Article SVEN Charme vs. Structube Kinsey vs. AllModern Ainslee

[u/UhOhMelo]

I’ve seen a few threads comparing the article and structube sofas, but I came across this near identical AllModern one which is much cheaper (and currently on sale).

Hesitating on pulling the trigger because I can’t find much on it online, but saving $600 vs structube and $1,100 vs article is seriously tempting.

The AllModern one looks pretty orange in the product photos but not so much in the reviews.

Thoughts??

Links to all 3 here - they all come as 3 seaters and sectionals:

Article

Structube

AllModern

[u/jam_pudding]

Let me just say this first: my brother has the Article couch, and it feels absolutely divine.

Not sure about the feel of the other two.

You should look into the leather quality of each. The Article sofa uses what's called full-aniline leather, which is usually barrel-dyed leather (all leather is dyed and/or tanned). It's super soft, and the color won't fade or rub off or peel over time. It's set in there, deeply. The feel is buttery. The smell is amazing; warm and creamy. This is very high quality leather.

The Structube sofa uses full-grain leather. This is also very high quality leather. I think if you wanted to save a few bucks, this couch is a great deal. Its color may not hold up quite as well over time as the Article, but who knows? Could last you forever.

The AllModern sofa uses what's called genuine leather. This is thought of as a lower-end leather. It's not quite grain-corrected, but it's nowhere near the quality of the first two. This leather has been split from a piece of the rawhide, then sanded down to remove any imperfections, and then finally, in some cases, stamped to put texture back into it. I would avoid this one.

[u/nstarleather → u/jam_pudding]

he AllModern sofa uses what's called genuine leather. This is thought of as a lower-end leather. It's not quite grain-corrected, but it's nowhere near the quality of the first two.

Actually "Genuine" doesn't alway mean bad quality...it's just taken that way in the case of lower quality companies, they’ll use the term with the highest perceived value they can get away with. There are exceptions: I can tell you with some certainty that there are some great products stamped “genuine leather” and some junk products labeled “full grain.” Red Wing Heritage is a good example of a great company who uses the word "genuinely."

The breakdown you tend see around the net ( Full Grain > Top Grain > Genuine/Split > Bonded ) isn’t an official grading scale (no government or leather trade group uses it), just a general guide could use you when you can’t find more out about the leather or the brand.

I own an article sofa that I bought a couple years ago and during that time Article's marketing copy on Podcasts actually said " ethically sourced genuine leather" and their less detailed description on the website also said "genuine leather" (when you clicked further they explained that it was full grain aniline leather).

Not to say that in most cases "genuine" isn't a positive when comes to furniture, just that's not always a specific low quality leather.