Recliners, and even recliners with heating and massage, are a common fixture in furniture stores. They typically range from the lower cost $600-ish wide body, heavily cushioned manual recliners to the oversized near commercial-grade massage chairs that you’d typically find at gyms or the mall, and which can cost several thousands of dollars. FlexiSpot, with their XL6 Classic, have created a power lift recliner with massage, heat, and adjustable headrest that arguably hits a sweet spot in terms of functionality and comfort that not only makes a great game room addition, but also wouldn’t look out of place in the family room. Of course, since it’s sold for a relatively modest price even compared to the best gaming chairs, some of the its concessions may not sit well with everyone.
FlexiSpot XL6 Classic – Options and Assembly
The XL6 comes in two sizes: Medium ($599.99) and Tall/Wide ($689.99). The Medium is targeted to those in the 5 foot 2 inch to 5 foot 9 inch sitting height range, while the Tall/Wide is for those 5 foot 10 inches to 6 foot 2 inches. The Medium has a seat width of 22.8-inches and weight capacity of 400 lbs, while the Tall/Wide seat is 24.4-inches wide and has a weight capacity of 440 lbs. The other dimensions are roughly the same, with the Tall/Wide averaging about 2-inches more on all sides than the Medium.
The only other decision points are cover material and color. The Medium is available in Normal Chenille, which is a velvety fabric in Dark Blue; Performed (aka, Performance) Chenille, which is a waterproof, greaseproof, and stain-resistant version of the Normal Chenille in Dark Gray; and Breathable Leather, which is water-resistant and available in either Dark Brown or Black. I received the latter. The Tall/Wide is available in Dark Gray Performed Chenille or Dark Brown Breathable Leather.
The XL6 Classic ships in two separate boxes, which in my case, came one day apart via FedEx. Box 1, which came second, weighs 37 lbs., and box 2, which came first, weighs 90 lbs. I was able to bring in box 1 myself, but needed some help with the awkwardness of box 2’s dimensions. Box 2 was punctured on the bottom, but I was fortunate there was no damage to anything inside.
I personally find no joy in building furniture, so I was happy to find that assembly was a simple three-step process that required no tools. The first step was installing the stabilizers, the second step was slotting in the armrests, and the third step was slotting in the backrest. While I suspect a handy person could put this chair together without too much trouble by themself – in my case it made for an easier two person job, especially when it came to lining up the armrests and backrest.
Once the furniture was assembled, it was just a matter of connecting the cables for the two remotes and AC adapters. Frankly, it’s a bit disappointing that the XL6 Classic requires two AC adapters, one that has a separate power supply brick like a laptop and another that terminates in a wall wart power brick, but once it’s all connected it’s not something you really need to think about.
FlexiSpot XL6 Classic – Design and Features
The XL6 Classic has three main features: reclining with lift, massage, and heat. The lift and recline remote control, which features a USB-A charging port at the top, controls the first feature, while the massage remote control is for the latter two features.
The nice thing with the recline feature is that not only do you have independent control of the backrest and footrest, but you can lay the chair almost completely flat at 180°, creating, for instance, an ideal position for using XR glasses or enjoying a weekend nap after a hard day of gaming. The only caveat is that you’ll need at least 18-inches between the back of the chair and a wall to fully recline. The top two buttons on the remote recline and raise the back of the chair, while the bottom two buttons lower and raise the footrest.
The lift position both raises and tilts the chair forward to help you get out of the chair. While this is a popular feature for those with limited mobility, this type of assist can come in handy regardless. This feature is activated by pressing and holding the lower footrest button until the recliner moves to a standing position.
There are four pairs of massage nodes that are meant to target key pressure points. Using the massage remote control, you can target the upper back, lumbar (lower back), upper legs, and lower legs, either together or independently. You can choose from three massage modes, as well as three levels of intensity.
The heating element is found in the lumbar region. Using the massage remote control you can adjust the intensity of the warmth between 10V, 11V, or 12V. There’s also a 15-, 30-, and 60-minute timer.
Despite all of the power adjustment options, the headrest requires manual adjustment. You need to gently push or pull the headrest from behind until it clicks into one of the three available positions. I actually had trouble moving the headrest until I found the right technique, and even then it was kind of a pain, making the lack of a powered option all the more noticeable. On the plus side, the headrest does stay solidly locked in whatever position you place it in.
FlexiSpot includes an extra cushion for lumbar support. At first, I thought it was yet another annoying throw pillow to keep track of, but it does come in handy when you want some additional lower back support.
Finally, there are side pockets for storing papers, thin devices, or the remotes. While I normally just left the remotes dangling from the embedded remote loop, it’s still a nice touch to keep things out of the way when needed.
FlexiSpot XL6 Classic – Performance
There are some trade-offs that I noted with the XL6 Classic, although how much of a negative each one is is relative, particularly at this price point. For one, while I found it to be a comfortable chair, the padding is nowhere near what I’m used to with traditional living room furniture. The padding is firm and supportive, with reasonable, but not particularly deep, cushioning. This lack of depth was particularly noticeable in the seat cushion. Again, I found the chair comfortable enough in daily use, even as a task chair when working on a laptop, but if you’re looking for more luxury, the XL6 Classic is likely not for you.
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Along the same lines is the width of the chair. While I found the 22.8-inch seat width just fine, and in fact something that makes the chair feel more cozy than more traditional wide living room chairs, I suspect if you’re a larger-bodied individual, you might find it a bit narrow. On the plus side, since the chair is relatively compact, it works well for smaller spaces. While my family room is actually a good size, we already have a large TV cabinet, two sofas, a big power recliner, and side tables, so its relative compactness was the only way another seating option would fit. As I mentioned earlier, even with its compact width, you’ll definitely want to make sure you have enough clearance in the back from a wall to be able to fully recline.
Reclining is itself another negative of sorts. While I love the adjustability of the chair for all kinds of tasks, whether watching TV, playing video games, using a handheld, reading an eBook, or just browsing on my phone, the speed at which it reclines is something else entirely. It takes about 18 seconds to fully extend the footrest and another 30 seconds to fully flatten the back. You can hold down each respective button on the remote to move both the footrest and back at the same time, but there’s no single button to do this very common task.
There’s also no obvious stop point for the footrest like there is for the backrest when you return it to its home position. If you keep on holding down the footrest button it will continue raising and tilting the chair forward. It frankly would have been far better if the raise and tilt function was a separate button on the remote.
The heat function takes about a minute before I start to feel anything on my lower back. Even at the highest setting, however, I never thought the heating effect was particularly potent. No matter how modest the effect, however, I still appreciate its therapeutic benefits.
The massage feature distinguishes itself a bit more, with plenty of options for speed, cycling, and areas of focus. For better or worse, though, this is vibration-based massage, so even at the highest setting, you’re not going to get deeper into your muscles like you would with a far more expensive chair that has targeted pressure.
Despite some obvious, and occasionally frustrating, cost-cutting measures, the FlexiSpot XL6 remains a quality powered recliner…
Lastly, there are the remotes themselves. On top of the clunkiness of two power supplies, there’s also the issue of two separate wired remotes. It would have been far more convenient to have all functions on one remote, especially since the lift and recline remote control only has four buttons. Add to the fact that it has a much longer cable than the massage remote control, making the latter hard to reach when reclined, getting the chair to do what you want at any given time can sometimes be more frustrating than it otherwise should be.
Purchasing Guide
One of the advantages of the XL6 Classic is that you don’t have to go through the hassle of a furniture store since the XL6 Classic is available directly from the FlexiSpot website. It goes for a regular retail price of $599.99 for the medium size chair and $689.99 for the tall/wide version.
