Sleeper Sofas?

[howiekaye]

Hi

We are looking to furnish a family room and living room. We would like to replace an existing sleeper sofa and also get a love seat in the living room, and are similarly thinking about a sleeper sofa and a love seat in the family room. When we have guests, these function as our guest rooms, so we are looking for the flexibility that the sleeper sofas give us.

We have been looking at a Hallagan sofa. Is anyone familiar with this company? We were also considering Masterfield and Sherrill. Has anyone had any experience with these brands, or have other suggestions? Any pointers about what to look for in sleeper sofa construction?

Thanks.
Howie & Toby Kaye

[simplyjeff]

Sleeper sofas are the bastards of the upholstered furniture industry. They are heavy and difficult to move. In order to fit the mattress inside the frame cavity some of the usual supports found on the regular sofas are often missing and the mattress and mechanism add an additional strain on the frame which can shorten its life expectancy.

Finding a comfortable sleeper mattress can be difficult and is always expensive. On top of all that, sitting on a sleeper sofa is almost always far less comfortable than sitting on a conventional sofa since you are sitting on the sleeper mechanism rather than an 8-way hand tied coil system.

Here is an out of the box suggestion. There is a company called Endura Ease which makes heavy-duty deluxe queen-size air beds that can be used with any sofa that measures at least 60" between the arms. The last time I looked the price was $228 including shipping direct from the manufacturer. (If you click on the website link above there is a video explaining all about the product.)

My company uses the Endura Ease air bed for our sleepers because we specialize in fitting our furniture into tight spaces with narrow doors or stairs where normal sleepers will not fit. The bed is extremely comfortable and we have shipped hundreds of them with no complaints and lots of comments about how comfortable the air bed is. (We do not sell the air beds as a separate unit to the general public so I am not trying to make money with this information.)

Best of all for the same price as a sleeper from one of the companies you mention you can probably get a better quality sofa (possibly even H&M) and when you are not using the sleeper part you are sitting on a genuine (and far more comfortable) 8-way hand-tied coil foundation.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas

[howiekaye]

Thanks, that is very helpful. Any info on Hallagan vs Masterfield?

I found a rating matrix of leather sofa manufacturers. Is there something similar for fabric?

Howie

[Matthew]

My company uses the Endura Ease air bed for our sleepers because we specialize in fitting our furniture into tight spaces with narrow doors or stairs where normal sleepers will not fit. The bed is extremely comfortable and we have shipped hundreds of them with no complaints and lots of comments about how comfortable the air bed is. (We do not sell the air beds as a separate unit to the general public so I am not trying to make money with this information.)

I've actually been looking at buying a new air mattress so your link was timely, Jeff. I watched their video, but they didn't seem to do a good job of answering why you'd get that over a normal air mattress. Their answer was that it doesn't move around and it lets you essentially use the sofa as a headboard. I've never really had an issue with my air mattress moving around, though the headboard thing would be nice. It's an interesting idea, but I guess I'm missing why someone would buy this and lose the flexibility of a normal air mattress.

[simplyjeff]

I've actually been looking at buying a new air mattress so your link was timely, Jeff. I watched their video, but they didn't seem to do a good job of answering why you'd get that over a normal air mattress. Their answer was that it doesn't move around and it lets you essentially use the sofa as a headboard. I've never really had an issue with my air mattress moving around, though the headboard thing would be nice. It's an interesting idea, but I guess I'm missing why someone would buy this and lose the flexibility of a normal air mattress.

The only reason to buy the Endura Ease is that you can use it with a sofa. Where normal air beds lie flat on the ground, the Endura Ease is shaped like the letter "P" turned on its side. The "tail of the "P" rests on the deck of the sofa while the "head of the "P" rests on the ground and is 20" high when inflated, just the right height for a mattress. If you would rather place your air bed somewhere other than in the room with the sofa, you should buy a different type of Air bed.

Jeff
Simplicity Sofas

[Matthew]

The only reason to buy the Endura Ease is that you can use it with a sofa.

Well, yes, I understand it is supposed to be used with a sofa. My question was what is gained by using it with the sofa? Is it just a space-saving thing?

[drcollie]

Jeff Speak'em Truth.

Generally I don't like sleep sofas for the same reasons Jeff mentions. They're all the same - you take what is usually a Leggett and Platt mechanism, put a very mediocre mattress in it (no mattress is every going to be any good that folds up), and then build an upholstery box around it. The only difference is the style of the box. When you sit on it, your cushions are atop the sleeper mechanism and you're giving up the entire suspension system to accommodate a sleeper. So you are basically buying a mediocre sofa and mediocre bed, regardless of brand. To that end it won't matter too much what brand you buy, they're all about the same. Unless you are having company 100 day a year, get a regular sofa as it will sit so much better.....

I do like sleepers for certain very small apartments and offices where someone has to spend several nights in the place. Other than that - pass.