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Berkline, Coaster, Flexsteel//questions and comments...

1977 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Shan, Feb 27, 2005

Hughmc

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2005

I have been looking at "Home Theater Seating" to replace my sectional/recliners. I have looked at and sat in both Flexsteel: 2 seats with storage wedge/cupholder in leather for $2K, which I am sure is full retail; and Berkline :$700 per seat with cupholder, I believe the 080 series? (Berklines are supposed to be a closeout and discounted).

First thing I noticed is the Flexsteel recliner seem to feel no different in terms of "quality" and action compared to my supposedly cheaper made Lane recliners which are 8 years old. The Berkline reclining mechanism seemed to be "stronger" than the Flexsteel and just as good. I had been to a higher end furniture shop who carries flexsteel and was told by the salesperson there that they are the best made, around 110 years....yadda yadda...a friend of mine said the same thing. I would guess outside of even higher end or custom made recliners or home theater seating that may be true of the flexsteel, I don't know.

I believe there are some posts on here which people have purchased the Berkline seating for much cheaper although they were factory defects or whatever.

I am not looking for a motorized unit as it just seems to be something else that can break down and I will speak for myself when I say sitting for hours in these chairs like we do, every calorie we can burn by moving is a good thing, lol.

My main comment I have is that it seems to me that taking into account form function, these Home theater seats are just glorified recliners that are generally more expensive because of the look and function of them more so than them being actually better made or more comfortable than a regular recliner. I am saying we are paying more for looks and function because they are "specialized".

Here are my questions:

Am I on the right track with my comment about form = costing more?

Can anyone who owns any of these brands or has good knowledge and researched them tell me their thoughts about quality, cost and make a recommendation(s)?

I would also like to know if buying them online there are reputable dealers with good prices. Generally I dont buy any bigger ticket items online except maybe a pc as I like and trust B&M's more for convenience, returns and personalized service.

If there is anything I have left out that should be considered please let me know.

Thanks,

Hugh

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LonnyE

· #2 · Feb 27, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Hughmc

I have been looking at "Home Theater Seating" to replace my sectional/recliners. I have looked at and sat in both Flexsteel: 2 seats with storage wedge/cupholder in leather for $2K, which I am sure is full retail; and Berkline :$700 per seat with cupholder, I believe the 080 series? (Berklines are supposed to be a closeout and discounted).

Hugh,

Not sure what full retail is on such a Flexsteel setup. You are not clear in whether it is 100% leather or that is a leather-vinyl match.

My stuff was in leather vinyl match and the price I got on the components you mentioned was a few hundred dollars less.

Quote:

First thing I noticed is the Flexsteel recliner seem to feel no different in terms of "quality" and action compared to my supposedly cheaper made Lane recliners which are 8 years old.

Not sure what you mean by "feeling" no different wrt quality. If you mean no different wrt being comfortable then I would agree. Berk 90s are comfortable. So were Lane recliners that I tried out. Only ones I didnt like wrt comfort were LaZBoys HT offering.

You musn't use your Lanes much. Over time cushions lose some of their original comfort and that should be expected no matter what brand you buy. The best material may well be memory foam cushions (as used in Tempur Pedic beds and knockoffs). Expect to pay dearly for a recliner with memory foam cushions.

Quote:

The Berkline reclining mechanism seemed to be "stronger" than the Flexsteel and just as good. I had been to a higher end furniture shop who carries flexsteel and was told by the salesperson there that they are the best made, around 110 years....yadda yadda...a friend of mine said the same thing. I would guess outside of even higher end or custom made recliners or home theater seating that may be true of the flexsteel, I don't know.

As you saw from the recent thread I posted and where you commented I'm very happy with my purchase. That said, Flexsteel *is not* the absolute best that money can buy.

The most important difference between Berkline and Flexsteel is not the reclining mechanism - both are fine. The most important difference is in the spring systems and how the spring system is attached to the frame (ie how the spring system takes the load of your body weight).

Quote:

I believe there are some posts on here which people have purchased the Berkline seating for much cheaper although they were factory defects or whatever.

I don't think the oft mentioned internet favorites are selling Berkline factory seconds...

Quote:

I am saying we are paying more for looks and function because they are "specialized".

I think you pay more for sectionals because in truth they are "specialized" furniture and cost them more to manuafacture. Sectionals dont lend themselves well to mass manuafacture. My Flexsteels were built and made to order (over 3 mos from order to delivery).

Regards,

Lonny Eckert

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Shan

· #3 · Feb 27, 2005

There is no doubt that you pay a premium for "Theater" seats. I just received my Berkling Model 094 recliners in last weekend and I am nothing but please with them. They replaced a really nice (the best you can get) La-z-boy recliner. Overall they are as comfortable, if not more so than that recliner. They are also wider chairs. I am a 285 pound, 6'2" guy and the chairs seem huge to me. Enough room for my dog (a Westy) to lay next to me when I sit in the chair. That did not work in my old La-z-boy and it was a big chair.

As far as build quality, the fact that the chairs weigh about 120 pounds each should say something. From the underside, the construction looks top notch. I went with power recline because of the fact that manual recline really limits where you can stop the recliner and power recline lets you set it anywhere you want. I am very happy with the mechanism. I went with Microfiber fabric on my chairs and I am very happy with the quality of the uphostery. Very nice work.

Overall, I am very happy with them. They cost roughly twice what my old recliner did for each chair, but I would buy it all over again. There is just something about the wedge arms with the cup holders in them that make my theater finally look like a theater.

Oh and as far as purchasing on the Internet. I bought mine from rsh here on AVSForum and could not have been happier. I would reccomend you go through Roman if you go for the Berks.

Shan

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