Visited Lazy-Boy store today

I am sitting in a 36 year old Lazy Boy recliner now. It's been great...but has some issues now and the fabric needs replacing again. The mechanisms are wearing out. I use my recliner for work(on my laptop), taking naps, and just watching tv. It's probably the most used chair in the house. No use in trying to get a new mechanism for it...since they are garbage now.

Went to the store and looked around. Man, those Lazy Boys are still comfortable and the rocker recliner is great to sit in. My favorite feature is the back operates independently of the footrest. That's impossible to find on other recliners. However, the chairs were garbage and we know they wouldn't last. The footrest alone wobbled like a drunk and I'd be surprised if it held up for more than a month.

About 10 years ago we bought Lazy Boys chairs to replace these 36 year old ones. The quality was so horrid we were lucky enough to get our money back on them. The chair was attached the frame crooked. It took a lot of calls to Lazy Boy but they charged us a pickup fee and took the chairs back...refunding our money. I bet it wouldn't be that easy now.

I looked at Flexsteel and thought it a better chair than the Lazy Boy. Smith Brothers looked and felt like a quality chair, too. I found a Smith Brothers that seemed equivalent to the Bradington Young brand...and very similar to what my wife liked in the BY. I think I'll go try it out again tomorrow as I have some experience today in sitting in more recliners.

If you’re trying out different makers, try to focus on the mechanism. Get either an UltraMek or Leggett & Platt mech, those are best in the industry. Motion furniture is all about the mechanisms for longevity

I bought a Southern Motion recliner in 2018. The mechanism failed within a month or two. I was surprised the furniture store sent out a repair person who took the recliner completely apart and replaced the mechanism. The mechanism still works great, but the frame of the chair is broken already. The mechanism will likely outlast the frame. I would like to get a Hancock & Moore recliner when this one finally dies if any would fit me. It is difficult to find an H&M recliner to try on for size.

The Berkline recliner I had lasted 18 or 19 years before the wooden frame was finally so loose I had to get a new one.

The first leather piece I ever bought (knowing nothing about leather furniture at the time) was a Hancock & Moore Woodbridge Recliner in a finished leather in 1987. I kept that until 2020 and then gave it to my daughter Sarah and her husband where its used regularly in their main living area. So now its 36 years old and no signs of deterioration and on the original frame, mechanism and cushion cores. That's getting your money's worth any way you cut it.

I have a good friend who was in the store yesterday, she buys Ashley and Ikea though she can easily afford to shop at my store, her coffee maker in her kitchen (Miele) was $ 5K and her Toto toilet in her main master bath was $ 8K, for example, and they have two Porsche 911's in the garage along with matching Rolex Daytona watches. But she refuses to buy quality furniture! She says "I know its crap when I buy it, but I can throw it out and get new pieces in three to four years". I kidded her and told her she was a Landfill problem, but that stuff never sits right from Day 1. It has the cheapest foam in it, the worst covers and suspension is basically non-existent. I don't get that decision making myself. Buy it once, take care of it, and lasts. Oh well !

This thread is sort of getting off track, but I have no issue spending big on a recliner that will last. The only caveat is I have to be able to sit in it first. A lot of recliners have a back that is not tall enough for my 6'-2" frame. I want my head fully supported. I am also spoiled a bit having the power headrest now.

Those Motioncraft ones that are in the Custom Leather Works program I posted today in another thread might do the trick. They have a back height of 45", seat height of 20" and you can order them with Power and Power Headrest. 45" should easily work for a 6' 2" man with room to spare.

Just curious, what do you recommend for a woman who is a shrinking 5'1 1/2" (shrinking in height and width, lol), with room for only one recliner, and visitors that are up to 6'3", lol.

No idea! A recliner that fits you at 5' 1" is not going to be suitable for someone over 6'. Rule of thumb is to buy for you - not guests.