OhGizmo! Review – SumoSac Couple

By Chris Scott Barr

When it comes to living room seating, most people go for the usual pieces of furniture. These generally being a couch, loveseat, recliner and/or some other type of chair. Sure, couches are great because they seat multiple people, and allow for sleeping when needed. Recliners are nice if you want to lay back and watch TV without having to lie on your side the whole time. However, there is one piece of unconventional furniture that can do all of these things. That’s right, I’m talking about a bean bag.

There’s a chance that you had a bean bag when you were younger. They were great for sitting in front of the TV while watching movies or playing video games. Unfortunately, most such pieces of furniture never really lasted all that long. Over time the little beans lose their shape and the whole thing begins to fall, until your favorite seat is the most uncomfortable one in the house. Well in case you hadn’t heard, there’s a new bean bag out there, one not actually filled with tiny beans at all.

Sumo has actually been making their bean bag chairs for several years now, so I wouldn’t exactly call them new. However, they’re still interesting enough to warrant a review. They shipped us over one of their ‘SumoSac Couple’ chairs, which I have been lounging on for a couple of weeks now. Luckily I needn’t get out of it to write this piece.

As I said, the one I’m reviewing is the SumoSac Couple. This giant 48” x 48” x 36” chair is designed to hold two people. I’ve sat through several movies seated quite comfortably next to someone. Of course you’ll want to be comfortable with the person you’re sitting with, as you’ll be quite close to each other. With that said, I enjoy myself most when I have the entire thing to myself. There’s something to be said about diving into it from across the room and nestling into the very center.

Speaking of diving, this is something I actually do quite often. Rarely do I simply walk up to the chair and seat myself. See, it’s not actually filled with beans at all. Rather, Sumo fills them with a soft memory-foam that cushions your body nicely, and bounces right back into shape when you get up. With this larger size bag, I can hop onto my couch, then jump all the way into the bag, landing on my back without harming it one bit. It feels nearly indestructible. If you have kids, (or are an adult who still thinks they are one) then you’ll really appreciate this.

Speaking of kids, they are messy little creatures. They spill food and drink on everything, not to mention tracking in mud throughout the house instead of taking off their shoes. So naturally, they’re going to get this thing dirty. While Sumo doesn’t cover their chairs with a magic substance that makes them impervious to spills, they do make it easy to clean them up. The microsuede cover (available in 10 colors, or you can choose from one of four corduroy colors) is both removable and machine washable. Pizza sauce all over one side of it? Just remove the cover and toss it into the washer!

The only downside I can see about this chair is that it might be too large for some people’s homes. That’s not a bad thing though, as Sumo offers them in four sizes to fit your needs. Starting with the $199 Sumo Gamer, and ending with the  $399 Sumo Gigantor. The Couple is the second-largest of the four, coming in at $229.

If you’re looking for a new piece of furniture, and are wanting to think outside the norm, I highly suggest checking out these chairs from Sumo. They’re perfect for sitting in front of the TV, reading a book, doing homework, and just about anything else you’d want to do while sitting. Trust me, you’ll probably not want to sit anywhere else. I’ve not sat on my couch once since getting mine.

[ Sumo ]