Are you on a budget?
Looking for a decent lounge chair with ergonomic supports to put in your living room and help ease the pain in your aching back?
If so, you’re going to like what you see in our in-depth brand review of MacMotion’s products.
These are good chairs, but we’ll say upfront that they fall short of greatness. Even so, they’re well-priced and comfortable, and that makes them an excellent option and well worth a look if you’re trying to find affordable ergonomic furniture.
Before we get into the particulars of the brand and what makes it “tick” let’s start by looking at a top-down look at the chairs the company makes.
There’s something to fit most every budget here, and broadly speaking, MacMotion’s chairs can be broken into three distinct groups:
About the Brand
If you’ve read our Fjords brand review, one thing that immediately stands out about that company is how thrillingly organized they are. Fjords has been in the business a long time, and they’ve got their product offerings down to a science.
MacMotion is not that company. Their product line is a mess – all over the map, really. It’s like comparing a well-run Roman fort with Dodge City. MacMotion is Dodge City.
That said, even though their product line is all over the map, once you spend some time sifting through the options, they really do have some surprisingly good products for the money. Let’s take a closer look at their three product groupings to see what’s what:
The Oslo Collection
Stylistically, the chairs that make up the Oslo collection look and feel a lot like Fjords and ScanSit chairs, complete with the distinctive “C-Frame” design. Quality control isn’t as good and the materials aren’t of the same quality, but the look and feel are the same. Although, we’ll be quick to note that these chairs don’t tend to stand up as well over time, and they don’t come with the advanced finishing options like Fjords chairs do.
Then again, they cost a lot less money, and that’s the tradeoff you’d expect.
The Comfort Line
These chairs are a step down from the ones offered in the Oslo Collection. They’re decent pieces of furniture, but don’t expect them to last a lifetime, even if you treat them with the greatest of care.
Even so, they offer solid value for the money and are full-featured ergonomic designs, with a few pleasant surprises on offer, to boot.
The Budget Line
These chairs are about what you’d expect. They don’t cost much, are made with cheaper materials, but still manage to provide decent value for the money. If you don’t have a lot to spend, but really want to get away from poorly designed living room furniture, the chairs on offer in the budget line make a lot of sense.
Having said that, if you can afford to delay your purchase a bit, you’d probably be better served saving your money and getting something from the Comfort line, or even better, the Oslo Collection. If you’ve just gotta have something right now though, and you’ve got a smallish budget, these chairs will get the job done.
Adjustability & Comfort, Storage & Extras
We’re combining these two sections here in our MacMotion recliners review because there’s not much to say on this front, at least not in general terms.
Because MacMotion’s furniture is all over the map in terms of both design and capability, there really isn’t much to say here. Again, if you look at the Fjords brand review, it was possible to talk about the features of the brand as a whole because all their chairs have the same basic capabilities. That’s just not the case with the MacMotion brand, so we’ll address these issues product by product in the detailed view below.
Assembly
A few of MacMotion’s chairs come fully assembled in the box. Just take them out and sit down. We like that and wish the company would standardize around this practice.
Sadly, not much that MacMotion does is standardized, and many of their chairs do require assembly. The process isn’t long or complicated, but their quality control gets in their way sometimes, and you’ll find that pieces don’t always line up as they should. This isn’t an insurmountable problem, but it will cost you time.
Overall, the assembly process (where required) will take less than an hour, and it’ll go faster and be easier if you have an assistant to provide an extra pair of hands.
Oslo Collection Comparison Table
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$899.00
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$957.20
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- A bit more elegant looking than some of the other designs, which makes it not quite as flexible in terms of fitting in with most home décor schemes.
- Pretty chair though, and comfortable too!
- The reliance on lower-quality build materials is a constant issue with MacMotion’s products that shortens their useful life.
- It’s a good chair, and if the massage function had been left off altogether, we’d probably like this model. It has some cool extras like memory foam, a height-adjustable, articulating headrest, and a handy laptop tray.
