Seatcraft Recliner Reviews

In the world of recliners, you can break the chairs on the market today into three broad categories:

  • Budget Recliners, which are offered by small brands and usually imported from China for resale here.
  • Premium Recliners, which are offered by big, well-established national brands.
  • And Seatcraft, which offers a number of unbelievable, next-level recliners that are designed primarily as home theater seating solutions.

About Seatcraft Brand

Seatcraft is simply in a class by itself. Not only are their products amazing, but each model we’ll talk about in this review can be customized with your choice of high-value accessories, allowing you to personalize your recliner in ways that no other brand in the business today can match.

Seatcraft got their start in 1978, in the state of California. When they first opened their doors, they specialized in automotive seating with a focus on bench seats for luxury vans. Many years later, they expanded into custom RV seating and RV furniture, and in 2001, the company expanded into the market of luxury recliners designed as home theater seating.

Brand Logo of Seatcraft

Their recliners can be purchased individually, or in theater seating rows if you want to accommodate more guests in your home theater.

Although the company makes sectionals, home theater sofas and loveseats, and a few other, related products, for the purpose of this review, we’ll focus exclusively on the company’s line of individual recliners. For the rest, we refer you to either the company’s Amazon sales page or their actual website.


Seatcraft Recliners

We’ll be quick to point out that these chairs are not going to be for everyone. They’re expensive, highly custom pieces of furniture built with top-end materials and optimized for home entertainment. Even better, Seatcraft offers several accessories that allow you to extend the capabilities of whatever chair you choose to buy that no other company in business today can match.

If you’re looking for a recliner that’s built to last and crafted from the finest quality materials to give your living or entertainment room a look of distinction, these chairs are for you. They’re a little outside the mainstream and are guaranteed to enhance the aesthetic of any room you decide to put them in.

Is your interest piqued? If so, keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the individual recliners the company offers so you’ll have all the information you need to decide which model is the best fit for you

General Product Notes

We decided not to list too many of each model’s particulars in the summary tables because as we said at the start, the company allows you an enormous amount of freedom and flexibility where customization is concerned. If you want the Seatcraft Recliner Sofa of your choice clad in some different type of upholstery, you can have that. If you want to add one or more accessories, you can have that too. The sky really is the limit where these chairs are concerned.

Upholstery

We’ll cover the accessories options separately, but where upholstery is concerned, Seatcraft offers the following options:

3600 Leather

Bonded Leather

Polyurethane (PU) Leather

Top Grain Leather

Leather 7000

Fabrics

Some Assembly Required

Note that when you order one of these chairs, it will not arrive at your house fully assembled and ready to use. If it did, it almost certainly wouldn’t fit through your front door. Although it varies slightly from one model to the next, typically, your chair will arrive in three boxes. One for the chair base, another for the seatback, and a third, smaller box for the cables.

The assembly process takes mere minutes and requires no tools. The seatback simply snaps into position. Then, just plug the cables in, and you’re all set. Also, note that White Glove Service is not available, so you’ll need to go through these few steps yourself, or have an assistant on standby on the day the chair arrives at your door.

Design and Manufacture

All of Seatcraft’s products are designed in the US but manufactured in China and shipped here for sale. Don’t let the fact that the chairs are manufactured in China put you off. Remember, your iPhone is made there too.

The reality is that although there are tons of low-quality products made in China, their manufacturing quality at the top end of any market they’re in has really closed the gap with Western manufacturing, so a top-end Chinese chair is broadly comparable to a top-end chair made in Europe or the United States. Western quality is still somewhat higher, but the differences are disappearing rapidly. These are good products and very well made.

What is SoundShaker Technology?

Many of the recliners we’ll be talking about here in our Seatcraft Theater Seating review come with SoundShaker technology built into them. You’ll need a SoundShaker amplifier to use the technology, but if you have one as part of your audio array, then it will transmit low-frequency signals to the chair, which will cause the chair to vibrate in tandem with whatever is happening on the big screen. 

