If you paid $ 7K for a B-Y sofa, someone took you to the cleaners and back again. You overpaid by double for any sofa in the line. I've been a B-Y dealer for over 30 years, and quite honestly there's a lot of bad information in the above threads. I have very few issues with B-Y, it's made in the USA and they back their product well. While its not at the level of Hancock and Moore, it's not H&M price points, either. Most people don't know this, but the single largest cost in making a leather sofa is the hide itself, and B-Y uses good leathers, same as Hancock and Moore. The second largest cost factor is the foam (not the frame as everything thinks). Here's where premium lines like H&M excel, they use the best foam and lots of it in places where B-Y skimps, the back panels, side panels, arm caps, etc. Third is the frame, B-Y is an all-plywood line, H&M is a mix of plywoods in motion pieces, and still uses solid hardwood in stationary. Finally labor, and here H&M does detail tailoring that you won't find on B-Y, not even close. Myself? I buy Hancock and Moore for my home. If you are buying leather motion furniture, the most important elements for longevity are the quality of the leather itself (should be all top-grain, no bonded, no bi-cast, no splits, no vinyl combos) and the mechanism itself. Mechs should only be either Leggett and Platt or Ultra-Mek, and both are marked with a label on the mechanism itself when you extend it. Here's what their labels look like on the mechs, the L&P label is the lower one. .

The 2 over 2 style is just not as popular as the 3 over 3. I like it, many don't. I have sold B&Y for over 20 years and just now learned at the International furniture show a few weeks ago only because I asked the direct question about the origin of their leathers, that many of their leather come from China. The reason I posed the question was there have been some delayed orders because of leather delays, which is not a common occurrence with them. I am sure other manufactures are selling leathers from China I just had no idea that B & Y was out sourcing that amount of their leathers. Most of the higher grades are of European or Domestic origin. I was unable to locate any printed information that explained the origin of their leathers. I only have this knowledge because I asked the right person at market. All of B&Y's leathers are genuine and top grain cowhide or buffalo. Keep in mind we as Americans import everything from China. Some things great and some things not. If you are concerned about the origin of a particular pattern just ask. A good sales person will place a call if they don't have the answer. Many furniture builders buy hides from all around the world this is nothing new. It was just never shared with me the amount of hides from China that they were using. Hooker Furniture imports all of their leather furniture styles. B&Y also offers a married cover program that originates in China. As mentioned all of B & Y's leathers are top grain (this is what you want). The difference in the grades are the finish. Some protected, some distressed, some not. Your higher grades tend to be more natural causing them to be more susceptible to spills and scratches. The rule of thumb about leather is the more you do to the leather the less valuable it becomes. That is why lower end manufactures use painted leather not aniline dyed or they will use lower grade hides with more scars or blemishes. Always the higher the grade the higher the cost. You will find many alike leather finishes available in grades 1, 2 and 3.

It's common folklore to assume that power motion recliners are more prone to issues. In reality, the mechanisms hold up better than manual units as they are not being kicked and shoved, the motor is easing them up - and down. Any recliner mechanism can be abused and damaged, the key is to always close the unit fully before exiting the furniture, don't let kids roughhouse in the units when they are "open", don't let anyone sit on the footrest, and when moving the unit, don't pick it up by the footrests. Also, use a surge protector on the outlet, mose electric issues are caused by power spikes and outlet protectors are $ 8 on Amazon. Avoid spilling drinks into the operating switches as well. Dual recliner sofas are very heavy and hard to deliver. I would suggest if going Bradington Young (disclosure - I am a dealer for them) you buy them as modular units. They are MUCH easier to deliver (and for any subsequent future moves) and get into spaces that a single piece unit cannot fit into. BY is made in the USA, there's a lot of value in their motion line of pieces in my opinion (bang for the buck). Bonded, Bicast and Split leather are not desirable. Ideally, the leather you want is AA Grade Steerhide (male), because it stretches less than Cowhide (female) over time. All genuine leather is Top Grain, and within that segment there are two sub-categories; A) Top Grain is typically sanded and finished (pigmented) and is usually less costly B) Full Top Grain is uncorrected and aniline dyed and in the higher, more costly grades.

