Accordion mechanism
Products equipped with this mechanism, when unfolded, form the most suitable surface for healthy sleep. It is quite even, there are no gaps between the individual parts and no differences in height. You can find models with and without armrests on sale – the latter are wider with the same overall dimensions, which is important for small apartments.
The chair is assembled “accordion” – two of the three parts, the headboard and the middle, are raised and folded together, touching the bases and forming the back, and the footboard remains horizontal. As a result, the back is very wide, especially if the bed has orthopedic filling.
Roll-out mechanism
When unfolding, the base of the seat is pulled towards you, and additional sections are pulled out. The seat is turned over, getting a fairly flat sleeping place.
The main disadvantage is the presence of gaps between the individual parts of the mattress. Another feature is the low height of the bed, usually it does not exceed 25-30 cm, which can be uncomfortable for tall people and the elderly.
Chair-bed “Dolphin”
A part of the sleeping area “emerges” from under the seat, and it is installed at the same height as the main seat.
A large space is needed to install the mechanism itself, so chairs equipped with a “dolphin” usually do not have an additional drawer for bed linen. There are gaps in the sleeping area, which is a disadvantage of these models. The height of the bed is standard.
Tick-tock (eurobook)
The mechanism for transforming the “tick-tock” chair bed works as follows: when the seat is extended, the back of the chair is turned over and lowered – this design allows you to place the model with virtually no gap with the wall, which saves space.
Models of the “walking eurobook” type do not slide on the floor, which allows you not to damage the floor covering.
The listed options do not exhaust the variety of models, and below we will consider several more popular mechanisms:
Folding bed
In models with a folding mechanism for a chair bed, the sleeping area is taken out from under the main seat. It consists of a frame on which slats are fixed. This is one of the best bases for mattresses, since it has orthopedic properties. A mattress of increased rigidity, which has a significant thickness, is placed on top of the slats. There is no linen box in such models, there is no room for it.
Click-clack mechanism
This mechanism for transforming a chair bed allows you to get a surface of four separate parts. Usually, mattresses are used in production that can fold – when unfolded, you get a fairly comfortable bed.
If the model is made of separate parts, you will have to sleep on four mating surfaces, which is inconvenient. The problem can be solved by using a mattress topper. A significant drawback of the click-clack mechanism in chair beds is a small sleeping area, usually no more than 140*140 cm.
Of all the listed options for daily use as the main sleeping place, the best can be considered “Accordion”. In addition to the fact that the sleeping place is flat and comfortable, of standard height and without gaps, this mechanism is also the easiest to unfold. Only a click-clack made from a whole mattress, folding along four lines, can compete with it.