Most Comfortable-H&M Austin High Back/Tilt Back 2038 or Westwood Tilt Back 2062?

Hello, I'm a new member and before I ask my question I would like to thank Duane for providing this helpful forum, and all the knowledgeable members who contribute.
I've decided to buy one of these chairs along with its matching ottoman. Comfort is by far my number one priority and I'd be sitting upright in it most of the time. Appearance is secondary but I like the way both of these chairs look.
As far as comfort goes, there are two specific things I'm looking for. First, I would lean towards the chair that has more lumbar support if one has more than the other. Second, I would also like it to come up high enough in the back so that I can comfortably lean my head back and have my neck be supported. If one supports the neck more than the other, that would lead me towards that one. I'm 6' tall and 168 lb., just turned 65, and find that things hurt more than they used to, which is the reason I'm looking for a really comfortable chair.
I have read everything I could find on this forum about these two chairs, there being of course much more information on the Austin because it's been around a lot longer.
Duane, when the Westwood first came out around 2016 I saw comments from you that said you thought the two chairs sat about the same, that the comfort was similar. Later on, I saw comments from you indicating the Westwood was the most comfortable chair H & M makes, and that you and others preferred it over the Austin.
If that is the case, do you prefer it for comfort, and specifically how do you prefer it for comfort?
Furniture stores near me in central North Carolina do not have either of these chairs in their showroom now. I was able to try an Austin 3732, a power swivel recliner, which felt good as far as lumbar support but needed a little more neck support. The store also had an Austin 3032, a wall hugger recliner, which just didn't feel quite right, it wouldn't get upright enough.
I'd be grateful for any insight and experience anyone has about similarities and differences between these two chairs.

If you are a Carolina guy, depending on where in the Carolinas you are, why not consider the trip to Duane's store and try out a bunch of H&M recliners? Or probably even closer, maybe he could arrange a factory tour when several models were being produced there. I wish I was closer to either one, myself. :)

I sat in a Westwood Tiltback with ottoman at Duane's store last month. I found it to be very comfortable so I ordered the 7150 Westwood Recliner. I don't remember if an Austin High Back was on display, but I do remember the Sundance floor model being very comfortable as well.

in my opinion, the Austin Wall Hugger Recliner ( 30xx 37xx) is not a very good sitting chair. I have one in my store on clearance and when its gone I will no longer floor one, there are MUCH better choices on more modern frames, so I would throw that out as a comparison.

Comfort is highly subjective, however I can tell you that if I were choosing for myself between the Austin High Back Tile Chair and the Westwood Tilt Back, I would buy the Westwood. Not only is it a better looking chair (again my opinion) but for me, it does sit better. When upright, it has less back pitch than the Austin and that's key for me - there are times I want to sit more upright and don't want to start out with more back pitch. Westwood series is pricier, so if budget comes into play the Austin series in the promotional leathers is more price-friendly. Westwood has a box seat cushion and the Austin has a rounded knife edge seat front - some prefer the latter. When I have both side-by-side on the floor as display models (both my floor models have recently sold) I find customers about equally split between the two.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Comfort is highly subjective, however I can tell you that if I were choosing for myself between the Austin High Back Tile Chair and the Westwood Tilt Back, I would buy the Westwood. Not only is it a better looking chair (again my opinion) but for me, it does sit better. When upright, it has less back pitch than the Austin and that's key for me - there are times I want to sit more upright and don't want to start out with more back pitch. Westwood series is pricier, so if budget comes into play the Austin series in the promotional leathers is more price-friendly. Westwood has a box seat cushion and the Austin has a rounded knife edge seat front - some prefer the latter. When I have both side-by-side on the floor as display models (both my floor models have recently sold) I find customers about equally split between the two.

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Thank you for this information, this is exactly what I was hoping to figure out. I also like to sit up fairly straight sometimes, and not have the feeling that my neck is falling backward when the chair should be fully upright. If I want to lean back, then I can, that's the advantage of a tilt back chair.
If you have any more specific thoughts about why the Westwood Tilt Back sits better, I would be grateful to hear them. I was also wondering if it has the eight-way hand-tied spring construction in the seat like I understand the Austin does.
I realize the Westwood is more expensive, although I haven't priced it at my local store. This is going to be a pricey chair anyway, because I am probably going to get the Class 4 Capri Butternut leather. On a personal note, I am celebrating being 5 years out from a successful brain tumor surgery, and therefore being able to turn 65, so this chair is going to be my fun splurge, and I just want to get the best and most comfortable chair I can find.

Both have 8-way hand-tied seat decks.

Congrats on being a cancer survivor. I am 15 years this February Stage IV Cancer myself - but my wife STILL won't let me get that Ferrari I keep showing her photos of!

P.S. All factory trips and tours are cancelled at all suppliers due to Covid and will be for the foreseeable future.

Congratulations to you too. It definitely gives you a greater appreciation of things.
I have also fantasized about a Ferrari, when I get this chair maybe I can call it the Ferrari of my living room.
Thank you for the information about the seat decks. I was pretty set on an Austin for a long time, but now am moving more towards getting a Westwood, mainly because of your comment on it sitting a bit more upright. My neck hurts sometimes and doesn't like to be falling back too far.
Lumbar support is also important to me, does one of these have more of that than the other, or are they pretty equal?

I don't have either in my store right now to compare, one did not strike me as being moreso than the other from memory.

Thanks for the helpful comments. Does anyone know why the top cushion on the back of the Westwood seems to go down farther (making it appear taller from top to bottom) than the same cushion on the Austin? I was also wondering if they have the same cushioning thickness and material in the seat and on the back.

I think I will probably order a Westwood 2062 tilt back in the next month or so. It doesn't look like I'll be able to try an Austin or a Westwood tilt back anytime soon around here in central North Carolina. It's a big purchase to make without actually sitting on it, but with Coronavirus on the rise I'm not inclined to travel far to try one out, so I think I'm going to just take the plunge.

My faithful Terrier buddy likes to snooze next to my comfortable chair in convenient tummy scratching range, and he wants me to upgrade this old worn-out Bradington Young tilt back that I have currently.
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Yes, both the Austin and the Westwood use a Qualux seat core and fiber fill in the backs.

I am told there will be a price increase in January on Hancock and Moore, so try to get your order in the month of December if you can.