Comfort, comfort, comfort. Sit back, relax, chill, take a load off in a Jaxx Bean Bag. We have enough stress in our lives, why not take some time, drink some wine and relax in a bean bag chair?

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

How to Assemble Your Jaxx Sac

Jaxx Sacs and Jaxx Loungers are terrific chairs, they offer supreme comfort for lounging, watching movies or snuggling. When they arrive, however, the jaxx sacs come unassembled.

They come unassembled purposefully to make it affordable to ship the chairs. This means that you have to put the chair together once it arrives. Everything you need to assemble the chair is included in the shipment so once you watch the following video you will be an expert at jaxx assembly!

Click on the following video to view how to assemble the jaxx sacs and loungers. Press play to start the video. Depending on your connection speek, the video may take a moment to load.


Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Answers to a Few of the Most Frequently Asked Questions about Bean Bag Chairs

Every day I have customers phoning to ask about bean bag chairs. Here are a few of the most common questions with answers to help guide your purchase of a bean bag chair. It is important to ask questions and find out all you can before you make a purchase so that when you get the chair home, it is all that you hoped it would be.

What is a Removable Cover and Do I Need One?

A removable cover is a cover that comes on top of the bean bag chair. The cover can be taken off of the bean bag chair. This is great because bean bag chairs sit on the floor and by their very nature get dirty. Having a removable cover means that you can remove the cover, throw it in the wash and your chair is as good as new. The other advantage to having a removable cover is that you can purchase additional covers and interchange them depending on your mood and your style.

Should you choose a bean bag chair with a removable cover? If you are purchasing the bean bag chair for a child or it will be used in a family room around food and drink a removable cover is a very good idea. If the bean bag chair will be in a bedroom, rarely used with food, or used primarily by adults, a removable cover is nice but not really necessary.

What is a Waterproof Liner and Do I Need One?

A waterproof liner is a special liner used in place of the typical cotton twill liner. The waterproof liner is made of a special fabric that either resists water penetration or completely blocks it. A waterproof liner is really useful in very specific situations: for therapeutic reasons, for people with disabilities or for long term care homes. In general though, a waterproof liner is not necessary.

The special fabric has a very tight weave and does not let air through easily. This means it takes a few minutes for the chair to be comfortable when you first sit down. For the average bean bag chair user, a waterproof liner will not be needed but for those with special circumstances, a good waterproof liner can be super effective and can make your chair last much longer.

How Do I Know Which Size Bean Bag Chair Is Right For Me?

Picking the right sized bean bag chair over the Internet can be a bit of a challenge because you do not get to try them out. Here are a few guidelines to follow to help you make the best choice.

Go by weight. A child sized chair (circumference of approximately 100 inches or 2 ft x 2 ft) will generally support a child 50 – 60 pounds or less. Older children and teenagers tend to prefer a mid-sized adult bean bag chair to a kid’s sized bean bag chair (approximate size 2.5ft x 2.5ft). Adult sized chairs support any weight but if you are a larger person a larger chair will suit you better (approximate size – greater than 3 ft).

Go by height. The best determinant of the perfect bean bag chair is height. If you are less than 5’5” a small to medium sized chair is going to work well, something 3 ft tall and around 3 ft to 4 ft wide. If you are over 5’5”, you’re best to look at a chair that is over 3 ft tall and at least 4 ft wide.

Go by shape. The round barrel shaped chairs are great for all ages and sizes. They provide great lounging comfort but do not provide much in the way of back and neck support when sitting up. The pear-shaped chairs are also great for all ages and sizes. They too provide great lounging comfort but due their shape are more chair-like and offer great back and neck support.

What Fabric Should I Choose?

Choosing the right fabric for your bean bag chair can be tough. The most obvious factor is to think of the color you want and then find the fabric that best matches. If you have more than one choice, think of how and where the bean bag chair will be used. If the chair will be in a high profile location in your home and you want it to blend in, choose a fabric that most closely matches the furniture in the room. Request fabric swatches for any fabrics you are interested in and then you know for sure what you are getting.

The other factor to consider is use and durability. If the bean bag chair will be used regularly choose a durable fabric that will stand up to wear and tear and can be washed easily. For instance, the new microfiber fabrics are lovely and soft and stand up well over time. In addition, they are washable and dryable. Cotton twill is a terrific fabric because it is soft and comfy to sit on and easy to maintain. Fabrics like the fuzzy fur are super popular with children but they do not last quite as long because the fur packs down and loses some of its furriness. Denim and corduroy are great because they soften over time and they are easy to spot clean.

What is the difference between foam filler and polystyrene bead filler?

Bean bag chair filling has changed over the years; originally they were filled with beans, then polystyrene beads and most recently, polyurethane foam. There is a lot of confusion over which filling is the best, which is the most comfortable and which is the most durable.

Polystyrene beads are the most familiar as they have been around for so long. They are shifty, comfy and are what make the bean bag chair unique. They compress while you sit on them but spring back to their original shape when you get up. It is the shifty, resiliency, and silliness of the polystyrene beads that makes bean bag chairs so fun. Polystyrene beads should last a few years depending on use, but they do eventually break down and require replacement. The fact that they break down inside the chair and require replacement is a good thing because polystyrene is not recyclable. Having it break down over time makes it much more environmentally friendly.

Polyurethane foam is the newest bean bag chair filler. In fact, there is a whole new set of names for the foam filled chairs including foof chair, fuf chair, love sac, jaxx sacs, etc. The foam filler is made up of small chunks of high density foam. The foam provides a lot of support, is super soft and can be poofed up over and over again. Foam may last longer than polystyrene beads because it doesn’t break down the same way. It does, however, stiffen up and become more firm over time. Eventually, replacement is necessary.

