How we test riser recliner chairs

Riser recliner chairs aren't cheap. So to help you make an informed purchase, we put riser recliner chairs through rounds of rigorous testing to find the best chairs available.

We’ve tested riser recliner chairs from all the major UK brands to make sure you end up with a chair that’s comfortable, secure and easy to use. 

Compare more than 40 riser recliner chair reviews and find out which were impressive enough to earn our Best Buy recommendation

Why our riser recliner chair tests are different

We are unique in terms of our riser recliner chair reviews. Each year, we use teams of trained experts with decades of experience, along with our user panel made up of people of different sizes and weights.

We don't accept riser recliner chairs from manufacturers. We buy from the shop – just like you  – so we aren't beholden to brands or PR representatives.

All our reviews are based on numerous tests and the expert assessments made by our technicians in a lab.

What are Which? Best Buys, Don't Buys and Great Value riser recliner chairs?

A Best Buy riser recliner chair excels in our lab tests and user panel tests, and you can buy it knowing that it will be money well spent. It will be easy to use and comfortable to sit in.

A Don't Buy is a model to avoid. The antithesis of a Best Buy, it probably won't be comfortable and the reclining and rising mechanism will be either too slow or too aggressive.

• All riser recliner chairs with a score of 72% or more are Best Buy riser recliner chairs.
• All riser recliner chairs with a score of 45% or less are Don't Buy riser recliner chairs.

To secure a Great Value badge from us, a riser recliner chair needs to score at least 70% and cost at least 20% less than the average of the models we’ve reviewed. These chairs not only deliver impressive performance, but also come at a budget-friendly price.

Will my riser recliner chair be comfortable?

Our panel of testers, all aged over 65, try out and rate each chair we test. In total, they make more than 100 checks on each chair.

Users sit in each chair for one hour, use its controls and experience its full cycle of movements and positions. They then rate the chair on a number of factors, including how comfortable it is in both the sitting and reclining positions.

To ensure that our test is fair, we check that each user’s leg measurements and weight are suited to the chair they are testing, and we buy the same size of chair so our panel can compare them consistently.

Need some support when you're out and about? Take a look at the best rollators and mobility walkers in our tests

Will my riser recliner chair be reliable and feel secure?

We also carry out numerous lab-based checks, measures and tests on each chair.

Tests include a back-up battery check, where we record if the chair can go from fully reclined to standing, how long that takes and whether you can do that multiple times. This is to see what would happen if the chair was reclined and needed to be raised in the event of a mains power cut. 

A speed check is also included, where we record how long it takes the chair to get from the recline position to standing.

We quiz our user panel on whether they felt the chair moved smoothly and enabled them to step out of the chair without feeling wobbly or uncertain. Some chairs have jerky movements that could leave someone lacking confidence when going to stand, while others move smoothly. These checks help us to rate how reliable and secure each chair is.

For help applying for support, see our guide to preparing a care needs assessment

Will I be able to use my riser recliner chair easily?

Our panel of testers also rate each chair on how easy it is to use. This includes how easy each tester found the controls to understand and operate, as well as whether the chair has any handy extra features, such as illuminated buttons.

How is the Which? score calculated?

All of the assessments listed above go into making the overall score for each riser recliner chair we review. Because we know that some elements are more important than others to you, we've weighted them accordingly:

• 40% ergonomic assessments
• 40% user score
• 10% speed and technical ability
• 10% features.

If you're looking for more carer support, take a look at our guide on how to choose a home care service