We’ve scoured the internet and gathered all the best electric recliner chairs on the market today in one place, evaluated them, and selected an overall winner.
The Takeaway:
Overall
1. Our Pick: Windermere Burton
2. Runner-Up: Catnapper Burns 4847
3. Value Pick: Cozzia MC-520
Under $600
1. Our Pick: Ashley Furniture Ernestine
2. Runner-Up: Ashley Furniture Yandel
3. Value Pick: Coaster Power Lift
Do you suffer from weight or mobility issues? Have you recently had major surgery and can’t move around as well, or as easily as you were once able to? If so, then a power lift chair may be just what the doctor ordered (literally, in some cases!).
The great thing about these types of chairs is that they give people their freedom and independence back. No more calling for help when you need to get in or out of your chair! Even better, depending on what kind of insurance you have, if the chair is deemed medically necessary, you may be able to get some help paying for it.
In the sections that follow, we’ll take a closer look at our winner and the other top contenders for the best power lift recliner today. But before we do that, let’s start by taking a high-level view in table form to give you a quick overview.
Best Power Lift Recliner Chair – Overall
|
Our Pick
|
|
|
|
4.6
|
4.4
|
4.3
|
|
$1,749.00
|
$1,499.00
|
N/A
|
|
40” x 38” x 47"
|
40” x 38” x 47”
|
36” x 30” x 44”
|
|
125 pounds
|
138 pounds
|
165 pounds
|
|
375 pounds
|
400 pounds
|
300 pounds
|
|
Battery backup system, offers Trendelenburg seating position, lots of pockets and storage, includes a USB port!
|
Battery backup system, two storage pockets
|
Lumbar heat, airbag (compression) massage, body stretching
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- High-quality chair, offered by an outstanding company. The inclusion of the USB port is a nice touch. Footrest extension makes it ideal for taller users.
- A little on the pricey side.
- Steel lift mechanism and seat tray, impressive five-year warranty, smooth, quiet operation, good service and support.
- It’s a high-quality but basic power lift recliner with a limited number of extras.
- The MC-520 is one part power lift recliner and one part massage chair!
- Not great for long term sleeping
* While aesthetics is a matter of taste, aesthetic flexibility is a measure of how easily a given design would fit into a wide range of home décor schemes.
** Brand reliability is a measure of the strength and longevity of the brand, which by extension, is a measure of the level of support you can expect.
Our Pick: Windermere Burton
Recommended For: Anyone, but it’s an especially good fit for taller users.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to even tell who the players are in any given market. Windermere is a perfect case in point. The company is actually a subsidiary of Mega Motion, which is itself a subsidiary of Pride Mobility, one of the leading manufacturers of mobility products in the world. Indirectly then, that gives Pride Mobility two entries on our chart, making them the dominant player in the market.
There’s a good reason for that. The company has been in the business for a long time, and their products are excellent.
With a maximum weight capacity of 375 pounds, the Windermere Burton is capable of supporting most users, although if you need a lift chair because you’re struggling with weight issues, it may not be enough. If so, that’s okay, we’ve got other chairs on our list that will be a better fit for you.
It’s plush and comfortable, offered in three different colors (cobblestone, nutmeg, and cranapple) and stylish enough to make an attractive addition to most any home.
In terms of strengths, here are the major ones in our view:
This last is perhaps the most interesting of the features on offer, and the Windermere is the only chair on our list with this feature.
It’s quite similar to the Zero-G seating position offered by premium massage chairs, allowing the user to lay back so that the feet are higher than the head by fifteen to thirty degrees, providing incredible comfort. It’s great for both long-duration sitting and napping or sleeping.
The only potential downside is that the chair is a bit on the pricey side, and as such, may be out of reach for some consumers, but this is definitely a case of getting what you pay for. It’s exceptional, and we stand by it as our overall top pick as the best power recliner chair with a lift function.
Runner-Up: Catnapper Burns 4847
Recommended For: Anyone up to 400 pounds who is looking for a great, basic power lift recliner. If you’re looking for tons of extras, this one’s not a good fit.
Catnapper makes a wide range of power lift recliners, and has a reputation for excellence, as reflected in the company’s impressive five-year warranty. It’s no wonder that the company winds up featuring prominently in best power lift recliner reviews.
