Sofitalia Leather Sofa

[kalimantan 6]

Hi

Is the above brand or leather good ?

What kind of leather they use ?

[Daveyap 0]

Hi

Is the above brand or leather good ?

What kind of leather they use ?

Not easy to answer your question but would you consider a finished product like a Sofitalia Leather Sofa as Made in Italy if all the raw materials are imported from Italy and other parts of the world into China to be assembled into the final product?

[kalimantan 6]

hmmm i know what you mean.

It is common for bizman to get the cheapest labour ...BUT

For ipad - designed by US. Produced by china. I am sure there must be quality checks to ensure ipad is workable to minimum standards.

For this sofa, how would i know the leather materials are from Italy ? Workmanship i guess - must produce at a lower country base, but quality checks must be done by the original country eg Italy.

[Daveyap 0]

hmmm i know what you mean.

It is common for bizman to get the cheapest labour ...BUT

For ipad - designed by US. Produced by china. I am sure there must be quality checks to ensure ipad is workable to minimum standards.

For this sofa, how would i know the leather materials are from Italy ? Workmanship i guess - must produce at a lower country base, but quality checks must be done by the original country eg Italy.

It is almost impossible for you to check whether the leather materials are from Italy on your own unless they are willing to furnish you with the documentary proof. But many of the company's staff are actually stationed on site at their factory operations in China so that may provide you with some reassurance but not much though.

[kalimantan 6]

I bought 4 year ago

Invoice said "full leather"

And they also attached a booklet of the Italian sofa product which i bought 4 year ago, something like the booklet said "congrations on getting our product thing " and further describe how to protect sofa, how to see the leather texture, etc. the booklet represented the sofa i bought.

Is that an assurance from the industry practice ?

[Daveyap 0]

I bought 4 year ago

Invoice said "full leather"

And they also attached a booklet of the Italian sofa product which i bought 4 year ago, something like the booklet said "congrations on getting our product thing " and further describe how to protect sofa, how to see the leather texture, etc. the booklet represented the sofa i bought.

Is that an assurance from the industry practice ?

Actually you already have your answer there for you. You said you bought it 4 years ago and you didn't mentioned you have any issues with it till today so that means it is a decent piece of quality leather furniture. Many forum members' leather furniture did not last beyond 2 years with some even falling apart in under a year. Although it is obviously nice and reassuring to have the little information booklet that comes with it, it does not mean much though to be honest but still better than nothing, right?

[kalimantan 6]

oops justs to add-on : sofa got no problems at all. Still comfortable without wear / tear.

I raise issue here is because the more i read the forum threads on sofa (eg on the EL thread), the more discerning i am, on how the industry work.

I therefore consider myself that i met a reliable retailer then.

What is a typical life-span of a real full leather ?

[Daveyap 0]

oops justs to add-on : sofa got no problems at all. Still comfortable without wear / tear.

I raise issue here is because the more i read the forum threads on sofa (eg on the EL thread), the more discerning i am, on how the industry work.

I therefore consider myself that i met a reliable retailer then.

What is a typical life-span of a real full leather ?

Typical lifespan is at least 25-40 years for a real full grain leather sofa. I have seen and sat on one that is 60 years old!Typical lifespan for 99% of all leather sofa sold here by 99% of all furniture retailers here in Singapore is less than 10 years. So far, the 2 most reliable mid range brands sold in Singapore that I have come across is Lorenzo and HTL but they still don't meet my expectations. 99% of all typical Singaporeans want cheap and good leather sofas at the same time so 99% of Singaporeans get conned 99% of the time because 99% of good leather sofas are never cheap. I have not bought and will probably never ever buy a 3+2+1 or 3+2 or 3+1 seater leather sofa set in Singapore because I will not be able to get the quality that I want at the right price.

[kalimantan 6]

i agreed with you on singaporean mentality.

That is why i will not buy cheap goods. I rather buy a excellent one and use it for rest of the life.

1. What should be the minimum price of a real full grain leather sofa ?

2. There isn't any 1% of retailer here in singapore that really sell the real stuff ?

Perhaps the industry should stated that "the sofa you buy at most last 5 years" ...this way customer won't feel cheated and they can then depreciate the leather sofa over the years.

[Daveyap 0]

i agreed with you on singaporean mentality.

That is why i will not buy cheap goods. I rather buy a excellent one and use it for rest of the life.

1. What should be the minimum price of a real full grain leather sofa ?

2. There isn't any 1% of retailer here in singapore that really sell the real stuff ?

Perhaps the industry should stated that "the sofa you buy at most last 5 years" ...this way customer won't feel cheated and they can then depreciate the leather sofa over the years.

