We all need furniture! We need a dining room table to eat dinner at and a comfy couch to relax on at the end of the day. Furniture is an essential part of any home.
Although our need for furniture is quite simple, choosing furniture gets a little bit more complex.
When shopping for new furniture, there are many things to consider. You will want to determine your preferences regarding quality, comfort, style, and cost, all of which are determined by the brand that designs and manufactures the furniture.
With this, choosing a furniture brand might be the most important decision of all.
Luckily, there is no shortage of unique furniture brands to choose from.
In fact, in the US alone, there are over 171 different furniture brands making furniture.
While we are proud of the products and services offered by our La-Z-Boy brand, we also realize that we are not for everyone. It is important to consider all of your options when making such a significant investment in furnishing your home.
Elran and La-Z-Boy are two primary examples of established and reputable furniture brands. This article will compare both brands based on …
While both brands are a fantastic choice, the comparative information in this article will guide you in deciding which furniture brand best suits your individual needs and preferences.
Let’s Get to Know Both Brands
Founded by Irving Lubin in 1867, the Elran brand was the first of its kind in Canada to specialize in the design and manufacturing of reclining furniture.
Operating out of one manufacturing plant in Canada, Elran distributes its furniture to hundreds of retailers throughout Canada and the United States.
Elran solely produces high-quality stationery and motion upholstery furniture in modern styles that reflect their continued focus on evolving and leading with a technological edge.
The brand is proud to produce custom furniture options that are tailor-made to meet customer expectations and lifestyles.
In comparison, La-Z-Boy has been manufacturing and distributing quality and comfortable furniture for over 90 years.
As a public company with over 10,000 employees, La-Z-Boy furniture is sold in thousands of residential retail outlets in the United States and Canada. La-Z-Boy products are also distributed with licenses in other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Turkey, and South Africa.
La-Z-Boy is well-known for designing the original reclining wood-slate chair in 1927. The name itself has become synonymous with the recliner category in much the same way that Kleenex is sometimes used interchangeably with a tissue.
While the company has evolved into a modern brand offering a variety of furniture products, La-Z-Boy still operates based on its founding principles.
La-Z-Boy is proud of its product quality and craftsmanship that aims to meet and exceed industry standards. At La-Z-Boy, the team strives to consistently deliver products that live up to the La-Z-Boy name.
Moreover, at La-Z-Boy, there is an emphasis on integrity, ethics, and environmental vigilance in all operations.
What products does each brand offer?
Elran and La-Z-Boy are similar in that they are both known for their high-quality upholstery products. This includes motion and stationary sofas, sectionals, and recliners.
With this, there are some differences in the products they offer and differences in what they offer beyond upholstery.
Elran Products
As mentioned above, Elran focuses on the manufacturing and distribution of high-quality upholstery products. This includes a variety of stationary and motion sofas, sectionals, and reclining chairs.
Elran specializes in producing furniture suited for the living room but does not produce case goods or accessories that you may find in other areas of the home.
Much of Elran’s furniture is made with leather, and without sacrificing quality, Elran products give off a sleek, stylish, and modern appeal.
With a wide range of style configurations to choose from, many Elran products are customizable and come available in many fabric or vinyl options.
La-Z-Boy Products
Similarly, as the inventor of the iconic recliner, La-Z Boy as a brand places an emphasis on upholstery living room products such as sofas, sectionals, loveseats, and reclining chairs.
With a wide variety of upholstered living room furniture, La-Z-Boy offers high-quality products in both stationary and power.
In contrast, La-Z-Boy and Elran differ in that La-Z-Boy also offers a wide variety of furniture products that serve in alternate rooms of the home such as the bedroom, kitchen, and dining room.
In comparison to Elran’s more modern appeal, La-Z-Boy products take a more timeless approach to style and aim to create ‘comfort first’ furniture.
Like Elran, all upholstered products at La-Z-Boy are customizable in fabric, leather, upgrades, and accessories.
The making of Elran and La-Z-Boy products
Elran and La-Z-Boy are both known for manufacturing high-quality and comfortable products, but each brand has it’s own approach to doing so.
With a focus on the making of their upholstered products, this section will highlight the manufacturing methods that are unique to each company.
Elran
Elran has developed a step-by-step production method, from design to prototype testing to final assembly, that serves to maintain the quality standards of their products. With this, Elran claims that they are continuously innovating their design mechanisms to enhance the performance and fluidity of their products.
Below are some specific details about the construction of their upholstery products that set them apart.
Swivel Base
Elran offers a swivel base option on most rocker recliners.
