Futons!

[ravenvii]

I am moving into an apartment in a few weeks, and I'm looking for a futon for it. The apartment is a studio, so I don't have much room to play with, so a futon would be great for that.

I've looked in IKEA at their futons, they seem fine, but I'm wondering if any of you guys have any recommendations or suggestions regarding shopping for a futon?

 

[SamIchi]

Get a futon with a really good matress/cushion. After a while it will get really lumpy, and if the futon was made up of bars like mine, then it will start hurting. So I guess from my experiences, thick cushion, and/or flat support system (wooden boards, not round bars).

 

[Turkish]

I've had an IKEA futon and it was pretty crap quality. It fell apart within a couple of years.

If it's in your budget, you can get a good-quality futon for ~$400.

But if two years is OK, then by all means.

 

[ravenvii]

Yeah, I can tell the IKEA futons aren't too great quality. But I plan to keep it for about 2 years anyway, so it'll do fine. Plus it does have flat wooden support, so I should be good to go.

Thanks guys.

 

[steve_hill4]

We had one a few years back. Thin-ish mattress and metal bars didn't make it too comfortable to sleep on and it was only comfortable for short periods of sitting on. So I would definitely back up the claim of spending $500 or more on one.

Even if it is only going to be needed for a couple of years, better to be able to sleep during that time period.

 

[OutThere]

We're getting a dorm-use-only hand-me-down futon for my suite next fall at school. To sit or sleep on it you'll be required to suspend any ideas of the futon's past use.

 

[jng]

Are you planning on using it as your bed? That is, your main bed?

My friend in Paris has a VRETA and it's wonderfully comfortable. I slept on it for a week. He bought it for cheaper than that price though.

If you just want something extra, try the facebook marketplace. Around Boston, people are giving away Futons all the time. And you can dumpster dive and get them that way for free too (by that I mean pick it up off the street).

 

[Abstract]

I owned a futon bed through uni. It was one of those futon beds that could fold up into a cheap couch.

The futon was superb and inexpensive. It was also the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on, I think. It was hard, dense, thick, and generally nice to sleep on. I don't know all the details regarding which frames are good (metal bars or wood) or any of that stuff, but my bed was awesome, and it's likely due to the mattress. I don't think it would have mattered what type of frame you bought.

 

[OutThere]

I owned a futon bed through uni. It was one of those futon beds that could fold up into a cheap couch.

The futon was superb and inexpensive. It was also the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on, I think. It was hard, dense, thick, and generally nice to sleep on. I don't know all the details regarding which frames are good (metal bars or wood) or any of that stuff, but my bed was awesome, and it's likely due to the mattress. I don't think it would have mattered what type of frame you bought.

Yeah I think that the mattress has more to do with comfort than the structure itself...the best have heavy, dense mattresses that aren't squishy, soft and cheesy.

 

[twietee]

I've had a futon for more than a decade - but it was "passed down" to me and of great quality and walnut wood, I wouldn't have been able to afford that on my own as a student I guess. If it weren't only for a 1.2m wide mattress, I'd still use it. Now it's stored in the basement. Always felt like sleeping on a raft (had blue painted wooden panels too so that worked as well )!

If I would be searching for an affordable futon I'd eventually could use as a guest bed too I'd be thinking along these lines:

http://www.ikarus.de/tojo-v-bett.html

http://www.ikarus.de/tojo-system-bett.html

edit: the Tojo system from the first link works especially well since you can apparently use mattrasses from 80 up to 180cm! So it's really flexible.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I've had a futon for more than a decade - but it was "passed down" to me and of great quality and walnut wood, I wouldn't have been able to afford that on my own as a student I guess. If it weren't only for a 1.2m wide mattress, I'd still use it. Now it's stored in the basement. Always felt like sleeping on a raft (had blue painted wooden panels too so that worked as well )!

If I would be searching for an affordable futon I'd eventually could use as a guest bed too I'd be thinking along these lines:

http://www.ikarus.de/tojo-v-bett.html

http://www.ikarus.de/tojo-system-bett.html

edit: the Tojo system from the first link works especially well since you can apparently use mattrasses from 80 up to 180cm! So it's really flexible.

Walnut wood? I'm a huge fan of walnut wood, so this sounds as thug it was both well made and quite beautiful.

To the OP, my old friend @ravenvii, I'd echo the advice tendered here from others. Sleeping is an important part of life, - you spend a lot of time dong it - so don't skimp on quality.

This is an area where investing a bit extra may yield positive results - in the form of a good night's sleep - over time.

Re IKEA, the problem is that their products can be very uneven. Some are excellent, sturdy, and very well made while others - frankly - are not.

 

[Tomorrow]

We bought a nice queen-size futon for our gameroom upstairs and I agree - stay away from the round metal bars and go with flat wooden slats instead. Much more comfortable.

 

[hallux]

I've had a futon for more than a decade - but it was "passed down" to me and of great quality and walnut wood, I wouldn't have been able to afford that on my own as a student I guess. If it weren't only for a 1.2m wide mattress, I'd still use it. Now it's stored in the basement. Always felt like sleeping on a raft (had blue painted wooden panels too so that worked as well )!

If I would be searching for an affordable futon I'd eventually could use as a guest bed too I'd be thinking along these lines:

http://www.ikarus.de/tojo-v-bett.html

http://www.ikarus.de/tojo-system-bett.html

edit: the Tojo system from the first link works especially well since you can apparently use mattrasses from 80 up to 180cm! So it's really flexible.

You've had yours not much longer than the thread is old, the last post before you exhumed it from the depths of the board was in 2007!

 

[twietee]

You've had yours not much longer than the thread is old, the last post before you exhumed it from the depths of the board was in 2007!

Haha! Gotcha!

But there was a post before mine from today that got deleted. I guess it was some sort of advertisment since it linked to a horrible black couch. I guess it was the one Tomorrow mentioned in his post as well.

But yea. still fell for it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Haha! Gotcha!

But there was a post before mine from today that got deleted. I guess it was some sort of advertisment since it linked to a horrible black couch. I guess it was the one Tomorrow mentioned in his post as well.

But yea. still fell for it.

I reported it. It had all the usual red flags for such a thing: In other words, it was posted by a newbie, with this one post and included a link which advertised the horrible back couch.