- The reliance on lower-quality build materials is a constant issue with MacMotion’s products that shortens their useful life.
- This appears to have been the “flagship” of the Oslo collection before the Bergen was introduced. A comfortable chair with full ergonomic support.
- The reliance on lower-quality build materials is a constant issue with MacMotion’s products that shortens their useful life.
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$1,299.00
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- Functionally similar to the leather recliners. If you prefer fabric, you’ll find these deliver solid value for the money. Full ergonomic support and quite comfortable.
- As with the leather Bergens, the quality is acceptable but falls short of greatness.
- Best value in the Oslo Collection. Offered in a variety of finishes, though each is sold as a “separate” product and part of the line. Full ergonomic support and quite comfortable.
- Quality is acceptable but not award-winning. These chairs still fall short of greatness
- It’s a comfortable recliner with ergonomic features.
- The Shiatsu massage is substandard. For not much more money, you can get an awesome massage chair.
*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.
Oslo Collection – A Closer Look
Narvick
A slight variation on the company’s “Bergen” design, with a more elegant look and feel.
This is a slight variation on the company’s “Bergen” design, with a more elegant look and feel. If your home décor scheme tends to the more elegant, this model will serve you well. If your home tends to be more casual, then one of the Bergens will probably serve you better.
Still, it’s very pretty, very comfortable, and offers full ergonomic supports. A solid value for the money.
Norfolk
Ostensibly, this should be a great little chair. Unlike the other models in the Oslo Collection, this one strays away from the C-Frame and uses a standard swivel base.
It also features a layer of memory foam a top the standard block foam padding, which does (maybe?) make it a bit more comfortable, but not so much that you’d want to rush out and buy one just for that.
Honestly, unless someone told you it was there, you may not be able to tell the difference at all.
Again though, MacMotion tries to do too much with this design. If they had stopped at just making it a good recliner, it would have been a successful design, and to their credit, the height-adjustable, articulating headrest and convenient laptop tray are awesome additions to this chair!
Unfortunately, their massage function falls flat. Again, if you’re going to get a massage chair, then spend a little extra and get a good one. Don’t settle for stuff like this that vaguely makes you feel as though someone is pushing on your back.
Note that this chair does require some assembly, so be prepared to spend an hour or so on it before you can sit down. We’d rate it as a good effort, but ultimately a failed one. As such, cool features aside, we don’t recommend this model.
Mandal Recliner and Ottoman
Very similar to the Bergens but offering a different, and more formal aesthetic. If you’re looking for a formal-looking lounge chair, this one is well worth considering, though it suffers from the same limitations as MacMotion’s other products, so be aware.
Bergen Fabric Recliner and Ottoman
This is the exact same recliner as the leather-upholstered ones we’ll talk about next. Literally, the only difference is the upholstery material, but for some reason, these are treated as separate products by MacMotion. Yeah, we don’t completely understand either.
In any case, everything we have to say about the leather covered recliners (next) applies here too. If you prefer a lounge chair upholstered with fabric, these are the ones you want.
Bergen Leather Recliner and Ottoman
In our view, these chairs represent the best overall value in the MacMotion product line. Based on the C-Frame Fjords recliner designs, these are good-looking chairs, upholstered in top-grain leather. They’re well-padded and comfortable and offer excellent lumbar and upper back/head support.
The flip side is that the leather isn’t treated or protected, so it’s not as resistant to wear or the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, and as with MacMotion’s other products, the construction material isn’t top of the line. If you buy one, it’ll look great for a couple years, and then start showing its age. For the price, that’s not bad, and if you treat your chair with kid gloves, it’ll serve you pretty well.
Note that some assembly is required.
Shiatsu Massage Recliner and Ottoman
Please don’t spend money on this chair.
It’s overpriced for what you get. Yes, it’s comfortable. Yes, it’s got ergonomic features, and it’s styled similarly to Fjords’ C-Frame recliners. Those are all good things.
