I currently have a no name? leather chair and ottoman that are fine. Had it for years, don't use it much. But I'm having some surgery in January and will need to sleep in a recliner for....a few days to a week.So my options were to rent something, you can rent lift chairs, but that seemed a bit icky; buy something super cheap, hope it doesn't die and then just sell it cheap or give it away; or buy something nice that I like and will want to keep. Since I'm getting older the idea of keeping it seemed good.
I live in a small apt with a narrow living room so:
I need:
(1) a wall hugger.
(2) the whole point of using this for surgery is I won't be able to move my arms much so it should be power (lets hope the power doesn't go out in a Jan storm). It needs to recline fairly far though I think I can cope for a week if it doesn't lay flat or go super far back. There is a part of me that says "you only need power for a week so why not suck it up without power". IDK what to think about that. The ones that you push on with your arms have been hard without being post surgery. Maybe a really smooth working handle one? But I guess you also get more postions with power so....
I want:
(1) something with decent sized seat. My current chair is 23" on the inside and is a t-cushion with low arms. This means I can sit sort of over on one side, curled up a little. I've looked at some Bradington Young on line and one? in a store and the seat was like 18.5 which is barely bigger than the airline seats everyone hates. What the heck?
(2) I don't like sitting in the bucket seat sort of style (see comments in #3) plus I hate the way it looks.
(3) I want an arm that scoops back or a t-cushion or something. I hate feeling like a chair is hard to get into or out because you have to maneuver around the arms. Or otherwise feeling trapped by the arms. Less arm the better! Low arms!
(4) I have a fabric couch and would greatly prefer leather (the cat is the main user of this chair, oh and he has all his claws so I would like something that will get marked up but not destroyed). At this point I'm not going to try not obsess about the quality of leather as I already feel like I'm going nuts but I don't like the super soft shinyish finish.
(5) style, something that would look good in a rural lodge, or sort of traditional.
(6) something that my head doesn't fight with an overstuffed cushion on the top.
I live in Dayton which has a few furniture stores. There are more options in Cinncinnati or Columbus but I am loathe to spend days driving around randomly looking at furniture I will hardly be able to remember.
Options I am aware of:
Laz y Boy is out - they don't make a power wall hugger recliner.
Flexsteel: I checked out one store that has a couple of Flexsteel, they would be..ok.
Bradington Young: One store has B-Y but only had one or maybe 2 chairs on the floor and I'm not sure they were the options that B-Y has that I want. There website is annoying - you have to click on every recliner to see whether its power or wall hugger or whatever.
Hancock and Moore: Looking online at H&M they have the Athens, the Barton (fabric only?) the Cody, the Austin and the Martial - there is no where I would find these all on the floor.
I'll eliminate the Barton for fabric and Cody for arm/seat combo. The Athens, Austin and Martial look like the back is already leaning back sort of far in the pictures? IDK, sight unseen purchases most likely.
Cheers: The big box furniture store has something called Cheers which I'd never heard of. The retail associate tried telling me it was the same as Flexsteel as they make furniture for Flexsteel. Not buying that but it looked ok visually and is similarly priced to the Flexsteel.
Leathercraft: I found something called Leathercraft online with a "heavy duty Swifel Rocker Recliner w/motor 2057SRM". Looks the same to the Hancock and Moore Austin. The dimensions are hard to imagine but seath width looks good. I just talked to the wholesale who told me to go to a store about 20 miles north of here if I want to order retail. This would be a sight unseen purchase.
Please help if you can, I'm already to close to my surgery date to order something and not run the risk of it not being her on time!
dccolliie, I saw your post on calling and paying for advice on the phone. Is that an option?
What I would suggest if you purchase a Wall Hugger is to definitely get power, as wall huggers are spring loaded and it will be difficult to overcome the mechanism to close the chair (opening it is a breeze). Women generally have difficulty closing manual wall huggers due to the length of their lower legs, and as a result they push down with their thighs to close the chair and that results in 'cushion trap' between the front edge of the recliner and the footrest. A power recliner solves all those problems. I strongly encourage it with wall-huggers, conventional recliners work on a different mechanism are are much easier to operate manually. If you are concerned about power failure, most all the better recliners now have a rechargeable battery option (additional charge over plug-in power).