When there’s an explosion on-screen, your chair will vibrate, immersing you more fully in the action. It’s a small, subtle detail that will take your movie viewing to the next level.

One Potential Drawback

These are power recliners that offer one-touch convenience, and many of the chairs offer multiple powered features with separate controls for the recline function, headrest adjustment, and lumbar support adjustment. 

That’s fantastic as far as it goes, but there’s a catch. If the power fails, you can’t return the chair to its upright position, and unfortunately, none of these chairs offer a battery backup option, except for Seatcraft’s lift recliner. That leaves you having to clamber awkwardly out of your chair if the lights go out.

In our view, this is a minor but important oversight. Given the off the chart quality of these chairs, a battery backup option would have been a nice finishing touch and one we’d like to see on future model upgrades.

Before we get into the details of individual models though, let’s start this Seatcraft recliners review by taking a high altitude look at all the individually sold recliner models the company currently has available. Here they are:

Seatcraft Recliners - Part I

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 1st Place

Black Variants, Seatcraft Pantheon with Power Recliner, Left Position

Pantheon Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

45” x 40” x 42.5” (72” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 2nd Place

Brown Variants, Seatcraft Equinox, Left Position

Equinox Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

43” x 38” x 40” (67.5” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 3rd Place

Brown Variants, Seatcraft Julius Big & Tall Home Theater Seating, Left Position

Julius Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

45” x 41” x 41.5” (70” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 4th Place

Black Variants, Seatcraft Solstice with Power Lumbar Support, Left Position

Solstice Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

43” x 39” x37.5” (63” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliners

Black Variants, Seatcraft Pantheon with Power Recliner, Left Position

Pantheon Recliner

Brown Variants, Seatcraft Equinox, Left Position

Equinox Recliner

Brown Variants, Seatcraft Julius Big & Tall Home Theater Seating, Left Position

Julius Recliner

Black Variants, Seatcraft Solstice with Power Lumbar Support, Left Position

Solstice Recliner

Luraco i7 Chair

Rating

4.5

4.4

4.3

4.3

Price

$$$$$

$$$$$

$$$$$

$$$$$

Overall Dimensions

45” x 40” x 42.5”
(72” when fully reclined)

43” x 38” x 40”
(67.5” when fully reclined)

45” x 41” x 41.5”
(70” when fully reclined)

43” x 39” x37.5”
(63” when fully reclined)

Chair Weight

192 pounds

174 pounds

167 pounds

191 pounds

Max Supported Weight

400 pounds

300 pounds

400 pounds

300 pounds

Seat Width

26.5”

22”

26”

23.5”

Seat Depth

24”

22”

22”

21”

Extras Offered

Hidden in-arm storage, USB charging port, two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table, built-in SoundShaker technology.

Hidden in-arm storage, USB charging port, two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table, built-in SoundShaker technology.

Hidden in-arm storage, USB charging port, two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table.

Hidden in-arm storage, USB charging port, two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table, built-in SoundShaker technology.

Pantheon Big and Tall Theater Recliner

Pantheon Big and Tall Theater Recliner

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.5

Summary

The Pantheon offers dream-level comfort, adjustability, and convenience for big and tall users and those who just want more 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.
**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.

The Seatcraft Pantheon is an amazing, sturdy, versatile recliner. It boasts a reinforced wood frame that’s capable of supporting up to 400 pounds of user weight and features extra-wide armrests, making it the ideal choice for bigger, taller users.

Designed along conventional lines, it has a low-key, understated aesthetic that blends seamlessly into almost any room. It’s also a wall-hugger, which conveniently means that you only have to place it 5”-6” from whatever wall you decide to place it near for it to recline fully. That’s handy because as you saw in the product summary, this is a sizeable piece of furniture!

Unfortunately, while its impressive size makes it a great choice for big and tall users, it can also work against you. If you’re cramped for space or living in an apartment or smaller home, it may simply be too big to be a viable option.

