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Hi,
Glad to have found this forum. We're thinking of purchasing a Flexsteel Triton studio sofa or two reclining pieces to basically end up with the same arrangement. Has anyone purchased this piece of furniture and if so, are they happy with the purchase?
Thanks!
Mary
The Triton series is one of the best sellers for Flexsteel, and its made in the USA. I recently discontinued Flexsteel as a line I carry, not because there was anything wrong with it - it just didn't suit my store and was out-of-place with my other leather furniture lines.
I would say that Flexsteel is medium grade furniture and will return medium grade performance. Certainly its not made to the level of the other leather brands I happen to carry, and they are not tailored very elegantly. However, they seem to have a decent service life and hold up OK.
I am not a fan of built-in recliner sofas, after having owned one for eight years (Bradington Young brand). The recliner portions get used far more than the center section, and the heavier man tends to sit on one particular side all the time. Over the course of a few years, the pieces show the heavy use in the recliner position used by the man of the house, and it looks odd to see the unit worn in one area while the rest (and especially the middle) looks pristine. They also tend to pinch a lot of kid's fingers and kids flop around on the sofa and invariably get hands caught in the mechanisms. THey scream pretty good when that happens!
I prefer a stationary sofa wiht a large leather ottoman (appx 37" square) which can be pushed up to the sofa and give the same feel, but you don't have the wear issues, the odd looking back of a dual recliner unit, and the issues with mechanisms.
Duane,
Thank you so much for all the information. We kind of felt from what we were looking at in our budget (Lane, Ashley, England, Lazy Boy) that the Flexsteel was the best of the bunch, but I'm glad to hear from someone who is familiar with it.
My husband really likes a recliner, even though I personally like your idea of a ottoman better. We have had a Lazy Boy reclining sofa for about 15 years so that's what he is used to and likes.
Do you happen to know what the difference is between getting two of the reclining ends and putting them together as opposed to just buying the studio sofa? There's only 2" difference in length, with the sofa being shorter than putting the two ends together but the price is different - supposedly by $200, with the sofa being more expensive. We have only seen the whole sectional together so don't know exactly what the sofa would like like as opposed to the two pieces together. Would the separation between the two recliners be more noticeable?
Also, the salesmen always say that the price is for the particular leather used on the sofa that is on the floor but the other leathers are more money, even though they claim the leather really isn't necessarily better. They said that company buys large quantities of a particular leather in particular colors and that keeps the price down. Any other option costs more. Is this true?
Thank you again for your help!
Mary
Mary, of the brands you mentioned in that group, Flexsteel is FAR superior to the others, especially Ashley and La-Z-Boy, which are not worth a whole lot more than the box they come in. England is USA-made and owned by La-Z-Boy.
I've done those both ways as you describe and either is satisfactory (configuration).
Floor models can be less, because sometimes dealers get a special discount to floor a certain piece, or the maker can bring out a 'market special' in a particular leather for a reduced price. I buy that way quite often. So yes, that can be the case.
Good luck!
Thanks again, Duane. It's so helpful to get advice from someone who knows the furniture industry. It can be quite confusing and I would hate to spend money on something that doesn't last.
Mary
Hi Duane,
We are looking to replace our leather Lane furniture that we've had for 13 years and try a sectional. We are looking at Bassett, Flexsteel & La-Z-Boy. So many options...We like the smaller sectionals, not the big bulky ones as they would eat up the entire room. Flexsteel Triton, Chicago and Dylan...Bassett Dillon.....Also, do you have an opinion on USA premium leather furniture?
You know, I've always wondered about La-Z-boy. Their prices aren't low. I've definitely had them price recliners for us that were $1800-$2000 because I remember thinking "for that much, I'll just spend a little more and take the H&M Addison recliner TYVM." I also remember walking into the store and thinking most of their chairs were hideous oversized overstuffed shapeless peices as well. And now to find out that they are poor quality too? How does that work?Quote:
Originally Posted by drcollie
I do have to say, I've never had so much trouble pulling my hubby out of a furniture store as I had with La-Z-boy though. So maybe that's how that brand's surviving.
Edit: There's a brand called Room & Board that sells more modern-styled "apartment-sized" sectionals. I believe everything they sell is American made, but not of the hardwood, 8-way-hand-tied quality you see in traditional manufacturers. It can be hard to find a smaller sectional in traditional stores though.
Sorry, I'm not Consumer Reports and don't have the time or wherewithal to do in-depth brand evaluations. No one can possibly know all the brands and how they build, that would be a Herculean effort to research all of that. Rather we look at specific build methods and components to evaluate, and you would have to do the homework on that. Good luck in your search.
We are actually in the process of replacing our LazyBoy furniture. Purchased about 8 years ago. We have taken great care of the furniture and the fabric and "leather" look very good. Our couch and recliners are falling apart from the inside. They squeak, springs are broken under one sofa cushion, cushions are flat, and I literally have three pillows in my recliner to cushion my body. Very, very disappointing. No, it was not cheap when we purchased the set, and it was on sale. I spent over one month's teacher's salary on this purchase. Would never, ever buy LazyBoy again.
La-Z-Boy is not known for having better construction on their pieces, its a fairly common complaint.