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Why are most sofas so bad?

dwell.com

621–630 of 762 posts

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#621

I hear this a lot, but my fairly inexpensive IKEA sofa is about eight years old with no problems at all so far. EDIT: Actually, in general I've found that my IKEA furniture has done pretty well (basically everything in the house is IKEA) with the sole exception of a "Lack" coffee table, whose surface is kinda disintegrating after 8 years (I think it's basically made of cardboard with a veneer...). The name should per…

Ditto, my kivik has lasted so well that i didnt have the heart to get rid of it. It helps that there are many stores that sell custom covers of all kinds of fabrics.

IKEA has also however gone downhill compared to ~10 years ago, however. A Poang today, compared to 10 years ago: does not have beveled edges on the wood (which makes it look cheaper and feel less 'soft'), and is even slightly narrower, so that the old cushions dont really fit in the new one.

I think we are seing the effect of increasing prices and breakdown of global supply chains there

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#622
post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just read the legend. It’s raw numbers, not per capita. It’s not even worth taking seriously. It’s not showing rates at all, just raw case numbers. NY has a lot. Alaska and Wyoming have almost none. Things happen where people live. News at 11. That site is also obvious affiliate spam SEO bait.

Do you have a link to an alternative site with information about bedbug density made since 2018 or so?

No, but again, the map you linked doesn’t either. It says nothing about density of occurrence.

That map would report 75x more cases in California than Wyoming, even if actual frequency was identically.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#623
post #614

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had my 65" LED Samsung smart TV for almost 10 years now... it cost about $800 back then. I thought about replacing it recently, but decided against it because it's working great and I don't feel like I'd be gaining much to buy a newer TV. Technology hasn't really advanced that much since 2014...

Does it have 4K and HDR? Those are game changers, especially on such a big screen.

Are they really game changers though? Baraka (1992) in 1080p non-HDR looks stunning.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#624
post #581

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you prefer a Sofa As A Service? Our cheap ikea couch keeps lasting, preventing us from buying a nice, new one. We can't throw it out of it's not broken. It is long known that companies who sell good quality products go out of business after a couple decades at most, they saturate their market and because no one needs to renew, the company dies. Ironically ikea HAS to sell quality (for price) because they are su…

Life's about "experiences" not owning property!

> Life's about "experiences" not owning property!

Life is about being happy.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#625

Everything is bad these days, not just the sofas. 1. The new switches I bought broke before the old ones, which are over 20 years old. 2. LED bulbs last less than incandescent bulbs, even with a 20-year warranty. 3. The new cell phone's screen breaks very easily, it's not like the old Nokia's. And nowadays something expensive is no longer guaranteed to last. This is why I value old things so much: I have an old chair…

> Everything is bad these days, not just the sofas. When these conversations happens, I always wonder why people want some of these items to last forever. Are you going to stick with that 10 year old plasma TV? Great. I want new tech, and this stuff moves fast. Furniture is a bit different, but my parents had all kinds of good, long-lasting stuff that no one wants because it's out of style.

> Are you going to stick with that 10 year old plasma TV?

Absolutely. It cost me the price of a power supply repair. The display is beautiful and the interface is crapware free.

> I want new tech, and this stuff moves fast.

True! Advertising tech is ever evolving.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#626

Twenty some years ago I used to work at a business that made and delivered sofas. They've got showrooms in key large cities in North America, fancy schmancy top end stuff. The factory was a real place; the frames were made of solid wood and plywood, there was a sewing floor and even one (incredibly kooky) person whose sole job was to stuff the pillows. This guy was in a little room full of feathers all day, and they'…

This. We paid $10k for two sofas. Leather-covered, solid quality. That was more than 20 years ago. They look a bit weathered now, from kids and pets, but they are holding up fine.

Pay for quality. It saves you money in the long run.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#627
post #588

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Particleboard is absolutely useless, MDF is mostly useless except using as a guaranteed flat surface on top of something to support it Unless there is a drop of moisture, then you throw it all away. It’s so depressingly wasteful.

...which means MDF is fine if it's entirely clad in a few mm of something more water-resistant, with the MDF just serving as structural infill. (This is how most kitchen cabinetry is made. And they put up with the steam from a pot boiling below them just fine.)

MDF for structural anything? That seems surprising, it's really weak and prone to sagging, and quite heavy. It's about the last thing I'd want to hang on a wall.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#628

Twenty some years ago I used to work at a business that made and delivered sofas. They've got showrooms in key large cities in North America, fancy schmancy top end stuff. The factory was a real place; the frames were made of solid wood and plywood, there was a sewing floor and even one (incredibly kooky) person whose sole job was to stuff the pillows. This guy was in a little room full of feathers all day, and they'…

This. We paid $10k for two sofas. Leather-covered, solid quality. That was more than 20 years ago. They look a bit weathered now, from kids and pets, but they are holding up fine. Pay for quality. It saves you money in the long run.

> Pay for quality. It saves you money in the long run.

Unlikely. Our sofa is like $300. Let's say it only lasts 3 years before it shows wear or we get bored of it and get another $300 one... your $5k sofa would have to last for 50 years to 'save money'. Not to mention the opportunity cost of those funds.

Pay for quality if you want quality, not in an attempt to save money.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#629

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everything is bad these days, not just the sofas. When these conversations happens, I always wonder why people want some of these items to last forever. Are you going to stick with that 10 year old plasma TV? Great. I want new tech, and this stuff moves fast. Furniture is a bit different, but my parents had all kinds of good, long-lasting stuff that no one wants because it's out of style.

> I always wonder why people want some of these items to last forever. My friend had a NEW Ford that went to the workshop more than 10 times in the first year of use. It's about trust that I will turn on the device and it will work. > I want new tech Buy it. I met people who sold their old iPhone and bought a new model every year, nothing against that. My problem is if the IPhone in this first year broke two or more…

> My friend had a NEW Ford that went to the workshop more than 10 times in the first year of use.

I daily drive a 96 Toyota. My son's dd is a 63 Dart. Just picked up a 92 Buick with 35k.

Re: Why are most sofas so bad?

#630
post #610
post #579

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I've never, ever understood why anyone would want to do that.

People used to tend to carry more. Cash, membership cards, etc. There was even a Seinfeld episode on the theme.

The front pocket bifold I carry has room for several hundred dollars in cash, and at least 8 credit card sized objects (and could easily hold 2 or 3x that if you didn't mind stacking the less frequently used ones, not counting my ID. How much are these people carrying?
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