Lift Chair: A recliner electronically controlled by a hand piece that also lifts the user to a standing position. Unlike a regular recliner or lazyboy, the chair can be set in any position between a full recline to a full lift position. No more choosing between reclining or not reclining anymore. You can decide what degree of recline or lift you want the chair to be set.
Sometimes, more often than not, people buy health care products online, including lift chairs. Volusia Medical Supply, Inc. (VMS) gets a lot of clients that would rather place an order from the comfort of their home and have the lift chairs delivered. This article is a culmination of our experience in the industry. It should give you a very good idea of what to expect and how to determine the right lift chair for your needs.
A lot of our customers rent the item first and the later on purchase it, if they like it. They are able to rent it, use it like normal and if that’s what they want, then in most cases they can even have their first rental payment applied towards the purchase of a new chair! If possible and available, you might even be able to rent one model for a period and rent out another model before you decide which one you like before you purchase it.
Hopefully the rest of this article will give you some insight into how you can make the best decision in the most handicap of circumstances... i.e. shopping online!
I personally like Pride Lift Chairs so i will use them as the subject chair the rest of the article. Besides the specifics everything else should work for any other brand.
First you will have to figure out what you want from the chair. They come in different sizes, shapes, different types of cushioning, color, weight capacity and finally how far it reclines.
Weight Capacity
Chairs do have a weight capacity. It is what determines the safety and durability of the chair. Most standard chairs have a weight capacity. Most of Pride chairs are rated for users of or under 375 lbs, although they have a couple of chairs with lower capacities at around 250 lbs. This section is simple, if you weight more than 375 lbs then please don't buy a chair or rent a chair that is rated for users of or under 375 lbs. If you don't get a chair that is rated for your weight then you might break the chair (waste of money), it might not be powerful enough to lift you or support you and most importantly you might hurt yourself (this should be your primary concern to begin with!).
Reclining Position
Once you have the weight capacity determined you should probably figure out how far you want it to recline.
There are three types: 2 - position, 3 - position and infinite.
2 - position reclines the least but it does recline. Frankly, we don't sell that many of them and though i fail to realize the advantage, i am sure someone, somewhere has a need for it. There has to be a reason why they would make it!
3 - Position chairs recline almost all the way. This is something that we sell the most of. They recline enough for you to be able to take a nap while not being completely flat like a bed. When reclined all the way, these chairs will still keep your back at around 20 to 30 degrees from the flat maybe. The most popular one and the one that seems to suit most people in this category is the Pride Casual Line model CL-30.
Infinite Position Lift chairs recline all the way to a flat, bed like, position. This is for someone that really needs to be lying down flat when they recline. I could see some uses for this... people with back surgeries or aching backs and obviously if you get a recliner, might as well get one that reclines all the way right? The drawback here is that these are generally more expensive than the 3 position ones. Not always, but mostly, if you compare with the basic 3 or 2 - position ones.
Now let’s move on to cushioning (back).
Different type of cushioning and padding offer varying comfort levels. And, everyone will have their own taste for comfort. More cushioning, less cushioning, floppy pillows or buttoned back. The pictures of lift chairs will give you a good illustration of how the cushions will be on the back. You should be able to tell the amount of padding by simply looking at the pictures. Now for the types of backs there are: Pillow back, biscuit back, split back, sewn pillow back, shell back, dual pillow back and finally the button back. Yup! They do give you plenty of choices! Besides the comfort it’s more or less a preference of what kind of a design you want.
Leg Room
Well, this is a tough one, to satisfy all customers. Now, myself i like it when i rest my ankles on the edge of the leg rest of the chair and let the heel hang off the chair. It gives me more support that way and it avoids putting all the pressure on my heels. I would recommend sizing your chair so it does the same for you. Some people prefer that their heels rest on the cushion, as they wish. Also when you buy a chair make sure you decide on what kind of leg rests you want. There are a few leg rests that are separate from the seat of the chair, so you will have a minor gap between the seat and the leg rest (really makes no difference to me, personally, its negligible). Then you have chairs that have the leg rest attached to the seat (with fabric and cushion). It’s a preference, whatever you are comfortable with. But keep this low on the priority of criteria. I doubt that you will realize the gap once you get comfortable on the chair. Get everything else right and then see if you can satisfy this preference. But please don’t let this stop you from buying a chair that you are otherwise feeling good about! I have seen way too many customers ignore something important and give this one way too much attention, probably end up buying something that is a little less suited for them.
