The Best Flip Chairs

We tested the highest-rated flip chairs to find out which one was the most versatile and comfortable. We chose Your Zone Bed as the best flip chair. Its flexible frame cushioned by quality foam allows you to transform a compact, upright chair into a lounger and, when needed for overnight guests, a futon-like bed that both adults and kids will find comfortable and supportive.

Table of contents

• Compare the best flip chairs
• Best flip chair: Your Zone Bed
• Other flip chairs we tested
• How we selected flip chairs to test
• What is a flip chair?
• The bottom line

Compare the best flip chairs

Best flip chair: Your Zone Bed

The Your Zone Bed flip chair is very similar to the other flip chairs we tested, but it’s a lot more comfortable. Its metal frame is sandwiched between two thick layers of foam, which cushion the bottom of the flip chair when it’s folded out flat. This extra foam gave an additional measure of comfort when we tested it as a bed. Also, the upper half of the foam is covered with a polyester-fiber mesh that softens the rough texture of the foam.

Much like other flip beds, Your Zone’s ultra-suede cover has two zippered sections: A long middle section and a headrest. None of the flip chairs’ covers have a zipper on the lower third. Consequently, the middle and upper sections can be machine washed, and the lower third can only be spot-cleaned. This section should be less prone to getting stained, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Your Zone has five positions, which are adjusted by lifting the headrest until it locks into place. To unfold it, the headrest is pushed down to the middle section and released. When flat, Your Zone’s frame has a slight curvature that flattens when you lie down. This buckle gives the foam added flexibility, so it feels somewhat like a bed mattress.

Most Comfortable: Your Zone Bed

A well-priced flip chair made with higher quality materials than other flip chairs, Your Zone Bed was also the most comfy for sleeping, gaming, watching TV or just lounging.

See Price at Amazon.com

For the next position, the headrest needs to be folded over, creating a pillow (albeit, a hard one), which shortens the 6-½ foot bed by 14 inches. This second position was always the most uncomfortable with all of the flip beds we tested.

Third and fourth positions turn the flip chair into a lounger, which is ideal for watching television or gaming. Both give good back support, but the fourth position is a bit more elevated and more comfortable.

For the fifth position, the headrest is fully upright, and the bottom third folds up and onto the middle section, transforming it into a chair. It’s low to the ground, but Your Zone’s flexible foam has some give to it like sofa cushions, and we found it to be the most comfy for watching TV.

The Your Zone Bed flip chair is priced comparably with the other flip chairs we tested — a little over $100 — but we found it to be better constructed for comfort. If you’re looking for a versatile piece of furniture for a small space or a sleepover, this is the flip chair you should get.

Key takeaways: 

• The Your Zone Bed flip chair is a versatile piece of furniture that can change from a comfy chair to a temporary fold-out bed anywhere and any time an extra bed is needed.
• It’s priced about the same as other flip chairs, but it’s better constructed for comfort.
• The Your Zone Bed flip chair is great for a dorm room or studio apartment where space is limited or for kids’ sleepovers.

Other flip chairs we tested

Best Choice Products – SKY1814

The Best Choice Products flip chair has a substantial frame that resembles a lawn or patio lounge chair. It has a pristine polyurethane foam that feels like memory foam and looks brand new. However, when the flip chair is laid flat into the bed position, the foam has an odd crunchy texture and crackles when it’s pressed down.

Although the Best Choice was comfortable as a bed and as an upright chair, there was no flexibility in its foam or frame, which made every other position uncomfortable. Its small non-skid feet needed to be screwed into the frame, which wasn’t difficult to do. However, the feet are screwed through the bottom of the chair’s cover, so should you ever need to wash it, the feet need to be unscrewed first; a design feature we found inconvenient.

Giantex – HW52445GR

In appearance, the Giantex is almost identical to the Your Zone Bed and Best Choice Products. It has five adjustable positions, a removable ultra-suede cover (erroneously advertised as cotton) and is approximately the same length, height and width. Three of its five positions, however, were hard and unyielding — even napping on it was unpleasant.

