Zero Gravity Chair vs Recliner

What is the difference?

Did you know people are confused between these 2 chairs all the time? For example, you can hear people saying they want a weightless recliner chair, zero gravity recliner or even an anti gravity recliner. In fact, what they mean is a zero gravity chair! On the other hand, a recliner is a recliner.

In all respect, they are right in some ways. Zero gravity chairs can, in fact recline themselves. But, the way it reclines is different! Your body position will also be totally different too than with a standard recliner.

So now you know they are entirely 2 different chair types altogether. It's time you learn about them in complete details so you can prevent yourself from making the wrong purchase.

Common Similarities

• both chairs have leather, suede or micro fiber fabric for upholstery (surface)
• they have arm rests
• both aim to provide comfort to users
• both of these chairs have manual and electric models
• both have weight limits

Zero Gravity Chair

What is it? Such a chair allows you to sit and then recline all the way back until your head is below your legs. In this position, you are said to achieve zero gravity. However, this is not true. Note that this is only a marketing hype. In reality, nobody can escape from gravity. But, you will feel the weightless effect immensely! This is because the weight of your back is distributed very nicely on the backrest, instead of being upright.

Advantages

• a Godsent gift for people with back pain problems
• lowers blood pressure
• relaxes muscles at the neck, shoulder and especially the back
• ergonomic designs and patterns approved by chiropractors and physiologists
• all of them come with leg rests

Disadvantages

• very expensive ($1000 and above for good ones)
• relatively thin cushion padding, sufficient padding to escape the hard-surface-chair label
• only selected manufacturers make high quality zero gravity chairs

Types

• folding - can be folded, thus portable. Usually entire seat rest is made from cloth material. But this is the cheaper variation of a zero gravity chair that costs below $100.
• massage - incorporates massage rollers from the conventional massage chair, capable of massaging when you are in the zero gravity position

Recliners

What is it? We all know what a recliner is. It is simply a chair with arms. Its back can be reclined, making your back angled rather than upright. Most recliners have a leg rest or an Ottoman that allows you to rest your legs (lower legs or feet) in a horizontal manner. This leg rest can be a separate one or built into the recliner.

Advantages

• can be found everywhere
• sufficient comfort for regular people who don't have posture problems and for normal usage (watching TV, reading books)
• very thick cushion pads

Disadvantages

• relatively cheap ($100 to anywhere below $700, recliners priced above $1000 are rare)
• does not provide full support to your spine (backbone) although better than conventional upright chairs

Types

• swivel - can be rotated at a fixed point so the person sitting could face different directions
• with or without leg rests - some are built into the chair, some are separate
• massage - some models come with massage features too