Catnapper Burns 4847 Review 2024

Mobility issues can be caused by arthritis, a recent surgery, or you’re getting older. As such, you cannot move around as quickly as you used to. Whatever the cause, it can be intensely frustrating. Calling for help to do things you used to find trivial can be a big blow to your self-esteem and independence.

If you have trouble standing up after sitting for a while, a power lift chair can help. However, there’s a problem—there are scores of models on the market, and trying to cut through the clutter and find the “right” one for you can be a real challenge.

We’ve tried to make the search easier. Recently, we conducted a roundup of the best power lift recliners on the market today, and the Catnapper Burns 4847 placed a respectable fourth on our list of finalists. It’s a rock-solid chair offered by a great company, and it might be just what you’ve been looking for.

In the sections below, we’ll go into its features in detail so that you can decide for yourself. We think you’ll agree even if you opt for another model; there’s much to like here. Let’s jump right in and take a closer look.

Catnapper Burns Power Lift Recliner Key Features

Plush and comfortable. Those are the first words that spring to mind when people set eyes on the Catnapper Burns lift recliner for the first time. When you sit down, you discover that those words are entirely accurate. It provides a lovely seating experience, generously padded and soft enough to feel like you’re sinking into a cloud.

Aesthetically, it’s a simple, understated design. It’s not gorgeous, but attractive enough in its way. The upshot is that since it’s a fairly unobtrusive design, it’ll easily blend in with most home décor schemes.

Chair Dimensions

Be warned, though. This is a hefty piece of furniture, measuring 44” x 39” x 42” and weighing 138 pounds. As such, if you’ve got a smallish living room, you might struggle to find a home for it.

Max Supported Weight

Its impressive size is partly because it was designed with heavier users in mind and can support up to 400 pounds in user weight. If you are way substantially less than that, this might be “too much chair” for you, but if you’ve been looking for something built for big and tall folks, then this one has you covered.

Wide Seat

Underscoring the fact that this chair was designed with big and tall people in mind is the fact that the seat is 22” wide, 22” deep, and 20” high. Smaller-framed people would get swallowed up by it. 

If you have shorter legs, then the depth of the seat may make it impossible (or at least uncomfortable) to bend your legs at the knee while sitting back.

Color Variants

While many power lift chairs are upholstered in leather, this one utilizes soft, stain-resistant, durable woven velvet, offered in the following colors:

Comfort

As we mentioned above, this is an exceedingly comfortable chair. It uses a combination of conventional block foam padding and the company’s patented “comfort coil” system, which gives you added support while ensuring that the chair conforms to your body’s contours. It’s not quite as good as memory foam, but it’s the same basic idea, and memory foam would have dramatically increased the price of the chair.

Adding to the overall comfort of the design, the Catnapper Burns Lift Recliner features a roll arm inset panel and a horse collar back treatment, both of which you’ll love.

Recline Function

Where recliners of any type are concerned, you can design the footrest in two ways. It can either be operated independently of the backrest or work in tandem. Most low-end chairs are designed so the footrest automatically pops up when you recline.  

Engineering independent operation is a bit more expensive, but it’s the optimal approach from the user’s perspective because it gives you more flexibility.

The Catnapper Burns Lift Chair is designed so that the footrest and the backrest can be independently operated. You can do that if you want your feet up but don’t want to recline. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but you can have it if that’s what you want! 

Also, many power lift recliners utilize preset recline positions on the remote. The idea here is that it offers one-touch convenience. That’s true, but there’s a catch. What if your preferences differ from those of those who built the presets? In that case, if you have a chair that only uses presets, you’re stuck and have to get used to it.

No Preset Recline Options

The Catnapper Burns Power Lift Recliner doesn’t use presets, so you can set your recline angle exactly how you want it to maximize your comfort. Sure, it means you may spend a few minutes fiddling with the controls and experimenting, but the result is that you’re in the perfect recline position, which matters most.

Great for Naps

Even better, this chair will lay completely flat, so if you have a severe mobility issue that sees you spending the better part of the day in the chair, you can lay back and take an extended nap if you want to. That’s a feature not offered on many recliners, power lift or not, and is one of our favorite features of the Catnapper. 

The closest comparable model to this one is the Mega Motion Easy Comfort, an incredibly comfortable chair for napping. Still, it doesn’t lay back. For a more in-depth comparison, check our roundup review on the best sleep recliners.

Powerful Motors

The recline and lift action are controlled by powerful 24-volt motors that offer smooth action and quiet operation. You won’t get shaken or jolted unexpectedly when you order the chair to change position or to give you a boost to help you get your feet under you, and the motors aren’t cheaply made Chinese products either. Like the chair itself, they’re built to last.

Extra Features

As we said, this basic power lift chair focuses on the fundamentals. As such, there are only two “extras” to discuss here.

Storage

The first is built-in storage. Two pockets are available, one on each side of the chair. These are wide and deep, giving you plenty of room for the chair’s remote, whatever books or magazines you’re reading, and other sundries and supplies you want to keep close at hand while you’re lounging in your new favorite chair.

Battery Backup

The second is a more critical feature that you might first consider. This chair comes with a battery backup. Think about it—what happens if you’re home alone, napping in the chair, and the power goes out while sleeping?

If you cannot stand without assistance and no power goes to the chair, you’re stuck without a battery backup. You have to send out an emergency call for help, pray there’s someone home with you, or wait until someone finds you. Not good.

A battery backup neatly sidesteps problems like that. If the power fails, the battery backup kicks in, enabling you to use the lift function to stand and then get help from there. 

Unfortunately, as important as this feature is, not all power lift chairs offer a battery backup. We’re glad to see it in the Catnapper and consider it another excellent reason to add this model to your shortlist.

Minimal Assembly Required

While the chair won’t arrive at your door assembled, putting it together isn’t hard, involved, or complex. Oddly, you can do it yourself in about twenty minutes, or about half that time, if you have an assistant to lend you one or both hands.

This is an American-made chair, so the instructions are well-written and clear, and the production quality is excellent. You won’t have any trouble, and if for some crazy reason you do, Catnapper Burns has world-class customer service and support and will take good care of you.

If you’d rather not be bothered with the assembly process, the “White Glove” service is available for an added fee. They’ll come in, set the chair up for you, put it where you want it, and take the boxes away, so you have one less thing to worry about. 

Pros & Cons of the Catnapper Burns Lift Recliner

Even though this is a basic chair, there’s a crazy amount of stuff to like about this model. Here, in no particular order, are our favorite aspects of the design:

Here are the reasons you may want to look at some other models.

Final Thoughts on Catnapper Burns 4847 Review

We love this chair. It keeps things simple and doesn’t try to do too much, but what it does, it does exceptionally well.

If you’re a bells and whistles fan or looking for a super sexy, attractive chair, this isn’t the one you want. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a solid, dependable power lift chair you can take naps in and won’t let you down, then the Catnapper Burns 4847 is worth its weight in gold (and it weighs a lot).

We highly recommend it to anyone weighing up to 400 pounds who’s tall enough to sit in it comfortably and who has room to fit it in their living room (it is a really big chair, after all!).

Recommended Reading

Official Manufacturer Support

References & Resources

• Jackson Furniture Industries, Official Brand Website.
• Use Sleep Recliners for a Healthier Sleep, Thrive Global.
• Pros and Cons of a Lift Chair for Arthritis, Very Well Health.
• Seating and Wheeled Mobility in the Disabled Elderly Population, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.