Re: new to site. Looking for advice.
Hi Bryan,
The weak point in any recliner, from any maker, is the mechanism once you are at mid-level to high end buys. On the cheap end of things, the frame of the chair itself is substandard and generally will not hold together, so you don't want to go too far down on the inexpensive buy. Like you said in your post, its all lifestyle as to how long pieces last - warranties really don't come into play that much from any maker. The things that break or fail are usually outside the scope of the warranty. The key to mechanism survivability is to not use the piece hard when its in the open or reclined position - that's when most the damage occurs. They chairs are strong when closed and vulnerable when extended out so that's the key to keep the mechanism from failing.
If you really want durability, then a tilt back chair with ottoman is the way to go. More comfortable (IMHO), the base is solid stationary, and there is no mechanism to break - only a cable and gas strut to activate. These are much stronger than recliners overall but it will be difficult to find anything under $ 1K for the chair and ottoman combo.
Now if we are talking furniture in general - the key is a solid maple frame, they simply don't break. But only the higher-end makers are still using that - mid-line has moved to plywood. And like we all know from going to Home Depot, there are different levels of plywood. As the price comes down, so does the material quality. I've even seen a few pieces at the lower end of the price spectrum with particle board and cardboard as frame components - that piece is doomed to fail early.
Best bet? If you live in a larger town watch Craigslist and in particular keep your eye open for anything made by Hancock & Moore, Baker, Henredon, Councill, Sherrill. etc. Those are all solid maple frame builders and you can buy them pre-owned for 1/4 of the price new in many instances. Good luck
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
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