beds vs. futons
 

I'm buying a bed. Beds are expensive. I've always had an actual bed, you know, frame, box spring, mattress. It's been fun. Futons are exotic and enticing though. And versatile. I can sit on it to play video games during the day, and then flatten it out for all sorts of fun night time activities later on.

Problem is, I hear that futons aren't so comfortable for the sleeping. So let's compare shall we?

Who has futons and wants to praise their merits? Who has them and wants to heap contempt and scorn upon them?

Same with beds. Come on, help a guy out.

In other words: give me advice about buying futons because I know nothing about them. I thought a pull-out bed was a futon. :(

I have/had a futon. They are nice because they go from sofa to bed in little time. In fact, with enough padding, there really is no difference. If you don't have enough money to buy a matress but can afford a futon and some comfort pads (I don't know what they're really called), I see no problem with taking that option.

Futon is good for a quick change in bed to couch, to bed again. I have had both a bed and a futon, and I find that a futon is good for a while, but they tend to wear out within a year or so and the bars start poking through a bit. By that point you have to add some padding underneath in order to get rid of the bars bugging you at night.

If you are in a smaller place, a futon is a better choice than a bed. Because you can more easily move a futon around than a bed.

Vivi, are you saying the mattresses wear out after a year? =oo

It all depends on what your body is used to. Depending on how soft your bed(s) have been, sleeping on a futon (without any extra "padding") might be very uncomfortable or downright impossible (specially if you like to sleep on your chest). But on the other hand you might notice little differance at all.

So yeah, only you can know, really.

I'm sure that there are more expensive mattresses out there that last longer.

For the futon? Ok, well after about a year and a half... but it also depends on how much you use it as a bed as well... Maybe the one I have is a piece of crap?.....:confused:

Didn't I find you that site that sold futons that are supposed to last for like 5 years?

When I went into the college apartment life all I got was the mattress and bed springs, no frame, so they just sat on the floor. XD; It's a little odd, and was a bit low, but hey! No losing stuff under the bed!

Personally, I wouldn't use a futon as a bed unless space/cost is an issue. We keep ours around as just a guest bed since it definitely beats out an air mattress, but I think that after a while you'd want to get something more comfortable.

A futon mattress really can't touch an actual mattress. When my old proper mattress's springs started digging into my back, I put an old futon mattress on top of it until I got a new one. That was about two years ago and I still haven't got a new mattress. I kind of hate sleeping.

So really, a futon isn't too bad, but there's no reason to take one over a real bed unless space is a big issue.

Having tried both, I'd prefer the bed to the futon but I don't find anything particularily wrong with the latter. I have some friends who sleep on futons and turned down having a bed because they preferred what they already had. It really depends on what you prefer to sleep on, springs or cushion.

I sleep on a wooden bed with a little bit of padding, I got pretty used to it. I think some futons suck because of the bars and stuff because my friend sleeps on one and it broke in a few months, not to mention if your friends come over they put their butts on it when it's a couch and then you sleep on it. D:

Yeah, that is a good point. If you spill food or a drink, that wouldn't be great to sleep on. As a result, you would have to put on a sheet every night before you go to bed... I know it sucks having to make the futon every night but....

You know, on second thought, a bed might be better. It really depends on space, and how messy your friends are... ;)

My parents chose a futon for me over a bed when I was a teenager. At first I thought it was kind of cool, but after a few nights I realised the truth.

A) They tilt backwards. Maybe this isn't true for all futons everywhere, but every one that I've ever seen tilts back so that you're constantly being deposited up against the back. This means that when you fold it out, there is a crease in the mattress that becomes more pronounced with time, and eventually it means sleeping over a dip.

B) The mattresses are not nearly as nice as a real mattress. Some strange people like them, but I find them far too lumpy and aromatic, especially when you have several people who like to come in and sit on it during the day.

C) They don't save you space. Unless you're planning on having a couch And a bed in the same room, then a futon is going to take up at least as much (if not more) space than a twin, and nearly as much as a full-size bed.

