Mattress shopping ..the horror continues

[somethingshiny]

It seems a couple of us are currently mattress shopping, so I was going through some old threads. I saw that a few of you were buying new mattresses in the past couple years. Please tell me what you got and what you think of it.

We bought a new king size bed less than two years ago. We got it from Denver Mattress, their top selling model. It is awful and has been since day 1. They wouldn''t return it and now it''s so broken down (pillow-top) it is giving us backaches, headaches, and numbness. They still won''t return it under warranty because they call this "normal wear and tear". DH and I are both big people, so we need something that''s going to hold up well. I sleep on my stomach and side. DH sleeps on his side or back. We''re both hot sleepers so I''m leery of memory foam, although the support sounds good.


So, advice?

TIA

 

[EricaR]

We ended up with a traditional spring mattress with a built-in memory foam topper. It is wonderful! We laid down on what felt like several hundred mattresses before we picked it. We''d go into a store, tell the sales associate we were just looking, then take our sweet time trying out all of them in our price range.

We love ours because the memory foam is really supportive but it isn''t overly warm like some memory foam can be.

 

[somethingshiny]

What brand is it?

 

[Gypsy]

Mattress shopping is really terrible. We did it a few years ago, and man, they say used car shopping is bad. It aint got nothing on that.

We bought a Sterns and Foster after many months of shopping and could not be happier-- name of ours started with a K (can't remember now) and is a pillow top. My parents have a Chattam and Wells and it's also great.


My recommendattion, though, is COSTCO. Can't beat their return policy and their customer service.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I am so sorry about denver matress, I had really good luck with them.
My friends got a sleep number which they just love but which runs VERY expensive.

My FI and I like really soft beds so while our matress is average, we bought a really good matress pad from http://www.cuddledown.com/jump.jsp?itemID=37&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=5&iSubCat=37&page=1. It has been the best investment in our sleeping we could have made. The one we have is an egg crate type I no longer see on their website but which has held up well over the last three years.

 

[door knob solitaire]

I so agree been there done that. I wish I had sprung for the stearns and foster. When you compare nuts and bolts they win by a landslide.

Hubby sleeps different hours and yet we do have a few hours together. So our main concern was disturbing the other sleeper. We choose a Simmons individually wrapped coil. You can not feel the other person leaving or entering the bed. That is something no other brand offered.

We bought a display model from a friend employee at Macys. Got an incredible deal...on a king...ok ok I''ll tell you...$200 clams. I was going to spend $2300 and well, favor just fell on me like a ton of bricks. Frankly not sure how good the friend is...as Macys never displays a king...it takes up too much floor space. I sorta knew that but heh...it was $200 clams oh and a free frame. We really needed a deal as we have been on a waterbed for 22 years and the mattress was really a trial run to see if we could and we learned we could and would and did. But there is something wonky about it...and I feel it is as some of the internet reviews have said...some coils have collapsed...well, it is all I can think of . I feel like I am sinking in the middle part. But when you run your hand over it is is all firm and now indentation is there. I guess I am just wonky...it could be that it was faulty and that is why I got such a good deal. DOn''t know...the reason I am rambling is to let you know the experience I have is 80% positive...and should maybe be 100% had I not bought a display/whatever.

Memory foam is the most fabulous creation known to man, but please know you may get very hot. You submerge into the foam and there is no air circulation and if you are hot natured you will be a chile pepper in memory foam. But as you test it in the store you aren''t in it long enough to experience the heat.

Not sure if that novel has any merit for your situation...but there it is anyway.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Oh I forgot to add...sorry...when we were researching our purchase...all consumer reports and blogs on line all said not to buy the pillow top. Apparently they collapse at a far higher rate and that is where you get the painful sleep.

Try to opt out of the added stuff on top...the haven''t invented a foam yet that won''t collapse. So for durability sleep on a spring or spring type surface. Again, this was my findings. You may have another experience or better luck. Hope that helped.

 

[Elmorton]

DH and I also really like our Denver Mattress - we have the Durango. It''s been 2 years and not a single issue - I''m really sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. Ours is also technically a pillow top, but it''s more of a foam top than a pillowy one. I''d read the same thing about pillow tops not holding up, so I was very nervous about buying one, but so far so good.