I have (2) model power recliners on my floor - the ever popular Austin and a Martial (also a lift chair on my floor model). I think the Austin is the hands-on preference for most, it seems to fit the most body types and feel the best to most folks. Of course, no one can select the comfort or style for you.....hope that helps!
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Not sure what happened to my post.
Austin Leathercraft
Height 40 43
Outside width 35.5 37.5
Deep 40 38
Inside width 21 24
Arm Height 23.5 24
Seat H 20.5 20
Depth 20 20
Distance from wall 10 unk UPDATE: The Leathercraft is not a wallhugger
I like the looks of the H&M Austin better but 10" from the wall doesn't sound like much of a wall hugger? and the seat width is only 21 vs. 24 (I wonder if I can trust that number). The back of the Leathercraft looks oddly tall because of that extra 3 in.
Suggested numbers on the website for various leathers which would vary a lot of course for the Leatercraft range from
Leather 1 4470, 2 4790, 3 5110, 4 5440, 6 6080, 7 6400.
Since the Leathercraft is not a wallhugger I'm continuing to look at websites. Comfort Design, Southern Motion, Flexsteel.
Weeding out the H&M Austin as I confirmed with a retailer that it really does take 10" from the wall which seems like a lot. Back to the Martial or BY or...................
Last edited by marys1000; 11-21-2014 at 03:28 PM.
I know you are trying to buy on specifications - but the Leathercraft doesn't sit like the Hancock & Moore in those series. Just sayin'....
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
I have no other option. Retailers don't have these models on the floor. And both the Leathercraft and the Austin are out. Leathercraft doesn't have any wallhuggers and the Austin takes up too much room.
I was looking at the specs on the H&M arm height and it looks high in relation to the seat. So I guess H&M is out.
It looks more and more like I'm going to end up with some crap brand. So it doesn't matter how much money your willing to spend if they don't make what you need.
Last edited by marys1000; 11-22-2014 at 08:35 AM.
marys1000, I don't know where you have looked for your furniture at this point, but we have purchased H&M furniture at Sugden in Tipp City. They don't have a large showroom so odds are not good you are going to see a power wall-hugger on the floor. It may be worth a phone call. Verbarg's on Montgomery Rd. North of Kenwood Shopping Center has the largest selection, but again you should make a phone call to see what they may have. Today's Home Interiors, on Dorothy Lane has Bradington-Young, but is unlikely to have a power recliner wall-hugger on their showroom floor. Morris is probably going to have the largest selection of Recliners in-general, but not the top Brands. My own view is frankly that 10-inches from the wall is actually not a large footprint even in a smaller room. Most people would be reluctant to try and recline without asking if a recliner were much closer to the wall than that. If you do find an H&M style you like ...or a B-Y I would suggest you call Duane at The Keeping Room and get a quote. We purchase a Sofa from Virginia last January and it was delivered to Kettering, Oh. in less than four-weeks. There was no Tax and the shipping was under $300 (and that was a very heavy Sofa). As an aside, Carriage Hill Furniture is another Retailer that we have found to be very helpful, but they don't carry H&M. They have Smith Brothers, but I doubt they have a power wall hugger recliner.
Have you looked at... 3039-L Martial Power Recliner Lift Wall-Hugger (6" from wall at full-recline)
Last edited by wisejd; 11-22-2014 at 06:40 PM.
I have this recliner on display in my store, it was ordered by a good customer of mine and when it arrived they could no longer use it. It's in a high end leather, is a power LIFT and power RECLINE and has custom nails on it. You'll almost never see one outfitted like this at such an aggressive price point, UKAY delivery can ship for around $ 250 I would think.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Thank you all for the input - I hope you check back to help me with my decision as I'm not sure.
First I did call Sugden's and checked out the websites of some of their manfg's. Norwalk's was one I was hoping as they might have been able to get me a chair faster according to Sugden's but I didn't see anything and would have had to buy sight unseen.
I went to Cedar Hill Huber Heights (had been to the Kettering one before) and came super close to buying a Smith Brothers chair that looks almost identical to the Austin. But especially when it reclined there was a little gap between the back of the seat cushion and the bottom of the bustle back cushion. I picked out leather but then just couldn't do it, it bugged me. I thought I could feel the back of the bottom seat cushion just sitting regular although by that point maybe I was being hyper sensitive. Saw the same Flexsteel (latitudes) I had seen in Kettering and figured that might be my ultimate last resort.