Shapes and sizes
This is very important. No one has the same kind of body. There are three things to keep in mind, about size, when you buy a lift chair.
1. Height of the back - If the height of the back is more than what you need then there is a high likelihood that your head will be pushed forward when you sit in it. Like those annoying head rests on car seats. If that doesn't bother you then don't worry about the size of the back... the more the better.
2. Width of the seat - There is nothing more uncomfortable than sitting in a chair which is barely fitting you, when it is so narrow that you have to squeeze into it or struggle to get out of it. Equally uncomfortable, contrary to common belief, is sitting in a chair that is too wide for you. In a chair that is too wide your arms can't rest on the armrests in their natural comfortable position. Imagine sitting in a chair where you can only have your hands or wrists resting on the arm rests. Sure, you feel like a king or queen, sitting on a throne. But after a while your joints might start to hurt and next thing you know you will have you arms on the seat next to your hips. My suggestion is get a chair with the seat just wide enough that you have a couple of inches to spare on either side of your hips, you should be able to see the cushion between your legs (thighs), and when you rest your arms on the armrests you should have your whole arm resting on it, meaning from the elbow to your wrist or fingers.
3. Height of the chair - this is different from the height of the back. Here we are talking about how high the seat of the chair is off the ground. The objective here is to satisfy a preference whether you want your feet to touch the ground when you are sitting in it. Some people like to have their feet touch the ground when they are in a chair and some like to scoot into a chair with the back of their feet resting on the cushion instead of the bottom of their feet resting on the ground.
Colors
There are about 40 different colors and fabrics you can buy these chairs in... more colors and fabrics in other brands. Match it with other colors in your room or have it stand out. Check out some of the colors and fabrics by clicking here.
Finally, when this chair is delivered by our technicians to your home. Make sure you tell him which side you want the controller!
Hope this article helps you get the right lift chair for you. If you need any more information or have any other questions just comment on this blog or call VMS at 1-866-956-2025! We will be more than happy to help you and answer your questions.
Happy Hunting!
Regards,
Healthcare Pro
A lot of our customers rent the item first and the later on purchase it, if they like it. They are able to rent it, use it like normal and if that’s what they want, then in most cases they can even have their first rental payment applied towards the purchase of a new chair! If possible and available, you might even be able to rent one model for a period and rent out another model before you decide which one you like before you purchase it.
Hopefully the rest of this article will give you some insight into how you can make the best decision in the most handicap of circumstances... i.e. shopping online!
I personally like Pride Lift Chairs so i will use them as the subject chair the rest of the article. Besides the specifics everything else should work for any other brand.
First you will have to figure out what you want from the chair. They come in different sizes, shapes, different types of cushioning, color, weight capacity and finally how far it reclines.
Weight Capacity
Chairs do have a weight capacity. It is what determines the safety and durability of the chair. Most standard chairs have a weight capacity. Most of Pride chairs are rated for users of or under 375 lbs, although they have a couple of chairs with lower capacities at around 250 lbs. This section is simple, if you weight more than 375 lbs then please don't buy a chair or rent a chair that is rated for users of or under 375 lbs. If you don't get a chair that is rated for your weight then you might break the chair (waste of money), it might not be powerful enough to lift you or support you and most importantly you might hurt yourself (this should be your primary concern to begin with!).
Reclining Position
Once you have the weight capacity determined you should probably figure out how far you want it to recline.
There are three types: 2 - position, 3 - position and infinite.
2 - position reclines the least but it does recline. Frankly, we don't sell that many of them and though i fail to realize the advantage, i am sure someone, somewhere has a need for it. There has to be a reason why they would make it!
3 - Position chairs recline almost all the way. This is something that we sell the most of. They recline enough for you to be able to take a nap while not being completely flat like a bed. When reclined all the way, these chairs will still keep your back at around 20 to 30 degrees from the flat maybe. The most popular one and the one that seems to suit most people in this category is the Pride Casual Line model CL-30.