When we were mattress shopping, the only two other contenders was a Simmons Beautyrest and a Stearnes and Foster. I loved the Simmons, but in my price range (800-900 I believe), I''d be buying a floor model that did have a little bit of wear and tear - I figured that for the money, I should go with something brand new. The S&F was stretching the budget even on clearance - honestly, I would have gone with it but the salesman was giving me the heebie jeebies and throwing in all sorts of extra fees if I remember correctly. The S&F was amazing though and I''ve never heard anyone say anything negative about that brand.

I would stay away from local factories that build their own. As a general rule, the workmanship/coil numbers/tension leaves a lot to be desired. Mattresses are one item that I think it pays to go with a brand name.

 

[Haven]

We have the most amazing mattresses! FI and I don''t live together, but we both have the same mattress, and since buying them my parents, his cousin, and his father all but the same one, as well. FI is a muscle specialist, so he spent MONTHS researching and trying to find the right mattress for us, and he did.

FI''s family owns a furniture store so they get mattresses at cost, so I have no idea what it would have cost if we got it retail, but I do know that stores often charge more than double cost. We bought the Therapedic Memory Touch mattress. It''s amazing. It has Swedish memory foam on the top couple inches, and the bottom is also foam. FI doesn''t think they sell it in Chicago anymore, but he believes they sell it in other parts of the country. I couldn''t recommend it more, I''ve had mine for nearly two years and it''s still as comfortable as the day I got it.

Good luck!

 

[lumpkin]

We need a new mattress so badly, I know exactly how you feel. We have the top of the line Sealy Posturepedic from about 15 years ago. It has held up so well and we love it, but it has begun to sag as innerspring mattresses will do over time.

We''re thinking about the sleep number mattresses because each and every component can be replaced, we like sleeping on air mattresses -- we''ve used the ones for camping and asside from all the rolling they do provide wonderful support -- and I like having my own firmness as opposed to his. It''s in the plan for the next year to get a new mattress, so we''ll probably go for the middle of the line. Not the most expensive, but not the least, and we''ll get our own mattress pads and covers if we feel we need them, and when they break down and wear out, it won''t affect the mattress itself.

Good luck, and I''d be interested to hear how your shopping goes and what you decide on.

 

[Gypsy]

http://mattresspro.mattresshotline.com/archive/index.php/t-298.html The kedleston is ours, this lists the other names it''s marketted as. We looked at this one for well over two months. We went to showrooms and spent upwards of 20 minutes just laying each mattress. You really need to lay on them for a while to see how your body reacts and adjusts. We were actually planning on buying a different one, but we noticed that for the first 15 minutes it was great, but after an other 5, it wasn''t so comfortable. I''ve never regretted our mattress purchase. John has a lot of serious back problems and this is the only mattress that he can sleep on and wake up in the morning feeling better, not worse, if his back is bothering him.

 

[ladypirate]

Has anyone got (or tried) a latex mattress? We''re going to be in the market for a king sized bed in probably the next 6 months, and I''ve heard really good things about them.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We have a 4 inch thick memory foam topper which we bought to extend the life of our current bed. It''s great! Not too soft and not too firm. FI is a furnace in his sleep and he doesn''t have any heat problems with it. The other nice thing is that when it starts to deteriorate we can go get a new one, and it was only $100.

 

[diamondfan]

Lying on it in the store is so different than sleeping on it, as overnight and over weeks things can be very different. Make sure that the store has a return policy that works for you. Sometimes you need a month of sleeping on a mattress to know if it is going to be okay.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Date: 2/4/2008 12:25:09 PM
Author: ladypirate
Has anyone got (or tried) a latex mattress? We''re going to be in the market for a king sized bed in probably the next 6 months, and I''ve heard really good things about them.

My hubby and I have a latex/spring combo mattress that we got from the local Denver Mattress a few years ago. We LOVE it! The best money we''ve ever spent. It was pricey - around $1300 - but so worth it. Comfortable sleep night after night after night. Not too firm and not too soft - which was important because he can sleep just about anywhere and I can''t. My parents have a similar one and they love theirs as well.

 

[somethingshiny]

WEll, we've decided we're going with an innerspring mattress that has layers of foam in a boxtop on top (king size). Those were the ones we were most comfortable on. DH like pillow tops, but I think they're too soft, so this is a good combo, it's soft, but supportive. One in particular is latex foam. It's supposed to not get hot (it's got holes in it like ventilation), and it's supposed to hold up better than memory foam.