If you decide it’s the right recliner for you, you’ll find a lot to like beyond its size and the level of comfort it offers.

Control

There are three control buttons located on the inner arm of the chair next to the USB charging port that control the recline function, the headrest adjustment, and the lumbar adjustment.

Each of these can be adjusted to your exact specifications and then when you’ve found your seating sweet spot, you can store those settings in the chair’s built-in memory with the touch of a button for one-touch convenience the next time you use the chair.

Features of Pantheon Big and Tall Theater Recliner

Comfort

It’s well-padded and comfortable no matter what type of upholstery you pair it with, but in its default configuration, it comes clad in grain leather, with all the pros and cons that come with that choice. If you buy from the Amazon site, you won’t have the full range of grain leather color options available though (brown or black only from the Amazon site).

Extras

The Pantheon comes with illuminated cup holders and ambient lighting beneath the footrest. Turning these on gives you a subtle, blue glowing light that helps you find your way to your seat if you have to get up mid-movie, so you won’t have to turn the overhead light to make your way back to your new favorite chair.

Recliner Position of Pantheon Big and Tall Theater Recliner

Seatcraft Equinox Leather Power Recliner

Seatcraft Equinox Leather Power Recliner

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.4

Summary

The Equinox is the smaller version of the Pantheon but can still support up to 350-pounds of weight.

The Seatcraft Equinox Leather Power Recliner is the slightly smaller cousin of the Pantheon, and in our view, is a slightly less capable chair. While it boasts all the same features and extras as the Pantheon, it’s more lightly constructed and doesn’t support nearly as much weight as its larger cousin.

Aesthetically, it’s honestly a rather unassuming recliner. Not ugly by any means, but there’s certainly nothing inspiring about its design, though, to its credit, it looks a bit more like what we’d imagine a home theater recliner looking.

If you went to a super deluxe movie theater, the chairs you might sit in would probably bear at least some resemblance to this model, which is, we imagine, where the inspiration for the design came from in the first place.

Seatcraft Equinox Home Theater Seating, Leather,Power Recliner, Adjustable Power Headrest, Adjustable Powered Lumbar Support

Comfort

It’s a delightfully comfortable chair though, equipped with cool gel foam which is a bit like memory foam, though not quite as comfortable.

The main benefit of cool gel foam is that it helps to mitigate the problem most leather upholstered furniture suffers from. Leather isn’t breathable, and the more time you spend in a leather chair, the hotter and sweatier you’re likely to get.

While the cool gel foam doesn’t help a bit with the breathability issue, it does help regulate the temperature of the Seatcraft Equinos Recliner, which means you’re less likely to notice the lack of breathability and can spend longer periods in the chair without sweating like you’re on vacation in South Florida.

Extras

Like the Pantheon, this chair comes with ambient lighting ringed around the two cup holders on the chair and tucked away beneath the footrest, and you can power these lights on or off as you desire. This chair was also built incorporating wall hugger technology and needed at least six inches of clearance to recline fully.

Controls

One thing we don’t especially like about this model, though, are the controls for the recline functions. Where the Pantheon featured three separate control switches, one for the recline feature, one for adjusting the lumbar support, and another for adjusting the headrest, all of the controls are built into a single omnidirectional switch on the Equinox.

Move the switch left or right for recline. Move the leftward edge of the switch up and down to adjust the lumbar, and move the rightward edge of the switch up and down to adjust the lumbar.

It’s honestly a cumbersome design, and in our view, it would have been much better to simply keep with the three separate switches we were introduced to in the Pantheon’s design. This feels like a step backward to us.