On the other hand, it features a substandard Shiatsu massage function that utilizes eight fixed point massage heads. Basically, when you turn it on, it just shakes you a bit while you sit in the chair.
The problem is, for just a bit more money, you can buy an awesome massage chair (Kahuna LM6800) that will leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed, not just lightly shaken.
While we applaud MacMotion for making the attempt, we regard this as a failed product, and we absolutely do not recommend it. (Note, this is basically their Bergen recliner, with massage heads added after the fact).
Comfort Line Comparison Table
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$699.00
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- Best value in the comfort line. Tremendously good chair offered for next to nothing.
- While production quality is better than you’d expect, the chair still uses low-quality materials that won’t stand up well over the long term.
- Solid value for the money. Padding is better than average, and the upholstery quality is surprisingly good (top-grain leather)
- Upholstery is not treated, so not especially resistant to rips, tears, or the harmful effects of the sun’s rays. Padding is standard block foam. Put those together, and again, it’s not designed to hold up well over the long term.
- Well designed, comfortable, and convenient (no assembly required). Full ergonomic supports for a decent price.
- Upholstery quality is disappointing.
*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.
Comfort Line – A Closer Look
Denmark Recliner and Ottoman
This little chair is almost shockingly good for the money and is one of MacMotion’s standout designs. Highly recommended, it offers tremendous value for the money.
Yes, you’ve got to put it together yourself, and it’s true that sometimes the screw holes don’t line up properly. It’s also true that the materials, while better than you’d expect, are still low-end, and as such, won’t stand the test of time.
Having said all that though, it’s also true that they’re practically giving the chair away, and the upholstery is a step (or perhaps even two) above what you’d expect at this price range.
All in all, it’s an amazing offering, featuring full ergonomic support.
On top of that, it swivels, and the design clearly bears traces of the excellent Fjords recliners. Great job, MacMotion!
Norway Leather Recliner and Ottoman
This product is to the Comfort Line what the Vintage Walnut Swivel Recliner is to the Budget Line. It’s a more expensive chair, but still reasonably priced.
Lumbar and upper back supports are excellent, it’s well-padded and comfortable, offers multiple recline positions and a 360-degree swivel.
On top of that, it’s upholstered with real, top-grain leather, which is a significant improvement over much of this part of MacMotion’s product line that cuts corners where the upholstery is concerned.
Although it does not offer the same level of value for the money that the excellent Taupe fabric recliner does, it’s still well worth considering, especially if you’ve got your heart set on a genuine leather recliner with ergonomic supports.
Aesthetically, its simple, understated design and color make it easy to fit into most any home décor scheme, and it comes pre-assembled, which is both handy and convenient. Provisionally recommended.
Nubuck Recliner and Ottoman
MacMotion is at its best as a brand when they don’t try to do too much and cram tons of features and options into a single design. This is a case in point. As with many of their products, it’s a good chair that falls short of greatness.
We love the casual styling, the overall level of comfort, and the fact that it comes pre-assembled. It’s comfortable and offers a full range of ergonomic supports.
Best of all, although this model bears an unmistakable resemblance to the Fjords swivel recliners, the company changed things up a bit here and made the design their own. This model has a distinctly American, not European feel to it, and it serves the model well, in our opinion.
Having said that, the company did cut some corners here. The padding is standard block foam, which means it’ll start to sag over time, and the upholstery isn’t top-grain leather, which we found to be disappointing. Still, it’s a solid product that delivers on value. We recommend it.
Budget Chairs Comparison Table
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- Extremely inexpensive, fairly small, and unobtrusive. Reasonably comfortable, with adequate lumbar and upper back supports.
- Low-quality fabric upholstery and relatively low-quality materials overall.
- Well-padded and comfortable. Good lumbar support and above-average upper back support. Excellent price.
- Bonded leather upholstery. Relatively low-quality materials overall. Won’t age well.
*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.
Budget Chairs – A Closer Look
The Swivel Glider and Recliner
This model can be hard to find as third-party sellers have an on again, off again relationship with the chair.
