Sawyer Power Reclining Sofa with Power Headrests & Lumbar vs Banks Sleeper Sofa Foam: which is safer?

Banks Sleeper Sofa Foam is the clear pick. Flexsteel Sawyer Power Reclining Sofa with Power Headrests & Lumbar carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Flexsteel Sawyer Power Reclining Sofa with Power Headrests & Lumbar

Flexsteel

Sawyer Power Reclining Sofa with Power Headrests & Lumbar

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Bad 11/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

Upholstered fabric, foam, hardwood frame

Confidence

35%

LikelyFlame retardants in foam

PossibleFormaldehyde-releasing resins in fabric and adhesives

ReportedVOC off-gassing from foam and motors

Our pick

Banks Sleeper Sofa Foam

Joybird

Banks Sleeper Sofa Foam

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Poor 39/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

polyurethane foam

Confidence

72%

LikelyVolatile Organic Compound (VOC) Off-Gassing

PossibleFlame Retardant Chemical Content

PossibleFormaldehyde in Adhesives and Binders

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Flame retardants in foam, Formaldehyde-releasing resins in fabric and adhesives, VOC off-gassing from foam and motors and Azo dyes or heavy metals in upholstery pigments on the Flexsteel and not on the Joybird.
  • We flag Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Off-Gassing, Flame Retardant Chemical Content, Formaldehyde in Adhesives and Binders and Foam Degradation Over Time on the Joybird and not on the Flexsteel.
  • The Flexsteel is Upholstered fabric, foam, hardwood frame where the Joybird is polyurethane foam, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • We are less certain about the Flexsteel grade, at 35% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More upholstered furniture: see the full ranking