Now, the mattresses we've narrowed it down to range from $1400 for a Serta type then a $2100 Serta, then a 2100 Sealy, and then a $3300 Stearns and Foster. Obviously with such a price difference (and basically the same construction) we've cut the S&F right off the bat. They are all a 9 for comfort level, service, warranty. They're actually all online. We went to stores and I wrote down all the numbers on the cards for the mattresses we liked, then I found what they were called at other places. The place we're going to go to has free shipping and setup, a 30 day in home trial and free shipping back to the warehouse with no restocking fee if we don't like it.

The cheapest Serta has 4" of foam. The benefits of that would be less "add ons" that could break down, and less shifting of the foam over years because there's not tons of it. Downside, only 4" of foam.

The other Serta has 6.5" of foam. Benefit, more foam feel, downside, more foam to break down or shift.

The Sealy has 2.5" of latex foam on top (closest to skin), then an inner-tufting which would hold all the other layers together (less shifting over time), and an additional 5" of foam (latex).

So, comfort level is the same for all of them, but obviously the more expensive beds have higher quality "quilts" and possibly higher quality construction (only time will tell). A $500 difference is a lot to us, but I don't want to end up with another POS.

Another idea I've had. (tell me what your honest opinions are please). Get an inexpensive but high quality basic innerspring mattress ($600-$800). Then spend between $200 and $500 for a foam topper. So total cost would be $1300 tops. Then, we could just replace the topper every few years as necessary instead of spending several hundreds (or thousands) on a mattress. In my head, this seems to be a good option--less money, new topper every once in a while for added comfort and that "new" feeling.

opinions? (besides, that goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on, etc...

)

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 2/4/2008 3:54:35 PM
Author: somethingshiny
WEll, we''ve decided we''re going with an innerspring mattress that has layers of foam in a boxtop on top (king size). Those were the ones we were most comfortable on. DH like pillow tops, but I think they''re too soft, so this is a good combo, it''s soft, but supportive. One in particular is latex foam. It''s supposed to not get hot (it''s got holes in it like ventilation), and it''s supposed to hold up better than memory foam.

Now, the mattresses we''ve narrowed it down to range from $1400 for a Serta type then a $2100 Serta, then a 2100 Sealy, and then a $3300 Stearns and Foster. Obviously with such a price difference (and basically the same construction) we''ve cut the S&F right off the bat. They are all a 9 for comfort level, service, warranty. They''re actually all online. We went to stores and I wrote down all the numbers on the cards for the mattresses we liked, then I found what they were called at other places. The place we''re going to go to has free shipping and setup, a 30 day in home trial and free shipping back to the warehouse with no restocking fee if we don''t like it.

The cheapest Serta has 4'' of foam. The benefits of that would be less ''add ons'' that could break down, and less shifting of the foam over years because there''s not tons of it. Downside, only 4'' of foam.

The other Serta has 6.5'' of foam. Benefit, more foam feel, downside, more foam to break down or shift.

The Sealy has 2.5'' of latex foam on top (closest to skin), then an inner-tufting which would hold all the other layers together (less shifting over time), and an additional 5'' of foam (latex).

So, comfort level is the same for all of them, but obviously the more expensive beds have higher quality ''quilts'' and possibly higher quality construction (only time will tell). A $500 difference is a lot to us, but I don''t want to end up with another POS.

Another idea I''ve had. (tell me what your honest opinions are please). Get an inexpensive but high quality basic innerspring mattress ($600-$800). Then spend between $200 and $500 for a foam topper. So total cost would be $1300 tops. Then, we could just replace the topper every few years as necessary instead of spending several hundreds (or thousands) on a mattress. In my head, this seems to be a good option--less money, new topper every once in a while for added comfort and that ''new'' feeling.

opinions? (besides, that goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on, etc...

)

That''s what my FI and I did and we couldn''t be happier about it. We were starving students and had a cheap matress on the floor, no bed and no boxspring. We bought a really nice pad from cuddledown and it was the most comfortable bed we had ever slept on, even on the floor. That was 2 years ago and the pad is still very comfortable although it is starting to colapse.

