Red barrel studio

twitter announced today that it will be removing its implementation of stories dubbed “fleets.” the feature was either loved or hated by twitter users since its initial release last year.

this short-lived feature, which was released in november of last year, will be removed on august 3. twitter acknowledged the controversial nature of the snapchat/instagram clone with the farewell tweet. notably, there was no fleet from the main twitter account announcing the departure of the feature, only a standard tweet.

in the goodbye, the company said it is working on “new stuff.” one can hope that they add the ability to edit tweets, in addition to the new edit audience and monetization features.

in a more detailed blog post, twitter shared that it hoped fleets would make people more comfortable posting onto twitter. as fleets disappear, some of the fleet creation features, like gifs and stickers, will be implemented into the standard tweets composer.

check out 9to5mac on youtube for more apple news:

We purchased Red Barrel Studio's Betz Reclining Loveseat so our writer could put it to the test in her own home. Keep reading for our full product review.

We’ve never had a recliner before, and I wasn’t really sure what the fuss was about. I am more of an ottoman person. But, I’ve always been intrigued by recliners and why some people seem to love them so much. Now that I’m older (in my 40s), I’m more enthusiastic about putting my feet up. So, when we had the opportunity to test the Red Barrel Studio Betz Reclining Loveseat, we were all in. Read on to see if this loveseat recliner was a boom or a bust.

Performance: We love how it works

Red Barrel Studio’s Betz Reclining Loveseat had me at my first recline. With the flip of a lever (on the side of the loveseat under the armrest), my leg and footrest smoothly swooped out to gently support the lower half of my body. And, as easy as it was to recline, it is just as simple to get back into the upright position. You push down with your calves and the footrest retracts. The recliner moves fluidly and feels very stable no matter what position you are in.

As a recliner for two people, each seat of the loveseat reclines independently and each person can adjust their seating to their liking. I also love that while the piece is 160 pounds, it was easy to move around the room as it slides easily.

What I didn’t realize until two days into my purchase, was that the recline position adjusts even further than the initial angle achieved via the lever. By sliding up your hips and moving them forward, the loveseat smoothly reclines even further to 130 degrees. Even better, it can be adjusted incrementally to your liking—and then holds that position. You can easily get it into the exact angle of relaxation that suits you most. 

My 8-year-old and I came across this feature by accident. To say we were delighted by this discovery doesn’t do our excitement justice. Just thinking again about the discovery makes me laugh and transformed my enthusiastic like of this loveseat into true love. 

Comfort: Super

Red Barrel Studio’s Betz Reclining Loveseat comfortably fits two medium- to small-sized people, which works well for my family. However, it would not work well for larger-sized individuals, First, you might exceed the furniture’s 200-pound weight capacity, and it would feel cramped with two mid- to large-sized people. This loveseat accommodates two kids, an adult and a child, or two mid- to small-sized adults, with or without a dog squeezed in. 

This loveseat is super comfortable and provides great leg and back support. You do not need any pillows to achieve a happy position. The faux-leather upholstery is soft and smooth to the touch. The seats are plush and offer decent lumbar support. The low armrests give the chair an inviting feeling. Basically, this comfy loveseat has become the most coveted spot in our living room for the people in our family and our dog.

Design: Simplicity at its best

This loveseat, which is made in China, comes with a solid dark brown wood frame. The piece is upholstered in leather-like vinyl that looks close to the real thing and comes in a rich brown color. The simple, streamlined design of the split back sofa gives it a very appealing look. It can easily fit in with just about any living room or family room style. 

The seats are built with comfort in mind and are constructed with padded coils (coil spring, pocket spring, and sinuous springs are used), a solid frame, durable, foam-filled seats, and pillow-top arms. Another great perk is that you don’t need much wall clearance to fully recline. The seat and leg rest mostly move forward rather than tipping back. In fact, all you need is 3 inches of wall clearance to fully recline.

I do have a few gripes with this piece of furniture. Firstly, why is the individual weight capacity only 200 pounds? This feels a little limiting—it would be great if it could accommodate a larger-sized person. 

Next, it doesn’t fit a taller body very well. I am five foot, seven inches, and while it is very comfortable for me, my heels rest on the end of the leg rest. I wish the leg rest went out a few more inches. Certainly, for someone taller than me this could become a comfort issue. 

Lastly, aesthetically speaking, the two seats have a slight space between them, which obviously has the benefit that either seat can move independently but it does let a bit of light through, affecting the look of the 58-inch wide sofa a smidgen.

Ease of Assembly: Fantastic

This was by far the easiest piece of furniture I have ever assembled. I was expecting a much bigger set-up project after the large box arrived but all that was required was to attach the chair-backs (via metal posts) to the seat of the loveseat. That’s it. The set-up literally took two minutes, start to finish—and one minute of it was me feeling dumbstruck that it could actually be so easy. 

The most challenging part of the process was getting the chair out of the box, which we ended up cutting off with heavy-duty scissors, using great care not cut into the upholstery.

Ease of Cleaning: Simple

This loveseat is a breeze to take care of. I’ve had apple juice and snacks spilled on it, not to mention lots of sticky little bodies (my kids aged 8 to 16) and a furry puppy climbing and sitting on it. It still looks like new. 

Nothing seems to soak into the upholstery, so cleaning it is just a matter of wiping it off with a dry or damp cloth.

Price: Reasonable

This loveseat retails for between $560 and $635. This is in the low to mid-range for this type of furniture, which, in general, can be found at a wide variety of price points, from around $350 all the way up to $2,000 or more. Definitely, the faux-leather upholstery saves you a bit of money compared with real leather. This compromise works for me—despite missing the extra softness and special look of real leather.

Red Barrel Studio Betz Reclining Loveseat vs. Riverstone Furniture Collection Leather Recline Loveseat

These reclining loveseats share a very similar look and design. Both have an appealing dark chocolate color, smooth, plush seats, and multiple reclining positions.

The main differences are that the Riverstone Furniture Collection Leather Recline Loveseat (view on Target) is made with real leather, has a bit more detailing on the upholstery, and costs more. It retails between $850 and $1060, compared with around $600 for the Red Barrel Studio product. If you’re wedded to real leather, go with the Riverstone Furniture Collection piece, otherwise, I’d stick with the Red Barrel option, which gets you a great-looking and wonderfully comfortable product at a much lower price. 

The 8 Best Reclining Loveseats of 2021

Specs

• Product Name Betz Reclining Loveseat
• Product Brand Red Barrel Studio
• SKU RDBS3114
• Price $679.00
• Weight 160.6 lbs.
• Product Dimensions 58 x 37.5 x 37.5 in.
• Color Brown
• Material Foam (seat fill); wood (frame and legs); upholstery (bonded leather; PU, vinyl)
• Warranty 1 year

Date of birth

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