DHP Paxson Convertible Futon Couch Bed with Linen Upholstery & Wooden Legs - Black Sofa Bed for Small Spaces, Guest Room & Apartment Living

Disclaimer: I'm writing this review sitting on this thing. Like you, I searched through Amazon for reviews of inexpensive couches so I could step closer to full-on adulthood. My birth sign has me convinced I'm still a teenager. I digress. I'm North of 25 and have never owned a couch. A lot of that has to do with moving around the world, spending too much time at work, and choosing to live in small studio apartments in expensive major cities. As circumstance would have it in 2019, I finally have a living room and some space to fill. Heck, maybe I'll finally host a party.Design is my line of work. Yet I'm forever in debt and a practicing minimalist. I needed a sleep-accommodating couch to compliment what I have: one nice chair, a low coffee table, and vintage early modern record player side tables. The Paxson (in gray) is backdrop. Its shape is pretty mute and generic in the best way possible. I quite like the diagonal stitching pattern you see in photos. I would say the Paxson aesthetic is what actually led me to purchase it over any of the others. Price too, of course. But the simple, clean, modern, unoffensive design of the Paxson is its headline. Maybe you are making the same aesthetic judgment I chose to make, and to that end, I'll continue.I've had this couch for two months now. It still retains a slight "brand new" scent. I find it pretty comfortable to sit on, so long as you are not directly in the center where you feel the frame. I would recommend sitting on this couch in even numbers. Four smaller people could cram on here if needed. Two is ideal. If three, the person in the middle would find it a bit uncomfortable at times. There is noticeably less give and the frame *can* be annoying. Less so if your feet are elevated on a coffee table or something. It's not a total deal-breaker, just a negative on the design. For reference, I would rate sitting in the middle a 2/5 compared to a 4/5 on the sides.Paxson assembled in 20 or less minutes solo. It is packaged folded in half. The center legs are unfortunately plastic, but they are tucked in a few extra inches. The cover material is substantial, yet soft. Reminds me of a fancy laptop case. Some threads are rogue and appear to be coming undone at the top, but the couch is still intact. The stitching looks cheap up close, but the subtlety is also a nice design element. It has held its shape like-new after 2-months. In fact, that is another small design drawback. There is an upward arc to the cushions that cause a cell phone or laptop to slide off. Learned my lesson after placing my laptop on the seat next to me. It's one of those rare positive/negatives. The arc means the memory foam is still working, and it appears brand new, yet it is counterintuitive....Sleeping on the Paxson wouldn't be noteworthy. Sprawling out is disrupted a bit by the seam in the middle. But with a good pillow, you would be thankful that you're not on a traditional futon. Note: pillows are an absolute must with the Paxson, even for normal use. Something to soften the experience.Best positive? Could pass for an $800 cheap modern couch from some random store, but you only paid $300 with free Prime shipping.Worst negative? You can't sit on the arm of the thing with your whole body weight. It lifts up like a cantilever.All told, you probably need a couch and have no expendable funds. Get the Paxson. It looks pretty good and you can dress it up with pillows and a throw. You can convert it to sleep on it if needed. It's fairly wide. For one year's use, that's approx $25/month. Worth it. Are you going to sleep on this every night in a studio apartment? Get a 3-inch foam topper at the time of purchase. You could be way worse off.One final hot take: all of the folks leaving 5-star reviews are appropriately/justly biased toward price-point and convenience. That's cool! I would give this 5-stars in those specific categories too. But do keep in mind: this is not a 5-star couch, it's about a 3.25 star couch at a discount price. Some other reviews hint at this, and some reviews unfairly trash it. You know you're getting a compromise for the price – and that's dandy! Like fast fashion outerwear that deforms after a half-dozen washes, be prepared to let this go at some point in the future. I look forward to that time, actually.My husband wanted this for his office. It looks really nice in the space and it’s comfy enough to sit on when I’m in there with him. But it also shakes on its legs a lot…just feels cheaply made. I’d rather have bought something that’ll last longer personally. Amazon is not where you should come to buy furniture.Ok! So I bought the futon for my small apartment. First off I think its a little overpriced. Should be in the $200 to $250 range. We really do get what we pay for! I am 59 years old and a relatively handy guy. I fix toilets, replace circuit breakers, do minor stuff on cars and am old enough to have taken wood and metal shop in high school. I also have a decent tool set.This was a pain to put together by myself. I recommend having 2 people, a ratchet set and a longer allen key than what is supplied. The tools that comes with the futon, in my opinion, are better suited to building a toy! Maybe an Erector set, remember those?The quality and sturdiness of the futon are ok at best. I really didn't expect a top of line futon for $300 but some of the materials used are a little cheesy. The lining appears to be the same stuff they wrap it in to ship.The challenge for me was that the main screws to secure the arms didn't all line up. I had to leave one out as I spent a half hour trying to get it through with no luck. Even tried opening the hole a little. In addition I had to cut the interior lining where there was no opening for the screws or the hole that was cut was so far off it didn't make any sense.Anyway I am glad it came together as well as it did and for $300 I am hoping it will last 3 years. I take good care of my belongings and have no pets or small children. I am not totally disappointed, the style is nice and it fits my apartment size wise. It's just that I am not as impressed as some of the other reviewers.BTW I just noticed that the futon in black is now priced at $369 plus tax. That puts it over $400. I really don't think it's worth that. I ordered mine within the last 2 weeks and it was priced at $279, I paid $307 total and am not wowed by any means.I knew the couch wouldn't be comfortable when I bought it, I mainly needed something cheap since I don't spend too much time on the couch, and the fact it folds back into a bed was a great plus since I have people over occasionally. The only thing I found disappointing was the arms of the couch, u can not lean up against them without feeling like you're going to tear them out. Other than that it was what I expected and overall decent for a cheap couch with fast shipping.This is inexpensive so I wasn't expecting it to be fantastic. However, it is more uncomfortable than anticipated and the center support leg is cheap plastic which is noticeable. The other four legs are wood so not sure why the fifth center leg is not matching.It was a little confusing til we figured out how to attach the arms. I wanted to make the back bedroom into a quiet place to read or watch a movie and still have a guest room. This futon is just the right size. Works for me!I ended up returning this, no comfort whatsoever and it had an odd smell.I was impressed with how it was packed. The futon folds in four and came in one nice box.But it doesn't change the fact that it's not comfortable enough to justify the price.You can feel the frame on the edge and in the middle of the futon.Buy it if you don't plan to sit on it, and you need something that looks good.This is the single worse purchase I have ever made. This piece of junk fell apart after less than a month. Completely caved in the middle and the two middle support legs have snapped in half. I will demand a refund because it has become unusable and I'm extremely angry with the poor quality of this futon. Buyer beware.Do not waste your time or money. This is after 2 months of casual use in a SECONDARY home. Only slept on once. It finally caved in after my 2 year old niece took a nap on it.... Absolute garbage quality.I knew it wasn't the sturdiest futon but thought it would last me a lot longer than 2 months.Utterly disappointed!This sofa cannot even be sit on it’s not sturdy at all and all the legs are moving.