When we moved into this house, we purchased a recliner and reclining sofa from Lazy-boy since they are a well known 'quality' name.

Apparently we bought from their import line as they have almost completely fallen apart in 3 years.

We have been furniture shopping this week and we're about at our wits end. It seems like the furniture industry as a whole is more concerned about pricing and less about quality, unless you are willing to spend $3000+ on a sofa.

I had heard good things about Flexsteel but most people on the internet claim they are no where near as good as they were and most of the parts come from China.

From my research it appears most of the big name brand makers have more and more imported 'value' lines and they aren't exactly forthcoming about which is which.

Found this other company called Southern Motion that according to the salesman was better than Lane and Lazy Boy. Appears to be low end furniture and I just don't know if I'll ever trust a reclining sofa again.

Does anyone still make decent quality furniture that I can get 10ish years out of or is that a thing of the past now?

We're not looking for $600 sofas here, we'd happily spend upwards of $2000 (for upholstery, not leather) if we knew for sure we were getting something well made.

Can anyone point us in a good direction?

Don’t know where you are, but... Road trip to NC and buy factory direct. Right off the floor in some cases.

-Rob

I agree on the Lazy Boy. They suck now. I have two of their recliners. Wal-Mart recliners of a few years back were better quality. 2 years in and my ass is falling through the seat. Anything of quality appears to cost in excess of 2k per piece.

So disappointing to hear about Lane and Lazy Boy. Those are names thst some of us grew up trusting as guaranteed quality.

Same experience here with Lane recliners. Bought two of their mid level three years ago and both mechanism fell apart. I got new parts for one under warranty (they wanted $80 to install). Now waiting 3 months for the second mechanism. Very disappointing. Do I need to spend thousands for a decent chair??

My grandparents and parents swore by Lazy Boy for years and that is all they would own. My parents bought a new set about 4 years ago when they bought all new furniture. It started to fall apart at the two year mark.

It was amazing to see the difference in how furniture was made. I mean their old in tables was at least 30 years old and they were solid (and heavy as crap). The new stuff is like a paperweight, and my parents buy nice stuff.

We just went through this, sadly I have no answer for you.

My folks have very good furniture, and as I found out, it's because mom insisted on recovering everything. Several times over.

We took home some Ashley furniture. It hasn't failed in over 8 days of use... I'm just glad I don't have any kids like me.

Real furniture is going to be pricey. When looking at different brands, be sure to inspect them in person VERY thoroughly.

If you have a La-z-boy store, go in and try everything. You can feel a big difference between all the different models. We went with the Joshua rocker recliner as it was much better made and feeling. If I could change anything, I'd skip the leather and get the dual motors instead.

Ethan Allen still makes 60% of it's line in the USA. Pricey, but good quality.

quote:

Anything of quality appears to cost in excess of 2k per piece.

I Paid $4000 43 years ago (far longer than any of my marriages) for a leather sofa, 2 chairs & an ottoman made in North Carolina. I had 3 cushions reupholstered by a specialty shop & it cost me $600 but all of the pieces' still sit like new.

Stickley. Mostly classic designs.
Pricey but quality.

https://stickley.com/

I’m craving a Herman Miller Eams Chair.

https://m.lumens.com/eames-lou...xAPD_BwE&tileIndex=3

quote:

Originally posted by cne32507:
Ethan Allen still makes 60% of it's line in the USA. Pricey, but good quality.

Excellent quality. We try to buy Ethan Allen on Craigslist to avoid the sticker shock.

The wife and I splurged a bit a few years ago and got matching La-z-boy reclines and the quality is not what I remember. I could have gone to Sam's Club or Big Lots for a lower price that lasts as long.

quote:

Originally posted by cne32507:
Ethan Allen still makes 60% of it's line in the USA. Pricey, but good quality.

After looking at the crap available at most furniture stores, and then slimy sales tactics, and buying my first set of furniture after college and being completely disappointed, when I bought a house I decided to buy Ethan Allen.

And everything I have from Ethan Allen has never broken or failed in any manner other than normal wear. 21 years later the leather couch is structurally fine, although the leather is worn on some of the cushions.

I also like the fixed price approach with occasionally sales. But otherwise no haggling.

As an alternative Amish hand built stuff is good.

NC unfortunately has closed many furniture manufacturers and relocated overseas - esp. Vietnam.

Something to think about, back around 1975 a top end Lazy Boy would cost about 10% of the cost or a new Chevy Camaro. So, what does a new Camaro sell for today, $40,000 dollars or so? So, how many folks would be willing to spend 4,000 dollars on a Lazy Boy today.

The simple reason we can't get good long lasting furniture is because the general public only wants CHEAP and no major manufacturer can survive on selling only 500 or 1000 units per year. As a result most of the crap you see for sale has it's origins in China. The tip here is if you want true Quality then add another zero to whatever you were thinking was a decent price. Do that and then take a drive to NC or some Amish areas and you will be able to find something that lasts.

Do any of the North Carolina factories sell direct on the web?

I can not comment on recliners specifically.
Most of our house is furnished with beautiful Mission style Amish crafted furniture from Amish carpentry shops in Ohio and Indiana.

There are many brokers for Amish made on the web.
We have used amishoutletstore.com with great satisfaction. We are talking heirloom quality wood grain solid red oak, birch ply drawers no MDF build quality beautifully finished pieces.

Our Royal Mission bedroom set with custom spec & built bed is awesome. Artisan quality, USA made at reasonable prices. Our daughters 4 panel heavy sleigh bed is woodcraft artwork. We have not doubted or been disappointed in a single piece.

Bought an Art Van reclining love seat about 3 months ago. It is already showing signs of wear. Chinese crap.
I did buy a year long warranty so when it fails, I plan to make that work for me.