely heavy on plastic. However, where it matters to me, everything feels solid and well put together. More importantly, during normal use I've experienced no squeaking, creaking or other unwanted noises from the chair. Whether I'm sitting upright, moving around or reclining, everything has remained quiet and feels sturdy. At this price point, I think ProtoArc has done a very good job with the overall build quality.

One of the first things I noticed when I started using the EC200, and something that quickly became one of my favorite features of the chair, is the headrest. The headrest immediately stood out to me compared with what I was expecting from a chair at this price point. As a short person, headrests are often a bit hit or miss for me. I usually find myself having to stretch or adjust my sitting position just to properly reach them, which somewhat defeats their purpose. The range of adjustability is really good, and I was able to position the headrest exactly where I wanted it. In fact, for my height, I actually prefer the EC200's headrest to the one on my LiberNovo Omni.

The EC200 is also the first chair I've owned with a mesh backrest. One of the first differences I noticed was just how much cooler my back stays compared to both the Trust GXT and the LiberNovo Omni.
Living in Malta, where the climate can get very hot, particularly during the summer, this is something I appreciate more than I expected. Obviously, this is partly a benefit of mesh chairs in general rather than something unique to the EC200, but since this is my first experience with one, its breathability is one of the things I really enjoy about using the chair.

The lumbar support is good and does what I would expect it to do. It can be adjusted up and down, which makes it easier to position it correctly against your lower back, and you can also fine-tune how aggressive the support feels. I am able to adjust the intensity, as you can make the lumbar support more pronounced if you prefer stronger pressure or dial it back for a more subtle level of support. Overall, I don't have any major complaints about the lumbar support. It is still better than the Trust GXT (which is a more expensive chair) but not as good as the LiberNovo.

The armrests are where the first signs of the EC200 being a budget-oriented chair start to show, and I would consider them the weakest part of the chair. They only move up and down. There is no forward/backward adjustment or other positioning that would allow me to fine-tune where my arms sit relative to my desk. This creates a practical problem for me. If I raise the armrests so that they align comfortably with the height of my desk, their position prevents me from getting as close to the desk as I would like. As a result, I end up sitting slightly too far away and have to lean forward a little to comfortably reach my keyboard and mouse. Here the other two chairs have a better option.

The seat itself can be adjusted forward and backward, giving you some control over the seat depth. Since I'm short, I keep it pushed all the way back, but I can definitely see the additional depth being useful for taller people. This is one area where the EC200 actually offers more adjustment than my LiberNovo Omni, as the Omni has a fixed seat depth. Where the seat falls a little short for me, however, is the firmness of the cushion. I generally prefer a softer, more plush seat. This becomes particularly noticeable during longer gaming sessions. I am not a couch gamer but a desktop gamer so I recline in the chair and put my feet up on the desk, and after sitting like this for an extended period, I can start to feel some numbness and discomfort around my backside. I would personally have preferred a little more cushioning or softness here. That being said, the seat is still considerably more comfortable than the one on my Trust GXT, which I found much harder and less forgiving.

The recline mechanism is a tilt-lock system. Personally, this is fine because when I'm gaming and want to recline, I tend to go all the way back anyway. The bigger issue for me is what happens to the rest of the chair when I recline. The armrests, headrest and lumbar support don't really stay in sync with my body as I move from an upright position into a reclined one. At full recline, I can barely reach the armrests, the headrest ends up much closer to the top of my head rather than supporting my neck, and the lumbar support moves too high relative to my lower back. This means that if I want everything positioned correctly while reclined, I have to readjust them. For someone like me who switches between working upright and reclining while gaming, this can become a little inconvenient. It's not something I would necessarily hold heavily against the EC200 given its price though.

TL;DR

It is not a premium chair BUT it is a very competitive and capable budget ergonomic chair with moderate adjustments considering the price point. Best part is the headrest and the weakest part is the armrests.

Positives :

• Very good build quality for roughly €190; sturdy, quiet, and free from squeaking or creaking.
• Well-organized packaging and an easy assembly process with all required tools included.
• Excellent, highly adjustable headrest, particularly for shorter users.
• Breathable mesh backrest keeps you noticeably cooler during warm weather.
• Adjustable lumbar support with both height and intensity control.
• Adjustable seat depth accommodates different heights and is especially useful for taller users.
• Overall comfort is considerably better than the Trust GXT which is more expensive.

What could be improved :

• Armrests only adjust vertically and can prevent you from sitting close enough to the desk.
• Seat cushion is quite firm and may cause discomfort or numbness during longer gaming sessions.
• Armrests, headrest, and lumbar support do not remain properly aligned with your body while reclining.
• Switching regularly between upright working and reclined gaming may require readjusting the chair.
• It is quite plastic made but it is to be expected at this price point.

I was sent a review unit of the ProtoArc EM11 Pro to test, and so far I've had an overall positive experience, with a few issues I'll talk about later. I also own the EM11 NL, purchased over a year ago to help with my wrist pain, and there are some things that have been improved on the Pro and a few things I wish had changed. While I am sharing this review with ProtoArc ahead of this post, they have not asked for any particular content or disposition.

Packaging

I guess I'll start at the start, packaging. ProtoArc usually has quality packaging and this mouse is no different, packaged almost identically to the prior EM11 NL. Not much really to say here.

Hardware

While there are hardware changes, I feel like the EM11 Pro and EM11 NL have more still in common than they differ.

