Customer Reviews

Zero Gravity The Perfect Chair - Manual Recline

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been trying out the Perfect Chair, model PC-6, for a few days. I have some reservations about it. Maybe I was set up to have reservations when I noted that the accompanying literature warns persons who've had back surgery to consult with their physicians before using the chair. It doesn't say what the problem might be. I notice such warning because I've had back surgery and have occasional discomfort from degenerative discs in my lower spine. But since the chair was already in my living room, I decided to forego medical consultation and try it anyway.

I find the chair less than fully comfortable in all positions but the fully laid back, zero-gravity, position. Three issues contribute:

1) When the chair is fully upright, the seat tilts forward, so you tend to be sliding out of it. That's not good for a long sitdown (obviously, a reclining chair is not intended for fully upright use, anyway).

2) In all by the zero-gravity position, the rather thin padding makes the lumbar compression normal in sitting pretty noticeable. (I believe you can shell out another couple hundred dollars for some additional padding).

3) The leg-rest area doesn't support my feet. After years of using an ottoman, I found this decidedly uncomfortable, although it would probably diminish over time. A shorter person would not have the unsupported-foot problem, but then their knee-to-fanny length might not match that dimension of the seat.

It appears to me that the "zero-gravity" position is what this chair is intended for. That is, tilted all the way back so the occupant's lower back is totally decompressed and the knees are elevated. I expect all the zero-gravity chairs work fine in this position. But I believe you get the same effect by lying flat on an exercise mat with your calves elevated on a pillow and/or chair. Do you need to spend a thousand bucks or so to do this? If your back is problem-free, then you probably will tolerate the Perfect Chair in all its positions, just as you would a less costly recliner.

I just got my Perfect Chair 4 days ago, and I think the best description for it really is, PERFECT!! I'd been wanting one of these chairs for quite some time since I first saw one in the Better Back Store. Since they are pretty pricey I couldn't afford to get one for a while. I have major back problems, and have a really hard time finding chairs that are comfortable for me to sit in, but this chair is awesome!! I can sit it in it for fairly long periods, then just get up briefly and go right back to it. It's called a zero gravity chair, and is based on the designs by NASA. When this chair is fully reclined there is absolutely no weight or pressure felt in my low back! I love it!! I can comfortably sit in a recliner for the 1st time in over 10 yrs.! Maybe too comfortably, I always want to fall asleep after reclining for just a short period! Even with the chair only partially reclined it's comfortable, but you still feel some weight and pressure in the lumbar area. It's most comfortable when it's fully reclined. This chair also has an adjustable headrest which is good when you want to read or watch TV, and comes with a head and neck pillow that attaches to the chair, as well as an adjustable lumbar cushion to help you really get comfortable. I got my chair in the electric recline since I had problems bringing the chair back up without straining my back in the manual version. I'm 5'5" and I'm just a bit too short for my arms to reach the end of the arm rests to get to the release to bring the chair up. I tried it a good number of times in the store and never could get the hang of it, it just gave me a backache. My daughter is 5'9" and had no problems raising or lowering the manual recliner. It's an extra $300 for the electric recline upgrade, but I feel it's well worth it for someone who has back problems to begin with or may be on the short side, so that you don't strain your back trying to get comfortable, but if you can't afford the electric, I'm sure that with practice you could handle the manual recline. This chair is a major investment, but I feel that it's money well spent for others like me who can't easily find a comfortable chair. Maybe I should let Goldilocks know about these chairs, she'd probably find, as I have, that this chair is just right!

The Zero Gravity chair is wonderful for specific needs. I have various musculoskeletal aches and pains ( back, neck, shoulder ) that inevitably reach a point during the night that forces me up and out of bed.
I usually find myself sitting on the couch as sitting is less uncomfortable. Sometimes I fall asleep there for the night. So I was looking for something that would maximize the comforting result of changing position and perhaps be something to really sleep or nap on.
At the same time, I have venous insufficiency and swelling of the ankles where elevating my legs is good therapy. For both these things the chair is terrific. My night is now comfortably divided between the bed and chair, the latter bringing great comfort. The leg elevation gives the chair a one two punch.
I couldn't have asked for a better solution to my problems.
I should say that the chair can be used to watch TV or sit and chat, but it isn't ideal or worth spending the money for that. I give it an " A+ " for the things it is directly for.

I've owned my Zero gravity chair for 8 months now. I purchased it used from Craigslist for much less than what the retail stores offer, and it's been in both my living room and now my reading room. I'm 28 years old and although I have some back pain, I don't suffer from some of the major ailments that other people are describing.

That being said, this is the most comfortable chair I've ever owned or sat in. When your in the zero gravity position, it's very hard not to fall asleep it's so comfortable. To read or watch tv, I'll usually sit 15 degrees or so heigher, and this is also incredibly comfortable. The chair really does remove stress off of your back and legs, as well as your beer stomach ( which I'm growing). I also love the neck and lumbar pillows.

I personally have had no issues around the chair not having a footpad. I'm 6ft tall and although my feet are slightly off the bottom of the chair, it honestly makes no difference to me since I'm normally passed out asleep.

I think that anybody who's interested should go to a retail store for a long testing of the chair, but they should then look online for other potentially used options. The manual chair has no moving parts, so no real need to worry about warranty issues, and my chair was 2yrs old and used when I got it. I did notice a slight drop in the padding, but it was very minimal.

Even if you end up paying the $1700 or so for a chair at the stores, it is very well worth it, and will go a great deal in alleviating pains, as well as providing deep relaxation.

