When I was initially shopping for a new leather sofa, completely clueless about where to shop and what brand to buy, I was immediately drawn to Hancock & Moore, following some extensive online research.Â
The folks over at MyFurnitureForum (one of the leading furniture forums) spoke quite highly of Hancock & Moore, however, I was somewhat skeptical, given that the owner of the website is a reseller of Hancock & Moore furniture.Â
However, based on my research, Hancock & Moore doesn't disappoint, topping our leather sofa furniture brand rankings, scoring near the top of the pack for overall leather quality, customer reviews, warranty and overall value.
They also scored quite high in our ranking of the best leather recliner brands and topped our list of the Top Overall Leather Furniture Brands.Â
In this piece, I dive deeper into the Hancock & Moore company, providing more information on their leather furniture and whether consumers should consider it for purchase.
If you have any experience with Hancock & Moore leather furniture, please leave a comment below or feel free to email me personally at tom@bestleathercouches.com
Summary:
One of the longest running US based furniture manufacturers (over 40 years) with a solid reputation, a high quality product, with limited customer complaints regarding quality, service or warranty
Key Features:
overallÂ
Quality
Value
Warranty
Reviews
What's The Background Of Hancock & Moore?
Hancock & Moore was launched in 1981, when craftsman Jimmy Moore decided to start his own furniture company. Co-Founder Jack Glasheen didn't want his name in the company's moniker, so he choose good old 'John Hancock' to represent his identity--hence the 'Hancock' in 'Hancock & Moore'.Â
The company is based in North Carolina, and has two manufacturing plants with close to 400 employees and 265,000 square feet. Their focus has always been on quality, with a mission to "build fine furniture of uncompromising quality that endures for generations".
The company was acquired in 2015 by Rock House Farm, which is a premier operator of various high quality furniture brands. Â Despite some managerial changes, their leather furniture remains at the top of the class and is one of the best combinations of quality and value in the marketplace.
Is Hancock & Moore Legit?
Hancock and Moore is one of the longest running US-based leather furniture manufacturers. It has an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau and only eight complaints over the past three years.Â
It does not sell its leather furniture products directly to consumers, but rather to approved furniture dealers, so an important part of your purchase will be ensuring that you find a reputable furniture reseller to work with.Â
Where Does Hancock & Moore Make Its Furniture?
As noted previously, Hancock & Moore has two massive North Carolina based manufacturing facilities. Hancock & Moore stresses that its products are all hand made and built to order, with up to 80 hours spent building each piece of Hancock & Moore furniture.
Hancock & Moore prides itself on custom built and handcrafted 8-way hand tied suspension systems, the gold standard in terms of high quality sofa construction.
Thus, you can be assured that your leather furniture will be built in the USA, although some components could be sourced from China or other Southeast Asian countries, including some of the lower grade leathers.Â
What Sort Of Leather Does Hancock & Moore Use?
Hancock & Moore uses Grade A Steerhide leather which is the best in the business. Note that Hancock & Moore has nine different 'classes' of leather which will vary on price, based on the costs that H&M pays to source the leathers.
Class 1 is the least expensive hide, with the price climbing from there. Â The company has strict sourcing requirements for its leather and will travel around the world to hand select the best materials.Â
Unfortunately, Hancock & Moore isn't set up like any traditional direct to consumer retailer, thus, you must head to a local furniture dealer to purchase any of their furniture.
So, what you see in your local store is what you'll be able to purchase on the spot, or you can place an order with your dealer for the sofa and leather of your liking, made to order.Â
In my experience, I visited a local store near me - Cabot House, and found a beautiful Hancock & Moore Leather sofa (Parisian) in their clearance section, for under $2000.
Note that the so-called retail on this leather sofa was over $9000 at the time (roughly two years ago), and notably this is a Class 1 Leather, the lowest grade. Retailers will discount off of the MSRP (as noted by MyFurniture Forum).
However, as shown in this 2022 Hancock & Moore price guide, most of the Class 1 Leather sofas from H&M retail at over $10,000, so I highly suggest you use my strategy and visit a local store, and head STRAIGHT for their discount/clearance section. You're bound to get a good deal.Â
What Do Customers Say About Hancock & Moore?
Consumers are very happy with Hancock & Moore as a whole. Most point to the high quality in materials and the overall sturdiness of the leather furniture from Hancock and Moore. Â While there are obviously some that have had bad experiences, most of that has been due to user error. Â H&M has typically been great in dealing with upset customers.
What Sort Of Warranty Does Hancock & Moore Offer?
There is no warranty on leather from Hancock and Moore:
Hancock & Moore will not be responsible for leather and fabric treatments that are applied to our furniture after it has left our factory. Many of our leathers have been pre-treated with a protective finish by the tannery. These coatings help prevent most, but not all, stains.
They do, however offer more protection in terms of frame, cushion and springs in their furniture, and will provide a warranty on any defects that 'occur within a reasonable 'useful life' of their products.Â
They do also offer a supplier warranty on any reclining and inclining motion based fixtures. They will cover the costs of the mechanisms for up to five years, but only will cover labor to repair within the first year. Electronic parts are warranted for two years.Â
We haven't heard many complaints about Hancock & Moore living up to their end of their warranty and ultimately they have been willing to work with any unhappy customers in a timely and respectful fashion.Â
Thank you for this article and website. I had been looking for a place that summarizes all of the couches out there and whether they are a good investment. I always trust my instincts when perusing but this is much better. I just can’t imagine spending thousands of dollars on something that lacks any quality. I’m a minimalist at heart and when looking to purchase something, I want it to be worth it. I’ve already taken some of your store reviews to help make a decision on a new sofa. Thanks again.