While the Catnapper Burns 4847 doesn’t provide a lot in the way of extras, it is solidly built, featuring both a steel lift mechanism and seat frame, an extra wide seating area, and offers an infinite number of recline positions via the included remote. It’s also got the second highest weight capacity of any chair on our list of finalists. Only the Mega Motion (our honorable mention) beats it in this category.
Of particular interest, this is one of a minority of power lift recliners that will lay back fully, allowing you to not only sit in it for extended periods but to get a decent night’s sleep if needs be. It’s also proudly made in the USA, has a battery backup mechanism that won’t leave you stranded in the chair should the power fail, and is incredibly comfortable, covered with durable woven velvet that is both stain and fire resistant.
The ottoman and the chair itself are driven by separate motors, allowing for independent operation, which increases the flexibility and number of recline positions available.
It’s offered in four different colors, too:
The spectrum of colors on offer, combined with its modern styling means that it’ll blend in easily, whatever your home’s décor. An excellent chair, offered by a great company.
Value Pick: Cozzia MC-520
Recommended For: People who suffer from both mobility and chronic pain issues.
Recommended for people who suffer from both mobility and chronic pain issues. Its somewhat bland styling won’t win at any beauty contests but can suit a variety of home décor schemes.
Cozzia manufactures massage chairs, which almost gives them an unfair advantage in the power lift recliner market because they can bring their expertise from that market to this one. Only the fact that our top picks in this category have a stronger brand reliability kept this one from claiming top honors. From a technical perspective, it’s a masterpiece.
Aesthetically, it looks more like an executive desk chair than a traditional recliner, which may not be for everyone, but from a pure functionality standpoint, it’s got it all.
While it’s true that there are more comfortable chairs on the market, and that this one isn’t optimized for sleeping in, it offers smooth, quiet recline and lift actions, and a whole lot more, including:
The most interesting aspects of the chair come from its massage chair elements. The airbag massage is surprisingly good, especially when combined with lumbar heat, providing a solid therapeutic benefit. The body stretch function isn’t best-in-class, but is also quite good, and provides even more therapeutic benefit.
Zero-G seating is a unique addition that’s normally reserved for “proper” massage chairs. It provides amazing comfort and really does make you feel weightless, by reclining you to a position such that your knees are elevated slightly above your heart.
Add that to the basic power lift and recline functions, and it’s hard not to fall in love with this model. In our view, the MC-520 is well deserving of a spot on our list of finalists and thanks to its built-in massage functionality it’s quite possibly the best lift chair for seniors on the market today. You won’t be disappointed.
Also Great
Mega Motion Easy Comfort
Recommended For: Ideal for heavier users (highest supported weight in its class, up to 500 pounds)
While many of the chairs mentioned here are designed and built with seniors in mind, this one takes a different approach. With a maximum weight capacity of 500 pounds, the Easy Comfort is ideal for those who struggle with weight problems.
The lift mechanism is solid steel and incredibly durable, while the frame is built from furniture-grade hardwood and plywood. The motor offers smooth, quiet operation, and the remote can be used to set the chair to three positions: Closed, partial, and full. If the present recline options aren’t enough, the chair can also be used to set the angle of recline precisely.
The wired remote is easy to use and master, plus the chair is remarkably comfortable. Chaise lounge-style and overstuffed, it’s designed for extended periods of sitting. While it’s suitable for short naps, one of the drawbacks is that it doesn’t recline quite far enough to make it good for long duration sleeping. It’ll work in a pinch, but is less than ideal.
The lift mechanism has a lifetime warranty and a one-year in-home service warranty. It even comes with an integrated battery backup, so you won’t have to worry about being stranded with no way to get your feet back under you if the power should fail.
Mega Motion is actually a subsidiary company of Pride Mobility, one of the leading manufacturers of power scooters, power wheelchairs, and other mobility devices. They’ve got a long reputation and a stellar track record when it comes to this type of product, and few companies do it better.
The emphasis on quality (as reflected in the lifetime warranty on the steel lift mechanism), and the company’s excellent track record of post-sale service and support are the major drivers of the chair’s price. Aside from the twin side pockets, it doesn’t offer much in the way of extras, but it is one of the best lift recliners on the market today and is well worth the asking price.
