My Berkline 13175 Review

My wife and I decided to replace our worn recliners in the HT with new Berkline ones this spring. We needed three and due to room width we needed something in a slimline design. We settled on Berklines due to across-the-board positive reviews. Unfortunately, nobody in town had any in stock - the closest dealer was 150 miles away and only stocked the domestic ones. So, we elected to order on-line sight unseen and from a dealer from which we had not purchased before.

I contacted Roman at Ultimate Home Theater for recommendations and pricing. He recommended slimline designs in both the domestic and imported lines. The imported (from China) 13175s seemed to fit our needs at significant savings compared to the domestic ones, so on March 6th I placed an order for three of them in black. Roman asks for at least partial downpayment before ordering, which is not unusual for furniture orders. Based on very positive feedback from others who have purchased from him, we elected to send full payment.

The imported versions do not offer the different leather quality levels as offered for the domestic ones. The choices are of 3 colors and bonded or non-bonded leather. Roman recommended bonded due to the soft "buttery" feel. We elected to go with the non-bonded leather, mainly due to the negative press about chemicals (adhesives are used for the bonded leather) from China. Rightly or wrongly, we felt more comfortable in going with the standard leather.

The chairs arrived in perfect condition on Friday, April 17th. The shipping was via Old Dominion truck line. The boxes were in great condition and the driver was very friendly and helpful.

Unboxing the chairs, I discovered that the packing was very well designed to protect the chairs during shipment - plastic over a soft almost fabric wrapping. Assembly of the chairs was almost effortless. Just slip the backs onto the guides on the bases. No tools needed.

Initially we thought that the bottom cushions were a little firm for our tastes. However, that feeling disappered after sitting in them for a couple of hours. They provide excellent support. The back cushions are very comfy and provide really good back support.

The power recline mechanisms work smoothly, although initially I thought that the switches were wired backwards - I kept pressing the wrong button for the desired motion. We are used to it now and it is not an issue. Both of us found that the chairs are much easier to get out of than our previous recliners, which were from a local furniture dealer and were not designed for HT.

So, the conclusion is that we are very pleased indeed with the chairs and the purchasing experience from Roman. Would we do it all over again - certainly!