A guide. But - with important things to a) consider and b) mandatory?? Bearing in mind this topic is about a specific type of seating for specific reasons, not general lounge room furniture.
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A Choice guide - good value as the learning curve for many comes from a sample of one or maybe two over a lifetime.
A Choice desktop product survey - useful in that it may help members in minimising running around and time doing more extensive product research. Likely also of benefit for those not so urbanised.
A Choice product test - challenging given the scope and range of products available. A quality assessment and operational performance might be possible for more popular chairs, but at what cost? For quality to be best assessed Choice would need to look inside the factories behind each product, and even then models can change how or what they are made from without notice. Itās what is inside and under the chair that makes it or breaks it, assuming it is a great user fit.
It depends on the retail outlet. In this example office chairs are easy to take home and return. For our mumās recliner lift chair we spent the best part of an hour with her trialing and being fitted to each store option. The retailer offered hire chairs and hire before buying options.
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That is what a buyer guide points one through. There are many non-obvious things to consider, but testing and rating them for the general population seems a step beyond, although sometimes a safety issue might become a pass/fail, eg if reclined can a person get out, but that depends on dexterity and any handicaps so it might not be an obvious pass/fail for an individual consumer.
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The depth is important for comfort too - we have a dual recliner sofa (all manual, alas) but I find it a bit uncomfortable in the upright position, I just prefer a shorter seat and more upright seat back.
All I can say is - if you can get a ātest driveā then definitely do so, and imagine yourself watching the TV, reading a book, or using the laptop or tablet. This setup suits the wife, she is longer in the legs and shorter in the upper body than I am, and our next investment in lounge seating Iām going to get separate recliners more tailored for each of us. Aside from that, the next step here is going to be an electric recliner / lifter I think. Great thought about the emergency battery, I wouldnāt have thought of that myselfā¦
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All I can say is if you canāt get a test drive donāt go near it.
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Try a massage chair at the local shopping mallā¦ (After COVID-19 is safely managed, of course.) This is definitely on the wish list for the next lounge furniture we buy.
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My husband who has dementia and a pacemaker has a lift chair aftet being advised by an Occupational Therapist.
He finds it comfortable and helpful and had been handy to lay him back when having seizures and for the ambos to treat him.
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Iāve had 4 electric lift chairs over the past 20+ years due to having a form of MND, the first 3 being paid for from our own pockets.
The first was a cheap fabric chair from a well known Australia wide retailer, the next 3 from Roth Newton in Dandenong (Vic) near us. Each has been of increasing cost and quality with the last one being funded to $1,000 by A&EP (Aids and Equipment Program) before we got onto the NDIS. We had to pay the extra $500 or so ourselves but I believe nowadays those on the NDIS can be fully funded for even very expensive chairs ($3,000+). Not sure about funding for those too old for NDIS and relying on the aged care system.
We now have two since we moved here 5 years ago, one purchased by us in our family/tv room and the latest dual motor one in what has become our āhome theatreā room (glorified term for room with big tv, decent speakers and home theatre amp). Having now used that one for 2 years Iād strongly recommend a dual motor one over a single motor one. With a single motor one as the chair reclines the footrest comes up at a fixed rate and if you canāt find a really comfortable position recline/footrest wise then bad luck. With a dual motor one you can individually control the recline angle and footrest position for perfect comfort for yourself. The only potential problem is those with cognitive problems may find using the 3 different up/down buttons confusing (on mine the middle button works just like a single motor chair and the other 2 control the recline and footrest individually).
I believe there are now even triple motor chairs. Not sure, but I guess the third motor may be lumbar support or massager, neither of which I have need for at the moment.
As to the original request for a test of such chairs I suspect as others have said it would be impractical as individual requirements for comfort vary, as do all the different possible disabilities people who require such chairs may suffer. Plus, I suspect there is a huge number of makers with different models ā which do they test and which do they not?
However, a Choice guide pointing out all the options available and what to look for would be very valuable for those just starting to look. Even things such as whether replacement actuators were available and at what cost.
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This is exactly why I though Choice may be able to help. It reminds me of phone plan/electricity pricing in that supplierās products do not seem directly comparable. So how does the average consumer choose which is going to be the best product?
