The best armchairs and easy chairs from South African sellers

The Willow does the job most people actually want from an occasional chair. The listing describes a generously padded backrest and arms curving into one line, textured upholstery and slim powder-coated metal legs. That is a sit-in-it chair rather than a perch, and it is among the cheapest on this shelf by a wide margin.

It also has the second-largest pile of ratings here, 4.3 from thirteen shoppers. That is not a landslide, but on a shelf where most chairs have no ratings at all, a solid score from more than a dozen buyers counts for something.

Against the Coricraft and Hertex chairs it is roughly a third of the price or less. You give up solid-wood frames and named fabrics. For a reading corner, a bedroom nook or a second seat by the fire, that trade is easy to make.

The catch. The listing gives no dimensions, no frame spec and no weight capacity, so you are buying on the photo and the shade options. Check the measurements in store before committing to a tight corner.

The Halo is the best-value entry in Coricraft's handcrafted range as things stand. The listing promises textured fabric, plush cushioning and solid wood armrests, and it is currently well below its usual price, which puts it under most of the rest of the Coricraft line.

Coricraft is a South African maker with a national footprint, and solid wood armrests are the sort of detail that survives a decade of elbows. If the Willow feels too slight for a main lounge chair, this is the step up to take.

Against the Charles and the Bahala from the same maker, the Halo reads as the same construction story for less.

The catch. The listing is thin on specifics: no dimensions, no fabric composition, no weight capacity. And it carries no shopper ratings at all.

The Vienna is the cheapest chair on this shelf by some distance, and it carries the best ratings here: 4.7 from twenty shoppers. On a page where most listings have no feedback, that is the strongest evidence available.

The listing describes a gently curved backrest that wraps around, soft fabric and slim black metal legs. It is an accent chair, not a sink-in easy chair, so set expectations accordingly.

If you want two matching chairs flanking a fireplace without spending lounge-suite money, this is the sensible way to do it.

The catch. Marketing-heavy listing with no dimensions or frame detail, and at this price you should expect a lighter build than the solid-wood options.

The Porter is one of the few chairs here with numbers behind the comfort claim: 88cm deep, 86cm high at the back, 45cm seat height. That is a relaxed, lean-back chair rather than an upright accent piece, and the listing backs it with a solid wood frame and plush cushions.

The 100% linen slipcover is the real argument for the money. A cover-over-frame construction is the kind of thing that keeps a chair in service through pets, children and a change of colour scheme, which is not something a fully upholstered chair offers.

Hertex also lists its specifications properly, which on this shelf is a point in its favour.

The catch. It costs several times the Willow, and linen creases and marks more readily than a synthetic weave. No shopper ratings yet.

If the chair sits between a television, a window and a conversation, a swivel earns its keep daily. The Charles is the one chair here that lists a smooth swivel base, on a solid wood frame with deep cushioning and textured fabric.

It is currently well under its usual price, which brings it close to the Halo. If you do not need the swivel, take the Halo and bank the difference. If you do, there is no alternative on this shelf.

The catch. Same thin Coricraft listing problem: no dimensions, no fabric detail, no ratings. Swivel mechanisms are also a moving part, so ask about the guarantee.

Decide first whether you want an accent chair or an easy chair, because they are different purchases wearing the same name. An accent chair is for twenty minutes and a cup of tea. An easy chair is for an evening. Seat depth tells you which you are getting: around 50cm of seat depth and a reclined back means you can settle, while a shallow seat and an upright back means you will be perching. If the listing gives no measurements, go and sit in it.

Weigh the frame. Solid wood, ash or oak, is what separates a chair that lasts from a chair that goes soft in three years. Several listings here name the wood; others say nothing at all, which usually means engineered board and foam. That is fine at the bottom of the price range, as long as you are paying bottom-of-the-range money for it.

Think about the fabric the way you think about a carpet. Polyester weaves take knocks and clean up easily. Linen and wool look and feel better and show every mark. A slipcover, where it is offered, is the quiet luxury here, because it is the only version of the chair you can take off and have cleaned.

Finally, measure the doorway and the stairwell, not just the corner. Armchairs are one solid piece and they do not fold. Width and depth figures are there for a reason, and the ones that also give you a weight capacity are telling you something about how seriously the frame was built.