As a dealer for both brands (Hi, Cindy!) I am quite familiar with both and am one of the top sellers of Hancock and Moore. H&M is top tier, no one builds a better leather upholstery product in the USA. I wrote this comparison in April of 2020 on a forum I operate that compares the two: "I recently brought in several pieces of Bradington Young into the showroom, to offer a less costly alternative to my main line of Hancock & Moore. I have been seeing some push-back on H&M pricing from consumers and wanted to expand and more selection of price-friendly items available. Now you know, I handle so much of this product that I can really spot the differences and I also key into them as others might not. We have moved all the new B-Y pieces into the showroom and and I didn't say much to my two part-time delivery men when we bringing it all in, other than "this piece goes here - that piece goes there". What interests me as I stood back a bit was their comments to one another, THEY noticed the differences. And to be clear, 90% of all the leather they are used to delivering is Hancock and Moore, not Bradington Young. First of all, I have trained them to develop a critical eye over the years (both have been with me twelve years now). They notice because I want them to - so they can know what they are delivering, what might have a flaw, and what may be a construction difference they may need to explain when at the customer's home. We are professional grade, and I want them to know their product. I was amused at their comments that they could readily notice the differences, too. I don't consider Bradington Young to be a comparable product to Hancock and Moore. They are different categories, so if you hear some say "B-Y is the same, just cheaper to buy" well, its not. I would say on average its about 25% to 30% less in price and for some, they may be willing to give up features to get to that price. I understand and appreciate that. However, if you can tolerate the higher price of Hancock and Moore, it's a purchase you won't regret making over the years. Frames: B-Y is all plywood, and not a particularly heavy grade of plywood. Their stationary frames are very light, which is why we take B-Y up the stairs to the second floor showroom, they're a lot easier to carry. Hancock and Moore is still solid hardwood frames on their stationary units, and you can feel it in the heft and lack of flex in the pieces. Your frame can never be too strong, by the way. Stiffer frame means less deterioration of suspension over the years of use, and that translates into a longer lifespan for dollars spent. Padding: B-Y uses far less padding on their frames and of lighter densities. Pieces are not as "full" and you can feel the wood frame underneath the leather when you give it the pinch test or are merely handling the pieces. Leathers: Here is where there really is no difference. B-Y has the same quality of hides as Hancock and Moore, though you have roughly three times as many choices as H&M. Tailoring & Workmanship: Huge. Huge. Huge. Hancock and Moore is crafted. Bradington Young is assembled. With B-Y, I see minimum standards throughout the piece, and in some instances the workmanship is sloppy. From the sewing to attachment of the legs to how tight the leather is pulled. Big difference. There is pride in workmanship in a Hancock and Moore piece. A B-Y piece is a paycheck to the workers. It shows - you can tell. This is not to belittle Bradington Young, because I am the dealer for the brand and wouldn't carry the line if it were substandard. They adhere to the same standards many makers in North Carolina do, it's the industry norm. The H&M pieces are exceptional however, and exceed those standards on everything that goes out the factory door. If comes down to the money at the end of the day, and if your budget will tolerate the difference. Just realize there is a difference when you go shopping and learn how to compare and what to look for." Addressing your concerns on complaints: Color Rubbing Off: Does not happen. All leather is sourced from vendors by manufacturing, and all the furniture makers buy them from the same suppliers. When there is color loss its due to lack of maintenance and/or UV damage from sunlight. All leather must be cleaned and conditioned properly on a regular basis or you will have issues. Here's a typical issue where the client failed to do so and blamed it on defective leather. The before and after restoration photos as well (client had to pay to get this corrected, this is not a warranty issue) Springs coming loose: That has never happened to either brand in thirty years of selling thousands of pieces. They are both eight-way hand-tied in seating, and either four-way coil in the back or no-sag springs. If a string breaks there are seven more holding them down. Should it ever happen, they do warranty it, but I've never seen it occur. Customer Service: Is handled through the selling dealer, not the maker. The dealer is the customer of the producer. You as the client are the customer of the selling dealer. Should you call direct to the factory, you may get a chilly reception as they all want you to work through any issues you may have with your selling dealer. Returns: 95% of all returns to the factories are not warranty items. They are what the consumer THINKS is a warranty issue, however no workmanship defect actually exists. Returns are done for a variety of reasons, buyer's remorse, abuse of the pieces, failure to maintain the leather, I've even had customers photoshop a made-up problem areas on more than one occasion thinking if they return it they will get a new piece. Doesn't happen that way. If it's inspected and determined nothing is defective, then there is no work done to the piece and the customer has to pay return shipping or the piece is disposed of if they refuse. No company pays for you to return a piece, so that's on you to get it back to the factory or your selling dealer if a local buy. Frames: Frames don't twist, but mechanisms do in motion units. All are caused by abuse or customer carelessness and I have seen plenty of twisted mechs. They are caused by people sitting on the footrest when the unit is reclined, or getting out of a recliner when its still open and not closed. It can be caused by teenagers horsing around in a recliner when its extended and frequently by people moving the recliners into tight thresholds by opening the recliners up and putting them on their sides to move them. Twisted mech? In most cases you can bend them back into position. If you have a broken mechanism, then its due to rivet shear and you have to replace the mechs. The two best mechanism makers in are Leggett and Platt, or Ultra-Mek. Both H&M and B-Y use only those two makers. I have a H&M Woodbridge Recliner I bought in 1986 for personal use that is still on the original mechanism and the leather is in great shape, but I don't abuse my pieces and maintain the hides. The Emilio sofa from H&M is terrific. It is superior to the B-Y Hanley in tailoring and foaming. Where you will really noticed the difference is in the arm padding and tightness of the leather pulled on the H&M product. they use quite a bit more foam on the arms than B-Y and you can feel the difference. Duane Collie keepingroom@gmail.com if I can help you with a purchase of either.