The primary and secondary click buttons feel basically the same as on the EM11 NL, to me. They're quiet and comfortable to press. I think the wheel is actual metal and it does feel much nicer than the EM11 NL's wheel. The scroll action is similar (no infinite scroll), but the button-press of the wheel feels better and quieter on the Pro. The DPI button is in a familiar location, just behind the scroll wheel, and not much has changed here physically. They have added multiple new DPI modes, though. The EM11 NL has 1000/1600/2400 DPI modes while the EM11 Pro has 800/1200/1600/2400/3200/4800 DPI modes. The additional modes are nice but, for me at least, I just used the 1600 setting on both mice.

When you get to the top of the mouse is when you start seeing the changes. The button to switch the active connection sits at the top, in the vertex of the "glove" shape of the mouse. It's easy to press here, perhaps too easy for certain grips, but I'll get back to that later.

Moving to the top-thumb side, the Pro has added a horizontal scroll wheel, made of the same material as the vertical scroll wheel. This is pretty wide and well-placed, allowing for pretty comfortable side scrolling. I honestly think the wheel needs to be a bit bigger around because it feels just a little too flush with the body of the mouse. It's not hard to scroll the wheel, but it's one place where bigger would be beneficial. Again, this comes down to grip. It sits proud of the body on the top and side, but my thumb tends to hit right on the corner of the body where the wheel kinda sits flush with the body and it does make it ever-so-slightly more difficult to scroll.

On the top here there's also a window with lights that show the currently active connection profile and a battery indicator. They only light up if you've just changed the connection or the connection has dropped, or if the battery is low or charging, but it's a great addition.

Then, on the side where your thumb rests are the familiar Forward/Back buttons. These are well-placed and feel pretty similar to the original EM11's buttons.

The Pro is capable of a 2.4GHz wireless connection via it's included 2.4GHz dongle as well as 2 Bluetooth profiles. I did have some issues with choppy movements using the dongle on my Mac Studio at work, but bluetooth worked perfectly there. When I took the mouse home to use on my Mac Mini I had no such issues on the dongle, so perhaps that was just some unique interference at my office. When not in use, the dongle is stored in a closed compartment on the bottom, just beside the power slider, but they've covered the dongle compartment with a lid held on with magnets. The lid rocks out and snaps back in place pleasantly, and is honestly a neat touch. There's no function add there, but it feels like a bit of extra polish when compared to the normal clip style covers or the exposed dongle with finger cutouts like on the EM11 NL. Regarding connection modes, you can use the mouse while it's charging but it does not work over that USB connection, you still need a wireless connection of some sort.

Software

The EM11 Pro supports ProtoArc's browser-based Hub, and is only programmable via the 2.4GHz dongle. I believe the profiles are stored on the device, but I honestly did not test that. I didn't actually use the software too much, I tend to use third-party remapping software, but I did look over it. It seems pretty full-featured, allowing you to reprogram all the main buttons to a wide variety of functions. The only things I'd like to see added are the ability to remap the scroll functions of the wheels rather than just the main wheel's push-button, and to remap or turn off the connection change button. My reasons for that will become clear in the next section. Come to think of it, a layer or combo feature could be nice too. However, for stock remapping software, it is pretty nice.

Note: ProtoArc’s Marketing Team did tell me that they’re making adjustments to the next EM11 Pro batch to allow for customization of the scroll action in the ProtoArc software.

Ergonomics

This is the big question with this mouse, and in fact any mouse marketed as "ergonomic", and honestly it is the weak point for me. Bear in mind that I have relatively small hands (6.5" from wrist to the tip of my middle finger, 3.5" across the palm), so you may not have the same issues as I do.

This mouse is significantly larger than the EM11 NL. Like, I can comfortably wrap my hand around the EM11 NL and my fingers come near to the front edges of the mouse. Not so on the Pro. However, my issues actually stem more from the material than the size. The reason I stopped using the EM11 NL had nothing to do with the shape or the size but instead the material. My hands, on top of being small, are usually fairly dry. Not skin-flaking-off dry, but I'm not exactly sweaty-palmed, either. As a result, I have a very difficult time holding the EM11 NL. I really have to grip it hard to pick it up and reset it's location, and I never feel like I have a good grip on it even then. The increased size of the Pro just amplifies this feeling. The difficulty to grip it solidly makes it hard to use the buttons and wheels, too, apart from the increased size. On the EM11 NL I would often rest my thumb on top of the mouse, in the vertex of the curve, to help me stabilize it while using the wheel or just while moving it around sometimes. I can't really do this on the Pro because the connection button is there, so whenever I'd put my thumb up there I'd often change the active connection.

All that being said, ergonomics are very subjective. If you don't have dry or small hands, or maybe even just grip the mouse differently than I do, then you likely won't experience any of these problems. But if the EM11 NL was difficult for you to grip for any of the reasons I mentioned, then the EM11 Pro likely will be difficult as well.

The grip angle is fantastic, of course, and the increased size really does feel better underneath your hand, where the outside of your palm rests, and I didn't find myself dragging my pinkly along the desk mat at all, which was a real annoyance on the EM11 NL. So, as always, it will ultimately come down to your specific hands and how you hold the mouse.

Verdict

Overall, I feel good saying the EM11 Pro is an upgrade to the EM11 NL and if you enjoyed that mouse then you likely will enjoy this one. The only reservation I would have in recommending it is if you had any of the same problems I did with the EM11 NL or if you have small-ish hands. If those aren't issues for you then it's a great mouse, looks great, and was overall comfortable to use, even accounting for those things I took issue with. It certainly feels well-built, looks good on the desk, and has a decent amount of customization options. Couple all of that with the extremely fair price-point and I think it's a great upgrade to the EM11 NL or entry point to vertical mice.

I've never really written a review like this before so I apologize if I'm overlooking something I should have included. I'm happy to answer any questions or provide additional images.

tl;dr: Great and comfortable vertical mouse with decent customization, but not really made for small hands.