I was just out today looking for recliners or chairs/ottomans as I am to sit with my feet up (swelling). So I found Smith Bros. of Berne and it was heavenly - chair with a round thing on the right side under the armrest that you could adjust the chair back like a recliner without using one of those wood handles. Also it had a ottoman........see the chair would recline but your feet would be up on the ottoman. The chair I tried was #932 and it was more comfortable than all of the Lazyboys (yes, I did sit on all of them that the store had, ofcourse it was not a reg. Lazyboy dealer store but they had more than enough to try out.). Go on the to Smith Bros. of Berne furniture site and you can also see the recliners. There was a very wide array of fabrics that I thought were fabulous. From what I understood you could use any of the fabrics on the chair I was speaking of, they had it on the floor in wonderful leather, with nailheads and the ottoman was a half circle. Boy I can't say enough things about it. Now I just have to decide what I want to buy. Berne Furniture is not longer in business and they had exceeding well made furniture and I don't know it this was an offshoot of them, I have no clue but in the stuff I read on the site, they have been in business for 80 yrs. At least look them up and look at styles, the one I like was wonderfully comfortable.

I would recommend the Rialto or Harbor Town model from La-Z-Boy...but being small & fitting a 6'2" 210 lb guy is gonna be a challenge!!! You'll find the best selection there in any case with knowledgeable salespeople. I worked for them for 7 years in many leadership positions, have been to the factories & know the top brass. And just some advice on negative reviews on ANY manufacturer (cause you'll find them on ANYONE)...there is no business that I know of that overtly tries to make customers unhappy. They would not have much longevity in the business. There will always be sour grapes customers who have filed illegitimate & false claims of defects to a manufacturer thinking they can get new furniture every year despite abuse of the product. Take this negativity with a grain of salt when you don't know the other side of the story. ~Jeana

Leather or upholstered? In hubby's home theater room we started out with a LaZBoy couch. Something went wrong with the workings and the upholestery was ripped from the inside (under warranty) so we used the warranty value to trade for two recliners with a custom upholstery. Three weeks into the recliners the upholstery was coming apart at the seams so we traded for two new recliners with a completely different custom upholstery. Within 6 months that upholstery was fraying on the arms (we rarely used these chairs) and had started to streak. It was a fight but we got our money back and decided to go leather. One thing that I always hated about the recliners was -- they look like recliners. Eww. At NFM (great if you live in Eastern KS) we found a reclining sofa and recliner pair that are very comfortable, have lasted well so far (we've had them about 5 years now), and don't look like what I call the typical "80s moon boots" reclining furniture. I will see if I can find a picture. Not overbearing at all, IMO.

You may want to check out Barcalounger.com. They have a huge selection and are well constructed. We've had a pair for 5 years and have enjoyed them.