It’s lightweight, reasonably comfortable, and offers decent, but not exceptional lumbar and upper back support. Even so, it glides, swivels, and reclines, making it a fairly versatile piece of furniture.
Production quality is low, and the upholstery is fabric, which is lightweight and won’t stand up well over time. Even so, it’s offered for a song and provides reasonable value for the money.
Note that this is another model where assembly is required. It may take a bit of wrestling, as the quality control is somewhat spotty, but once you’ve got it put together, it will serve you well enough in a pinch.
Vintage Walnut Swivel Recliner
A decent chair that falls well short of greatness. It’s attractively priced, but as with most low-priced offerings, the tradeoff comes in terms of quality.
Bonded leather, in the place of top-grain leather. Simple block foam padding, and lower quality wood are used in the base.
Even so, for the price, it represents better than the average value and should have little difficulty blending in with most home décor schemes (though it is a bit severe for our particular tastes).
Note that this chair does require some assembly, and here, MacMotion’s quality control will make that harder than it should be in some cases because the screw holes don’t always line up the way they should. Even so, with an assistant, your total build time will be less than an hour.
Other Products
Although this is an article focusing on ergonomic recliners, it’s worth mentioning that MacMotion sells other types of furniture as well.
Of particular interest, they’ve got an ergonomic loveseat and sofa.
The Love Seat
This is essentially two ergonomic recliners merged together. Each one rests on its own glide rails and can be reclined independently of the other, using the lever located on both sides of the seat.
It offers exceptional lumbar support and above-average upper back support.
The frame is constructed of kiln-dried hardwood, but the upholstery is a bit of a disappointment, being a kind of leather-like polyester.
Given that you’re essentially getting two recliners, it’s fairly well-priced, and although the frame will hold up well over time, it won’t be many years before the padding starts showing its age and you’ll have to pay to have it reupholstered.
Even given those limitations, it offers better than the average value for the money.
The Sofa
Much like the loveseat we mentioned above, this is essentially three recliners merged together. The center “chair” fully reclines (and includes a footrest) just like the two end pieces, and there’s a USB port on each side of the sofa, allowing you to “plug in” and listen to your favorite tunes.
Lumbar support is excellent, and upper back and head support are above average, although the padding is a simple block foam and will begin to break down and sag after a few years.
Again, the disappointment here is the upholstery, which is a “leather-like” polyester that won’t stand up well over time and will probably need replacing in a few years. As with the loveseat though, the frame is constructed of kiln-dried hardwood and is fairly durable, despite not being top of the line.
The USB ports are a nice touch and a great convenience feature. Overall, this sofa offers solid value for the money you’ll spend.
MacMotion Chairs Review Conclusion
As you can see, MacMotion’s products run the gamut from super-low-priced budget chairs to a few more deluxe models aimed mostly at the value segment of the market, but sometimes straying into the mid-range territory.
Product quality is inferior to the top contenders in the ergonomic furniture market, but many of MacMotion’s products offer solid value for the money. Perhaps the biggest difference between the MacMotion brand and the Fjords brand, however, is consistency.
If you look at our product ratings for everything Fjords makes, they’re all highly consistent. MacMotion’s chairs, on the other hand, vary wildly in terms of quality and value. That matters because with Fjords, what you’re really doing is picking what aesthetic you like best. All their products are pretty uniform in terms of quality.
With MacMotion, you’ve got to pay close attention to the particulars of each product because although many of their chairs are quite good, some of them are just disasters waiting to disappoint the unsuspecting customer.
On that basis, we recommend all the chairs in the Oslo collection (except for the massagers), as being the best overall value in the brand, and provisionally recommend the others, except where noted in the individual products section of this review.
In particular, we’d draw your attention to:
Official Manufacturer Support
REFERENCES & RESOURCES
- MacMotion Recliner Chair, Official Brand Website.
- Tips & Tricks, MacMotion.
- A Easy Way to Relieve Back Pain Caused From Sitting, Low Back Pain Program.