How its made...Hancock and Moore

[drcollie]

I was unpacking this Member Apartment Sofa and had to flip it over to remove an errant staple on the bottom. I noticed I could get a good photo showing the steel band reinforcement on the frame, that supports the webbing and springs. We talk a lot about quality and durability, and here is what you want to see in a high-end, long lasting sofa. Those steel bands and a high-quality webbing (not visible in the photo) are the key to performance over time.

Have you sat on a sofa that sagged? Most people think its the cushions that cause that, but its not. The webbing is giving away because it wasn't properly secured or reinforced with steel bands. That's what makes your sofa seat sag...not the cushions. With an H&M, its done right....and those steel bands tie into a solid hardwood frame that doesn't flex, not some 'engineered plywood' with no torsional stiffness. This is why H&M pieces still sit well when 25 years old.

This is what you want to look for in a quality piece, though most stores might frown upon you flipping over their sofas to check them out

[habs88]

Reading this reminded me of my trip to Raymour and Flanigan 5 years ago. We had just purchased our house. We were short on cash but needed some furnture. When I was in the store, the salesman lifted up the cushions to show me that the material that you see on the couch went all the way across the seat deck. He said most manufacturers don't go to that length (Now I laugh at this). That couch was about 1k. Less than 4 years after purchase, it is already uncomfortable to sit on. Laying on it is ok, but we don't even bother sitting upright, you feel like you are sitting on the floor.

Spending 1k and getting this result had me pretty frustrated. Instead of replacing that sofa with another inexpensive failure, we decided to wait and research. That is when I found this forum which has been extremely helpful.

When I talk with certain friends and family about H&M and cost they immediately say how significantly more costly it is to go with H&M. I think if you are replacing that furniture at every failure point (say every 5-7 years) they are completely wrong. Over 20 years they would have purchased 3-4 couches at 3k -4k. You could get a very decent H&M sofa for around the same amount. The reality is people purchasing these less expensive brands most likely are not replacing at failure point. I would say on average people probably hang onto that sofa for another 3-5 years before replacement.

I think it is cheaper to buy the low quality furnture with replacements every 7-10 years. With that said though, I also think that the premium you pay for the higher qualty is worth having a comfortable piece through the entire lifesplan. Using these hypothetical numbers above, That premium may be 1k to 2k, spread over 20 years, that isn't alot of money.

I am hopefully purchasing my first piece of H&M shortly through Duane and can put all of this theory to test.

[MJM_CA]

^ That's true but also people like a change in the style or color too. So, if your tastes are more trendy, it probably is more cost effective to buy cheaper furniture.

I've heard the suggestion that it's best to invest in classic, timeless pieces with bigger purchases like furniture. In this case, investing more money in a classic piece that can last 20 years will likely be more cost effective. You can be trendier with the cheaper stuff that's easier to replace...such as paint and accessories.

My brother bought a couch and loveseat from JCPenney about a year ago. He's been unhappy with the quality...says you can hear the frame squeak already when sitting down.

[drcollie]

Here's what usually happens with the cheapies....

You notice something wrong about a year into ownership, but it takes you another 5 years to toss it out and replace it.

Same with mattresses.

[Matthew]

says you can hear the frame squeak already when sitting down.

What does a squeak generally indicate? A poorly constructed frame?

[drcollie]

Metal on metal. Usually the spring clips that retain the springs are the culprit. That's one of the little things premium makers do is plastic-coat the retainings clips to avoid the noise.

[Lonesome Loon]

Do you know where they get their webbing?

[drcollie]

Do you know where they get their webbing?

I do not, but that would be proprietary information in any case.