These swivel bases are easy to install and have the ability to rotate 360 degrees compared to motorized recliners that can only rotate 160 degrees.
Frame
The frame of Elran upholstery is made with superior grade spruce plywood. The way in which this plywood is dried ensures that the frame does not warp or crack.
The wood pieces used to make up the frame systematically interlock to create a strong and reinforces structure. Further, Elran uses an engineered wood called TimberStrand to reinforce areas of the frame that might endure more pressure or weight.
Finally, Elran frames are built with an ‘L-Shape piece’ that connects the back of the arm to the seat in order to further reinforce the frame.
Backrest
Elran products are made with a removable backrest in order to make moving and placing the furniture more effortless.
Mechanism
Elran partners with Legget and Platt in the co-development of their recliner mechanism. With this, Elran has exclusive rights to the specific design of their mechanism.
Elran has invested in a thicker grade metal to make up its mechanism for increased quality and durability. They also use self-tapping screws which reduce the risk of loose fastenings.
Seat Foam
Elran uses high-quality density foam to fill their seat cushions. This compression foam is pre-crushed providing flexibility and comfort in the cushion.
Further, Elran uses high-quality No-Sag springs that are linked by a metal rod which contributes to better weight distribution when sitting in the chair.
Finally, felt is installed over the springs to ensure the protection and longevity of the foam.
Filling
Elran upholstery products are manufactured with only 100% new polyester fiber filling.
Elran claims that curled fiber is better for resilience and shape retention.
La-Z-Boy
At La-Z-Boy, the recliners are built with seven unique features that set the brand apart from other furniture manufacturers. This includes not only the recliner chair but also the motion recliner sofas and sectionals.
The Seven La-Z-Boy “Only’s”
- Independent Reclining Back
This build-in feature allows you to recline and rock back while in a seated position.
2. Locking Three-Position Footrest
La-Z-Boy’s footrest is made to lock into three unique positions, allowing you to find customized comfort in your chair.
3. Double-Locking Footrest
La-Z-Boy’s recliners are built with a double-locking footrest mechanism that eliminates startling footrest dropping.
4. Adjustable Height Legrest
Our La-Z-Boy recliners are built with a patented 16-position tilt ratchet mechanism that allows you to fully recline back into the position that you find most comfortable. Each click of the mechanism allows you to recline back further, ultimately leading to a fully reclined position with your head and feet at the same height.
5. Hinged Seat & Back
La-Z-Boy recliners are built with a back and seat that are hinged together so that there is no separation when the chair is fully reclined. This eliminates gaps in the chair and creates excellent lower lumbar support and full-body support.
6. Four-Sided Unibody Frame
Our recliner chairs are constructed based on our patented four-sided unibody frame. This means that all four sides of the chair frame are connected so any stress placed on the chair is distributed evenly throughout the body. This frame accomplishes unmatched strength and durability.
7. Adjustable Reclining Tension
La-Z-Boy recliners are built with the ability to adjust the amount of tension on the back of the chair by using a pair of wingnuts located under the seat. By adjusting the wingnuts, you can find customized comfort based on weight and strength.
When shopping at a local La-Z-Boy retailer, our La-Z-Boy consultants will flip the recliner chair to show you how our product is built. You can see these unique La-Z-Boy features with your own eyes.
In addition to our recliners, all La-Z-Boy furniture products sold from an Ottawa or Kingston location go through a rigorous quality check before being shipped to your doorstep.
This includes a preparation process prior to product delivery. The product is unboxed in order to make sure there are no manufacturing defects. If necessary, the product will be touched up, and finally sent on its way. Our inspectors are trained by La-Z-Boy to ensure that the product is made to the highest standard.
Finally, not only is our furniture at La-Z-Boy made with quality craftsmanship, but it is also made with care. Meet the Makers here at La-Z-Boy …
But where do Elran and La-Z-Boy products come from?
Elran
Elran products are all manufactured out of a single 235,000 square foot plant in Montreal, Canada. The Elran production plant is highly automated utilizing efficient and cellular strategies in order to operate a ‘just-in-time production system’.
Although all Elran products are manufactured and assembled in Canada, many of the parts that make up Elran products are sourced from all over the world.
More specifically, the Elran reclining mechanism is imported from the United States, along with Elran foam and springs.
Further, the fabrics that cover Elran upholstery are imported from Asia.
La-Z-Boy
In comparison to Elran, which manufactures within Canada and distributes as far as the United States, the La-Z-Boy brand is a global manufacturer with operations in North America, Asia, and Europe.
La-Z-Boy’s products are primarily made in North America for North American markets.