Stellar Comfort UC556 Power Lift Chair
Recommended For: People between 5’ 4” and 6’ 2,” weigh 375 pounds or less, and are looking for an American-made chair that maximizes comfort, this is the model you want.
The UC 556 is new on our list. Proudly made in the USA, the chair is a bit on the pricey side, but is well made, fairly attractive and designed along traditional lines, and offered in a modest selection of colors that makes it easy to fit into most any home décor scheme.
In addition to being able to recline the seat back and footrest independently, which gives you a virtually unlimited number of possible recline angles, one thing you’ll really like about the model is the fact that it comes with four different preset seating positions that are available at the touch of a button. These are:
Most chairs that have custom seating positions opt for either the inclusion of a Zero-G position, or Trendelenburg but you almost never see them both together in the same chair.
That’s because they are quite similar, with the Trendelenburg position reclining you back farther (and arguably, to a less comfortable position) which provides better circulatory support, while Zero-G reclines to a less severe angle and is generally seen as being more comfortable and relaxing.
In our view, having both isn’t a necessity, but if you’re looking for a chair that offers both, then the UC 556 automatically moves to the front of the line for you.
Not everyone will like the quilted design of the seat back, but it has the advantage of adding to the overall level of comfort the chair provides, and the chair can recline to a position that’s almost completely flat.
That, coupled with the pocketed coil springs in the seat (like a mattress) makes it one of the best napping chairs in its class, and is reasonably well-suited to sleeping in the chair overnight, which is especially important for people who have serious mobility issues and wind up spending the better part of each day in their chair and have trouble transferring from chair to bed at night.
The designers of the UC-556 did their best to keep the cost of the chair down, so you won’t find much in the way of extras here, although the chair does offer a pair of generously sized storage pockets and a battery backup system so you won’t ever have to worry about being stranded in the chair should the power fail.
It’s a solid design and well-deserving of a spot on our list as one of the best lift chair recliners sold today. You’ll be especially interested in this one if you:
Best Electric Lift Recliner Chair Under $600
As great as the chairs we discussed above are, the simple truth is that they might be out of reach for some people. Fortunately, there are some fantastic value-priced options for people on a budget. We’ll take a look at those just below.
As before, though, before we get to the details of each chair, let’s take a high-level view, in chart form, of our top picks.
|
Our Pick
|
|
|
|
4.1
|
4.1
|
3.5
|
|
$723.61
|
$599.98
|
$899.00
|
|
38.75” x 37” x 43”
|
35” x 40” x 42.5”
|
34” x 34” x 30
|
|
145 pounds
|
121 pounds
|
126 pounds
|
|
350 pounds
|
300 pounds
|
330 pounds
|
|
Battery Backup system
|
Battery Backup system
|
Extremely soft and comfortable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Dual motors allows for infinite recline positions. Good napping chair. Offered by a great company with exceptional support.
- None to speak of. We would love to have seen some preset seating positions but this may have raised the price sufficiently to move it out of the budget range.
- Dual motors allows for infinite recline positions. Offered by a great company with exceptional support.
- Bonded leather will start showing its age quickly. You’ll get hot sitting in it for extended periods. Not a great napping chair.
- Easily the most comfortable chair in its class. Extra neck support. Emergency backup system.
- Won’t recline completely flat, which means it’s ill suited for overnight sleeping. That’s a shame, given how comfortable it is.
Our Pick: Ashley Furniture Ernestine
Recommended For: Anyone weighing 350 pounds or less who’s looking for a capable, comfortable lift chair on a budget.
Ashley Furniture storms onto our revised product listing, capturing the #1 and #2 spots in the market for value-priced lift chairs, and we’re thrilled to see it.
Normally, this segment of the market is dominated by off-brands that have questionable customer service and support. Ashley Furniture’s entry into this space gives customers on a budget the opportunity to own a high-quality lift chair made by a company with decades of experience making good quality furniture and the post-sales support reputation to make buying from them a no-brainer.
The Ernestine is part of Ashley’s “Signature Series” of power lift chairs and in our view, is the best that the company is currently offering. While it lacks the kinds of “extras” commonly found in more expensive chairs, it’s got the basics well covered.
The Ernestine is an attractive design, but it has an understated look about it, which makes it blend in well with whatever room you put it in, regardless of your home’s décor scheme.
