Having worked in furniture for many years I have always believed strongly in that you get what you pay for or that the value of what you're buying is in direct relation to the quality of the product and the price placed on those goods or services. I also believe that some products are capable of giving an entire line of furniture a bad name due to their specific lack of quality and unjustly so because one type of product doesn't represent the qualities of an entire line of furniture. No better example of this can be said than what black metal futon frames have done against the futon industry in the last 10 years. In this article I'll explain my position about the negative aspects these metal frames provide and why it would be best for consumers and retailers alike to move away from these frames that are giving the industry a bad name.
Futons as a category were born almost 25 years ago in the form of wood frames. These frames were simple and offered conversion from a sofa to bed by operation of the frame. Wood frame designs advanced much over the years and eventually led to wood futon frames that looked like conventional furniture. Many of these pieces of furniture borrowed from real world furniture construction techniques in the form of doweled construction, French dovetail joints and steel on steel hardware connections offering greater quality and flexibility in design and quality. The workmanship of these frames can easily be seen in the higher end models offered today and justifies the retail pricing you see for these pieces as being of the highest quality available in this category of furniture.
The problems that exist in the futon industry however result from specific manufacturers wanting to take a low end, low price approach to building products that can be retailed in the big box stores at the lowest price possible. Metal futon frames have long been a staple of being "the" mass merchant offering in futons as a category. Unfortunately many consumers purchase these frames as an introduction to the futon category of furniture and were quite disappointed by the quality and construction of these made to hit a price point futons. The problems of metal frames reside in several design issues.
Metal futon frames are constructed from hollow metal tubes. The arms are hollow and pocket welds are welded onto these arms with which to attach stretcher rails. Steel hinges are attached to the inside of the arms and hollow metal seat and back racks are connected to the hinges using regular screws. The problems start in the seat section. The hollow tubes and spot welded bars that make up the foundation of the seat section are prone to breaking loose off of the seat section. The spot welding is not sufficient enough to keep these bars from breaking loose and are a result of the low cost approach of building these decks. Another issue that results from the hollow tube of the seat section is that it is prone to bending from normal use. The hinges that are attached to the arms suffer the same fate as over time customers have brought these in to stores showing them bent out.
This isn't just an issue with one manufacturer in particular. We've seen this from 4 different metal futon frame manufacturers offering these frames. There is just not enough materials or quality of construction to justify these frames as a viable furniture solution for consumers. It should also make people question purchasing one of these frames when they only carry a 30-90 day warranty. Any manufacturer who warranties a piece of furniture for this amount of time doesn't expect it to last very long and neither should you as the consumer. 98% of our futon related service issues over a 10 year period resulted from failures with black metal frames. Often within the first year of ownership.
Why then you ask do futon retailers continue to show these on their showroom floors if they know they are a substandard offering? An interesting question. Futon retailers are often specialty stores that provide a dozen or more futon frames. Be it an online store a physical brick and mortar store. The majority of frames you'll see are made of wood and are offered with various arm designs and usually a half a dozen or more mattress options. Hundreds of upholstered and fabric covers exist for covering the mattresses of these frames. These retailers are serious about offering consumers everything available in the world of futons. Sometimes they take this quite literally. I would expect that it was the same reason our store carried them. We wanted to show everything available and didn't want mass merchants showing the product and have a customer walk in wanting one and not being able to get it.
Our store stopped carrying black metal frames a few years ago for many of the reasons listed above. We decided to shift away from low end products and concentrate on proven well made, quality higher end products. So many people walk through our furniture store and when offered a futon frame as a possible piece of furniture for their home are told by the customer, "I bought one of those years ago at [insert mass merchant name here] and it was the most uncomfortable frame. It just didn't last very long." The experience of owning a black metal frame has turned off a large majority of consumers who would have found happiness and delight in owning solid wood frames made to last. It's really a shame as futons offer great flexibility in being both sofas and sleepers.
Having worked in retail and having worked in furniture stores carrying futons. I can honestly say that as a retailer it is very frustrating to know that stores still carry low end black metal frames. My intentions in this article are not to be harsh but I really hope retailers figure out that low end products made to hit a particular price point are not doing consumers or themselves any great service. Consumers deserve quality well made products at reasonable prices based on the materials and labor that went into that product. When this doesn't happen expectations aren't met. Disappointment and dissatisfaction soon follow and the consumer is left with a negative feeling towards the product. The intent of this article was to bring forth the experiences I've had with this product line not only from having retailed it but from what customers have shared with me about these products. I feel strongly that black metal futon frames should be avoided by both retailers and consumers alike. If you've had a negative experience with these frames I would encourage you to not judge the entire futon industry by these particular products. If you're a consumer I encourage you to shop a futon retailer or futon specialty store and discover the "real" world of futons and what they have to offer for both you and your home.
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