When I started out looking for a guest bed for my mother-in-law, I had several things to bear in mind; the most important of these was that the bed needed to look very much like a sofa, as it was to sit in the study where my husband tutors his students. The sofa bed also needed to be small, as space is very tight in the study. After a lot of research, I decided on the unfortunately-named Tosa single futon, reduced from £109 to £89.99 in the Argos sale.

~~practical details~~
The Tosa turns from a single sofa, with a back seat height of 69cm, to a standard 2ft 6in single bed.

The width of the sofa is 76.5cm, either as a bed or a sofa, and the length of the bed when it has been unfolded is 195cm.

The frame is made of solid pine in a natural finish, and the mattress is 10cm thick. I chose a camel coloured matress, the cover of which is made from 100% cotton.

~~assembly~~
Assembly is very simple, and can easily be carried out by one person - it took me around 15 minutes. The entire futon comes flat-packed in one cardboard box - not huge, but available as a delivery-only item from Argos. The Argos delivery men were extremely polite and more than happy to carry it up the stairs for me.

The frame comes in two parts; one jointed part and one separate part. The separate part needs to be joined to the jointed part with a simple bolt and wing nut combination, thus forming the traditional futon zigzag base.

Once the base is propped in the deckchair-like formation (ie with the back forming a triangle and the seat section horizontal in front of it) the mattress can be folded into a similar zigzag and placed on top of the frame to form the sofa.

~~ the sofa~~
As a sofa, the Tosa is incredibly comfortable . The mattress is both plump and soft enough to enable me to sink down into it, and the 76.5cm width gives me plenty of room to relax. The angle of the back frame is just right, providing excellent back support, and the seat depth of 57cm feels very generous.

The camel colour that I chose is light without being too vulnerable to stains, and the cotton covers are smooth - not at all itchy or rough to sit on.

~~the bed~~
As a bed, the Tosa has proved to be a little low for my mother- in- law, who is elderly. With the mattress in place, it is about 23cm high - slightly better than a mattress placed on the floor, but still not ideal for older people.

Transforming the Tosa from a sofa to a bed takes only a few seconds - there is no complicated machinery to work, you merely have to remove the mattress, unfold the zigzag wooden base, and replace the mattress on the base. The entire weight of the unit is 17.7kg, and is not a problem to lift.

The mattress itself is very comfortable to sleep on - not as hard as most futons I have slept on in the past. It contains two wool and felt therma-bonded pads which really provide depth and softness.

It is essential to put some kind of mattress cover underneath the sheet, both to prevent stains and to protect the sleeper from the 10 ornamental buttons that make the mattress attractive to look at but slightly uncomfortable to sleep on.

~~futon care~~
The waxed pine frame can be cleaned with a furniture polish or a damp cloth. The mattress cover is fully removable via a long zip that runs the whole way down one side and the top of the mattress, enabling the covers to be dry cleaned.

~~opinion~~
I am extremely happy with my futon, and would recommend it as a cheap and comfortable guest bed. It has lasted well and everybody who has slept on it has commented on a comfortable night's sleep. It is so comfortable that I often choose to sit on it, tucked away from the family so that I can curl up and read a book in peace.

I feel that it is a quality product, and also looks modern and attractive.

Alternative choices were full sofa beds, which were much more expensive and also took up far more space.

Argos sell a double size version of the Tosa for £169, currently reduced to £119.