We purchased 2 zero gravity The perfect chair, manual recline just under a year ago. Overall the chair is very comfortable and modern looking. Easy to recline manually, I don't know why you would need to go electric on this so save your money. We paid about $1500 per chair, leather, with table that attaches between the chairs.
PROS:
Attractive
comfortable for the most part
do not take up a lot of space
easy to move around

CONS:
Leather cover is too thin, almost paper thin on a backing. Ours have already split and we are normal weight people.
Very hard to clean because of how thin the leather is. Rub it too hard with a cloth and you will rub off the leather.
I don't like not being able to straighten my legs out occasionally. The chair is designed to curve your legs and this bothers my legs at times.
The leg extender is a waste of money and doesn't fit well and doesn't do anything but scrape the floor. If you cannot straighten your legs out why do you need the option of paying more for a leg extender? Don't.
Overpriced for what you get. A little hardware, a little wood, cheap leather and some foam. $300-500 per chair would be more in line with what you get.
All the options are additional costs.

In summary, I would not buy this chair again unless the price came down by about 2/3's.
The design should be improved to be able to straighten the bottom of the chair when desired.
Find one at a store and sit in it and inspect it very carefully before you drop that much money on this chair to see exactly what you will be getting no matter where you purchase it from.

I purchased the manual version of this 4 years ago. At first it was very comfortable but after about 6 months the foam padding became hard, indented and a lot less comfortable. A few weeks ago the legs started to pull apart, Human Touch are terrible, they have no fix and will not sell a new base, and once your warrant has expired you are out of luck. So we are clear I am the only person that sits in this chair and I weight 175Ibs

I never write reviews I just felt very strongly about this inferior product and company.

I have owned my Perfect Chair for almost ten years, bought it in Henderson, NV at the Relax the Back store. At the time I bought it I was willing to go to any extreme to try to find a way to get some relief to my lower back. I knew when I tried it out at the store that it was exactly what I needed, but I waited and went back the next day, and then went home and thought about it some more, thought about chair and base colors, etc. I was doubly impressed because it looked cool and felt wonderful. It was delivered in a large box and I went home for lunch the day it arrived and put it together. This chair has provided me with daily decompression on my lower back, relieving and helping me stay out of pain and keeping me off medication. The best positions for my back are the ones that are more reclined; the sitting up position is not comfortable, but I have plenty of other chairs for sitting up straight. This is the chair I use to help my back relax. My chair has been in three houses (hopefully my last now) and it is the most routinely used piece of furniture I own. As far as maintenance, I had to tighten a screw once - that's it!!! The pad has held up really well, it's not thick but it is made of memory foam and it still feels comfortable; the leather and pleather look like new, the cable that works the chair's sliding from sitting to full recline has never had a problem. At the first house I had this chair I purchased the little tray that has a cup holder on it and it was nice having that there for remotes, pens, beverages, etc., but I haven't been able to use it in it's current location here. Really, my only complaint about the chair is that it is difficult to enjoy a glass of wine or food from a plate or bowl when reclined. This particular chair is also sold (somewhere..) in a set of two or three together, as in theater seating and I have been thinking of getting a few more of these so that it matches the one I have and my family room can seat more than one. I think someone had me in mind when they made this chair. The only real decision I would have to make if I purchased more of these chairs would be to decide if I want to get the manual or electric.

I have a bulging disc T1 and before this chair I could only find comfort on the floor. It's expensive so try it out but my quality of life is worth every penny. There is a attachable little desk table that is a must have for an extra $300-$400 that is so flexible you can literally be lying back and working in comfort on laptop or eating or whatever. This chair increased my quality of life at home relaxing by 75%! I bought mine at a store called Relax the Back, I wanted to try it first.

I've bought 2 Human Touch chairs & have had disastrous results with both. The first one was an electric chair whose motor went out less than a year after buying it. Then, the motor went out again. Even though Human Touch replaced the motor, a friend had to struggle twice to fix it. I'm disabled. How do they expect me to fix it? Then, the switch went out. Again my friend fixed it. When it went out again, I unplugged it and propped it up. I called the company & explained everything. They offered me a manuel chair at a $1,000 + instead of the $1,700 I paid for the other one. What could go wrong? It's manuel?

Well, the faux leather is now peeling on the seat. It looks AWFUL. I didn't spill anything or do anything to it. I cringe at having to call them again. Yes, the chair helps my back, but at their prices (now over $2000), you'd think they'd last longer than a few years. My daughter bought a nice little recliner at Costco & it's still fine 5 years later. She paid $200 for it.

These Human Touch chairs don't last 3 years. I suggest you buy an extended warrantee (at least 20 years) if you buy from this company. Plus, have a handyman ready because they won't send anyone out. I guess you have to carry it to your car & stuff it in, taking it to them. A fantasy feat since people who buy them do so for their backs. If anyone knows who else makes these chairs, please let me know. I'll NEVER buy from them again. EVER.

Human Touch Perfect Chair with Electric Recline and Folding Footrest - Red Bonded PC-085-100-010This is just an addendum to the reviews claiming no moving parts and therefore no worries about warranty. Love my chair, but it was apparently one of the last manual ones before they went to electric. The aluminum lever which releases the brake and allows reclining has just broken at its poorly-designed, weakest spot. I contacted Human Touch and they say that parts are no longer available. So, unless I can fabricate a substitute release lever, my chair investment has become worthless. I haven't examined the electric version of the chair, but I have to believe it has greater complexity than the manual version and has more potential to someday malfunction.
I loved the chair for comfort, but beware of potential problems.