I know that this tread is a bit old, but thought I would toss in some input. Simplyjeff is right on. Sinuous is NOT a quality compromise. My family has been in the furniture business for over 40 years and we have had major accounts with all types of suppliers especially those in foam and coils. I have actually toured a coil factory in NC that makes a "fake" 8 way hand tie coil simply because people ask for it, but the truth is that coils are good enough now that they don't need to be tied. Here is the long and short of it. Some people only carry lines with 8 way hand ties, that is fine, but they will only promote that as "The" way to make furniture. It is like using a rotary telephone when you have a cell phone in your pocket. It will work, won't drop a call, but when it comes down to it, it basically does the same thing. The major issue with sinuous is how it is installed. If it is installed correctly, i.e. the number of coils per sq in, the gauge and secured then it will not fail. There is a reason that some call it "No Sag." Because it will not sag. When it comes down to comfort a lot of that has to do with the density and IFD of the foam that you are selecting for your core/wrap of your cushions. One person stated above that quality=weight, but then mentioned MDF wood. Quality and MDF should never be in the same sentence when it comes to furniture. Whether it be kiln dried or air dried woods, hardwood is the best way to go when constructing a frame. Some companies use pressed wood to cut cost and still charge you 3k for a chair because they have a brand name and sell through retailers who all need to make a markup on each piece to make it worth their time. We use sinuous in almost all of our seating applications, so I may be the other side of the bias, however the in 40 years we have been in business, the number of issues we have with seat failures is basically less than 1%. Tankertoad, I saw that you were talking about foam density, 2.0 is a great density, but also check the IFD which is the amount of weight it takes to compress typically 25% of the capacity of the foam, sometimes they give you the 75% number as well. The quality of foam is just as more important as deciding whether 8 way or sinuous is the way to go. General rule of thumb 1.8 and above on density in sufficient and over 30 IFD is typical for residential use. 10/90 down is great if down is your thing, 5/95 down is also fine if that is what you are looking for. Down cushions and back pillows are what they are. They are going to be soft and have a great feel, but they will need fluffing from time to time. You will lose fill capacity much quicker with down than you will with a softer density foam wrap over time but this is really a preference thing. We can achieve the same crowing and appearance with foam as with down, and it will last longer. Typically high end foam only will shrink less than 5% over 10 years. Overview, you asked the right questions. There is no sense covering a "bad" frame in expensive fabric. It is like putting lipstick on a pig. Still a pig. But as far as Sinuous vs 8 Way, both work, it is more of a feel thing and honestly if you are feeling those coils then the foam selection is incorrect. Either way you should never "bottom out" in either. You should never feel the bottom of your seat. Coils will wear out faster than sinuous. It is a spring and springs wear. That is a fact! When it comes to selecting down, again a preference thing, just make sure that you realize that it will need some routine upkeep, but that in a standard 3 cushion maybe 86" length sofa with typical seat depths you are looking at a 1k to 1500 upgrade at retail costs. But if you like chardonnay then drink chardonnay. This is your choice. The main reason that we choose to use sinuous is because of consistency. You get a much more consistent seat surface over the span of your sofa, especially if you are looking at a matching loveseat or chair. If you use the same gauge and same number over same area you get the same seat. This may be harder to achieve with 8 way as the number of coils may need to be reduce or a smaller gauge may need to be used in order to "fit" the drop in unit in the seat deck. I hope that this information helps, maybe for future furniture selection. Remember the questions you asked are the right ones and need to be answered when you are looking at selecting your furniture. When it comes to warranties, I always remember "Tommy Boy" the movie. "Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for now, for your customer's sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me." My Best

When you sit on a down, or mostly down, sofa cushion it leaves the imprint of your body when you get up. It is the nature of the material. It is not a wear issue at all. Over time, when the cushion gets worn down it can be refilled by the upholsterer. The highest end sofas have those types of cushions so they have that look. It's not wear. The long term issue I would be worried about is fabric durability, not construction issues. That's why you're buying a high quality sofa. And these days, a good sofa should wear for at least 20 years. It should not need replacing (even if the kids do jump on it occasionally). I've had a really good love seat now for 33 years. It's in its 3rd and last reupholstery and the cushion was originally and always has been down. It's been refilled for the 3rd time, too. It will surely outlive me.

i am in love with our spring down cushion on a stanford chair and a half we've had for over 15 years. in that time not one feather has escaped -and the sit and comfort is magnificent. there is simply no finer quality. that said, if stanford isn't making the cushion, i'd have nothing to do with down. i have just gotten rid of two all down seat cushions from my lee sofas. they were purchased brand new and moved into our new build in august. i have tried since then to love them, but i had to face reality. no one in the family would sit in the living room since the sofas were so uncomfortable. the down would need to be "fluffed" after every single use -which was no easy task, since they basically felt more like giant cement blocks instead of feathers. the down was coming through the "protective" cover and up through the upholstery. the entire house looked as if a flock of geese had taken up residence in our home. feathers everywhere, all the time. i am thankful to be rid of them. i asked lee to replace with spring fiber cushions and they are so much better. definitely not anything near the comfort of the stanford, but i didn't expect they would be. the stanford chair cost basically the same as the two sofas. a very different animal altogether. so. that said, i don't trust down to just any manufacturer. since you're talking about seat cushions only, i'm assuming you will have them made by a local place. i would visit and test out everything they make. if you can't sit in it, don't buy it. i do need replacement cushions for a hancock and moore sofa we will have reupholstered. i'd like to get fiber wrapped spring cushions for it as well. but it depends on who will be making them. the only thing i know for sure -as mentioned above, no down ever again, unless it's from stanford, period. good luck!

Their is really not much difference in a Lee back cushion than a Vanguard back cushion or Century back cushion or any other better quality upholstery. Its either going to filled with conjugated polyester fiber or a blend of this fiber with feathers/down or a straight feather and down cushion. And their going to outsource the manufacture of the seats and back cushion fills to a fabricator that specializes in this operation. If you want a back cushion that holds most of its shape but still has some sink-in feeling then get a blend. A blend of 50% conjugated fiber and 50% mix of 90% feather and 10% down. A very common back cushion fill. Of course none of these fills will ever equal a latex foam filled back cushion, for soft comfort that never looses its shape. Expensive but well worth it.