Leather Reclining Sofa Suggestions

Duane (and any others who care to chime in :) ):

Greetings All! My fiancee and I have been looking for a reclining sofa. We fell in love with the Flexsteel Dylan (Yes, out of their China-made Latitudes line) and, as we were walking out of the store, the owner asked if the salesperson had mentioned the month-end price increase. Short story, he offered a 20% discount if we purchased that day. Was tempted, but didn't feel comfortable without some additional research. And here I am. After having read about Lattitudes quality, we're now looking at other options.

So . . . what suggestions are there for a leather reclining sofa with enough length to lie down on. I'm 6'1" and she's 5'9", so anything over about 75" between the arms would be nice, although we could get by with a 72" space between the arms if needed. (Yes, I've heard that we shouldn't lie down on a sofa, but it happens. :rolleyes: )

Thanks to all in advance.

Jack

PS Pretty nice site by the way.

Hi Jack, and welcome to the forum.

That's a pretty good story! 20% today only! Flexsteel price increases are usually 5 to 6 % annually so that was a bit of a stretch!

Lattitudes is not my favorite. I seriously doubt its ability to function well over a period of years.

Things you want in a motion recliner sofa:

* Its all about the frame. It has to be strong in a motion sofa because all those parts that are motion at the ends mean there is a loss of rigidity in the structure. So push hard on the arms and see how much they move. Pick one end up and lift it off the floor a bit with a twist...see if the frame 'racks' or twists when you do. A well-made dual recliner sofa is heavy, too. No way around that.

* Insist on one that has a Leggett and Platt mechanism. That's the best in the industry. If the salesperson doesn't know, then it probably doesn't have it. If they don't know, call the manufacturer of the piece and ask.

I have a dual reclining Bradington-Young sofa in my media room that I purchased in 2000, so its 9 years old now. Its very comfortable, but I don't particularly like the extra wear that the ends get over time (no one sits much in the middle). Also, if you are going to have kids, they tend to get a lot of pinched fingers clowning around on motion sofas, the lure of playing in the recliner areas is too much!

Even though I own a reclining sofa I don't think I would buy another. I like a stationary sofa with a great big 42" square tufted leather ottoman pushed up to it instead these days. Just as comfy, and anyone in the center of the sofa can use the footrest ottoman, and you do have a second seating are when the ottoman is pushed away (also great for pushing up to the TV for video games). Plus, if you and your girl want to watch a movie together and snuggle, you can do that with a big ottoman pushed up to the sofa. On dual recliners she's on one end and you're on the other.

If I were buying a recliner sofa, I would get either a Bradington-Young of Hancock and Moore as they meet all the strength and component criteria. There are other brands as well, I'm sure, but those are the ones I'm most familiar with.