Infinite Position Lift chairs recline all the way to a flat, bed like, position. This is for someone that really needs to be lying down flat when they recline. I could see some uses for this... people with back surgeries or aching backs and obviously if you get a recliner, might as well get one that reclines all the way right? The drawback here is that these are generally more expensive than the 3 position ones. Not always, but mostly, if you compare with the basic 3 or 2 - position ones.
Now let’s move on to cushioning (back).
Different type of cushioning and padding offer varying comfort levels. And, everyone will have their own taste for comfort. More cushioning, less cushioning, floppy pillows or buttoned back. The pictures of lift chairs will give you a good illustration of how the cushions will be on the back. You should be able to tell the amount of padding by simply looking at the pictures. Now for the types of backs there are: Pillow back, biscuit back, split back, sewn pillow back, shell back, dual pillow back and finally the button back. Yup! They do give you plenty of choices! Besides the comfort it’s more or less a preference of what kind of a design you want.
Leg Room
Well, this is a tough one, to satisfy all customers. Now, myself i like it when i rest my ankles on the edge of the leg rest of the chair and let the heel hang off the chair. It gives me more support that way and it avoids putting all the pressure on my heels. I would recommend sizing your chair so it does the same for you. Some people prefer that their heels rest on the cushion, as they wish. Also when you buy a chair make sure you decide on what kind of leg rests you want. There are a few leg rests that are separate from the seat of the chair, so you will have a minor gap between the seat and the leg rest (really makes no difference to me, personally, its negligible). Then you have chairs that have the leg rest attached to the seat (with fabric and cushion). It’s a preference, whatever you are comfortable with. But keep this low on the priority of criteria. I doubt that you will realize the gap once you get comfortable on the chair. Get everything else right and then see if you can satisfy this preference. But please don’t let this stop you from buying a chair that you are otherwise feeling good about! I have seen way too many customers ignore something important and give this one way too much attention, probably end up buying something that is a little less suited for them.
Shapes and sizes
This is very important. No one has the same kind of body. There are three things to keep in mind, about size, when you buy a lift chair.
1. Height of the back - If the height of the back is more than what you need then there is a high likelihood that your head will be pushed forward when you sit in it. Like those annoying head rests on car seats. If that doesn't bother you then don't worry about the size of the back... the more the better.
2. Width of the seat - There is nothing more uncomfortable than sitting in a chair which is barely fitting you, when it is so narrow that you have to squeeze into it or struggle to get out of it. Equally uncomfortable, contrary to common belief, is sitting in a chair that is too wide for you. In a chair that is too wide your arms can't rest on the armrests in their natural comfortable position. Imagine sitting in a chair where you can only have your hands or wrists resting on the arm rests. Sure, you feel like a king or queen, sitting on a throne. But after a while your joints might start to hurt and next thing you know you will have you arms on the seat next to your hips. My suggestion is get a chair with the seat just wide enough that you have a couple of inches to spare on either side of your hips, you should be able to see the cushion between your legs (thighs), and when you rest your arms on the armrests you should have your whole arm resting on it, meaning from the elbow to your wrist or fingers.
3. Height of the chair - this is different from the height of the back. Here we are talking about how high the seat of the chair is off the ground. The objective here is to satisfy a preference whether you want your feet to touch the ground when you are sitting in it. Some people like to have their feet touch the ground when they are in a chair and some like to scoot into a chair with the back of their feet resting on the cushion instead of the bottom of their feet resting on the ground.
Colors
There are about 40 different colors and fabrics you can buy these chairs in... more colors and fabrics in other brands. Match it with other colors in your room or have it stand out. Check out some of the colors and fabrics by clicking here.
Finally, when this chair is delivered by our technicians to your home. Make sure you tell him which side you want the controller!
Hope this article helps you get the right lift chair for you. If you need any more information or have any other questions just comment on this blog or call VMS at 1-866-956-2025! We will be more than happy to help you and answer your questions.
Happy Hunting!
Regards,
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