Cancel order and get something else?

Hello,

I am new to this forum and have been doing a lot of research. My wife and I purchased a Flexsteel Blaise Power Reclining Sofa and Loveseat set from a local store in Utah and it is scheduled to be delivered this coming Wednesday. The set was around $5200 after tax and the 5 year leather plan on both pieces. After doing some research, I am not finding good reviews on Flexsteel and their furniture. Here are the specs:

Collection Blaise
Dimensions 87"W x 41"D x 41"H
Shipping Weight 322 lbs.
Finish Grey
Wall Proximity To Allow Full Recline 6"
Seat Dimensions 67"W x 22"D x 20"H
Weight Capacity 350 lbs per seat
Fabric Semi-aniline dyed top grain leather everywhere one touches when sitting with matching vinyl on sides and back.

Is the Blaise line made in the US? I read that their Latitude line is not.

Also, is there a higher quality power reclining sofa and loveseat set in leather that can be found in the $5-6k range? Just want to make sure our next set lasts as our Simon Li set has been terrible. Thanks for your time and advice!

I would think you will be fine with that Flexsteel unit, while they don't necessarily build junk, neither is it fine furniture. If it's "Flexsteel" then it's made in their plants in Mississippi, Iowa or Pennsylvania. If its "Latitudes by Flexsteel" then it's made in China, and in my opinion not put together as well as the USA made product. Their website doesn't really break out the two series like it did in the past, I cannot tell you where the Blaise falls in their lineup. At $ 5k for the pair, it's about 1/2 the price of the better made brands so I would think my expectations would be low based on price alone. While I'm not a fan of Flexsteel myself (I had a dealership for them a couple of years and dropped it), you would have to double your budget to get into better product.

The one question I have (actually two) is are you buying 100% genuine top grain leather? At that price, I am thinking its going to be "bonded leather" or "bicast leather", and you want to avoid that if at all possible as that "leather" is more plastic than animal skin and will have a high failure rate. Most bicast or bonded leather will fail dramatically in less than five years, and that's because it's not real leather. Secondly, you say you bought a "5 year leather plan"? Don't know how much you paid for that or what it covers, but those are usually rip-offs that do nothing more than pad a merchant's bottom line and if you do have a failure and attempt to make a claim, few are ever successful. Highly ethical stores generally do not sell them as they are usually done by 3rd party companies that never pay out.

Cancel if bonded or bicast leather. If its genuine top grain, you'll probably be OK.

At that price point, you are not going to have Leggett and Platt or Ultramech motion mechanisms, likely these will be lighter duty stamped steel units. To keep the mechanisms going longer, do the following:

* Install a surge protector on the outlet where you are plugging them in. An electrical surge will fry the transformer, rectifier, switch and possibly motor. I've seen it happen to many. Folks use surge protectors on their computers and TV's but not on reclining power upholstery.

* Never "Jump out" of the recliner until its fully closed. That places severe strain on the rivets and is the # 1 cause of mechanism failure.

* Don't let anyone sit on the arms, you can crack the frame.

* Don't let kids horse around in the recliner and wrestle when its open. Also, don't put two people in a recliner position when its open.

* Keep your leather cleaned and conditioned regularly.

Good luck! Hope this helps

Hello and thanks for the very detailed answer. The information you provided is very helpful. Here is some additional information that will answer your two questions.

Manufacturer Warranties
Flexsteel DualFlex Watchspring Steel Seat Springs with Limited Lifetime Parts & 1-Year Labor Warranty
CARB Compliant Furniture Grade Hardwood Plywood & Solids with Limited Lifetime Parts & 1-Year Labor Warranty
2.0 HR (High Resiliency) Pure Polyurethane Foam With Polyester Topper with Limited Lifetime Parts & 1-Year Labor Warranty
Semi-Aniline Dyed Top Grain Leather & Vinyl with 1-Year Parts & Labor Warranty
Leggett & Platt Mechanism With Limited Lifetime Parts & 1-Year Labor Warranty
Limoss Power System with 5-Year Parts & 1-Year Labor Warranty

It does have 100% top grain leather where you sit and touch, and the sides and back are vinyl.
The 5 year warranty is through RC Willey (the store that sold the set to me) and not a 3rd party warranty company.
Also, the mechanism is Leggett & Platt which was great to see!

Looks like it will be okay to continue with the order. I really appreciate your time and the helpful suggestions which we will follow. Have a great day!

False alarm. After doing some more research the Blaise set is made in China and is from the Flexsteel Latitude line. I canceled the order and am back to the research phase. I have read that all leather reclining sofas/loveseats can experience color fading or discoloration due to oils from skin and hair products. Based on this, I think we will be going with one of two options:

1-A reclining sofa and loveseat set in fabric
2-A stationary sofa and loveseat set in leather

I found some Bradington Young stationary sets for around $5-6k that look pretty nice. Any other brands that are in the same price range that you sell?
Also, how about recommendations on reclining sofa and loveseats in fabric that are good quality? Do you sell any of these?

Thanks,
Greg

I never recommend fabric motion furniture, fabric wears much quicker and friction is higher in motion than in leather. Expect 4x faster wear in fabric over leather.

Staining and color fade can and will happen on anything, leather or fabric. It's pretty easy to avoid: 1) don't put pieces in direct sunlight unless you have UV coatings on the windows 2) Scotchguard the fabric, keep leather cleaned and conditioned 3) if on medications, avoid pure aniline hides, some medications cause changes in skin and hair oils that accelerate staining.

I am a B-Y dealer. That's my least costly leather line that I sell in the store. Below that quality, I don't carry it.