Soft Vs. Firm Recliners: Which Is Better?

Generally, the answer of this question depends heavily on your preference. The overall health of your spine and lower back can determine what sort of support you’d like too. There are reasons that people prefer one over the other, and chances are you already know about both of these options and what they offer. In most homes, the softer recliner takes the throne, but that definitely doesn’t mean it is any better than the firm recliner. Truthfully, we sometimes lean towards firmer recliners over the softer kinds! Here are our arguments for both sides.

The Case For Soft

The case for soft recliners is that they’re more traditional and to some, more comfortable. Many RV recliners and theater chairs fall under this category. To some individuals, nothing feels better than coming home and sinking in a super plush and soft chair to unwind the rest of their day. This is an awesome feeling, but for some of us it puts us in a lethargic, sleepy mood. Don’t lie; once you get comfy and cozy in a soft recliner in front of a good movie or TV show you never feel like getting up. The problem with softer recliners is that they’ve been known to, well, not exactly support your spine in the way that it should. Don’t get it twisted, we aren’t saying that we should get rid of soft recliners because they’re killing our youth. We’re just saying that if you don’t use your recliner in a “proper” way, you could be doing yourself some harm. Soft recliners are widely more popular among the general population and would probably take the cake if a poll was created. They should often be protected with recliner covers.

The Case For Firm

Sometimes people have a misconception that firm recliners are uncomfortable, which is totally untrue. Actually, we feel that in many cases, firm recliners are more comfortable than soft ones! This is because the firmer varieties restrict you from slouching over in a poor position when leaning against them. If you have sciatica or some other back problem, you most definitely should choose a firmer recliner. Even if your back is perfectly healthy, you might want to consider a firm recliner. One of the biggest factors that we’ve yet to mention is that the firmer models almost always are the ones coming with the new functionalities like massaging, swiveling, heating, and remote control. In most cases, the softest recliners are the big, traditional kinds which are completely stationary and have nothing to offer but the usual reclining and sometimes rocking ability. If what you are looking for is features, don’t hesitate and find yourself a nice, firm recliner to buy (we suggest checking our top recliners on sale list). Kids recliner chairs are often firm.

Which Recliner Should You Choose?

Well that depends. Usually, a recliner meant for the living room is going to be one of the heavier, more stationary kinds (meaning that it will be of a softer variation in most cases). Of course nobody is going to stop you from putting a firm recliner in a living room, and it isn’t like it’s not normal to do so. It’s just that in a lot of homes, people just want to sink into a plush recliner and binge watch programs on their television. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing so with a firm recliner, but again firm recliners are in the minority in situations such as this one.

Conclusion

You probably already know what type of recliner you want and if you don’t, then you should at least have a pretty good idea after reading this. You know what you want this recliner for, how your back fairs up, and whether or not you want a bunch of features to come with your recliner. When you put it all together, it really shouldn’t be and isn’t that difficult of a decision to make.