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garyfx

Down blend vs foam cushions (Boston Interiors)

GaryFx
9 years ago

We have our eyes on two recliners from Boston Interiors. The main construction difference seems to be the cushioning. The Henley uses Ultracell foam wrapped in a poly fiber. The Farmville uses 30% down, 70% fiber. They feel fairly similar, and the prices are the same.

Any opinions on the differences between the cushion fillings? Or other aspects? Both are easily found on their web site under recliners.

Many thanks

Comments (3)

  • freethinker99
    9 years ago

    The Henley has Ultracel foam with a fiber wrap. The Farmville probably uses 25% feather 5% down and 70 fiber with a regular foam core. I doubt if it is all down, feather and fiber as this would bottom out as you sat on it with the filling spilling ou to the sides. If this was all feather, down and fiber it would not sit like the Henley.

    My vote is for the one with the Ultracel foam.

    In my opinion the Ultracel foam cushion will last much longer as much as four times as long as the other cushion.

    Even better an ultracel foam core with the down blend wrap. Ask the store if their supplier can make the cushion this way.

  • RyanJa
    9 years ago

    I agree with Freethinker99. It would be extremely unusual for a recliner to have a cushion without any foam.

    Recliners typically get a lot of use and having a good heavy duty foam like an Ultracel should last considerably longer than a cushion with a down/feather/fiber topper over a cheaper foam core.

    This is despite the fact that the down/feather/fiber cushion may actually cost more to make than the Ultracel cushion and many people are willing to pay more for a "down" cushion, no matter how little "down" is actually used.

    You may also want to keep in mind that not all "Ultracel" cushions are alike.

    Although the vast majority of Ultracel cushions are constructed with a foam density of 1.8 it is also possible to find Ultracel cushions in 2.0, 2.2 and 2.5 densities.

    Increasing the foam density (the amount of foam per cubic inch) will significantly improve the life expectancy of a foam cushion. (Note - "density" is not the same as "firmness.")

  • GaryFx
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    We wound up going with a different model altogether, the Britain, but with fabric instead of leather. Not only did we find it more comfortable, but it has higher density 2.5lb foam as advised, albeit a soy-based blend. We realize that the soy-based claims are at best overstated, but we hope that at least the high-density part will live up to its billing.

    We also figured out our strategy for perusing Boston Interiors, which has a large collection made by various manufacturers but sold under Boston Interiors labels. Our problem was that it's easy to find something comfortable, but not like the design, or vice versa. Or both, but the wrong size. However, the product construction descriptions, both online and on the tags in the store, are pretty consistent for all the pieces from a given manufacturer. So: 1) Find pieces that are comfortable in the store; 2) Go home, scan the online-descriptions for other pieces with matching product descriptions; 3) pick out the ones whose design and size matches our needs; 4) Back to the store, and ask for those particular models.

    In this case, we had found the Halston, found it more comfortable than the others we had tried, didn't really care for the rounded arms (let alone the awful upholstery, but that was changeable), and that led us to the Britain. We had to ask for it, because it was hidden away next to a bed, instead of with the other living room sets. We also determined that it's made by Comfort Designs, both from description information and confirmed in-store. (They seem to be the only one that offers a choice of button or wand controls on their power recliners, one of the few with soy-based foam.)