How Do I Choose Between Polystyrene Beads and Foam Filler?

First, think of the shape of chair you would prefer. Foam filled chairs tend to be round or barrel-shaped, acting more as loungers, providing slightly less back support. Polystyrene bead filled chairs come in all shapes but tend to be more chair-like or pear-shaped, providing more back support.

Second, think of the size of chair you would prefer. Foam filled chairs come in all sizes from super small to super large. Polystyrene bead filled chairs range from super small to mid-sized. You can find large polystyrene bead filled chairs but they are relatively rare and tend to be quite expensive.

Third, think of how you will use the chair. If the chair is to be used for reading, sitting up playing games or anything upright a pear-shaped chair is going to be the best solution. If you are planning on lounging, watching TV or just prefer being horizontal, the round foam filled chairs will be ideal.

Fourth, think of what you want to pay. In general, foam filled chairs tend to be slightly less expensive than polystyrene bead filled chairs. Part of the reason for this is foam is much less expensive to ship so is cheaper overall. Also, foam chunks are the waste materials from furniture production so are less expensive to source out.

The only argument against polystyrene beads is their shiftiness. You constantly have to get up and reposition the chair so that you are supported by the beads. The only argument against foam filler is that it can feel hard. After sitting on foam for awhile, it compresses and loses its softness. To regain the softness, you have to get up and toss the chair around. Either way you are getting up to reposition the chair.

Maybe the best of both worlds is choosing a combination of both foam filling and polystyrene bead filling. A couple of companies sell a mixture of foam chunks and polystyrene beads. It is called Royal Mix or Superfill. With the combination of the two fill types you get the best chair – it has the supportiveness of the foam and the shiftiness of the beads. The combined fill makes the perfect bean bag chair: supportive, soft, comfy and cozy.

In the end, the filler makes the chair. Choose the type of fill that best matches your lifestyle. Some people love the shiftiness of the polystyrene beads while others love the support of the foam. The final decision comes down to personal preference and what best matches your needs.

Jaxx Sac Versus Fuf Chair? Is There a Difference?

Jaxx Sacs and Fuf Chairs are the new wave in bean bag chair technology, if that isn’t an oxymoron! Both are foam filled chairs that provide super comfortable lounging experiences. Both are made in the USA. Both come in a wide range of sizes from small to huge. Both offer removable covers and a round-barrel shape. If you had two inner bags, one a jaxx sac and one a fuf chair, you would likely not be able to tell them apart. There are however, many differences between the two chairs

Fuf or Foof Chairs are made by a company called Comfort Research. The founders created the fuf chair out of an old bean bag chair and some scrap furniture foam. They dubbed it the “foof” chair and a whole new design was created. They became instantly popular because they were so comfortable and affordable.

Jaxx Sacs are a newer release in the marketplace from a company called Foamlabs. Foamlabs produces furniture and mattresses and had so much scrap foam left over, they decided to make foam-filled sacs and call them Jaxx Sacs. They make use of the excess foam and because it is furniture grade foam, their chairs are a high quality product.

Foof chairs come in a wide range of fabrics; you pay more based on the fabric you prefer. You can also pay to have a removable cover which can be removed and washed periodically. Generally I would recommend a removable cover but the covers on the fuf chairs are quite hard to get on and off so you might be better to save your money.

Jaxx Sacs come with a removable, washable cover made with microfiber. The microfiber covers stand up well to wear and tear and zip on and off relatively easily for washing. The different types of microfiber enable you to choose a fabric texture that best suits your décor. The great thing about these fabrics is how luxurious they feel. Now when you add a jaxx sac or jaxx lounger to your home it will not stick out like a sore thumb but blend it and become part of the overall design scheme.

Both chairs have a round barrel shape. The jaxx sacs come in 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet or 6 feet diameters. They are all 3 feet tall. The fuf chairs have a few more sizes available in the smaller sizes and they also vary in height. The round, barrel shape comes in 2.5 feet, 3 feet, 3.5 feet, 4 feet, and 4.5 feet. They then change shape to an oblong loveseat shape, in 6 or 7 feet lengths, perfect for two. Foamlabs also has a line of loungers called the jaxx loungers. They are 3 feet wide and tall and can be 5 feet, 6 feet or 7.5 feet long. They are great loveseats for snuggling.

Upon delivery, both chairs require some time to reach their full potential. They come shrink wrapped and compressed to make the shipping cost bearable. When you take the fuf chairs out of their box, they come ready assembled. All you have to do is wait for the foam to fill with air and poof up. After a couple of days the chair will be super comfy. The jaxx sacs and loungers require assembly. The come with instructions to insert the foam into the chair and then put the cover on. The foam can be a bit messy but once the chair is together and the foam filled with air, the chair is terrific for lounging.

Price wise the two chairs are relatively comparable except that you pay more for a removable cover for the fuf chairs which comes included in the jaxx sac. With the fuf chair you have the convenience of having the chair all put together when it arrives but the inconvenience of having to fight to get the cover on and off. The jaxx sacs require assembly but the covers are designed to come on and off relatively easily so clean up is easier. You don’t have to worry about eating and drinking while lounging because you know you can throw the cover in the wash.

The two chairs are both filled with small chunks of furniture grade foam. They are both a high quality chair made by quality companies. The fabric selection for the fuf chairs is fun and colorful whereas the fabrics for the jaxx sacs are luxurious and stylish. Deciding which chair is best for you depends on who is going to use it, where it is going to be used and what it is going to be used for. For instance, if you are purchasing the chair for a small child’s bedroom, the smaller foof chairs in cotton twill would be great. If you are purchasing for a family room or a living room, the larger jaxx sacs in a lovely microfiber might fit your décor better. Whichever one you choose, you cannot go wrong with one of these terrific chairs.