Lafuma Futura XL Zero Gravity Recliner - Grey Steel Frame with Iso Batyline Fabric - Black

Three stars but, with a quick modification, a five star product.Facing bilateral (both feet!) surgery tomorrow, I was told by my doctor that I'm going to be spending most of next month with my feet elevated above my head (because that will be the most pain-free position). Knowing how I like to doze off in our zero gravity camping chairs, I started looking at upholstered zero gravity furniture and found the perfect solution, the Human Touch Perfect Chair at $1,299.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DTP14LM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DTP14LM&linkCode=as2&tag=pierpont-20&linkId=SHFHJQQT53F4ERZ6But, customer support told me that model would be "quite snug" for 225 pound me. Not wanting to pay $3,000+ for the correct size, and with my doubts about how it was going to fit into my small den, I started looking at reclining outdoor chairs. It wasn't long before I discovered that my worn-out Lafuma camping chairs reclined further (more into a true zero-gravity position) than any other chair I could find. After checking out every possible option, I decided to bite the bullet and order the Lafuma Futura XL.When it arrived, I was very disappointed to see that it only reclined to the point that my feet were just below the level of my chest, not at head level like my old Lafuma recliner. So, I took the arms apart, using a T25 driver bit, and removed the friction locks that stop the chair from reclining any further. Worked perfectly now, except that the chair reclined so far that it was easy to fall over backward and have the chair collapse!So, I found the middle ground by shortening the friction lock (it was easy to cut the tubular plastic on a chop saw) and now the chair reclines to where my feet are well above my head. Now, I'm going to cut a piece of memory foam from an old mattress topper and I expect that my chair will be as comfortable as the Perfect Chair.Outside of those things, this chair is perfect for my size and reclines smoothly.

Perfect for relaxing on the porch or at a campsite.A good balance between lightweight-portable and sturdy-comfortable. Unfolds easily enough for set up, and really comfy once you get seated. Lean back, your legs swing up to whatever degree you desire, then lock the chair into position with the twin tabs on the underside of the armrests.I'm a large individual (or a small two people?), so the XL works well. The regular size works just fine for my 130 pound spouse but is a bit small for folks in the 6' 4" height / 240 pound category. [It creaked a bit getting in and out]. The XL does not complain. It holds itself in the "lean back" setting you selected for the most part, but I am somewhat reluctant to tempt fate by leaning back to the max and folding my arms back behind my head. Zero gravity or not, gravity is still king in these parts.Build quality is first-rate, and suggests the chair will last. [this post will be updated if long-term results are different]If I were a LaFuma chair designer, I'd try to se if I could make it fold up a little more compactly, and tweak the lean-back latching mechanism to make it more foolproof.The LaFuma Futura XL excels (see what I did there?) at backyard star-gazing, sunset-perusement, mountaintop view viewing, neighbor-gawking from the porch, and probably works pretty well at the beach, too (haven't tested it yet there). It is not a backpacking chair, or a chair you'd want to tote several miles to an event. Unless you're into that sort of thing, pain, anguish, ultra-fitness carnage? If so, La-Z-Boy makes a fine beach chair.Finally, cost. It's not cheap, it's not inexpensive. But it probably validates the "you get what you pay for" mantra.

This review covers all models of the Lafuma recliner.This is a very difficult review to write. I have had a love/hate relationship with the Lafuma recliner for over a decade. I have not tried to review them because of the hate part.This is the only folding recliner that I have found that actually qualifies as zero-gravity. In actuality another inch up in leg position would be an improvement in that respect. A warning: eventually they achieve a better zero gravity recline but when that happens throw the thing out because it is about to go into catastrophic failure. If you do not get rid of it immediately you are going to shortly be flat on your back among the remains of the chair.The design is creative and quite effective, the engineering delivery is a sad compromise. If modern structural plastics and heavier high strength tubing and heavier gage connectors were used the chair could be a wonder and still useful. I presume that if that were done it would be a pound or so heavier and the price point would be in the four hundred dollar range rather than in the current two hundred dollar range. Will that ever be done? I think not.I would buy such a chair, but most would not. As it is, it is an expensive though comfortable occasional use chair. Under constant use which is how I use them their life is between three and four months.There does seem to be some decline in quality over the past several years. I just had one fail immediately because of the low quality plastic joints. I gave it two stars because of good design that would work if it were properly manufactured. Design potential unfulfilled, such a disappointment.