Bay Leather Republic New Sofa, Are They Good?

L67Gateway on 10/04/2016 - 12:48

Hi everyone,

I am hoping there are some ozbargainers out there that have experienced with buying sofa from Bay Leather Republic.
We are interested in their Latitude range. They come with full grain leather. We tested them in store an they really feel soft and wonderful. By any means, they are not cheap. A set might cost me more than 5k! They also have lead time of 12-14 weeks.

Can anyone give some insights on Bay Leather Republic? And also this particular sofa range?

Thank you very much

Cheers!

Home & Garden

Related Stores

bayleather.com.au
bayleather.com.au

Comments

  • Peace Maker on 10/04/2016 - 13:03
    +1

    I bought a sofa from them around 6 months ago. Took 3 months to arrive but received regular updates. Quality seems good. I got the corrected grain. No problems or issues.

    • 67Gateway on 10/04/2016 - 15:13

      Thanks for that, yep he said it will be about 3-4 months for delivery. I guess that's the norm. Cheers

  • slknv on 10/04/2016 - 13:37
    +1

    Bought a home cinema recliner set of 4, with electric motors about 4 years ago. Yep, pretty expensive, but so far so good, no problems with the electrics or the leather. Cheap "leather" you have to be wary of, especially with "bonded" or polyurethane "leather".

    • 67Gateway on 10/04/2016 - 15:40

      Yes, looking for a better leather than the one I have which is bonded leather. The salesperson is saying that all leather sofa sold there are either full or corrected grain leather. Hopefully that is true. I am hoping my sofa will last me 10 years+

  • simplyme on 10/04/2016 - 18:20
    +1

    I bought 2 recliners from BLR and in less than a year the foam filling slipped down at the back and I was leaning on a metal bar. BLR gave me a credit so I bought a suite, couch and recliners valued at about $5,500. I paid the extra. I supposedly had bought one of BLR's top of the range suites. After 18 months the leather colour had peeled on one of the recliner's headrests due to the body oils of my husband. This was not covered by warranty. I think the suite was called Monaco. After googling, I found other people had had the same issue. Turns out the leather is sprayed with a colour and sealer. Not sure if that means bonded. The body oils dissolved the sealer and the leather soaked up body oils. Fortunately, I found a repairer who had an oil extractor. After 2 years or more the same thing has happened again. This is my fourth lot of leather furniture and all I can say is BLR suites are not a patch on my Moran. I read that leather can either be washed in a dye or a colour and sealer applied on top of the leather which is the most common form of colouring leather these days. I wish you well in finding a well made leather suite in this day and age, try and get one not made in China and if it is then make sure it is of a reputable brand like Moran, Tessa etc. I know some of Natuzzi suites are made in Italy.

    • 67Gateway on 10/04/2016 - 20:07

      Thank you for that.

      And yes, I have seen some reviews on the net that saying the leather is peeling off after a couple of years. I couldn't find the suite type "Monaco" on their website anymore. It might be an earlier version of their range.

      I have considered Natuzzi, but I think their prices are way above my budget. They are definitely nice sofas!!

      Once again, thank you for sharing your past experience with BLR. I need to do a bit more research.
      Why is it so hard to find quality leather sofa with affordable price nowadays? :(

  • Aniseed Steed on 10/04/2016 - 20:55
    +1

    Would you consider vintage leather sofas from the 1950s-60s like these, for example? None of that inferior Chinese-made furniture that most of the local furniture outlets stock.

    • 67Gateway on 10/04/2016 - 23:31

      Wow, they are seriously classic furnitures. It wouldn't fit with anything in my unit though. Will look a bit strange in the living room. Thanks for the link though, its nice to see they are still around

  • Jakjakjak on 10/04/2016 - 22:16

    Bay Leather is owned by the same people who own Freedom.

    • 67Gateway on 10/04/2016 - 23:28

      Does that mean that their products are not good?

  • pink59 on 11/04/2016 - 12:38
    +1

    We bought full grain leather couch $20k and individual $5k armchairs over 15 years ago. Imported from Italy. Still like new 😘

    • 67Gateway on 11/04/2016 - 13:52

      That's nice!!! Wish I can afford that. Maybe one day in the not too far future! :D

      • pink59 on 12/04/2016 - 19:55

        I'm sure not too far away 👍 Good luck!!

  • Associatedbudgetman @ bayleather.com.au on 11/04/2016 - 20:00
    +1

    BLR and Freedom are owned by Steinhoff Asia Pacific.
    I have a BLR Auditorium set and it is comfortable, well made and have not had any issues since purchase.
    Buy the extended warranty, its well worth the money as it covers you for accidental damages etc.
    Wait for a sale, they always have a sale. I would be buying just before financial year end.

    • 67Gateway on 12/04/2016 - 21:16

      Thank you. Another positive vote for them

  • xsacha on 17/04/2016 - 16:11
    +1

    Got one of these 6 months ago and still like new. Didn't need to wait for delivery because I purchased floor stock for cheap.
    After a week of shopping, this was the most comfortable leather lounge we felt and you can easily fall asleep on it.

  • ninnynoo on 14/12/2016 - 15:50

    Hi 67Gateway, Did you end up purchasing a Latitude leather lounge ? I've got my eye on one from Freedom but have read some not so good reviews saying it sags and the leather can fade. I want to purchase it in the Caramel colour but someone said theirs had faded to a yellow colour.

    If anyone has one of these lounges, can you please advise or even better take a photo to show me what it looks like after a year or two's use.

    • 67Gateway on 14/12/2016 - 15:59

      Hi ninnynoo, yes, we eventually got the sofa and the exact one that you mentioned. Latitude in Caramel.
      We only had it for 3 months though, it is still as good as new. No colour fade or sagging noticed yet (hopefully it doesn't!)

      Good Luck in your purchase!

      • ninnynoo on 14/12/2016 - 16:44

        Thanks so much. I'm a little nervous - have gone to purchase it twice now and backed out. The ladies in the store keep seeing me in there sitting on it and ask me if I've ordered it yet. I've got a very open house so it will definitely get a lot of light on it so I hope it doesn't fade. It's a really good looking lounge and I'll probably go and purchase it now.

  • Associatedbudgetman @ bayleather.com.au on 24/12/2016 - 17:42
    +1

    Leather will stretch and soften over time. If kept in direct sun light it will also fade.
    I am in Quality control at the DC and I can tell you that I have only ever seen 1 sofa come back from a customer due to what looked like scratching on 1 seat cushion…..maybe a cat had some fun?
    I have mentioned in an earlier comment to purchase the leather care warranty as all accidental damage is covered. In the case above we replaced the sofa.
    I dont work in the office so cant and would not comment on specifics.
    I have a leather sofa and purchased the care plan and you would be crazy if you didnt.
    Freedom have them on sale now and also have a promo with giving away free 40" TV's. Check the web site for details.
    Hope this helps you decide.

  • Graceland on 14/11/2018 - 12:20

    I purchased a 3 seat brown leather apartment couch. After one year the top layer started peeling.
    The couch didn't even last a year, when leather should last many years.

    Save your money and purchase a couch with better quality leather.
    Spending money here is like throwing it down the drain.

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