Bottom line: I despise them with a passion generally reserved for Christmas music. Now, this is coming from a person who can sleep on the floor, in airplane seats, in a line of waiting-room chairs, or in bathtubs during hurricanes. That futon made my back hurt so bad I'd sleep on the floor every so often just to get the kinks out.

I've personally never slept in a futon that was nearly as comfortable as a regular bed. Of course, I'm of the kind that likes a couple of mattress pads made out of down feathers, so perhaps I'm just too hard to please.

Those sofas that make out into a bed (like the ones at hotels) generally feel a bit better than futons. Futons are so...hard. And inflexible.

Sleeper sofas aren't too bad, but they end up with their own dips.

What about a day bed? Something you can put pillows on to make it look sofa-ish inviting? Do people still use those anymore? Or am I getting their use mixed up? Bah. Too many questions!

Thinking back on the futon, most people I know who have one use it as their sofa and then as a guest bed if they have a friend stay the night. But not as regular bed usage.

I would have to say futon for now, they are soooo comfie!

When I was home however everyone in the family had a water bed.... those where the best beds of all!

Bed > Futon any day. I love beds, the bigger and softer the better. If I had a tonne of money I would convert a room into my house into a giant bed. It would be awesome, and so damn comfy.

You are also supposed to rotate your mattress to keep one side from wearing in more than the other. It extends the life of the mattress, and keeps it more comfortable longer. If I recall correctly, the rotation goes Turn Clockwise, Flip Over, Turn Clockwise, Flip over, Turn Clockwise, ... etc

Wow! There is a system to the madness of a futon.... Hmmmm.... maybe I should have read the instructions... (Seriously.)

Hmmm... seems like there is a lot of maintence for a futon.

Here is my final advice. After seeing all the positives and negatives of the futon, I would say go with the bed. Less work in the long run, more comfortable, and better for sex.... :) ;)

Or you can go the hybrid way, and just buy a mattress without any frames or anything. My friend just stacks two mattresses and calls that his bed. If he needs more room, he throws them into the closet.

Well, at least that maintains cleanliness in a corner of the room since the dust can't go underneath the bed. Its nice to have a high bed as well. Well, I guess not too high, otherwise falling off the bed would hurt a lot more.

I have both, because both are useful. Just make sure that with whatever futon you buy, you buy one that is both functional as a couch and a futon. I have a "European" style futon -- it has arms and a back that fold up and down at different angels -- very comfy and easy to use.

I've had a bed, now I have a futon. I hate futons, or at least the one I have, I've had it for about 4 years now and thers a huge dip in the middle. I hate that dip, it's so uncomfortable and sometimes I can't sleep. Sometimes I even have to sleep on the couch because my neck starts hurting.
I really wouldn't recommend a futon because of my experience with it. And yea, I flip it a couple times a year and it helps a bit.

Yeah they can be very uncomfortable after awhile. I recently switched from a futon to a bed after my fiance moved in with me. I doubt we will be going back.

I think all I'd really need is a hammock. Those rock. Although lovin' on a hammock would be difficult.

I've always wanted a waterbed - but having four cats in the house, that make such an accomodation hard to get.

I think beds are awesome. I don't really have a real one (I pretty much sleep on a matress on the floor), so whenever I get the chance to sleep in a real bed, I'm very happy about it.

Futons suck! I do NOT recomend them to anyone for any reason. They might be comfortable for the first few weeks, but your MUCH better off investing in a great bed. You have to sleep in it every night and it really makes a difference in how you feel that day!

Might I add, they are really noisy!

I have had both a bed and a futon. My matress was shot, and well, couldn't really afford a new one and the old wooden bedframe was shot. So we threw out the bed and and matress (as well as an old dresser, just about to go to college and move soon after so wanted to get rid as much stuff as possible) I took the futon from the guest room in place of a new bed (which we wouldn't be able to afford anyway). This futon, mind you is also about 5 years old, same matress and all.