The global headquarters of La-Z-Boy is in Monroe, Michigan but the majority of our recliners, chairs, sofas, and sectionals that are sold in Ottawa and Kingston are manufactured in Dayton, Tennessee.
For more information, check out the article Where La-Z-Boy Furniture is Made.
What price are we looking at?
When it comes to price range, Elran and La-Z-Boy products are quite comparable. Both brands fall within the mid to high-price range category.
The cost that Elran products are sold to consumers is determined by the individual authorized Elran dealers. Therefore, the exact cost of Elran products tends to vary from retailer to retailer and based on distances from the manufacturer to account for freight differences.
In contrast, La-Z-Boy products are primarily sold at La-Z-Boy retailers, but similar to Elran, La-Z-Boy products are also sold at alternative licensed and approved dealers. The retail price is set by the independent retailer and not La-Z-Boy Inc.
Are Elran and La-Z-Boy products protected by a warranty?
High-quality furniture is a costly investment. When purchasing expensive upholstery products for your home, you want to ensure that the value of your purchase is protected and will last over time.
As manufacturers of high-quality furniture, both Elran and La-Z-Boy offer comprehensive warranty protection plans.
Elran
Elran offers a variety of warranty plans including a Lifetime Warranty, a 2-Year Warranty, and a 1-Year Warranty.
Lifetime Warranty
The Lifetime Warranty protects the value of the reclining mechanism, the frame, wood parts, swivel base, and the springs.
2-Year Warranty
The 2-Year Warranty covers the leather coverings, a combination of leather/vinyl coverings, and the electric motor in motion furniture.
1-Year Warranty
The 1-Year Warranty protects the labour involved in repairs, fabric coverings, vinyl coverings, foam, inspection charges, shipping charges on parts, the battery, and electrical wiring.
La-Z-Boy
The La-Z-Boy reclining mechanism is unique to the brand. La-Z-Boy manufactures and stamps all of its own mechanisms. Additionally, La-Z-Boy is diligent in serving and supplying all of their own parts.
In turn, La-Z-Boy products are sold with a manufacturing Limited Lifetime Warranty that covers years of damage caused by manufacturing error or workmanship. This warranty is applicable across all upholstery categories consistently. We, at La-Z-Boy, pride ourselves on having one of the best warranty plans in the furniture industry.
For an extra cost, La-Z-Boy also offers a more comprehensive service protection plan that covers up to 5 years of accidental damage. The cost of this protection plan extension is relative to the price of the product.
For more information on La-Z-Boy’s warranty and protection plan take a look at the article Is La-Z-Boy Warranty Worth it. You may also find some useful tips on how to maintain the look of your furniture in the article 2020 Furniture Care Tips.
Let’s Shop! Elran and La-Z-Boy retailers in Ottawa & Kingston
Elran
Ottawa
Sofa World
1163 St-Laurent blvd Ottawa, Ontario K1K 3B7
1841 Merivale Rd Ottawa, Ontario K2G 1E3
Canada Care Medical
1644 Bank Street Ottawa, Ontario K1V7Y6
Dufresne Furniture & Appliances
1901 Cyrville Rd Gloucester, Ontario K1B 1A9
10-290 W Hunt Club Rd Nepean, Ontario K2E 0B7
Upper Room Home Furnishings
545 W Hunt Club Rd Ottawa, Ontario K2G 5W5
1344 Youville Dr Orléans, Ontario K1C 2X8
Fallowfield Pharmasave
1B-3500 Fallowfield Rd Ottawa, Ontario K2J4A7
Kingston
Jacob Nathan Home Furnishings
2776 Princess St. Kingston, Ontario K7P1W9
Countrytime Furniture
1245 Midland ave Kingston, Ontario K7P2Y1
La-Z-Boy Retailers
Ottawa
Kingston
What’s Next?
Elran and La-Z-Boy are both great choices. With a detailed comparison of each company, the choice is now yours!
The La-Z-Boy brand produces high-quality furniture that is consistent in comfort and longevity.
We are proud of the products we offer at La-Z-Boy and are confident that our skilled consultants can help find the perfect piece of furniture to meet your style, preferences, and lifestyle.
In addition to our products, we also offer an array of services, such as custom furniture and interior design, that ensure the furniture you choose fits seamlessly into the style of your home.
If you are interested in what our brand has to offer, let’s get started on your furniture shopping experience.
La-Z-Boy Ottawa & Kingston are owned and operated by the local Maxwell family.
Visit us at one of our local Ottawa or Kingston locations or schedule an appointment to meet a personal consultant.
