ITT we plant our asses

eternalbl

I'm looking at getting a new couch within the next few weeks and I'm looking for some good advice on what brands and stores can be trusted and tips on how to appraise the quality of a piece.

I've had a la-z-boy recliner for close to 20 years now that was bought by my Dad and is still comfortably serving my ass to this day, so I'm leaning that route, even though I know there's a name premium. My biggest problem there is a google search only shows how many people have had problems with la-z-boy furniture, but not how many people enjoyed their couches and chairs. Anyone know a good and unbiased source that could say whether it's true that la-z-boy is all name and no quality now?

eternalbl

So I've had a chance to do alot of research, so I'll pass it along here.

First, Bonded leather is basically BS. Made from scraps of leather ground up and mixed with vinyl of some kind it contains as little as 8% actual leather. It's like hot dogs to beef when it comes to leather. It hasn't been on the market for very long (maybe 5 or so years) so the long term durability isn't very proven.

Bycast is a bit like bonded leather in that it's made from scrap, but in this case it's the thinnest piece of a hide left over after the more usable bits have been taken to make other goods. Because this leather is thin, a polyurethane layer is placed on top of it to give it a uniform texture and shine. I haven't seen a couch yet that's been made of bycast, it seems like it's more used for what's known as leathermatch and a bunch of other trade names. Basically to keep costs lower, bycast or sometimes straight up vinyl are used to upholster the back and sides of a leather chair or sofa. The parts you actually sit on and rest your head and arms on are all real leather still, so you get the comfort. Vinyl and bycast don't wear the same way leather does, but are apparently easy to clean with just an occasional wipe with a damp cloth.

I'm still not certain whether wood or metal are better framing material when it comes to a reclining sofa, but it seems kiln dried hardwood is considered the best. When wood is kiln dried, any moisture that could cause warping in the wood is removed, so unless you live in a moist area or have some kind of accident, the frame is unlikely to warp.

It seems alot of the furniture you'll see in the mid price range is going to be a mixed bag, with the same piece's price varying by as much as 50% depending where you shop. I literally saw the same piece at one store for 1200 and at a second store for 1700.

As if that wasn't enough, there's Chinese knockoffs. Like a Niho(sp?) sofa designed physically identical to a la-z-boy I saw just the day before except at $1800 instead of $2800 for the original.

Unfortunately I'm about as confused on the whole thing as when I started, so I'm basically giving up except for one question: Has anyone had experience with Aspenhome furniture? What I've found is nice, reasonably priced, and at a dealer that made me feel comfortable with buying from them.

Daemonion

I haven't had any experience with Aspenhome, but to throw a name out there, see if there is an Arizona Leather near you - I've had really good experiences with them.