While there are no preset seating positions on offer here, the dual motor system utilized by the Ernestine allows you an infinite number of recline positions, since you can control the recline angle of the seatback and the footrest independently.
In addition to that, the Ernestine boasts a battery backup system, so you’ll never get stranded in the chair if you’re sitting in it when the power fails. With luck, you’ll never need that functionality, but if and when you do need it, you’ll be very glad it’s there!
Aside from that and the two roomy storage pockets, there are no other extras to talk about, but that’s not terribly surprising in the value segment of the market.
What you’re getting is a good lift chair with basic functionality, offered by one of the biggest names in the American furniture industry, and that’s a very good thing.
Another feature worth talking about here is the upholstery. While we’d prefer to have seen something other than polyester fabric, it’s heads and shoulders better than bonded leather, especially if you plan on using the chair for extended periods of time every day.
The reason comes down to breathability. Spend any time at all sitting in a leather chair, and it’s going to get hot, which makes leather-clad chairs a poor choice if you are looking for something you can take a nap in.
The design decision to use fabric instead of bonded leather is an excellent one in our view, and that, combined with generous block foam padding, makes it a comfortable chair that will stand up well to the rigors of heavy daily use.
Ashley Furniture did a great job at threading the needle here, offering a superb mix of form and function while keeping the price relatively low. We absolutely stand by this as our top pick in the budget segment of the market. You’ll be proud to own this model.
Runner-Up: Ashley Furniture Yandel
Recommended for: Anyone weighing 350 pounds or less, provided the chair isn’t for heavy daily use.
The Yandel is Ashley Furniture’s second entry in the sub-$600 segment of the market. While the two chairs are functionally similar, there are a couple of important details to take note of, and these explain why the Yandel ultimately ranks slightly lower than the Ernestine.
For starters, check out the dimensions of the chair and the weight limit. It’s slightly smaller than the Ernestine and supports less weight. Even so, the 300-pound weight limit makes it a decent choice for a broad swath of the market.
The second difference though, may give you pause. The Yandel is upholstered with bonded leather.
Bonded leather is real leather, but it’s made using leather scraps that have been fused together. As such, it’s not as strong, durable or supple as genuine grain leather and it will begin to start showing its age much sooner than you’d like. That’s especially true if you plan on using the chair for several hours of each day which is, in practice, how most people with mobility issues use their lift chairs.
The other issue is that the leather upholstery makes the Yandel a poor choice for napping. As we mentioned in the last section, fabric is superior here, because if you spend more than a couple of hours at a time in a leather upholstered chair, it’s going to get hot, and you’re going to get sweaty.
While the Yandel is an attractive chair, and the leather looks great, it just doesn’t stand up well to the rigors of heavy daily use and it’s too hot to use for a napping chair, much less to consider sleeping in it overnight.
Even so, if your mobility issue isn’t severe and you only need a lift chair for occasional use, this is a great option.
Everything else about the chair is identical to the Ernestine, we just mentioned. It utilizes two motors, the seatback and footrest recline independently, giving you an infinite number of possible recline settings, and it lacks preset seating options programmed into the remote.
In terms of extras, like the Ernestine, aside from the battery backup system (which is an admittedly nice touch!), the only other extra on offer are the two roomy storage pockets on the sides of the chair.
While it’s not as versatile as the Ernestine, it’s still a great little chair and for the right user, could be absolutely perfect.
Value Pick: Coaster Power Lift
Recommended For: Anyone who puts a premium on comfort and is on a budget.
This is frankly an amazing chair, given the price it’s offered at.
True, it’s only got bare-bones functionality, but at the price, it’s being offered, that’s to be expected. What comes as a pleasant surprise, though, is just how comfortable it is. Honestly, you could sit in chairs priced four or five times more than this; that wouldn’t match it for sheer comfort.
It’s plush, over-stuffed, and covered in soft fabric rather than leather or pleather, so you won’t get hot and sweaty sitting in it, and your exposed skin won’t stick to it after sitting for long periods, as can happen when you sit in leather or pleather-bound chairs.
The headrest offers extra neck support and features a simple wired remote for controlling both the recline and power lift functions.
