Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of suspension do you use?

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We use what is called a pocket coil suspension system in our sofas. Our US-made suspensions provide more working wire per square foot than any other system, giving you a seat that is comfy, sag-free, noiseless, and guaranteed against manufacturing defects for life.

Here are the most common forms of suspension and some information on why we feel that pocket coils are a superior option.

  • Web suspension: The least desirable form of suspension on the market, this is commonly found in low-end products, small-scale applications where minimal support is required, and in situations where the design provides minimal space to contain a suspension mechanism. Webbing can be formed using a range of materials, with the most common being cotton straps. Many mid-century designs updated this with the use of rubber straps. There's really no justification for a modern sofa to utilize this form of suspension (other than cost-cutting, of course).
  • Sinuous spring suspension: When you lift up the cushions on a sofa and see a couple of metal wires snaking back and forth beneath the black decking fabric, you're looking at a sinuous spring. Low-end, inexpensive, saggy, and failure-prone. No quality sofa should use this form of suspension.
  • 8-way hand tied: The long-running "premium" option among suspensions, 8-way offers obvious benefits over sinuous and web suspensions. Large coil springs (usually about a dozen) are positioned under the cushions in a grid, with each being tied in place by twine in — you guessed it — eight directions. Yes, this is the option you find in most high-quality furniture, but it is not without faults. Not only are the knots a potential point of failure, but the industry's leading twine manufacturers have gone out of business and the alternative twines have proven to be far more prone to breaking. (I know that sounds like minutia, but it matters.) Anyway, if you absolutely, positively have to have a sofa with an 8-way suspension, we're happy to build yours with it. But we don't think there's any reason to do it.
  • Fake 8-way hand tied: A weird new entry to the market is what is called a "drop-in" 8-way hand tied system. This is a manufactured, self-contained unit that technically utilizes an 8-way configuration and can be rapidly installed into a sofa frame. This gives furniture companies the opportunity to advertise that their sofas utilize an 8-way suspension without needing a skilled craftsperson to assemble it. It is inferior to both true 8-way systems and pocket coil systems. We believe that the majority of companies advertising 8-way suspensions are now utilizing these units.
  • Pocket coil: Obviously, this is the system we believe in. Instead of a dozen or fewer springs, pocket coil gives you a hundred or so on a sofa. The performance of the suspension is identical from the edges of the sofa to the center, with no sagging or hard spots. The flexibility of this system permits us to offer an industry-leading range of sizes and has been battle tested in our customers' active households and even more active commercial spaces.
  • Direct link to this page: https://www.rogerandchris.com/faq/question/what-kind-of-suspension-do-you-use-39

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