90% of upholstery manufactures source their sleeper mechanisms from 2 suppliers: Hickory Springs or Leggett & Platt.
Of course the largest manufacturers like EA are getting some of their sleeper units from China. Search for these 2 companies HS or L&P and narrow down to the sleeper units to get a idea of the differences. Then compare mattresses as they also source this from different mattress manufacturers.
Its a common misconception that upholstery manufactures makes their mechanisms or mattresses, as they all source from the same suppliers.

Dj I would vote for the Air Dream Mattress. I think it is the most comfortable mattress out there. As far as seating comfort in a sleep sofa you will find that sleep sofas don't sit as well as sofas. To improve the seating consider a step up cushion, a good foam core and perhaps a down blend comfort layer.

Freethinker99,

I'm glad to hear what you have to say about the Air Dream mattress! As for the cushions, I upgraded to Lee's "Spring Fiber" cushions which have an innerspring, which I hope provides some of the "spring" that I want when I sit down on a sofa. (After all, I'm not getting the benefit of the 8-way hand-tied stuff when I have a sleeper.) This particular option doesn't have down, but it does have a fiber wrapping that hopefully will help with the "sit" and yet hold up to all the wear of my boys. (I had several discussions with the sales guy on this, so I hope he steered me correctly!)

--DJ

Hi dfw17 - Can you post a follow up on your sofa? I'm currently in the same spot you were in when you posted this & would love to hear your impressions of the quality of both the sofa & the sleeper.

Thanks!

This post was edited by so_little_time on Tue, Feb 18, 14 at 13:34

So here's my update on the Lee sleep sofa, after almost 2 years.

For the sleep part of the sleep sofa, I love the air dream mattress. To me, it really is a huge improvement over any other sleep sofa experiences I've had. My husband and I had to sleep on it for more than a week when we had our upstairs floors refinished, and it worked out fine. Note that I'm not saying "great"....I still prefer my bed....but it was fine. I never felt a bar because of the air mattress. There is still a tendency for 2 adults to roll toward the center a little bit(depending on how firmly you blow up the mattress).

For the sofa part, it is also fine, but not as good a "sit" as a regular sofa. There is less spring, of course. I expected this, so I am okay with it. I'm thinking that the upgraded innerspring seat cushions probably helped some, but it have no direct comparison. I think the Lee quality is great, and I will buy Lee again.

Good luck!

As a general rule unless you are planning on using your sofa as a sleep sofa on a fairly regular basis such as 6-12 times a year I would suggest buying a regular sofa. Sleep sofas are not as comfortable no matter what cushion you use as you are basically sitting on a folded up mattress. To make a sleep sofa you must remove your spring construction and replace in with the mechanism and mattress. If you really need one chose a high quality mattress such as the air dream and a good quality mechanism.

I can't believe I missed your reply -- thank you so much for posting it! It looks like I'll be getting a similar sofa (air mattress, innerspring cushions wrapped w/ down blend) along with a stationary sofa to match. Maybe I'll be able to compare the difference between stationary & sleeper before long.

Thanks again!

My wife and I just visited our freinds and slept on their air dream mattress (distributed by Legget and Platt) as noted above it's not quite as good as your bed at home but it is close.

dfw17 - anyone have any updates on lee industries sleep sofas? I'm in the market for a high quality sleep sofa that will also be used as a sofa by my 3 boys in their playroom/den. Would love specific input on the seat cushions you chose and also how happy you are with you choice as both a sofa and a bed. thanks!