Seatcraft Equinox Home Theater Seating, USB Charging,Storage,SoundShaker, Lighted Cup Holders, Sideview Look

Accessories

In any case, all of Seatcraft’s accessories are compatible with this model, so if there aren’t enough goodies for you in the Seatcraft Equinox Home Theater Seating’s default configuration, you can certainly customize to your heart’s content. Oh, and before we forget, yes, the USB charging port is present on this model, just like it is on the Pantheon. Essentially, this is a smaller, lighter, slightly re-styled Pantheon, and we gave it a marginally lower score despite the presence of the cool gel foam.

In its stock configuration, the Equinox does boast slightly better upholstery as the company utilizes their Leather 7000 option here, and on Amazon, you’re limited to ordering yours in either black or red. If you want some other type of upholstery, or if you want access to the full-color selection, you’ll need to contact the company directly to arrange your purchase.


Seatcraft Julius Big and Tall Recliner

Seatcraft Julius Big and Tall Recliner

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.3

Summary

The Julius is another oversized offering for big and tall users, but without lumbar support and built-in SoundShaker. 

We feel that this is one of Seatcraft’s weaker models. It’s one of only two big and tall recliners they make, and it’s got a handsome look about it, but it’s not quite as feature-rich, and there’s one aspect of the chair’s design that we just don’t like at all.

Controls

Taking it from the top, the Seatcraft Julius Big & Tall chair is a power recliner and has a separate control switch for adjusting the headrest. Notably absent here though, is the adjustable lumbar support. In fact, it’s not just that there’s no means of adjusting it, there’s actually no lumbar support at all.

Seatcraft Julius Big & Tall 400 lbs Capacity, Leather, Powered Headrest, SoundShaker, USB Charging

Worse, while the headrest looks attractive, when you press the adjustment button, it bows forward, pushing your head and neck down awkwardly. Sure, if you’re reclined back in the chair, this will have the effect of elevating your head, but it will do so on the edge of the headrest itself. It’s just a poor design.

You do get a memory function so you can lock in your preferred chair settings for one-touch recall convenience. But in practice, you’re not likely to adjust the headrest at all, which means the only thing you’ll be saving is your preferred recline angle.

About the only workaround we’ve found where the headrest is concerned is to invest in the neck pillow accessory the company sells, which is a bit of a disappointment.

Extras

In terms of extras on offer, the Julius offers the ambient lighting kit ringed ‘round the cup holders and tucked under the footrest, it’s got the USB charger, the tray table, and all the other goodies except for the built-in SoundShaker technology which was also left off.

Kudos to Seatcraft for leaving a feature off that not everyone will enjoy. That’s a good move in our view, but honestly, the company would have been better served to simply make a Pantheon variant without it than this model, which winds up feeling like the Pantheon’s poor cousin with a bad headrest design and no lumbar support.

We’d say here in our Seatcraft Julius review that it’s still a very good chair by any reckoning, it’s just not as versatile as the Pantheon and that’s a pity.

On the flip side, it’s slightly shorter than the Pantheon (and slightly smaller all around), and it only requires 5” of wall clearance to recline fully, so if you don’t plan on using the adjustable headrest anyway, and if you don’t have quite enough room for the Pantheon, this might be a good option.

But frankly, it’s just not as good a chair. We still recommend it, but only for users who, for whatever reason, don’t find the Pantheon to be a good fit.


Seatcraft Solstice Recliner

Seatcraft Solstice Recliner

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.3

Summary

The Solstice has the same features as the Equinox, but it only needs 3" wall clearance to fully recline. 

The Seatcraft Solstice Leather Power Recliner is significantly smaller than the Pantheon, measuring almost a foot shorter when fully reclined. It’s a good-looking recliner with an understated design that looks as though it was inspired by luxury seating found in the best and most exclusive commercial theaters.

Its smaller size, though, marks it as a chair best used by people 6’ tall or shorter. If you’re taller than that, you want one of Seatcraft’s bigger chairs.

