windward

We're looking at getting a sofa from Leons, and can't decide. Would any of you reccommend against getting one made in the USA? Any pitfalls we should be aware of?

edit: There's something called 'magiseal' we can get it sprayed with to 'retard colour fading' etc. Sounds an awful lot like those mythical anti-rust treatments car salesmen went on about... AM I right in thinking these extra services are kinda scammy?

wizzard

When we bought our new dining set from The Brick we got a 3M scotchguard type treatment for free after we decided to add on a couple of extra chairs and it actually works quite well. We got a spray and stuff and have used it succesfully on the couch as well when it has encountered things being spilled on it etc.
Not sure how much they normally cost versus just buying a stain remover and whether Leon's one is any good but I suppose it depends how much spare money you have and whether you are the kind of person who thinks why not or will be wishing they got it when someone throws red wine on it. Maybe it's like extended warranties, I usually say no when it's almost as cheap to buy a new one, but we got one included once with a Christmas gift from Future Shop and it paid for itself when the home theatre system stopped working and they fixed it for free.

Paradisefound

I was an Interior Designer in the UK for years, so have working knowledge of furniture. I personally would not buy a sofa from Leons, unless it was to put in a rental. I do not think they have the quality if looking for a piece to last. I purchased the same sofa Leons had for $1000 less elsewhere. I prefer using the smaller retail outlets here in Nova Scotia, who sell good quality and are prepared to haggle.
The treatments you are talking about make for a very toxic indoor enviroment which would aggravate anyone with asthma etc. Unless you planned to place the sofa in a conservatory or under a window, fading will not be a problem. The colors that fade worse are the blues and greens. Adding treatments is just a money making scheme. Upholstery fabrics are usually scotchgarded (stain repellant) at source.

Alberta_Rose

We bought our sofas/chairs from La-Z-boy and The Living Room in Calgary.

http://www.thelivingroom.ab.ca/

Both were much reduced at the time, and personally we think they are nicer than ones in Leons and The Brick.

One of the things to watch for is how long your item of furniture is going to take to be delivered, especially if it's being made in Mexico or somewhere!

windward

Thanks all! Advice duly passed on, but the OH has her heart set, and no amount of reason will change it. I'm powerless to resist anyway.. The old futon desperately needed replacing and delivery is expected Saturday.

We're not expecting to keep it the rest of our lives, we just needed something modern and comfortable sharpish. She's ordered this:

http://www.leons.ca/shared/product/p...dItemId=237664

Will let you know how we get on with it.

Oh, and she's a self confessed demon with red wine so went for the toxic guard-spray. Thanks again though peeps.

rae

i bought one from leons, just as a spare really for the bonus room, hardly used, and as light in colour also got the guard. not sure whether the guard is worth it, but the guarentee states will do all manner of things if you get a stain that will not come out. couch itself ok, nothing special, price seemed good to me and we shopped around quite a bit, its a modern design but not best ever quality wise i think.

MarkG

We went around various stores in town, but in the end Leons was the only place we could find a sofa that was actually comfortable and made of something that didn't look like it would fall apart in a few months. I'd agree that they're probably a long way from the best quality available, but it's lasted us pretty well so far.

On the downside, it was supposed to be delivered at 2pm, and didn't eventually arrive until 7pm; not a big deal since I was in all day anyway, but I'd have been annoyed if I took a day off work and they didn't arrive until after I'd have got home.

BristolUK

We bought 4 sofas from Leons in June 2005 and had the treatment.

They were much cheaper than the equivalent I bought in the UK some years earlier.

With two kids there have been a few spills that have been easily removed and they also survived the boy's habit of diving on them.

The house was furnished with Leons' stuff, but I think we'd have used The Brick had there been one in NB when we moved.

beppy90500

the company that leons uses for protection on the furniture is magiseal-i assure u it is a very safe procedure with no chemicals in it-it is a liquid form of wax that after is done, u cant tell it is on there-it is done in your home, or u can chose to have it done before it is delivered-they prefer for the customer to see it being done so that if the customer has any questions-they are in and out in about 5-10 minutes-once it is applied, u have 5 years to as many times as u need to call them, they will remove the stain for u-this is not a one time call and is well worth it! i am a sales person at leons but have also purchased the magiseal myself-i am a busy mom with 2 kids and 2 dogs and i have called magiseal 6 times since july 2006-i dont look at this as a warranty but look at it as protection for an investment-i, like some of u, did not believe in this before but i assure u...i would definately purchase it again on any further purchases-it doesnt just cover all the food and wine stains as i have used it for bodily fluids and pet stains as well-my son picked a soar on his leg and i had blood on the sofa, they got it out-i bought a sofa and loveseat and the extra $120 bucks was worth it for me-please be assured that this is very safe and has no chemicals like scotchguard! u never know when accidents happen so y wouldnt u protect the investment u just made?? your furniture is for comfort and use....not for show! sorry all, i had to comment on this issue-thanks

Souvenir

We bought a couple of sofa beds from Leons back in 2000. They were, admittedly, not top of the line. Last year we concluded that they were not comfortable as either beds or sofas and that the fabric wasn't very nice. We decided to convert them to regular sofas and re-upholster them. When we took all the fabric off, I was appalled at the quality of construction. It looked like they'd been made from bits of scrap wood taken from a skip.

MB-Realtor

They had actually used wood, WOW. But that was from 2000, I expect that has been phased out now.