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.