Around April 2019 I moved into a small apartment and couldn't afford a "real" bed and definitely couldn't afford a bed and a sofa (neither in financial terms nor in spacial resources) so I ended up buying an Ikea sofa bed and using it as my primary sleeping surface.

I got the Lycksele and bought the most expensive mattress that comes with that model, figuring it would be more comfortable and hold up for longer. (They no longer offer the mattress I bought, but the Håvet is basically the equivalent.)

I used this for a little over a year (18 months) and then in Oct 2020 I had to travel for an extended period so everything got packed and put into storage for several months.

When I returned home and got another tiny flat, I went to retrieve the sofa bed, only to find I couldn't find the fixtures/screws etc. This was around April 2022.

After a call to Ikea revealed that for some reason (having to do with some small alterations to the product/product code) they couldn't send me just the fittings, and so Ikea sent me an entirely new frame, fittings included! I was of course extremely grateful, and can't say enough good about the customer service agent who helped me. (Cheers Jake D!)

So for the last year (15 months really) I have been using this new frame (and slightly old mattress) as my main place of rest.

And I have been pretty happy with it. Would I recommend it to others? Maybe, maybe not. I am well travelled and well used to sleeping on a number of less-than-luxurious surfaces. I like a thin, hard mattress. On the other hand, I have chronic back and shoulder problems (bursitis in both shoulders) and I would say that this bed was neither good nor bad in terms of aggravating those problems. Anytime my shoulders play up a pillow change is usually adequate to alleviate it.

After 33 months of consistent use, the mattress has a definite divot in the middle where my body tends to lie; I actually started trying to sleep more on the sides and found it very comfortable! But around the 2 year mark I placed an extra piece of memory foam under the divot and that seems to have done the job and extended the life of my bed a bit longer.

The bed doesn't take up too much room, and has no "corners" catch on if you're squeezing past it in a tight space, although if you are too close and move too fast you can bark your shins on the frame. But that's only happened to me maybe twice. At the same time, it's wonderfully roomy for one person to sleep on; I move a lot in my sleep, and have never had trouble waking myself up because I've crashed into a wall or nearly fallen off the edge. As for sleeping two people, I haven't had the opportunity to test this very much; I wouldn't recommend it for two people all the time, but for the occasional cozy visitor, I find I have just the right amount of space to sleep when I get tired of cuddling.

Note: I am a pretty small person though, at 5'2". The guys I date are taller than me, probably average height, and they haven't complained about the bed, but I suspect two people larger than me would struggle to sleep comfortably on this.

As a sofa it's great! It easily seats 3 people comfortably; 4 is a stretch as it doesn't have arms to "hold you in" and squish people together, but I've only had four guests in need of a seat once in the last four years. I think the appearance is quite stylish. I purchased the plain white cover and easily dyed it a nice forest green to match my taste. (But I hardly ever use the cover, since I'm folding the thing up and down every day!)

It is very easy to pull out, and quite easy to put away again, once you get the knack. It's actually much easier than standard sofa beds, which often need a good hard push at juuuuust the right angle to get them to fold away. With the Lycksele you just pick up the end, and let it drop gently until you hear the mechanism catch, then push straight forward; a strong spring under the larger part pulls it together so it folds over.

HOWEVER, after 15 months of daily use, this mechanism is, as you can imagine, the most likely part to wear out and fail.

Here I am in July 2023, getting ready to pack up my flat and go travelling again, and this week said mechanism has failed completely. When I pick up the end and drop it I can hear it try to catch... and then a loud clang as it releases. In order to fold the frame up I have to take off the mattress completely, and pull at the centre over the spring. (It still folds down just fine though.)

I would say I've pretty thoroughly stress tested the Lycksele frame, and I can say with confidence that it will reliably last and stand up to daily use for at least 12 months, potentially up to 18 months with gentle care and slightly less than daily use. I think that's pretty good for an Ikea product!

What is more, I've been on the phone to Ikea customer service, knowing full well that once again I am three months outside of the Returns policy, AND my initial purchase was a good four years ago. Nevertheless, Ikea have agreed to once more send me another replacement frame. (And take away the old frame.) For free. I continue to be impressed with Ikea's great service. (Cheers Claire H!)

So I think I will continue using this as my main bed for awhile yet. But I'll definitely be getting a new mattress soon!

(This post was prompted in part by my experiences today, but also, while searching for solutions for the mechanical failure - which no one else seems to have ever experienced, probably because I'm the only nutcase who would use this as their main bed for so long! - I came across This Post and thought I'd tell my story.)