Fine Reclining
Today’s Best Power Recliners & Other Motion Furniture
Power recliners are slimming down in price and in size. However, the
cost of leather is soaring, and manufacturers are searching for
alternatives that can duplicate the look.
Rourke
Trapped in an industry slump thanks to the moribund housing market and the sluggish economy, recliner-makers have introduced models that have slimmer, straighter and more tailored designs. That’s a turnabout from the market lineup in 2008, when we observed that overstuffed models were making a comeback. But all of the furniture experts and manufacturers with whom we spoke tell us that power recliners are so prevalent now that the emphasis is on making them as nimble and as sleek as possible. In fact, manufacturers even are introducing power-reclining elements into more models of love seats, sectional sets and sofas.
“Today, everyone wants power,” says Don Hunter of Catnapper, which is a recliner brand of Jackson Furniture.
POWERFUL. A big reason why power recliners have been able to slim down is because the electrical components that drive power-reclining mechanisms have shrunk so much in size and price in the past 4 years. A power-reclining mechanism can be added to most styles of recliners as an option, and a power version can cost as little as $100 more than the manual version.
That price drop—and an increased interest in creating home theaters around high-definition TVs in the family room and living room—has turned power recliners into a major focus of recliner manufacturers in the past 4 years, says Chip Piekenbrock of manufacturer Flexsteel. For consumers, this means that they can expect to find about 50 percent more models of power recliners on the market than were available in 2008. That’s notable when you consider that the business climate has been so shaky for furniture-makers that the well-known brand Berkline closed in 2011 and another well-known brand, Barcalounger, went through bankruptcy in 2010 (but remained open).
Four years ago, power recliners that were marketed for home-theater rooms that have large-screen HDTVs and elaborate lighting and sound systems looked like bulky versions of movie-theater seats. But today’s models are sleek, and they now often come with their own LED mood lights that are located under the seat. And features that are aimed at a home-theater audience are coming to lower priced models. You now can find power recliners that have storage pillows, illuminated cupholders, touch-control headrests, and coordinating trays and tables that start at about $900. Recliners that had those features 4 years ago started at roughly $1,300.
But manufacturers also are bolstering their products. Power-reclining mechanisms are becoming more rugged, and companies now are willing to back their power components with a longer warranty. Flexsteel and Klaussner are the first to include 5-year warranties for all of the electrical components that are in their motion recliners; typically 1–3 years is the industry norm. No other manufacturer has announced plans to follow Flexsteel and Klaussner’s lead with a 5-year warranty for electrical components, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see more companies extend their warranties in the next year or two.
And Flexsteel and Palliser now sell cordless battery units—typically a $299 option—to operate any of the power recliners that are in their lines. Having a battery unit allows you to place your power recliner anywhere in your home; it doesn’t have to be near an outlet. The rechargeable power packs work for 200–300 cycles of opening and closing, which means that they’ll work for up to 50 days based on average use before you need to recharge the power pack. The power pack beeps, like a cordless phone does, when it has to be plugged into an outlet to recharge. This is useful, so you can avoid getting stuck in your chair by a dead battery.
RELAX AND BE WELL. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the demand for power recliners has increased as the baby boomer generation entered its golden years. But companies aren’t aiming just at seniors.
“For young people in their 20s accustomed to power everything, there is a coolness in power furnishings,” says Lynne Schipp of Kittle’s Furniture, which is a retailer in Indianapolis.
LEATHER SOARS. The rising price of
leather means that today’s leather recliners are $200 more expensive
than they were a year ago.
Four years ago, power-bed chaise recliners cost about $2,000. But Franklin now offers a power-bed chaise recliner that unfolds into a bed that has a memory-foam topper for $599, and a growing number of similar recliners are being built for people who have mobility problems but want more-mainstream styling. Four years ago, these chaise recliners were drab and overstuffed and looked like the sort of thing that you would find in a hospital room. But the new ones that we’ve seen in the past 2 years are much sleeker and actually can match the furniture in a modern or traditional living room.
Speaking of recliners that are pitched toward health issues, you might notice La-Z-Boy advertising its endorsement by American Chiropractic Association (ACA). In 2011, La-Z-Boy became the second recliner manufacturer to be so endorsed. (Premium recliner manufacturer Ekornes is the other.) That might sound good, but you should keep in mind that La-Z-Boy paid a fee to ACA to get this endorsement, and La-Z-Boy’s chairs didn’t meet any independent criteria to win the ACA label. In other words, the endorsement is nothing more than a marketing tool. As recliner manufacturers continue to aim at consumers who have health issues, we expect to see more companies use similar marketing ploys to try to lure buyers.
LESS LEATHER. Besides power mechanisms, we also have seen a lot of innovation in recliner fabric. In the past 12 months, leather prices have risen faster because of global supply-and-demand imbalances than they have in the past 10 years, says Mike Delgatti, who is president of Hooker Upholstery. That means that today’s leather recliners are as much as $200 more expensive than they were a year ago, whereas a price jump of $30–$40 is more typical. And it also means that a recliner that has full authentic leather is more difficult to find among today’s economy and midrange recliners.
“At one time, we showed eight to 10 leather chairs, but this [year], I have just one new introduction, and it is at the upper end for $699–$799, depending upon the quality of leather,” says Chuck Tidwell, who is vice president of Franklin.
Franklin is typical of all of the other manufacturers with which we spoke. The high prices have sent manufacturers looking for leather alternatives to keep their recliner prices the same, because an estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of sales over the past 5 years have been recliners that have leather covers.
As a result, now you’ll find a lot of mostly vinyl recliners that have leather “everywhere the body touches,” which means the seat, back cushion and inside of the chair arm. We believe that the technology to match the color and look of leather and vinyl has become quite good in the past 4 years, and we found that it now sometimes is difficult to discern the difference between the two coverings. What’s better is that we also found that the latest recliners that have these alternative-leather coverings feel like real leather. However, you should be aware that even if they appear to be a close match, the leather and vinyl might not age and fade at the same rate, so you could end up with two-tone furniture in a few years, depending on how much sunlight that your recliner absorbs. Also, from what we’ve seen of leather-and-vinyl furniture, the seams where the two coverings are joined are often frayed and look like they would be susceptible to tearing.
Consumers also will find more widespread use of bonded leather, which is a synthetic fabric that was introduced 5 years ago to approximate the look and feel of leather in economy recliners. Bonded leather actually includes little leather; it’s made by grinding up leather shavings and spraying them with an adhesive onto a backing.
Bonded leather looked shiny and garish when it arrived in the market, and we found that it often faded and separated. But the latest bonded-leather fabrics come in a variety of styles, and the experts with whom we spoke say fabric mills seem to have solved the fading and separation issues. That’s a comforting development.
take a lot of work to actually recline in a recliner. Recliners used to have a side lever that required pulling or pushing to get the chair to recline. This always takes way too much energy when all you want to do is relax. This old lever idea is not utilized in Berkline recliners. Berkline features automatic recliners. Now all you have to do is push a button. The chair will then move automatically into the reclining position.
holding up to the daily use.