Let’s face it: We live in a high-stress world with little in the way of passive comforts. It’s hard to put down our stressors, much less relax. The only thing I’ve found helpful is to make my home and office as comfortable and effortless as possible. Thankfully, I’ve had the opportunity to try out the XRC5 recliner, and it fits the brief perfectly. This chair features heat, massage, comfort, and ease of assembly, making it a natural choice for those trying to reign in their stress.
Size
This is an oversized recliner, making it a great choice for those of us who struggle to squeeze into diminutive seats, or those of us who prefer to sit in more interesting ways than chairs normally allow. The seat is about 24″ across, with the footprint being about 30″x40″. It’s about 38″ tall when in the upright position, and about 64″ long when reclined. While you wouldn’t use this chair at a desk, it’s a perfect freestanding piece for your den, living room, or game room.
Shipping + Assembly | 5-Stars
My first worry with the XRC5 was the weight and bulk. Thankfully, it was shipped in two boxes, which arrived about a day apart. Each box was heavy, but managable. After unboxing, I was mostly worried about putting everything together with such heavy pieces. This turned out to be a non-issue however, as the assembly was entirely tool-free. Each part has one part of a pair of channels which lock the pieces together. No drills, no handtools, just lining the pieces up and pushing them into place. I assembled the entire chair alone, and never had to get help, even though I fully expected to need it going in. Overall, I’d rank the get-it-ready process at 5/5 stars.
Placement | 4-Stars
The first real pain with this chair is the fact that as a rocker/swivel/recliner, the chair needs some space to be useful, but it also has a power cord. It makes for a bit of a tripping hazard without careful planning, so be aware of where you will put the chair when you buy it. Thankfully, the chair does not swivel endlessly, so it is not possible to destroy the power supply by wrapping it around the base of the chair. The need for extra planning (or unplugging the chair when not in use) is the only knock against the chair, so it gets 4 stars.
Controls | 3-Stars
As with other Flexispot products, the instructions aren’t always perfectly clear. The controller has a number of buttons, each labelled, but the labels are often unclear. The instructino manual offers no guidance, so one is required to experiment to learn how the functions work. While this is problematic and frustrating, it is entirely possible to figure it out in a few minutes, so it’s not a total loss. I’m giving this feature 3 stars.
Massage | 4-Stars
The massage feature has eight points of vibration to help you relax. The back has four points, while the thighs and feet get the other four points. There are a number of intesities, patterns, and variations available, which means you can get a lot of use from this feature. I give this feature 4 stars, only knocked down from 5 by not being able to reposition the massage nodes if needed.
Heat | 5-Stars
The heat feature of this chair is delightful. The lower back of the chair is the only space heated directly, but the rest of the chair readily heats up as you sit in it, rather than cooling you off. I’ve found myself sitting in the XRC5 every morning while I have breakfast just to use this feature while it’s cold outside. My only disappointment was when I realized the seat doesn’t heat in a way that would be helpful for my cat, but since this product is designed for humans, it gets 5 stars.
Rock/Recline/Swivel | 5-Stars
Once we look beyond the electronic features, are the base features worth the expense? I would say absolutely. Each of the rocking, reclining, and swiveling features work smoothly, quietly, and comfortably. As with similar models, one cannot rock while reclined, but the electronic features are available in any position.
The recliner has a manual “pull” activator, which means you need to give it a pretty decent tug to open it. Small kids and those with decreased grip or upper body strength may struggle. Likewise, the footrest, when fully extended, can be difficult to put down again if you have shorter than usual legs or lack strength in them.
The swivel feature actually surprised me. Many recliners have either a very limited range or an unlimited range for swiveling, and neither is great for a recliner with a power cord. Thankfully, you can turn far enough in either direction to see or interact with things behind you, so long as your chair is centered appropriately. You may need to adjust its position when you put it into place, but then it will likely never be an issue again.
All in all, I give the core chair functions a solid 5 stars of 5, because they don’t do anything weird, and they are designed to keep you from destroying your own power cord through use.
Must Be This Low to Ride| 3-Stars
I am about 5’10, and am longer in the torso than the legs, and the chair feels perfectly proportioned for me. If you have longer than usual legs, however, you may be disappointed with this chair, as it’s designed for heights of 5’2″ to 5’9″. You can get by with being an inch or two taller depending on your own anatomical arrangement, but a 6-foot-plus user may find the chair either unsupportive or uncomfortable at baseline. When in doubt, consult the product dimensions or contact their help line to check if the chair will work for you before you purchase it. Because the footrest becomes impossible to use if your legs are too short or too long, I’m giving the height range 3 stars.
Designed for Unusual Users | 5-Stars
Perhaps the best feature of this chair is one you wouldn’t even notice while checking the product listing. This piece is designed to be sat in comfortably by a range of body types and sitting styles. I typically struggle to lay back in recliners due to back pain, but the support in the XRC5 is so good I was able to take a nap without stiffness or pain upon waking. I also have the option of sitting cross-legged, or in other unusual poses because the arms, while pillowy, aren’t solid structures. This means that I can lean on one arm with my legs tucked beside me on the other arm without feeling cramped or pinched. All in all, I give this chair 5 stars for being useful for different types of sitters.
TL;DR
The XRC5 is an oversized manual swivel rocker recliner with massage and heat features. It works as advertised, offering comfortable seating with a range of utility which accommodates a range of users. The only major downside is the need to be in a specific height range to use the chair as designed. You can conveniently order through Amazon ($329 as of this posting) and most users can assemble the chair without help. There are also Black Friday sales on the Flexispot website, so check there for deals as well!
