Raymour & Flanigan Bonded Leather Sofa - Good or Bad?

http://www.raymourflanigan.com/gatew...202590712.aspx

Hello all!

So I am shopping for a Living Room Set and Raymour & Flanigan has this Sofa and Loveseat on clearance for $662 plus delivery, which I think is an amazing deal.

However I am weary about so called "bonded leather".

Now I am aware that the couch won't last as long as a genuine leather couch, but I would like a good 5 years out of it. It is just me and my girlfriend, so no pets or kids.

Is this a good purchase or will I be regretting it after a year or two.

Thanks!

At $ 399, you may regret that one in 6 months....All you will get for suspension is cheap Chinese cotton webbing. Most likely the sag will be incredible with use and the suspension collapse will occur much sooner than the bonded leather has time to de-laminate. Generally speaking its more cost effective to buy higher quality and pay more at the outset than to buy cheap and have to replace it. Your cost per day of useful ownership is far less in quality pieces. Good luck!

As a manufacturer who actually sells bonded leather I have to say that I have never seen or even heard of a case in which bonded leather delaminates. With that said, bonded leather is really more a type of vinyl than it is leather. The real leather (10% - 20% of the total fabric weight) is chopped up finely, mixed with adhesives and rolled flat. This re-constituted leather is used exclusively on the backing of the fabric where it will never be seen or felt. The facing is made of vinyl. Bonded leather should last just as long as a similar grade vinyl fabric.

In many overseas countries it is illegal to sell "bonded" leathers using the term "leather." Similar legislation has been proposed in the U.S. but did not pass. Many retailers now sell only "bonded" leathers and their salespeople are not even taught the difference between that product and genuine top-grain leathers.

Leather loses all its cellulose strength when its puree'd to use as a bonded product - its really extremely misleading to sell it as 'leather', because is not and I think the USA is one of the very few countries where they can actually still call it 'leather'. Its a byproduct made of leather scraps that are purchased from the leather manufacturers by the ton and shipped to China for the process. And of course, vinyl is nothing more than a form of plastic - so like the old saying goes...."You get what you pay for!"

My brother purchased a La-Z-Boy recliner that was sold as leather that was really bonded leather. After about 6 months it started to delaminate almost like skin peeling after a bad sunburn. He complained and was told by the store manager that the problem was poor maintenance (he claimed the "leather" needed to be cleaned monthly to prevent delamination). Ultimately he did get an exchange and selected another recliner that was covered with a real leather. Ths was about a year ago and so far the replacement is OK. Keep in mind he was not in the market for an expensive, high quality piece but more of a Joe six pack recliner, but he certainly expected a product more durable than the bonded leather proved to be.