Seatcraft Solstice Leather Power Recliner, Lumbar Support,  Powered Headrests, and Built-In SoundShaker, Black

Controls

Although it’s a little smaller when fully reclined, it features the full boat of standard features that Seatcraft’s best chairs have on offer. You’ll find a power recline feature, adjustable headrest feature, and a power adjusted lumbar feature, all controlled by the same switch.

We’d prefer to see these controls separated out as the company has done on some of their other models and the single switch control does take some getting used to. Once you’ve mastered it though, you’ll be able to make any adjustments you like without looking at the console on the inside of the chair arm. You’ll also find a USB charging port right next to the control switch.

Extras

The Seatcraft Solstice Recliner comes standard with the lighting package, which gives you accent lights around the rims of the built-in cup holders and an ambient light tucked away beneath the footrest, all controlled by a power button located inside one of the chair arms.

Upholstery

In its default configuration, this model comes with top-grain leather upholstery and is offered in your choice of brown, black or cream. If you want the full range of color options, you’ll need to venture to Seatcraft’s website.

Unfortunately, this chair suffers from the same basic problem where the headrest is concerned. When you adjust the headrest, it pivots forward on a hinge, pushing its way into the back of your head. It’s just a substandard design for what they’re trying to accomplish.

What would work better here, in our view, would be a massage chair airbag in the headrest. Activating the headrest adjustment portion of the control would begin to inflate the airbag, plumping it up until the desired adjustment was made. Reversing the action would cause the headrest airbag to deflate to its default position. Why this approach wasn’t used, we’re not sure, but on a premium chair like this, that would be more in line with our expectations.

In any case, we rate the headrest here in this Seatcraft Solstice review as the single biggest point of weakness in the overall design. It’s a good chair though, and the full range of Seatcraft accessories will work with it. If you’re going to get this one, our recommendation would be to definitely invest in the neck pillow accessory.


Seatcraft Recliners - Part II

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 5th Place

Left Black Variants, Seatcraft Imperial Leather Home Theater Seating, Left Position

Imperial Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

43” x 37” x 36” (69” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 6th Place

Brown Variants, Seatcraft Orleans Leather Gel Power Recliner with In-Arm Storage, Left Position

Orleans Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$ ½

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

43” x 37” x 37” (67” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 7th Place

Black Variants, Seatcraft Raleigh Leather Gel Manual Home Theater Recliner, Left Position

Raleigh Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

43” x 38.5” x 33” (69” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliner Reviews - 8th Place

Black Variants, Seatcraft Millenia Recliner, Left Position

Millenia Recliner

RATING

PRICE

$$$

OVERALL DIMENSIONS

42” x 39” x 37” (68.5” when fully reclined)

More Specifications...

Seatcraft Recliners

Black Variants, Seatcraft Imperial Leather Home Theater Seating, Left Position

Imperial Recliner

Brown Variants, Seatcraft Orleans Leather Gel Power Recliner with In-Arm Storage, Left Position

Orleans Recliner

Black Variants, Seatcraft Raleigh Leather Gel Manual Home Theater Recliner, Left Position

Raleigh Recliner

Black Variants, Seatcraft Millenia Recliner, Left Position

Millenia Recliner

Luraco i7 Chair

Rating

4.0

4.7

4.5

4.6

Price

$$$$

$$$ ½

$$$

$$$

Overall Dimensions

43” x 37” x 36”
(69” when fully reclined)

43” x 37” x 37”
(67” when fully reclined)

43” x 38.5” x 33”
(69” when fully reclined)

42” x 39” x 37”
(68.5” when fully reclined)

Chair Weight

138 pounds

145 pounds

100 pounds

119 pounds

Max Supported Weight

300 pounds

300 pounds

300 pounds

300 pounds

Seat Width

24”

24”

24”

24”

Seat Depth

21.5”

22”

19”

21”

Extras Offered

USB charging port, two cup holders (one in each arm), built-in SoundShaker technology.

Hidden in-arm storage, USB charging port, two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table, built-in SoundShaker technology.

USB charging port, two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table.

Two cup holders (one on each arm), tray table.

