AZ Leather vs Motioncraft and H&M

Hey Duane!

We moved to AZ and are looking for a recliner sofa. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on AZ Leather. We tried them and Creative yesterday and are leaning towards AZ, just feels and looks better, stitching etc… I’m wondering how they compare to Motioncraft and H&M. We gave our roughly 12 yo Kodiak to friends when we moved. The cushions still looked great, even with being down and much of it looked new but the Document Bordeaux didn’t wear well on the front of the cushions, where someone’s legs would sit. That occurred fairly quickly so I’m concerned about choosing a leather with this new sofa. We have Mini Poodles so scratches are a concern and I just want as bomb proof as possible. I was told darker colors tend to show more wear than lighter and more solid leathers are easier to repair. I was also told the Italian leathers are superior. I want your POV. It’s tough with Hubs being so tall too and I want a motion neck with a clean line, something like the Acclaim without nailhead. I’d prefer the full footrest vs split, but it’s not the top concern. I’ve been told leather is better on a recliner than fabric, what do you think? Hubs would prefer fabric, I’d prefer leather.

Thanks!

AZ Leather and Creative are really West Coast brands and have virtually no market penetration on the East Coast, so while I have heard of them both, I have never seen a piece from either maker. Visiting their websites they appear to both use no-sag construction for their suspension, which means they are inferior to H&M. They should be quite a bit less costly with that kind of spring-up, however.

Document is a finished leather, and that means painted. All paint wears off over time and use, paint by its very nature is a sacrificial coating. It can be on your leather, your car, or your house, it will all eventually come off. Aniline leathers are dyed through and through, so they have no paint to wear off. Typically they will cost more, show more imperfections and are subject to sunlight fade, but they will go and go and go. Read the thread here on the forum about Leather for more details.

Darker colors show less staining, but they don't wear any better.

"Solid leathers are easier to repair" doesn't really make any sense to me. You should only buy Top Grain Leather, none of the plasticized products such as Bonded or BiCast, that stuff is pure garbage and will quickly fail.

Italian leathers can be good, or can be junk. Depends on the tannery. The best tanneries are in Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Slovakia but that doesn't mean they are all good from that region.

Leather is definitely superior to any fabric on motion due to friction movement. Leather has a 4 to 1 wear rate vs fabric.

Hancock and Moore is still the Gold Standard for construction in leather upholstery, No one makes a combination of frame rigidity, superior suspension, high quality foam suppliers and some world class leathers (if you choose them) than H&M. Motioncraft is a Sherrill product, and I would position them closer to Bradington Young in their builds than Hancock and Moore (in motion pieces).

Hope that helps

Hi Duane!

I’ve been reading the leather forum and learning. What about semi-aniline or an aniline that has a coating or rub vs just aniline? I’m thinking I want aniline or maybe semi this time (I’m kind of co fused on the semi). I looked at the samples we brought home from creative and the cheaper one is dyed halfway just like you mentioned and the other two are fully dyed—the only difference between them is one has 3 top coating layers and the other was dipped five times (whatever that really means). All smelled good with the better 2 smelling sweeter more buttery. I loved that tutorial BTW! All that being said, I think Creative is out, appears to have some quality issues beyond what I sensed in store.

What kind of suspension does Motioncraft have? Also, could you give me a rough idea on the cost of the Acclaim? I’m going to see if anyone around here carries it so we can both sit in it and see if it fits.

Thanks! :)

All motion furniture - from any maker - will have the suspension incorporated into the mechanism as it has to move with the seat. That means you cannot have 8-Way Handtied springs as those can only be used in stationary pieces. Motion will have either drop-in coils or no sag suspension.

A semi-Aniline still has a sprayed on topcoat, so its closer to a finish leather than an pure aniline. They may have a slightly softer hand than a standard finished leather.

The odor of the leather is determined by how often the tannery changes the tank fluid in the tanning vates. It gets rancid if they leave it too long (sign of a dirty tannery) and will have that nice buttery smell if they change it frequently.

More topcoat is not necessarily better. If there is too much applied then the leather becomes harder to the touch and it also has more tendency to show hairline cracks. There's a balance at the tanneries to keep the leather sofa, yet provide adequate topcoat.

The Hancock and Moore Acclaim Power Recliner starts are around $ 3,400 and goes up from there depending on leather grade, before adding in shipping/delivery costs.

What would I be looking at for 3047-30PRB ACCLAIM POWER RECLINER SOFA either with or without battery (Hubs and I are disagreeing on this—he’s pro battery) in say Capri?

I tried calling H&M about the inside seat height because Hubs has sat in some 42” total height that worked and some that didn’t. The AZ Leather sofa we’re considering is 42” but has 27” inside back height and a 20 seat height. I’m assuming that has to do with seat angle but I’m not sure. The gal I spoke with at H&M insisted the inside back height was 21.5”, which I find hard to believe. Obviously, if that’s the case, there’s zero chance that would work for him.

The MYW was also a consideration but it has a total height of 41”, which I don’t think will work for him.

Thanks Duane!

Please email direct for quotes to keepingroom@gmail.com or here on the forum under QUOTES and ORDERS. It's against H&M policy for me to quote directly in the forum. Be sure to include a zip code if you would like shipping/delivery included in the quote. BTW, that $ 3,400 start price was for the chair, not the sofa...the dual recliner sofas are easily double that.

Simple math on back height from the seat > up. Take overall height (42") and subtract the seat height (20.5") and you are left with 21.5" for inside back height.

Your AZ leather if you look at the math is 22" (not 27") based on a 42" back height. on the 3047-30PRB.

There are very few recliner pieces that have taller backs that 42", its getting to the upper limits of what the mechanisms can handle. The tallest recliner in the H&M lineup is the Sundance Recliner at 46.5", which gives an inside back height of 26". At 5' 10" for example, that chair is too large for me. That is designed for 6' 3" to 6' 5" people. Typically that would be someone with a long torso or pants inseam around 36". There are no recliner sofas that tall that I have come across.

https://www.hancockandmoore.com/Prod...tail/?SKU=7131

Also a side note. Dual recliner sofas - if you are considering those, are VERY heavy and require wide door openings all the way through the delivery path. Generally 35" or better on those. Do a measure of your openings before you purchase or order one of those.

Hope that helps