Went to Home Interiors (had been there before) but this time I was carrying a printed sheet of B-Y chairs with 3 of them circled as power wallhuggers and I had a more helpful retail associate. Sat in what I thought would be the most likely candidate - the Barcelo. It was on the floor as a regular recliner but at least I got to see it and sit in it. It was ok. They also had a Paseo rocker recliner. I thought the seat felt much roomier on the Paseo. I also felt the back of the seat cushion when in full recline but it was not as noticeable. (I think the higher end recliners don't have the same.........uni seat cushion design or something as recliners that are no kidding recliners and make no bones about it)
So.........I ordered a Paseo. But I'm not sure about my leather choice as I sort of rushed it and didn't really thorougly look at all the choices.
I'm also sort of depressed about the fact that I won't get this in time for my surgery! (Why am I doing this, idk! I'm so confused!)
DC Collie and anybody who wants to chime in. I was looking for a nice neutral dark brown that wasn't shiny and was a little rustic.
There was a married leather that looked good on the swatch but then we realized that it was what was on the floor chair and I didn't like it for being smooth and shiny.
I guess leather looks much different when stretched on the chair?
In the end I went with a sort of yellow brown varied colors which I'm sitting here at home wondering if I lost my mind in the store. The Barcelo was in this so I felt like it was something that I could see. But know that I think about it has sort of fake full aniline thing going where its lighter in the middle and darker around the edges and I dont like that. I think I prefer more uniform color with rustic markings if that makes sense? I also wonder about having lighter leather if I end up getting a lighter wood coffee and side tables.
The leather is 9567-85-A and Paseo has button backs. I kept asking the sales assoc - is this going to look good with button backs? She said yes (of course). I'm rethinking the leather entirely much less with button backs.
DC Collie, I figure you are familiar with BY leathers. Do you have a suggestion for leather?
FYI - I don't live 'fancy'. Right now I have an old traditional Pennsylvania House sofa with a tapestry fabric and dark cherry Thomasville coffee and side tables. My TV is on a non matching big box oak entertainment credenza and my dining area is an old old round oak pedestal table that I will definately keep. My parents bought it used when they came here in the early 50s. I would like to replace the Thomasville with something more casual. I do love arts and crafts like Stickley but more Montana lodge, western ranch, Stickley meets barnwood, northwoods cabin.
I took pictures but for some reason it is not letting me upload them.
DC Collie - they told me that there was no way I'd get this chair by Jan 15th. True?
Oh, and is it gauche to talk price? IDK. Total with delivery was 2176.64
Last edited by marys1000; 11-22-2014 at 05:17 PM.
DC Collie - they told me that there was no way I'd get this chair by Jan 15th
Really? Well, I can't speak for other stores, some batch their orders or let them sit around a bit until they process them, but most my Bradington-Young orders are shipped to my store and arrive in 4 - 5 weeks if they have the leather in stock. Today is only Nov 22nd. There are also ways to hot rush an order if a dealer is so inclined. I just processed an order today for a Customer in Arizona on a Sectional from B-Y. His order date was October 18th, it shipped on November 14th, not even a month and it was out the door at the plant.
My price on the # 7719 unit in GR 1 (9567) is $ 1,521, if the 7719-SG (swivel glider) in GR 1 is $ 1,594. Delivery fees to Ohio $ 205.
Last edited by drcollie; 11-22-2014 at 06:24 PM.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
First thing I am worried about is a leather selection. I'm changing it, I don't like the 'wipe off' from the description page. I don't like the shiny look some, most? get stretched. How do I avoid this?
Full Aniline? I do have cats with claws and realize that there will be scratches. I would like the color below to be about the same to minimize them.
BY does not have their full selection on line to view. Too bad there isn't a way to find out what leathers are in stock or not. That would help with speed.
Their price includes power so it sounds about the same. This is during a 50% off sale that ends Tuesday so I have to change the leather Monday.
I asked about rushes and they did not have that as an option. They said BY closes down a week for Thanksgiving and a week for Christmas. I will ask about when it will be submitted. If you have ways to rush an order I'm all ears. Not sure how much guff they would give me about canceling but I can see. I was thinking all night how I would still have to buy a cheap PR to sell on craigslist at a loss and how stupid this was getting.