Hancock & Moore # 7139 Monaco Lounger in Hyde Park Tan Burnished

I've been anxiously awaiting for this recliner to arrive, because its the Best Recliner I have ever sat in - and believe me - I've sat in a heck of a lot of leather recliners over the past three decades. This is not faint praise, I knew it the instant I tried it out in the H&M showroom at the High Point Market in October, and now that one has arrived to go on my showroom floor, I still think its the best I've ever come across - at least for what I like. Now we all know that comfort is subjective and I am quite sure there will be folks try this out and will say "I don't like the way it sits", so you have to drill down on that a bit more as to why I like this unit so much.

Let's start with motorcycle seats, something I am very familiar with. Motorcycle makers - especially Harley Davidson - build soft seats that feel really good in the showroom when you swing a leg over the bike. But then when you go on the road, that soft seat just becomes unbearable after three or four hours in it because its not supportive. On every bike I have ever owned I ditch the stock seat and get one that is firmer and supportive, those you can ride for hours on end, day after day.

This Monaco recliner reminds me of that motorcycle aftermarket seat. The unit is not all cushy and pillowy, like the H&M Journey Recliner is (a unit I would be squirming in after an hour). This one is supportive and feels really good on my back, and the seat is "Just right" with the optional Ultra Down Cushion, again supportive with no mushiness or pillow feel to it, probably due to the thinness of the seat core. The back angle is less reclined and more upright than in older design units, and I like that a lot. Finally the wide arms are perfect for balancing that iPad or laptop on during commercials....In a nutshell, if I were to buy a new recliner for myself today - this would be the one. Wood finish is Premium Denmark, nail trim is S, All lacing is done by hand.

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Side by side with the new Cabin Recliner, in the store.
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Hey dr, when attempting to open the attachment I receive a message that it is not valid.

Duane,

Are the seat and back cushions on the Monaco lounger removable or are they fixed?

Thank you

Seat cushion is removable, Back is fixed.

Duane

Thanks again for your tremendous help when my husband and I visited your store for 2 days this past week (Folks: we traveled 200 miles each way and it was worth it!) Thanks also for the followup up picture of the chair in full recline.

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I love the sit of the Monaco lounger and have a question after reading the post above. As you know I am thinking of getting this chair in a non-burnished (so more supple) leather - likely a class 2 protected or a class 4 analine. Given the "thinness of the seat core" that you state above, should I be going with the standard cushion or the ultra down to get a comparable sit to the chair in your store? I suspect the down helps offset the stiffness of the burnished leather but want to avoid being surprised by the feel of the chair with a different configuration.

Thanks,
Danielle

PS: We called the H&M Hickory plant yesterday about a potential visit to sit on an Epic sofa, but they don't have any scheduled for production at this time - I need to check back periodically... Darn. I may create a new thread in this forum to see if anyone has any info or ideas on this sofa.

Thank YOU for making the drive, Danielle. How did you like Lena's in Alexandria for dinner? I forgot to ask....lol

You know, those cushion cores are so much a matter of preference. I know for me what works is that is there is a stiffer hide used in a piece (such as a Pull-Up or Burnished leather) I will spec (for my own use) Ultra Down cores in the seat only to offset that stiffness. If using a supple/soft leather then I like to stay with a standard core. The Monaco in the store has Ultra Down cores and burnished leather combo.

I did get confirmation that the Epic Sofa has less back pitch than the Austin High Back, but was not able to get you a degree number of how much - and I know engineers are all about numbers!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Thank YOU for making the drive, Danielle. How did you like Lena's in Alexandria for dinner? I forgot to ask....lol

You know, those cushion cores are so much a matter of preference. I know for me what works is that is there is a stiffer hide used in a piece (such as a Pull-Up or Burnished leather) I will spec (for my own use) Ultra Down cores in the seat only to offset that stiffness. If using a supple/soft leather then I like to stay with a standard core. The Monaco in the store has Ultra Down cores and burnished leather combo.

I did get confirmation that the Epic Sofa has less back pitch than the Austin High Back, but was not able to get you a degree number of how much - and I know engineers are all about numbers!

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Thanks. We enjoyed Lena's, esp Odin who liked the doggie menu :)

Sounds like you are recommending a standard cushion on the Monaco lounger if we go with a more supple leather, even though it has a thinner seat cushion than most H&M loungers/recliners.

Re the Epic sofa - it sure doesn't sound like a popular option! H&M doesn't have any plans to produce one in the short term and I searched your forum and found only one reference to its dual-recline cousin (which we are not interested in). Also, a google search only came up with the same pictures and info from the H&M site.

As you know, we like the Epic's styling better than the Austin HB - simpler legs, box, non-T seat cushions - basically simpler lines to go better with the rather unique monaco lounger.
We also like that that the Epic has less pitch than the Austin HB, but worry it may sit too upright. The Epic's external depth is more than 6" less than the Austin HB and looks to have a straighter back edge (vs the Austin HB which seems to curve back above the seat height).

I did see a thread on the Austin HB regarding 'that sinking feeling' and difficulty getting out. These are two issues my husband had along with the pitch. In that thread you recommended a stiffer seat cushion (extra firm Q21) but no change to the bustle back filler. This may be an option if we can't find an Epic to try and I can live with the puffy / poofy styling of the Austin HB. I am going to go read up on H&B cushions on your forum.

By the way, what ottoman would you recommend with the Austin or Epic stationary high-back sofa?

It all comes down to personal preferences on cushion cores. I have the "cushion tester" set up on a 9840 City Sofa upstairs, where one seating position is set up with Standard cores, the next one is Extra Firm Seat, Extra Full Back, and the final one is set up with Ultra Down Seat and Back. That's the best way to tell what suits you as its on one sofa, all in the same leather.

The Epic Sofa sells well enough to stay in the line, but its never been a feature, promotional item. Nearly every piece that is not (at one time) a feature or promotional item is almost never on a dealer's showroom floor. We (dealers) buy deal pieces so when folks come in we can offer it at a more aggressive price point. If I were to buy an Epic sofa for the floor, it would be at regular price and its very difficult to sell a floor model that way.

8131NB Ottoman or the 2032SO Ottoman - the latter has a pop -up tray that stores inside the unit and is overall larger than the 8131

We are looking for a dual reclining sofa and sat on a dual reclining Epic sectional. We both found it extremely comfortable. My wife is 5’5” and I am 6’0”.

We are going to order in a Your Way dual reclining sofa with Westwood arms and bustle back. We chose Your Way because we like extra neck adjustability in the Your Way plus we love the Westwood arm.

A tip on Hancock and Moore Dual recliner sofas.....if you intend to float one in the room and don't want to see the "cutaways" that are typical on the backs of most dual recliner sofas, the 91xx series have a metal shell composition in the back, so they look as good from the back as they do from the front. Example, the Sundance Dual Power Recliner. If you are placing up near a wall, its a non-issue of course.

Only the 91xx series have this feature:

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Nice chair, Great review. I share your preferences in Harley seats and lounge chairs. I am new to your forum and enjoy learning about this fine furniture! Thank you for sharing you time & experience! RC
Ps, I tend to buy Corbin seats for my keeper bikes.

Corbin on mine as well ! Worth the money....

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