A buying guide would be a good first step, and lots of good points to be included have been raised in this thread. Thanks to you all.
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Yes, I agree. I have been looking at buying one of these for years. I wanted one that was a recliner, yet didnāt look out of place in a room with modern furniture. I found one https://www.cassina.com/en/collection/sofas-and-armchairs/k10-dodo but it has an eyewatering price.
I finally bought one that wasnāt quite as expensive and it was a mistake. It just isnāt wide enough to be comfortable (that said, I have never tried the Dodo chair either)
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It certainly looks beautiful.
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Thatās likely the most critical lesson.
Costing more than a mattress, and being more personalised to individual body shape and fit, buying one untried is a risk.
And unlike a pair of shoes purchased on line, you cannot just pop it back in the post for the next size up or down. (Note most models come in just one size anyway.)
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Hi all,
While I find my physio great to help my muscle pain I have been looking at massage chairs, which before I invest $4-7,000 in Iām interested in other peopleās experiences/recommendations. Or if they are just a white elephant.
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We bought an early Panasonic model (rollers and tapping) in the early 1990ās and updated to a modern iYasu A55 (rollers, tapping, āsqueezingā, auto up/down recline aka stretch functions - no heat) four years ago. YMMV, but wouldnāt be without one as a relaxer but as a physio appliance or replacement donāt even think about it.
They mimic a massage and most chairs do it pretty well but it is a massage, not a remedy or treatment.
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Welcome to the forum.
I have moved your post to this thread which relates to your question, and you may find some of the preceding information helpful.
Massage chairs are just automated repetative mechanical surface movements over restricted parts of your body in a confined structure. A massage chair will never ever replace a good physio (or even a bad one 
) . The physio has been trained on how and where to work on your body to assist with your specific muscle pain issues. The physio should be in constant dialogue with you while working to vary pressure and location they are working so you receive the optimal result from the treatment. On the other hand the chair only has a few routine movements and the possibility of a few pressure adjustments.
You have to be the one to judge whether a massage chair provides you with value for money. The best way to start is to go to showrooms where they have demonstration models on display so you can try them out. Then consider that for the same money you may get between 40-70 extra physio sessions (based on what mine charges). Which will give you the best value for your dollar? You may decide on the chair because you will keep it longer than that number of extra physio appointments, or you may decide that the physio will be better at helping with your muscle pain.
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The following information on massage therapy is provided on the Australian Govt, Health Direct web site.
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/massage-therapy
One point distinguishes between a massage as simply something that makes you feel good (relaxation) and a massage intended to target a particular pain/complaint/medical condition.
There is also advice encouraging one to see a doctor for reliable assessment and recommendations before seeking remedies. These can include targeted remedial massage.
For several personal conditions physiotherapists have successfully combined massage, physical aids and prescribed exercises. For two medical imaging was necessary to assess whether there was also physical damage. One ok and one not so ok outcome.
For general relaxation how do massage chairs (obviously very convenient in the home especially if it is just you) compare with a spa with water jets, a dip in the pool, or for those who have the option a little one to one? 
What ever some may be thinking, even the physio at our mumās aged care facility includes massage therapy as part of the support. Massage chairs donāt feature, unless you bring your own.
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We have both. Very different experiences, both quite satisfying in their own way.
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Are the therapeutic recliner lift chairs from Revitalife recommended by the NDIS?
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Welcome @monsie
They state they have a provider number so yes they would be an approved provider under NDIS, whether they receive a recommendation by NDIS is not known.
You are better asking whether other users of these types of chairs would recommend them. I donāt use theirs so I canāt comment on their usability, comfort, value for money (cost comparison, quality of materials etc) or options available.
Reading through this topic should give you some good insight in what you should expect from a chair and possible alternatives.
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Welcome Monsie.
The NDIS do NOT recommend any product or service. It is up to the recipients to select what is best for them within the constraints of their funding.
You are probably aware that an Occupational Therapist report is required to be provided to the NDIA justifying why that (any) particular chair is required. Once the NDIA approve the purchase it can be bought assuming the client has the funds.
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