Hello Wise Moms!
My husband's brother is coming to stay with us for several weeks over Christmas and we need to purchase a couch/sofa that will convert to a bed. I am concerned about quality as this is for an adult and I don't want something that will be miserably uncomfortable or of such bad quality that it breaks, bends, or after a brief period of time. The price range is extremely broad on these and I don't know exactly what to look for. Has anyone ever purchased one? Any tips on selecting one? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
- L. E
Personally, I think an aerobed is far more comfortable. Every sofa sleeper I have slept on has been terrible. You can feel the bars and I always have a back ache. We have two aerobeds and take them when.traveling and they are.great!
We got a quality one from Bassett last year. No bars in your back. It's a mattress on a mesh liner underneath. There are no bars underneath other than on the sides; instead, a wire-like support system under the mesh. We get rave reviews on our sleeper sofa from family and my husband used it last week and slept great.
When shopping for one, be sure to try it out. Check the structure underneath. Bars underneath = bars poking through when sleeping. You want a thinner but regular mattress on top or one with the air mattress on top (although you will likely run into the same problem as with Aerobeds in that they run into deflation problems/holes over time).
You get what you pay for with sleeper sofas. Spend a little extra on quality construction and you'll have furniture you will use well into the future.
I recently purchased a new sleeper sofa that has to be the best I have ever had. It isn't a traditional sleeper sofa. It has the standard mattress that most sleeper sofas have but, it also has an air mattress attached to the regular mattress. You can't feel the bars or springs of the frame and it is very comfortable.
I had one. I honestly think it was more comfortable to lay on just springs. They are awful. If I were you I would just get a nice air mattress, they are a hundred times more comfortable.
Hi L.-
I have had many sleep sofas over the years...from very pricey to mid range...none of them have been particularly 'comfy' for the long term...but then I have had few 'guests' I have wanted for the 'long term'! lol
Have you considered a day bed? My mom had a 'high riser'...a single bed with a 'just small enough other bed' that pulled out like a trundle...It had a solid frame lengthwise with lots of pillows...so 'couch like' when not in use...but 2 regular mattresses when pulled out...
Just a thought!
michele/cat
I might be way late on this, but have you checked IKEA? You can purchase online if you don't have a store in your area. They have great affordable sleeper sofas, sleeper chairs, and other possibilities. Look at www.ikea.com.
It wasn't cheap and you'd have to order now for Christmas, but we LOOOVE our Ethan Allen sleeper. You can order grades of mattresses and we went with the 2nd from the top - comfy for 3 nights, then time for the visitor to move on:) I slept on it while heavily pregnant when our A/C was out (ceiling fan and windows in our living room circulated better than our bedroom on the 2nd floor) and no issues. Plus, it's a wonderful couch - needs to be cleaned, but we still get compliments on how comfy, long and nice it is:)
We have a sleeper sofa from American Leather. It was pricey--around $3000, but we have company stay over fairly frequently so figured it would be worth it. No bars. The mattress is integral to the structure of the sofa, and unfolds out of the sofa to become the bed. It's a very firm mattress, but very comfortable.
I've not ever slept on a comfortable sleeper sofa bed. I suggest considering a futon sofa. My friends, whom I visited often, had one and it was very comfortable while still looking good in their den.
Another vote for an Aero bed. That way, you can get whatever kind of sofa you want... 9 times out of 10 sleepers are so uncomfortable.
We currently have a lazy boy sleeper sofa that my in laws purchased about 30 years ago. The couch is still in excellent condition & is super comfy. The bed is not very comfy, but not awful either (its still the original, 30 year old mattress so I think that's pretty impressive). If you are looking for something to last, I recommend lazy boy. I can't speak to their current sleeper sofas, however; I imagine that mattresses have improved over the years. Definitely try them out in the store. (We also still have my husband's grandfather's lazy boy recliner, which is at least 50 years old & in excellent condition).
