In the La-Z-Boy Calvin PowerReclineXR Rocker Chair you can be the Captain of the television remote as well as the power nap. This chair is a soft, reclining rocking chair with electronic controls, and from it you can navigate a sleep wonderland.
The chair is shipped in two sections. The included instructions tell you how to attach the chair back by sliding it onto two metal rails on the chair base. The instructions then refer you to an online product guide, though the specific URL for the guide was not given, and it was unclear which manual to choose from. For this reason, I would skip looking for the online manual.
Before you can use the chair, you should add two 9V batteries to the power brick, connect the data cable to one end of the power brick, and the power cable to the other end of the brick. The connection of the chair power cable to the power brick is not strong–if the power brick is knocked the chair can easily become unplugged, so be sure to keep the chair’s power cable away from high traffic areas. There are tabs on the power brick, which makes me think you can mount it to the base of the chair. However no screws were provided and attaching the power brick is not mentioned in the instructions (I left the power brick on the floor behind the chair). As a last step, plug the end of the power cable into a common household 110V electrical plug. Note that without power the chair will not operate, so if you wake-up from a nap during a power outage, being able to close the chair will depend upon you having installed those two aforementioned 9V batteries.
The electric controls are conveniently located on the righthand side of the chair (as you are sitting in it), though if you are left handed, this might not be convenient.
Unlike my mother’s manual recliner, one control does not both extend the legs AND also recline the back. Rather, the electronic controls independently control each function. The top two buttons control the backrest up/down, and the bottom two buttons control the leg rest up/down. There is also a full USB port (power only) so that you can charge your phone, tablet, or other electric devices.
Unlike some reclining chairs, this chair can rock even while operating the controls–the chair can also rock even when fully reclined.
Overall the chair seems well made. The fabric (we have the walnut color) feels very soft to the hand, and the stitching is precise. The padding is also very soft, though there is a lumbar support that extends when the chair is reclined. Unfortunately there are no controls for the lumbar support. The controls are very responsive and the reclining mechanisms are smooth. The speed of the controls are perfect for children and the elderly.
But even a quality product can be ruined through poor packaging and delivery. Amazingly, this chair, which weighs around 80 pounds, was packaged only in one cardboard box. There was no padding for the chair, no reinforcing supports for the box itself, and no protective coverings for finished wood surfaces. Add to this poor product packaging mix a rough delivery ride, and you get the results shown in these pictures.
The box around the chair was crumpled and torn, and in places cardboard flaps were only held together with one piece of tape. More importantly, the wooden base of the chair was sticking out of holes in the box. On inspection, there were severe gouges and scratches in the wood. Surprisingly, we could find no holes in the chair fabric. Luckily, the instruction guide and power brick were strapped to the chair, otherwise they surely would have been lost during shipping. Simply put, especially because of the bulk, weight, and price of the product, the manufacturer should have taken more care and effort in packaging.
So all in all, this is a quality electric rocking chair that you will likely very much enjoy, if you can get it shipped to you without damage.
Pricing and Availability on Amazon: La-Z-Boy Calvin PowerReclineXR Rocker Chair (aff)