I have studied Palatial at the trade show in High Point North Carolina.

The product is made in China and for the products made in China I think it is one of the better ones.

They are 8 way tied but I am not sure if it is a drop in unit or a real 8 way hand tied unit. For some reason they use only semi-aniline dyed leathers and not full aniline dyed leathers and I think they have down blend cushions. Keep in mind that the components lumber, foam etc will all be sourced in China for better or worse.

There is some special order ability and they do have some kind of quicker ship program but you will have to wait for your retailer to meet the necessary order requirements.

Although it is one of the better products from Asia it is not on the same quality level as top end US leather manufacturers. This was apparent at the show as Classic Leather used to be located nearby and it was easy to do a quick comparison. They do have some better price points than their US counterparts so here again this is a price value relationship that you will have to decide the merits of for yourself.

Is there a difference in the way it might feel between a real 8-way tied and a drop-in unit?

A true 8 way hand tied unit is considered the gold standard in the industry. Most consider that it will last the longest and be the most comfotable. If you want to see how these are made go to the Hancock and Moore web site and look at the construction video at the bottom of the page.

A drop in unit is much less costly to build. Essentially they are built outside the frame in a factory and screwed into place in the frame. I think a drop in unit is superior to a no sag sinuous spring but it is not as good as a real 8 way hand tied spring. As with anything else some drop in units are better than others.

I am not sure what type of unit Palatial uses. It might be a question for your retailer.

As I said they make a pretty good product. It looked good enough from the aisle of the showroom building that I stopped looked and visited their showroom but as I said it is not on par with a high end US based leather company such as Hancock and Moore, Classic Leather etc.

Thanks very much, freethinker. We are furnishing our retirement home and don't need anything that will last longer than we will, so will ask my retailer more about Palatial.

Uhm, I dont think a drop-in spring unit in any way superior to a no-sag spring construction in a hard - wood frame. This has been proven over and over again. They have been a number of independent lab tests and test by the manufacturers: Legget-Platt and Hickory Springs to show that the no-sag or sinuous wire spring is anyway less durable than a coil spring unit, 8-way string tied or wire tied (drop-in).