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Thread: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

  1. #1
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    Question Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    We are looking for a recliner that fits my husband, who is tall - 6'4" - and found a Bradington-Young that has a nice depth of 22". I then found a Smith Brothers recliner that is very similar. I really like both and they are similar in price. From what I have read, the BY is a superior brand and made in America. I can't find much online regarding the quality of the Smith Brothers, but it is also made in America and seems like good quality. They don't have an 8 way hand tied spring system, but, they do have more leather options that I like. Is 8 way hand tied really the only mark of a good support system for a recliner? What is known about the Smith Brothers and are their recliners similar in quality to BY? Also, the sales person for BY says we should purchase their store's protectant for the leather. Yet, the Smith Brothers sales person says it's better to leave the leather alone. So many different stories depending on the sales person you talk to. The more I shop, the more confusing it becomes...

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    First, no recliner has 8-way hand-tied suspension. They have to put the mechanism which moves the recliner under the seat. You can buy a tilt-back chair, where only the seat back reclines using a gas strut and have 8-way hand-tied springs under the seat, but in general only stationary seats from the top manufacturers (Smith Bros. uses sinuous springs) have that type of suspension. You would obviously need an ottoman with a tilt-back chair to have the "recliner look."

    Smith Bros. is made in northern Indiana and they make quality furniture. In my opinion, it's on par certainly with B-Y, but not to the level of Hancock & Moore. Others here on the Forum may disagree. Pricewise, they're in between the two in my experience and I looked long and hard at a recliner (503-77) they had a year or so ago that was made for a Big and Tall person.

    Secondly, I'd say skip the the "leather protectant" from the dealer and buy a leather cleaning kit for around $50 that will last many years. You need to maintain leather chairs on a regular schedule anyway.
    Last edited by Kyracer57; 06-09-2016 at 12:27 AM.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    Bottom line, you are very fortunate to be comparing recliners from two Quality Furniture Manufacturers. I know you would be pleased with the products from either of these companies. In my shopping experience I have found Smith Brothers to typically be priced a little higher than Bradington-Young on comparable items. I ended up selecting a Royal High-Leg Recliner from Hancock and Moore that was part of the Town and Country Promotional Program. This recliner was somewhat larger in nearly every dimension to the ones I looked at from the other two companies. I certainly agree that you don't want to pay for any "protection" being applied by your retailer / dealer.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    Thank you for responding and the information is very helpful. It sounds like we don't need to worry so much about the difference in the spring systems. Do you know about the reclining mechanisms? I've read that BY uses the best in the industry, but that some of these are now built in China, so who knows about the quality. Have no idea what Smith uses. Any thoughts?

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    Thank you for your information. I'm now trying to find out if the store I visited for the BY recliner is offering the HM promotional program. It sounds like not all do, but this is a store that carries HM and has multiple locations in our region, so hopefully they do. Thanks again.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    B-Y uses Ultra-Mek, they are all USA-made.
    Hancock and Moore uses predominately Leggett and Platt, which has manufacturing plants in Mississippi and China.

    The Keeping Room has all the promotions and can delivery nationwide, just in case you are interested.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    Deleted. Duane already answered.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    Duane, the push-back recliners we are considering are:

    Bradington-Young Orien 3-Way Reclining Lounger 3059 leather grade 4 - with tax/delivery it's $2,700.

    Smith Brothers 522-33 leather grade 5 - with tax/delivery it's $2,800.

    From what has been written about SB, it sounds like they are good quality but a bit more pricier than BY.

    I did not see any Hancock & Moore on the floor of the stores I visited though one is a dealer. I do like the 7082 Saunders Lounger. No idea what price I would get around here, but I'm sure it is far more than the other two recliners since it sounds like they are top of the line and not sure it's on the Town & Country promotion you posted.

    It's been over 15 years since we shopped for furniture and I'm a bit floored by all the changes in quality. We are willing to pay for quality, so it lasts a long time. I'm just not sure if the prices we are being quoted are reasonable.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    The Saunders Lounger is not in the T&C Program, but I believe it would be worth your while to have Duane quote you a price. In a Gr 1, 2, or 3 leather. I'm just sayin'...��

    In addition, there are 2 or 3 recliners in the T&C program that are "somewhat" similar. You can check them out here.

    http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...tional-Program
    Last edited by Kyracer57; 06-10-2016 at 04:19 AM.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Bradington-Young vs. Smith Brothers of Berne

    Please use the QUOTES section here on the forum for pricing on Hancock and Moore, I do not post those publicly due to requests from H&M to not do so. I can tell you that on the B-Y unit # 3059 in GR 4, my price is $ 1,874 + delivery fees if you are outside the Washington Metro DC area.

    Without knowing your location I cannot compute shipping costs (and if in Virginia, you would have 6 % sales tax, none outside the state).
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

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