I like my Stickley sofabed... really comfy.

Don't rule out AeroBeds either.... they can be nice for everyone BUT the elderly (too close to the ground). My kids and their friends use ours a lot!

We purchased a LazyBoy and are very unhappy. The couch and half a chair are torn at the top and the mattress is uncomfortable. I would not recommend these products.

I don't have anything wildly helpful to add, as I'm facing the same decision. My parents are leaving Massachusetts, where I live, to retire -- yes, that's right, retire -- to Ohio! (No slam against Ohio -- I grew up there & love it...but surely they must be among the only people to pick the snowbelt for retirement!) So...how to keep them coming back for nice long visits?!

We're torn between two options right now. One is an Overnight Sofa Company sleeper sofa we saw which has what they call a ComfortCloud (or something along those lines) mattress. It's a regular (thinish) sleeper mattress with an attached aero mattress on top. In theory, a great idea, since you can customize the firmness by blowing it up to your taste. But...it felt a little shakey to us. I don't know if anyone has any experience with this type of mattress -- but it was interesting. A queen, 79'W sofa, runs just shy of $1K. Incidentally, if size is not a concern (as it is for us) Rowe makes sleeper sofas with the same type of mattress.

The other choice is an AU Furniture sleeper. AU is an American Leather company, and like the ones ntcmj was looking at, they have a really cool design in which you get a really huge sturdy foam mattress on a sofa with a reasonable footprint. We tried out the mattress in the showroom and it seemed pretty nice -- firm but comfy. Didn't spend the night there, though...they get a little touchy about that...

The AU ones have nice clean lines, and come in this great microsuede with a hip array of colors. The guest room will be doubling as a playroom, so the microsuede & the funky colors are very appealing -- it's also a fairly small room, and AU has one style with a Queen mattress that's only 69' wide. The catch (and the reason I'm hesitating)? It's more like $2K.

So...a couple more options to throw into the pot!
Good luck.
Karen, who will also be experiencing sleeper sofas in Ohio soon ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: AU Furniture

I'm sorry, but i thought i posted a reply awhile back. anyway, I just want to thank everyone's tips & advice & tried & loved the AU line. It was very comfortable & easy to use. The blow-up ones seemed like more work than we wanted.
I hope to receive it in a few weeks & will report back to let you know. Thanks again.

smiles 22,

where did you get yours? I checked the AU website thanks for the kind poeple in this forum. Some AU line only exclusively sold at Macy's. Which line did you buy? And did you pay full list price as listed on their website?

thanks,
ac

We ordered the Marie from one of their dealer stores at their $1999 listed price. The dealer claimed this was 1 brand that they could not discount. Unfortunately, we could not find a better priced sleeper that gave the same comfort & efficiency.

I've got one of the sofabeds with an inflatable mattress and it's fabulous. It's one of the SlumberAIr mattresses from LazyBoy, and it inflates in less than 2 minutes with a plug-in pump. Both my 83 year old mother and some good friends with orthopedic issues were very comfortable in it. Unlike the previous poster, I have no complaints with our LazyBoy, and would do it again in a heartbeat (I was skeptical at first, as we had a Murphy bed with an orthopedic mattress in our last house, but this seems equally comfortable and much more functional when not in use (our guest room doubles as my daughter's playroom). I think Flexsteel makes a similar product.

Another vote for the inflatable mattress thing - my sister has a pullout with such a mattress, and it is absolutely terrific.

Don't get Rowe. Not well made at all.

Check out the Ethan Allen sleeper sofa. I have one with the air cushion in the mattress. The biggest problem with it is that it might be too comfortable for guests if you know what I mean.

Don't get Flexsteel. A lot of posters to this forum recommended them enthusiastically, as did Consumer Reports, but we've had a very bad experience. The mattress is uncomfortable, and the upholstery is already fraying after only 2 years of moderate use. Low-quality cushions which we are constantly fluffing and refilling. Either we got a lemon or Flexsteels stink!

I just went on the world tour of sleeper sofas. I love Mitchell Gold sofas and was set on getting one of theirs when I tracked down an AU dealer. He was a hard sell, but dude, that sofa kicks all the others' butts. With a down mattress top put on that thing, I'm afraid my Mom will stay too long :)

Seriously it is nice and I'm goiing to order one.

We have a La-Z-Boy sofa and are waiting for the queen size SlumberAir mattress to come in. We bought La-Z-Boy for our lake house because we wanted the quality and comfort for a reasonable price. This SlumberAir is great and will make for a very comfortable bed. Our daughter is married and they entertain friends on weekends there----always a full house. Soon grandchildren will come along and it will be great knowing they'll have a comfy mattress when there's a full house of kids OR if we sleep on it ourselves!

I have heard that Mitchell Gold makes a good sleeper sofa.

Carolinachair.com makes a great sleeper sofa. They are the manufacturer.

In Canada you can easily get Jaymar. Their upgraded beds are great, our customers love them. Good Luck!

I have just ordered a Lee Super queen sofa bed and I can tell you .....IT IS COMFY!!! My neice ordered one and after having sat on hers, and not realizing it was a sofa bed...i was sold right there!! We opened the bed and it was as if I were sleeping on a regular bed!! Very impressive!

privatejoker... I am Canadian as well and you can purchase at Rousseau's Fine Furniture, in Whitby, Ontario. 30 miles east of Toronto...good luck!! Enjoy....this store is amazing...

I would have to say to anyone that Overnite sofa has been the best I have ever seen. I bought mine in Cape Girardeau, Mo. in 1991 and it finally gave out 2009. I love the material they use as it just doesn't wear out even with lots of use daily. The sleeper was used weekly also. Just check them out. It is a smaller company , but excellent.

Try Flexsteel. Its top of the line or CR Laine.

Dollar for dollar Overnight Sofa proably has the best sleep sofa offerings in the industry. It's not a high end product and there isn't much in the way of fabric selection just a few choices with each style but if you want a nicely made product at a reasonable cost for lets say a guest room they are worth considering.

Although it will cost quite a bit more I heard that American Leather has an interesting sofa bed and mattress.

Another option to consider is the mattress. If you really want a comfortable mattress look for an "Air Dream" Mattress by Legget abd Platt. Its about a $250 to $300 option. This mattress an air mattress with a coil spring. In my opinion it is the nearest mattress to a regular mattress in comfort. Even if you buy a sleep sofa that doesn't have this you can order these online for about $275 and they will fit most mech's' (but check to make sure it will fit).

Here's a good low priced option. Take a look at the Endura Ease Air bed system. This is a very comfortable air bed that fits with the sofa you already own as long as it measures at least 60" between the arms.

My company sells about 50 each month and the customers love them. You can also buy them direct from the manufacturer online.

Simplicity Sofas?

At this moment, I am sitting on the most uncomfortable sofa bed I have ever owned. My husband and I did sleep on the bed for 10 days and it was ok a bit too firm for my comfort and I thought a bit thin. The sofa is a micro-fiber not leather, the cushions will not stay in place on the back and the seat cushions slide out. This is an American Leather product. I will be putting this in a consignment shop as soon as I can and will purchase another brand. It must sit well as a sofa and this sofa sinks where one sits and always looks frumpy/messy. Have I mentioned I hate this very expensive sofa. Buyer beware!