If you suffer from mobility issues and have to remain seated for long periods, then comfort really matters, so if that describes your situation, then this one deserves a second look.
Granted, if you’ve got more money to spend, you’ll probably want something that offers more in the way of advanced functionality, but for people on a budget, this is an excellent option.
Note that the chair features an emergency backup system, so if you’re reclining and your power should go out, you’re not stuck until someone comes to help. You’ll be able to use the backup system to get help getting back on your feet, which is a nice touch.
Also Great
Madison Home Classic
Recommended For: Anyone, but it’s especially well-suited for smaller individuals.
This chair is about as basic as it gets. Itfeatures a simple, classic design, reasonable comfort, and a wired remote that allows you to control both the recline and lift functions.
While Madison Home Classic does not allow you to lay completely flat, it does recline sufficiently so that people with limited mobility could sleep in it comfortably as needed, and it has enough padding to ensure a fairly restful sleep.
Perhaps the best thing about this model is that it’s perfect for smaller people, which describes a great percentage of the elderly. That, combined with its modest price, makes it an excellent match for people with fixed incomes if their insurance won’t cover a lift chair and it has to be purchased out of pocket.
You can get the Madison Home Classic in either black, brown, or grey – neutral colors that should fit easily into any home décor scheme. A solid, basic chair, offered for a song.
Magic Union Wall Hugger
Recommended For: Anyone. An incredibly capable and well-rounded chair for the money.
We were honestly blown away by the Magic Union Wall Hugger. Given its modest price, this chair offers a lot in the way of functionality.
First and foremost, it’s got the basics covered. You can use the wired remote to recline into various positions; of course, the same remote controls the power lift function. That’s about all you’d expect from a chair offered at this price, which makes everything that follows a pleasant surprise.
While the Wall Hugger can’t compare to a “proper” massage chair, it does offer eight fixed-point massage nodes, which give a decent vibration-style massage, and the chair provides heat, which, while fairly modest, can be highly therapeutic for people who suffer from chronic back pain. Both very good things!
In addition, the remote also allows you to access five different preset massage routines. While there’s not a lot of difference between them, the one-touch access is nice, especially for seniors who may not be tech-savvy.
It’s also got the highest weight capacity of any chair on the value-priced list and will support users who weigh up to 330 pounds. Combine that with the generously sized storage pockets and the included cup holders, and you’ve got a chair that meets various needs, offered for an almost shocking price.
There are two drawbacks to consider, though.
First, the Wall Hugger is made in China, and with all the extra moving parts, something will inevitably break. When it does, getting service and support may prove to be a bit of a challenge.
Second, it’s not quite as plush or comfortable as the other chairs on our list. The major reason is that for the massage function to be strong enough to be effective, some padding has to be sacrificed. This, more than anything else, is the reason it didn’t wind up being our top choice. While we love the basic massage function, we feel that most people in the market for this type of chair would place more of a premium on comfort.
Best Rated Recliner Lift Chairs Conclusion
So what is the best power lift recliner chair? Ultimately, that’s going to depend on your tastes, preferences, and desires. We stand by our top picks, both overall, and for people who are on a budget, but we completely understand that everyone’s needs are different, and one of the others on our list of finalists might be a better fit for you.
Here’s a quick summary of when and how some of our other top contenders might be a better fit for you:
Any of the chairs we’ve talked about in this review would serve you well, so at the end of the day, the real question is, which of these is right for you?
Changelog
March 2019 – We updated this article as the market has changed. The Serta Perfect Lift Chair, Seven Oaks Power Lift Chair, and Frivity Power Lift chair had been removed from our lists. The Stellar Comfort UC556 Power Lift Chair entered our overall top list while the Ashley Furniture Ernestine and Yandel took the top two spots for our under $600 picks.
References & Resources:
- Ultimate Power Recliner, Official Brand Website.
- Jackson Catnapper, Official Brand Website.
- Cozzia Massage Chair, Official Brand Website.
- Ultra Comfort, Official Brand Website.
- Ashley Furniture, Official Brand Website.
- Coaster Furniture, Official Brand Website.
- What Is Shiatsu Massage Therapy?, Acupuncture and Massage College.
- Massage for Calf Strains, Sports Injury Clinic.
- How Can Massage Help My Health and Wellbeing?, University of Minnesota.