The recliner is seating whose sole function is the relaxation of a single person. It’s the epitome of self-care and comfort. Is this budget recliner up to the challenge?
THE PRODUCT
The product is a recliner covered in brown faux suede that I purchased for ₱11,000. From floor to the top of its back support (upright), it measures 98 cm. It’s width (including the back support) is 75cm, but the seating area is 53cm. Reclined the lying area is 165cm.
The sides drop down to the floor and are covered with the same brown faux suede. These end in small black plastic legs.
The seating and back support areas are generously padded. In particular, you even have extra on the head support. When extended, you’ll notice that the footrest has good enough padding.
To get to the reclined position, there is no hand lever as in La-Z Boys, instead you have to push on the back support: this will lift the footrest. You do not have to incline the back all the way, just to about 15 degrees from the upright.
Still, you can push it back further to the almost flat position.
BUYING GUIDE
The cheapest options are the folding-reclining lounge chairs that are made of pipes that are very lightweight. These also come in mesh fabric, so these are very breathable. The chief complaint for these is stability as while a good quality one can carry weight, it just also feels less stable because of how its built.
In between are recliners without any footrests. The back can be reclined, but often a separate foot stool will come with it as a set. These can start in the ₱4000 and above range. These have the advantage of the foot stool also functioning as separate seating, but I there's also a comfort in one-piece recliners: again these feel more stable.
The class of recliners of this review’s product will generally start in the ₱9,000 above range.
ANG OKAY
The back support, seat, and foot rest are all very soft and padded. Even after 2 years, they feel thick and very comfortable. The reclining mechanism is actually quite good. I’ve tried some La-Z boys and I did find that hand levers tend to need more effort. The use of the back support as the lever is easy. The foot rest has never failed to go up.
The fabric’s color is a good one in terms of keeping clean, and its quite easy get out any hair that may get stuck.
Lastly, it fulfills its function quite well. The three positions, upright with some recline, upright with feet up, and lying down are all very comfortable.
ANG HINDI OKAY
Aesthetically, I have two complaints. First, and this is not specific to this model, I find recliners to be big bulky furniture. The lack of legs, the thick cushions make it seem like it takes up more space in a room than it actually does. This is why interior designers always recommend furniture with legs if you want light and airy. Second, while I appreciate how easy it is to keep clean, the color, this mud brown, just isn’t nice.
Another issue is a quality one. The arm rests have a very thin cushion so that two years later, all I feel is the structure, and it’s quite uncomfortable to lean on. Lastly, and again, one of those things that is true for a lot of recliners, is the heat that builds up. Yes, it’s partially due to the fabric, but really, anything that has these thick cushions is bound to restrict heat escape. So the recliner is cozy under air conditioning, but quite hot if it’s just an electric fan.
VERDICT
■■■□ Pwede na
I initially thought that I would end up giving this recliner a score of 2/4, but objectively, it does pass the functions of a recliner, and it is cheap for its class. Most of the chair has lasted, and the most important of those are the cushions on the seat and head rest. Complaints on aesthetics, quality of armrests and heat escape are present, hence it won’t get a perfect score.
Online shopping keywords: recliner, la-z boy