1. Very hard to estimate what is the minimum price for a real full grain leather sofa because at that kind of quality level, the leather only forms 50% of the cost. I would be equally concerned that the best solid wood is used for the frame, good quality big conical springs on the jute webbings, coco fiber, Hessian and goose feathers, horse hairs for the natural fillings with absolutely no PU Foam or Foam of any kind to be used. My set budget is about $15-$18K Max for a 3+2+1 seater but I cannot find what I want at this price range, at least not in Singapore. I was told often enough to lower my expectations if I insist on not busting my set budget.

2. There is that 1% of Singapore retailer that really sell the real stuff but a single seater from them already exceeded $10K. I not that rich or crazy enough to want to help them cover their overheads for a couple of months.

Like you, I am yearning for a leather sofa set that can last for the rest of my life and age beautifully with me but it is not going to happen anytime soon because it is really painful to spend so much $$$ on such a prized leather sofa and then have to constantly worry that no one including myself carelessly damages it for the next 25-40 years. The furniture industry will never made claims that the sofa you buy will only last 5 years at the most, except for Executive Living, so we shall see if this Lone Ranger furniture retailer will still be around for the next 5 years.

[kalimantan 6]

best solid wood is used for the frame, good quality big conical springs on the jute webbings, coco fiber, Hessian and goose feathers, horse hairs for the natural fillings with absolutely no PU Foam or Foam of any kind to be used.

====================================================================================================================================================

wow ...u impress me !. I only thought leather sofa is just leather and nothing else !

All the things u describe above - really i am speechless !

Are you refering to the materials INSIDE of the sofa ?

[Daveyap 0]

best solid wood is used for the frame, good quality big conical springs on the jute webbings, coco fiber, Hessian and goose feathers, horse hairs for the natural fillings with absolutely no PU Foam or Foam of any kind to be used.

====================================================================================================================================================

wow ...u impress me !. I only thought leather sofa is just leather and nothing else !

All the things u describe above - really i am speechless !

Are you refering to the materials INSIDE of the sofa ?

Yup, when you are looking at the high end leather sofa range that is build to last a lifetime, there is no way common upholstery materials for the seats and back support like foam block that is made out of polyurethane would be able to last beyond 15-20 years. Goose feathers and horse hairs are the traditional furniture fillings of choice for furniture that are expected to outlive you. Mahogany would be one of the best choice of wood for the wooden frame structure. Those big conical springs that I mentioned earlier needs to be expertly tied and secured in order to ensure that it will maintain a high level of firmness and bounce through the years of usage. It is all these little attention to details and efforts to source for only the best materials that set all these furnitures apart from the rest.

99% of all leather sofa retailers in Singapore claimed their leather sofas are made from Italian leather with a further 0.1% claiming that their leathers come specifically from Tuscany, Italy. Unlike their Italian Tannery brethren, Italian luxury car manufacturers like Ferrari and Maserati can sleep soundly each night knowing that no one in the world will even attempt to pass of any car as a Ferrari or Maserati. But all these Italian tanners must be silently cursing and swearing in the full knowledge that their Italian leathers have taken a severe dent in their reputation as consumers are left wondering how come their Italian leather sofa start peeling and flaking within 18 months or less.

[kalimantan 6]

got another question

a) my sofa - there is a hard label tagging that shows the company name (not local retailer name) - is this practise in the industry ?

b) is our wallets leather (male or female) - same leather type like those premium sofa ?

[Daveyap 0]

got another question

a) my sofa - there is a hard label tagging that shows the company name (not local retailer name) - is this practise in the industry ?

Yes, because the retailer is merely the authorized distributor for the manufacturer and I am sure the retailer is more than happy to have the hard label tag on the product as proof of authenticity of the product that they are selling.

b) is our wallets leather (male or female) - same leather type like those premium sofa ?

Yes & No. There are so many types of leather being used for making wallets that you can be certain some of the same leathers that are used for making premium sofas will be used for making wallets too. My wife bought me a full grain leather belt 2 weeks ago when she was away in London on a business trip. The quality is so superb that I am confident it will last me at least 25 years! The full grain leather is 4 mm thick but if you use it on a leather sofa, the sofa will certainly last a lifetime but you wouldn't want to sit on the sofa for more than 10 mins because it will be pretty uncomfortable as you need to reduce it to at least 1.5 mm or it will simply be too stiff for your bum.

[kalimantan 6]

Hi Dave

You know, the more i read the forum (other topics) with pictures of "different" sofa set, it is difficult for me to differentiate the different type of sofa.

I would like to post some picture of my current sofa bought few years ago.

I would like your honest feedback on whether it is worth then. Subsequently when i purhcase another sofa set, i will be more careful then.

Can you let me know which part of the sofa that i can post here for you to look at with sharp eyes ?