Seatcraft Imperial

Seatcraft Imperial

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.0

Summary

If you're a fan of button back, you're probably going to want the Imperial in your home theatre, but note that it doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the others.

First and foremost, the Seatcraft Imperial is a niche product in an already small, exclusive market. It’s a beautiful recliner, no doubt, and the Old-World aesthetic is stately and refined, with its rounded back and tufted seatback that hearkens back to ages gone by, but that’s the problem.

In the real world, most households aren’t decorated like that, which means that this chair is simply going to clash with many household décor schemes. As such, most people are going to give it a pass.

Seatcraft Imperial, Power Recliner with Tufted Backrest, Nailhead Accent Arms, USB Charging and Cup Holders, Black

If your home is decorated in a way that’s reminiscent of the Old World, this chair will fit right in. Otherwise, unless you’re dedicating yourself to creating an Old World/Victorian/Steampunk Themed Theater Room, it’s going to be difficult to make this chair work.

Aesthetics aside, compared to many of Seatcraft’s other designs, this one is decidedly bare-bones.

You won’t find adjustable headrest or lumbar support controls here, because they simply don’t exist. This model, like the others we’ve talked about so far, is a wall hugger though, and you’ll only need 5” of clearance between the seatback and whatever wall you set it near to fully recline.

Extras

Although this model features the cup holders and the ambient lighting kit, a lot of the other fun extras, including the hidden storage, are simply not included in this design although you can create a highly customized version of this chair with those elements by working directly with the company.

Upholstery & Finishing

All that to say, the main reason most people gravitate to this chair is the look and feel of it, and the Seatcraft Imperial offers a few lovely details and finishing touches that enhance its Old World aesthetic, including the fact that the cup holders are bronzed instead of being finished with a brushed stainless steel look, and the area surrounding the cup holders is set off from the rest of the chair by the presence of bronze nailhead accents.

In its default configuration, this chair comes upholstered in top grain leather and is offered on Amazon in either black or brown. If you want access to the full range of top grain leather color options, you’ll need to go to the Seatcraft website direct.

It’s a very good chair, but its minimal feature set compared to other Seatcraft models and its Old-World design mark it as a chair that’s targeted at a very narrow sliver of the market. If you happen to be in that sliver, you’re going to love it. If you’re not, you’re probably not going to give it a second glance.

Final Note: One thing we don’t especially like about this design is that there’s no pillowed area on the headrest. Worse, although you can buy the optional neck pillow accessory and it will fit on this chair, it looks decidedly out of place. It does solve the problem of head and neck support, but in our view, it’s a crude, if effective option for doing so.


Seatcraft Orleans Recliner

Seatcraft Orleans Recliner

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.7

Summary

The Orleans recliner is a good value option if you're just looking to have all the basic features. 

The Seatcraft Orleans Recliner is a delightfully low-cost option that has the basics covered. Although this model doesn’t offer power headrest or lumbar adjustability, it does feature a lovely pillowed headrest, unlike the Imperial, which makes it a delight to recline back in.

Seatcraft Orleans Leather Gel Power Recliner with In-Arm Storage, and USB Charging, Brown

Manual Option

Of interest, the Orleans is one of just a handful of models currently offered by Seatcraft that has a manual recliner option. 

If money’s tight, or if you’d simply rather forego the power recliner option, you can get this model in manual recliner configuration without sacrificing any of the fun extra features, making it one of our favorite designs and the one we judge to be the best overall value for the money.

Leather Gel Upholstery

Whatever option you choose, the contemporary design of the chair lends itself well to blending seamlessly with almost any home décor scheme. In its default configuration, the Orleans is upholstered in one of Seatcraft’s lesser upholstery options, “Leather Gel,” which is a hybrid of leather and PU. It’s more durable than PU, but not as good as grain leather and isn’t a pet-friendly upholstery option in the least.

