A very RED sofa (Argos Tristan Sofabed)

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	Argos Tristan Sofabed
Date:	29/05/09 (236 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality for the price

Disadvantages: Gets a bit squashy and you end up sitting very low

I bought this sofabed for my living room when I moved into my new flat. I wanted somewhere for people to stay, but as it's a one bed I didn't have space for a sofa and a sofabed, so I had to get a sofabed to use as my main sofa. My budget was a little tight, so I looked around a lot and Argos were definately cheapest. I decided not to go for the cheapest option which had terrible reviews on the Argos site, and I didn't really like the next one, so a Tristan sofabed it was. I went for the red one as pictured here.

Ordering the sofa on the website was easy, but unfortunately it told me I was going to have to wait up to 28 days for delivery (other colours were less, but I wanted red). However I recieved a call about a week earlier than I expected, so it was about 3 weeks after I ordered the sofabed that it was delivered.

One thing to point out about delivery - for small items you can pay for Saturday delivery, for large items the delivery charge is the same no matter when it is delivered. However when Argos called me to arrange the delivery, I requested a Saturday and was told that they rarely do Saturdays and had none planned at present. So I had to take time off work to wait for it. The good thing with furniture is that although they give you a large time period (mine was 7am-12noon), they call you an hour beforehand so you get some warning and can stay in bed!

When the delivery guys came, there was a little concern they wouldn't get it in. Access is a little tricky, and they would have to lift it over their heads, which they aren't allowed to do. Fortunately, because I ordered a foam sofabed and not one with metal action it was quite light so they did lift it up.

The sofabed came packaged in think plastic and some cardboard, which was very easy to take off, even by myself. Once I had it unwrapped I could see the colour properly. It's not a nice dull almost terracotta colour like in the picture. It's RED. Fortunately, I liked it, but be warned, it is not a subtle colour.

The sofa is a little smaller than I expected (yes, again I didn't really pay attention to the dimensions given!) but it's a fine size for me and my cat - providing he doesn't curl up in the middle of it and leave me squashed at the end. Cat owners will understand when I say you can't move a sleeping cat.

The first few times I sat on the sofa, it was comfy and a little firm. Now it is very squashy. To look at, it has kept its shape but when you sit down you are really very low down. The frame is very solid and will not sag.

I've slept on the sofabed for a few nights when my parents visited, and it's not the best. It folds out very easily, but the base of the sofa forms part of the bed and is rather hard. I slept with my head in the base of the sofa but I think trying it with my head at the other end would be a good idea - the cushions are foam and quite comfy. It folds back up again fairly easily.

All in all, I am reasonably pleased with this. It does the job, and for £224.99 is good quality. The bed function isn't great, but it does the job. The main problem is the fact that the foam gets squashy and you end up sitting low down. Still, on a budget this is a good purchase and it will do until I can afford something better!

I'd recommend this for people like me, who want a sofabed but don't have space or money for more, or to put in a small spare room that you don't want to fill up with a bed all the time.

I'm struggling to decide between 3 and 4 stars, just to let you know...going to go for 3, but would go for 3.5 if I could!

Summary: Good for the price but not ideal as a sofa