Consumer Reports - Spring Deck - 8 way vs Sinuous Spring

I was reading online last night about furniture construction and for kicks visisted consumer reports page. This is what they have to say about the springs in the seating deck of furniture.

"Disregard the term “eight-way hand-tied springs.” It’s no longer synonymous with comfort or high quality. Other types of springs--coil, cone, S-shaped, and grid--can be just fine; they mainly influence how comfortable the sofa feels to you. The illustrations above show two common spring designs."

All of my research has led me to believe that 8 way hand tied is the way to go for quality and Duane and others have posted in other threads this same stance on seating support. I am curious what Duane or others may think about this Consumer Reports stance. They are basically saying drop in grids or sinuous springs are just as durable as 8 way hand tied.

If what I have researched is true it leads me to believe that consumer reports is either influenced by the Ashley's of the world or they truly believe the cheaper spring systems are as durable as the traditional labor intensive 8 way hand tied spring decks.

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Originally Posted by habs88

I was reading online last night about furniture construction and for kicks visisted consumer reports page. This is what they have to say about the springs in the seating deck of furniture.

"Disregard the term “eight-way hand-tied springs.” It’s no longer synonymous with comfort or high quality. Other types of springs--coil, cone, S-shaped, and grid--can be just fine; they mainly influence how comfortable the sofa feels to you. The illustrations above show two common spring designs."

All of my research has led me to believe that 8 way hand tied is the way to go for quality and Duane and others have posted in other threads this same stance on seating support. I am curious what Duane or others may think about this Consumer Reports stance. They are basically saying drop in grids or sinuous springs are just as durable as 8 way hand tied.

If what I have researched is true it leads me to believe that consumer reports is either influenced by the Ashley's of the world or they truly believe the cheaper spring systems are as durable as the traditional labor intensive 8 way hand tied spring decks.

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There is an implication in this quote that Duane is over-enthusiastic about 8 way hand-tied coils simply because that is what is used in the brands he sells. So let me give you the viewpoint of a mid-price manufacturer with 30 years in the furniture industry who does not use 8 way-hand-tied coils in the products he makes.

Although I agree with many of the individual statements in the quote, I completely disagree with the overall conclusion. I agree that other spring systems can be just as durable as the 8 way hand-tied. I agree that other systems can feel very comfortable. I agree that there are manufacturers who cheat with cheaply made mass-produced drop-in units that they call 8-way-hand-tied which are inferior in quality.

However, there are more important factors that the writers of the article are not taking into consideration -- a company that takes the time and effort (and expense) to use a genuine high quality 8-way-hand-tied unit is a company that is focused on creating an overall quality level you are not going to find with manufacturers who are more interested in lowering costs. It means that they will have highly skilled and experienced (and highly paid) craftspeople working on your furniture, making sure the tailoring is right, that the stripes line up, the welts are straight and many other small details that a company focusing more on "costs" may not consider worth the extra time (and skill) needed to get it right.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas

Well said, Jeff! I can't add beyond that any more eloquently.

FYI, I stopped buying into Consumer Reports years ago. Like most car enthusiasts, we believe them to be pretty far off base in their vehicle assessments.

It was not my intention to imply Duane is biased or over zealous about 8 way systems. I have purchased through Duane and I am quite satisfied with both service and product. The point I maybe failed to make is consumer reports is suggesting the 8 way system is not a sign of quality and the other spring systems are perfectly fine. I know there are other factors in the construction to consider besides the seat deck. I also read in another forum post that there are only 2 or 3 manufacturers that are still manufacturing 8 way properly. If one decided for a lower cost sofa that is not made with traditional 8 way system but the other construction methods are solid how do you evaluate the other spring systems to make sure they won't fail in a few years like the Ashley junk?

No offense taken! It's not really 'me' championing 8-way hand-tied, its long been the industry standard. Its not that less costly spring systems will fail - they probably won't. But only the 8-way system gives the BEST suspension which for most people equates to more comfort. Its top-of-line.

I play with motorcycles a lot. The average new factory shock absorbers front and rear on a modern motorcycle are worth maybe $ 250. They are adequate, and will last the life of the bike for the most part. However, those of us that are enthusiasts think nothing of spending $ 1,500 to replace them with a custom set of Ohlins. Is there a difference? You bet there is. And once you equip your bike with Ohlins, everything else seems to fall short. 8-Way hand tied springs are like that as well - for the discerning customer there is a difference.

I still subscribe to Consumer Reports, but I am more than skeptical about what they have to say since I bought a number of appliances during a kitchen renovation and the ones which were CR "Best Buys" have been disappointing to say the least, whereas the ones which were not recommended by CR have been great. I really don't know what to think about their recommendations any more.

I'm also a long-time Consumer Reports subscriber, and since they've added user ratings to their reports, you'll notice how far apart CR is from their readers. Some products CR will rate as #1 have so many negative comments and ratings from users, it astounding that the reports aren't pulled. They need to be more transparent about the crtieria because both longevity and usability are often lacking from recommended items. After having bought a few lemons (thankfully not cars) I have been taking their recommendations with a huge grain of salt.

New to this board but not to furniture. I just had to speak.

After being in the upholstery and furniture business for almost 30 years and learning from an upholsterer who has now been dong upholstery for almost 50 years, I am considered a Master Upholsterer, and I can honestly say that 8 way hand tied springs are the top of the line in upholstered furniture. A well done spring job will last 40+ years and some times 60+ The problem is you need a very high end sofa or an older, pre1980s sofa, to get furniture of higher quality today. 1940s and 50s is about the best they ever guilt.



The article from Consumer Reports was badly reasoned and researched. I lost a lot of respect for Consumer Reports once I saw an article on a subject I have been working in, researching, and repairing for almost 30 years. Today's furniture is particleboard and elastic webbing meant to last 3 to 5 years. It's hard to find no-sag springs let alone coil springs in furniture today. Its all about saving money and elastic webbing.

Bill E

PS I have a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan that consumer reports would say was a bad van. The van's nick name is Lazarus because it just won't die. Although even Lazarus did die eventually. It's not pretty and I don't put money into because it it old and tired t but it keeps going and going and going.