It will stand up reasonably well to light to moderate use, but if you want something longer-lasting, you’ll definitely want to pay to upgrade the upholstery to either breathable fabric, top-grain leather, or the company’s premium leather offering, Leather 7000

From the Amazon site, brown is the only color option offered. If you want to make upholstery or color changes, you’ll need to go directly to the Seatcraft website.

Note that even if you opt for the manual recliner option here, the Seatcraft Orleans Home Theater Seating still needs to be connected to a power supply to use the ambient lighting and USB charging features. The upshot is that in addition to saving yourself a bit of money if the lights go out while you’re sitting in the chair, you’ll be able to return the recliner to its upright seating position and get out without difficulty.

Also note that even if you select the manual recliner option, the chair is still compatible with all of the other fun accessories the company sells. This is a great little chair and offers tremendous value for the money!


Seatcraft Raleigh Theater Seating

Seatcraft Raleigh Theater Seating

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*

Brand Reliability**

4.5

Summary

The Raleigh is a purely manual recliner that offers a lot of good features. Recommended if you have limited space and budget. 


Black Variants, Seatcraft Raleigh Leather Gel Manual Home Theater Recliner, Right Position

Seatcraft Raleigh Theater Seating

The Seatcraft Raleigh Theater Seating is a purely manual recliner. There is no power option available here. That’s not a bad thing though; mostly, it comes down to what kind of chair you’re looking for. If you have your heart set on a power recliner, then this one won’t spend more than a second or two on your radar, but if you’re willing to consider a manual option, this one has a lot to offer.

Space-Saving Armrests

It does make a few sacrifices, though. Most notably, in a bid to create a chair with a smaller footprint, the Raleigh incorporates space-saving armrests, which makes it impossible to utilize built-in storage. The chair does offer a food and work tray, but there’s no storage compartment to put it in, so you’ll have to work out a place to put it when it’s not in use.

Seatcraft Raleigh Leather Gel, Recliner with Space Saver Armrestsan and USB Charging, Black

No SoundShaker

The Raleigh also takes a pass on SoundShaker technology, so if that’s a feature you’ve just got to play with, this isn’t the model you want. Also absent from this design is any sort of adjustability for the headrest and no lumbar support either. 

A Few Extras

On the other hand, you will find the USB charging port, a pair of cupholders and the ambient lighting package present here, which gives the chair some genuine versatility, and of course, most of the other accessories work just fine with it (except that there’s no option to add built-in storage. It simply wouldn’t fit, given the design of the chair’s armrests).

Wall Hugger

The Raleigh has a delightful contemporary design that looks great in just about any environment. Even better, in keeping with the space-saving paradigm this model was designed around, it incorporates wall hugger technology into its design, which means you’ll only need 5” of clearance between the seatback and whatever wall you place the chair close to. That makes this chair a good choice for people who live in smaller homes or apartments, or anyone for whom space, in general, is at a premium.

Lightweight

It’s also a lightweight model, so if you decide you want to relocate the chair sometime after you purchase it, that’s something you can probably do on your own, and something easily accomplished if you have a trusty assistant standing by when you decide to relocate the chair to some other part of the room, or to a different part of the house.

Upholstery

If you’re looking for a good home theater quality recliner with a smallish footprint, and you don’t have a ton of cash to spend, this is a great option to consider. Unfortunately, the default configuration of the chair is upholstered in the company’s Gel Leather option, which is a mix of PU and Leather.

It’s more durable than PU, but that’s not really saying much. If you have pets or are looking for something that will stand the test of time better, you’ll definitely want to talk to a Seatcraft representative about upgrading the upholstery to either fabric (the most pet-friendly option), top-grain leather, or their premier Leather 7000 option. 

If you order straight from the Amazon page, you’ll get your choice of brown or black, in the upholstery mentioned above.

Seatcraft Millenia Recliner

Seatcraft Millenia Recliner

Value

Comfort

Aesthetic Flexibility*