First of all, it's much lower to the floor than I was used to before. However, I had a twin size bed and this was bigger, and it let me spread out more than before, which was a bonus. The matress was pretty hard though (but still better than my old matress, which jeez, must have been like 10 years or older already). Sometimes it was tough to sleep on, and other times it was ok. I slept actually better when I was asleep in it though, but again, my old bed was really bad. I never even really bothered with the couch function. I've been in comfortable beds, and they are way better, so unless you find some sort of uber comfortable futon, I'd say just get a bed.

Years ago when my dad lived in the old house, my brother shared a room and we had a bunk bed and the bottom bunk was a futon. That was my bed. It was uncomfortable =/ The mattress is very thin and after awhile I could roll on it and count how many bars were underneathe it.

The sofa sleepers are nice. I sleep on one of them at my dad's current house if he's there, if he's not I steal his bed. It serves the same purpose- bed and couch. I think the bed is more comfortable and the couch looks more couch like than a futon :p

Someone mentioned a day bed. I had one. I never had a problem with it. I got rid of it when I got a twin a bed and had it move extended out from a the wall to the middle of my room (can't do that with a day bed). Now I have a full size bed and I bought a book case headboard for it. This is my favorite bed so far. When I first got the full size matress, it sat on my floor without a frame. That worked good to. Now I lose stuff under my bed -_-

=/

What?

Geez, when I was reading this topic, I was really confused. "Why does eveyone hate futons? They're fuckin' amazing!"

But then, I forgot that an American futon differs from a Asian one.

I suppose that everyone is talking about these:

http://www.ifurn.com/xmodels/eliteproducts/35-2514h.jpg

While I was thinking about these:

http://www.onsentamago.com/e/images/bed.jpg

So, while I agree that American futons/pull-out beds DO suck, Asian ones rock.

My grandma brought a futon over from Korea, and it's SOOO much more comfortable to sleep on than my mattress. It doesn't feel like I'm sleeping on anything, and I always get a nice night's sleep.

I dunno; if you can get an Asian futon, then go for it. I believe most are cheaper than mattress, plus it doesn't consume a whole lot of space (it reminds me of a fat rug, actually). The only downer I guess would be that you're kinda sleeping on the ground. Might be cautious if you have spiders or rats or whatever >_>;;

To be honest I have no problems with one over the other. When I was living in my apartment with my gf we had two futons. One for the living room and one for the bedroom. I can't really say I've ever got a bad nights sleep sleeping on a futon. I've actually had a hard time sleeping on a bed then on a futon but I guess it all really depends on the matress you sleep on.

The only complaint I really have with a futon is the futon in our bedroom is on a wooden frame, and when me and my gf have our intimate moments and it gets really intense, the wooden frame creaks really badly. I can't help but laugh, but it kind of ruins the moment.

At this moment, I haven't really had any complaints to sleeping on a futon even while I'm gone away for work, I'm still sleeping on a futon at my relatives house, so here to futons may I continue to sleep on you until you give me a bad sleeping experience.

Sleeping on a futon gets really old after a while. Most models come with this cheap-ass foam pad that doesn't even begin to compare to an actual mattress, and with some you can feel the metal bars jamming into your back.

It doesn't look like those have very much padding. Or do you prefer a hard surface to sleep on?

Mmm, well, I guess it doesn't have as much padding as American mattresses, but, unlike my bed, the futon my grandma has is MUCH more comfortable. Like I said before, it honestly doesn't feel like I'm sleeping on anything (as opposed to bed-springs and awkwardly quilted surfaces...if that makes any sense). I don't like sleeping on hard surfaces, since it puts bad pressure on my spine, so I don't think the amount of padding isn't small at all.

Of course, I never slept on those fancy mattresses, like the memory foam or sleep number mattresses, so I guess my opinion on American beds is a bit biased.

Yeah, my fiance and I just bought a queen sized pillow-top. It is sooooooo nice. I wish our room was bigger so we could have gotten a king. Oh well, still plenty of room for makin babies.