When we inspected underneath the cover, we discovered that its frame is a metal checkerboard shape, which may account for why it’s such an uncomfortable chair/bed. More disturbing was the condition of the foam: Dirty with debris and wood bits, as though it had been dragged along a factory floor. Clearly, Giantex doesn’t use high-quality foam for its overpriced product.

Magshion – FCOF27

Described as a folding bed mattress, the Magshion flip chair is actually just a foldable futon. Its polyurethane foam is divided into three equal sections and covered with a polyester-cotton cover that’s available in sixteen colors. It’s slightly shorter and narrower than other flip beds, and since it has no frame, the Magshion can’t be used as a chair unless you’re leaning up against a couch or wall.

It’s available in five sizes, and although the single size that we tested was $80, the other sizes are absurdly expensive for what’s little more than a lawn-furniture pad.

How we selected flip chairs to test

Despite flip chairs’ popularity with students and parents, there aren’t many manufacturers who make them. Some high-end furniture companies sell their version of a flip chair, but they’re more expensive than what you can find online.

Flip chairs are available in several sizes, but we focused our search on the standard size, which is 6-½ feet long when completely flat and 28 inches wide. That’s narrower than a twin-size bed, but similar to a camping bed. (Some Amazon reviewers of flip chairs actually do take them on camping trips, since they fit inside a tent and are more comfortable than sleeping on hard ground on a pad or sleeping bag.) The standard flip chair size is the one that’s most often purchased for dorm rooms and sleepovers, as it can be easily stored and unfolded when needed.

Surprisingly, flip chairs can be pricey. Although they’re not constructed of expensive materials, and sometimes the foam is not the highest quality, flip chairs can be priced at $200 or higher. We selected four flip chairs that are in the more reasonable $100 range.

What is a flip chair?

A flip chair is also known as a convertible or folding bed mattress. It’s composed of a repositionable metal frame, covered with a thin layer of polyurethane foam or polyester fiber and encased within a layer of foam that’s generally four inches thick. The frame and foam are fit into a polyester cover, similar to a cushioned patio lounger. The cover is usually removable for cleaning.

When laid out completely flat on the floor, the frame can be used as a temporary bed for overnight guests or for kids’ sleepover. The frame is divided into three sections, which allow you to fold it up into a lounger with a head rest or a compact chair that can fit in a small living area or bedroom. Since the folded-up chair has no legs — usually just non-skid feet — it’s usually only about 8 inches up off the floor.

Flip chairs are popular with students who have small dorm rooms or people who live in studio apartments, where space is limited. They’re also great for kids’ sleepovers or for just hanging out and watching television or gaming.

The bottom line

A flip chair is a fun and convenient furniture option for a small room or apartment. Although their metal frames are sturdy, the foam will lose its density over time, so we wouldn’t recommend replacing a bed mattress with a flip chair. However, it’s great for short-term use or sleepovers, and we like how the flip chair can be transformed in seconds from a lounger to an upright chair.

The best flip chair that we tested is the Your Zone Bed. Its flexible frame sandwiched between thick foam proved to be comfortable in all of its five adjustable positions. Whether you want to nap, hang out with friends or just lounge around with your dog or cat, the versatile Your Zone Bed flip chair will suit your needs.

Best Flip Chair: Your Zone Bed

Sturdily constructed and cushioned with quality foam, the Your Zone Bed flip chair is a convenient furniture option for a bedroom, dorm room or studio apartment.

See Price at Amazon.com

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Gene Gerrard, Writer

Gene has written about a wide variety of topics for too many years to count. He's been a professional chef, cooking-appliance demonstrator, playwright, director, editor of accountancy and bank-rating books, Houdini expert and dog lover (still is). When he's not writing for Your Best Digs, he's performing as a magician at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.