The Value of Renting a Lift Chair Vs. Owning One – and 5 Reasons a Lift Chair Rental Isn’t Your Best Option!

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Similarly, a lift chair can operate in three separate ways — as a comfortable chair, a comfortable sleep alternative, or a powerful lift chair — fulfilling the need for three specific functions at once. Many people rely on and benefit from these additional features daily.

But they’re also beneficial to others, especially those who deal with sore muscles, inflammation, poor sleeping patterns, and even pressured, achy joints.

Lift chairs are highly functional in a home where seniors need to enhance their environment — much in the same way that an elevated oven or a night light can ensure that everyday movement is not an issue.

But, to find out whether you’re better off renting or owning a lift chair, you should start by asking yourself these questions:

Ask yourself: “Is it a need or is it a want?” to start your estimates on your projected level of use.

Perhaps you’re planning for major surgery, and you’re concerned about post-op care. Or perhaps you’d benefit from the experience of zero gravity sleep to help poor circulation in your legs.

Lift chairs have multiple benefits, so it’s up to you to analyze each feature and weigh its use in your life as a part of the overall experience. Your decision is not just about how often you use it, but whether you’ll use all its features.

Regardless — temporary users may want to find a lift chair rental, whereas a long-term user should look into buying.

Once you’ve assessed the need for a lift chair, it’s time to get that need seconded by a medical professional — especially if you plan to apply for Medicare.

Medicare covers lift chairs — at least partially — but only if you’re want to buy it. If the cost of buying a lift chair feels too prohibitive up front, getting part of your new mobility device covered might make renting the pricier option.

This is why it’s important to figure out if Medicare will apply. If it does, your decision to buy versus rent a lift chair becomes a no-brainer.

If you’re buying your lift chair purely for functionality or the sit-to-stand feature, extras like heat and massage may not be high on your list of priorities — especially if you’re planning to pay through Medicare.

But let’s say you have a spouse who, while not mobility-challenged, could do with these therapeutic effects in their life.

If cost is an issue, these added features could make buying a bit out of your reach.

But at the same time, you may not get all the features you want on a lift chair rental. You’ll have to balance your budget with what’s affordable and available, and that may mean you miss out.

Sometimes, individuals will rent a lift chair as a test to see just how much use or pleasure they experience in their everyday lives.

Trial periods can help you get a sense of what features you want and which features are sorely lacking. In this case, renting and then moving on to a purchase decision would be trading up.

However, if you have the option of a trial period when purchasing, you can eliminate the whole preliminary renting workaround. This also helps you select precisely the features you need and then test how effective they are in improving your quality of living.

Owning a lift chair is undoubtedly a more cost-effective experience option. But there are situations in which renting is not only smarter — it’s the only option people have.

Consider, for example, individuals who are otherwise mobile but have gone through an accident or injury that affects movement. What about minimizing movement right after surgery to let your stitches heal?

In this case, a lift chair rental makes sense because it fulfills the immediate purpose: Minimize and simplify pressure during movement and provide a therapeutic healing experience. Once they’ve recovered from surgery, they no longer need a lift chair.

Another time renting is your only option is if you travel to warmer regions during the winter. You may not need a lift chair all year since you choose to live in warmer climates for months at a time.

A lift chair rental for the time you are home — or because you’re living in a rented apartment while abroad — is a great solution that lets you get the best of both worlds.

When you look at the vast majority of lift chair users, they’ve all decided to buy.

So why do owners of a lift chair swear by their purchases, rather than renting?

Simply put, they’re investing long-term in a solution that promises to alleviate pain as a wellness-based approach to mobility and pain management.

The best part is that buying turns out to be more cost-effective over time, and especially if you’re planning to get “the works.”

With all this in mind, here are the top five benefits to buying a lift chair — instead of renting.

When you buy a lift chair, you have the luxury of fitting it to your exact specifications, including options like color and fabric/material.

But what about weight? Or the width of the seat? When purchasing your lift chair, you have the opportunity to customize your initial purchase to match these specs.

Over time, as you sit in and use your chair, it will begin to conform itself to your weight and seating posture. These are qualitative, subjective customizations that renting simply cannot match.

At some point, it will be time to return your rental. What’s more, you could be receiving a piece that many others have sat on and used already.

Where’s the custom-fit comfort in that?

You know how you can control your lift chair with a push of a button? Well, you can program in custom settings as well.

Buying a lift chair gives you the small but significant satisfaction of being able to find the right custom settings for your joints, aches, or pains.

If you have a sore lumbar region, for example, you will want to lower the backrest to reduce bending and pressure on this point. If you experience pain in your legs, you’ll want to elevate the footrest to improve circulation.

Getting your settings just right is part of the perks of purchase. Goldilocks got this right.

Think about buying a used car — sure, you have a record of service, maintenance, and checks… but do you ever really know how the previous driver drove it?

Because lift chairs include a blend of hydraulics and technology, you simply never know how much the previous renter or owner “drove” or used the chair — and whether they were careful and mindful with its use.

Yes, lift chairs come with a warranty and they’re usually effective for a certain amount of time. That’s just the way they’re built.

But did the previous owner sit in the frame with pets? Did they work the remote too hard? Were they careful with its use?

The residue of the previous owner will inevitably pass to you when you rent. This could greatly reduce your use and enjoyment of the chair. Even if there’s a guarantee of durability when you rent, buying allows you to be certain.

Just as with leasing a car, a lift chair rental is, well, a polite experience, at best. You can’t get too familiar with your chair. You’re always concerned about spills or scratches.

Eating or drinking in your chair is sometimes unavoidable. And if you’re recovering from surgery or healing post-op, you’re going to have to remain in your chair for the most part.

Now imagine trying to recover while also worrying about the potential for spills and stains on the fabric.

When you rent, every little nick and dent could come back as a charge once you return the rental piece!

So it’s not just about peace of mind — renting can be a costly after-return process as well. Recover and live in comfort by buying.

For big-ticket items, buying is always more cost efficient. Not only are you paying for the higher quality (which lasts longer) your overall cost is amortized over the lifetime value of the item in question.

According to personal finance specialist Ramit Sethi, the true cost of ownership will tell you how much your purchase — on anything — will really cost.

For example, consider how much money those scratches and spills might cost you. Or consider your quality of life without a high-quality lift chair. Can you put a monetary value on this?

The true cost of ownership will also tell you what the item in question will cost if you don’t have it as well as what it will cost you to maintain and upkeep. In terms of rental pieces, retail stores that offer a lift chair rental will factor these in.

The price installment per month is often a lot higher than those amortized payments, and at the end of it all, you’ll have to return it anyway.

When choosing between a lift chair rental or purchase, our options are not entirely closed off. Rent-to-own is a popular concept, but it’s not always offered for mobility devices.

Furthermore, rent-to-own options are not available on all pieces so if you do plan to rent, keep in mind that you may not get all the features you’re looking for.

But at the end of the day, a lift chair rental just doesn’t measure up to the value of buying one.

Purchasing a lift chair is economical in the long-run. It’s the best option for experiencing the full benefits of a lift chair as long as you plan to make use of the chair in an ongoing and consistent way.

Because they’re designed as a hybrid between relaxation, therapy, and mobility, lift chairs already have an inherent versatility in function.

Buying, rather than renting, allows you to experience the full suite of features in a cost-effective way.