As for heat, sheets can make a LOT of difference. Use natural fabrics like cotton or modal and don''t buy the kind that are color protected, the coating prevents the sheets from breathing. If it is really a problem, there are sheets with silver woven into them which supposed makes then 20% cooler than other sheets.

 

[EricaR]

Date: 2/2/2008 11:21:45 PM
Author: somethingshiny
What brand is it?

Ours is from Ortho Mattress. Not sure if they are just west coast though. It is wonderful!

 

[Fancy605]

We have had our Sealy mattress for about 6 months. We bought it and had it delivered to our new home the day we moved in. We had REALLY loved the mattress we slept on during our honeymoon, so we wanted to find something that is comparable. We ended up testing out quite a few beds before we found a Sealy we liked. I cannot recall exactly which make and everything it is (I can look), but it is a pretty nice mattress, and it is OH SO comfy! We go visiting family and friends a lot, and every time we come back home, I can''t believe how heavenly our mattress feels. I also like the fact that it is constructed to where the feel of the other person getting in and out of bed is minimal. There is a little movement, but not very much at all. We have only had the mattress a little while, so there is no telling how quickly it will wear out, but for now, I sure do love it.

 

[somethingshiny]

thanks for all the input.

Brazen Irish Hussy (boy I''d like to shorten that, but I don''t know what to...)~ I''m a sheet snob. I only use cotton sheets with a high thread count. Otherwise, I get irritated skin. But, I do agree, sheets have so much to do with the comfort level.

 

[talen316]

I did a lot of research before we ended purchasing our mattress recently. We were considering both latex and traditional innerspring coil mattresses.

Latex is an interesting option if you want to consider going that route. It''s great for people who suffer from allergies and latex mattresses don''t get dust mites. They are considered the most durable mattress type and some are know to have a useful life of up to 20 yrs before needing to be replace which is about 2x the normal useful life of a innerspring. It also doesn''t sleep hot like memory foam and lasts much longer. If we had ended up with a latex, I think we would have bought from Flobeds (www.flobeds.com). You buy the latex in layers (of varying firmness) to suit your preference. You can split a king and get different firmness layer combinations for each half of the bed. Their product seems to get real good reviews as well. If you are interested in latex, but don''t like the idea of the flobed, I''ve heard good things about the Sealy Spring Free latex mattress.

We ended up getting a S&F Manhattan Dreams (Plaza Collection) comfort level 6 Plush Eurotop. Which incidentally, I felt like level 6 offered the best value in terms of comfort and expected longevity. We''ve had the mattress since mid November and couldn''t be happier with it. It has a comfort rating of 5.5 on a scale of 10. I like a firmer mattress while my DW likes it softer so this has actually been a good compromise. Of course consistent mattress rotation is essentially to help mitigage the dreaded body impressions that tend to develop over time with mattresses that have thicker padded tops.

I think one of the major considerations between foam (latex or memory foam) vs. innerspring coil is the type of support each provides. With foam, you get more of a contouring support, while with innerspring you get more of a direct upward support. The foams may be better for folks with fibro, muscle ailments, etc. while innerspring is probably better for people that may have moderate to severe disc related back issues.

Whoever you buy from, I would make sure they have a generous comfort guarantee policy so that you can exchange the mattress for a different type if you''re not happy with it. They say you really need about 2-4 wks of sleeping on a new mattress to determine if it is right for you so a good comfort guarantee should give you at least 30 days if not longer. We bought from Mattress Firm and theirs is 90 days.

If you''re a hot sleeper as you mentioned, I would definitely avoid memory foam mattresses as well as pillow tops where the memory foam is at the top of the comfort layer. I know that S&F had changed their configuration of where they place various foams in their comfort layers and now put memory foam towards the bottom of the configuration.

A couple of resources out on the web that may be helpful to you as well...

This is an advetorial blog from Peter Cancelli who runs a family owned mattress business in the Philadelphia area called C&C mattress. He sells S&F & Sealy so naturally his bias may be towards those, but for good reason as they seem to be among the more highly regarded lines (S&F is now a division of Sealy as well). He seems to give good, sound and honest advice in his Blog and you might find it useful reading and he will also answer your questions.
http://blog.pennlive.com/mattress/

This is a helpful cross reference list to help you wade through the games the mfgs and retailers play by varying the model name of the same mattress in different stores so it is harder to comparison shop.
http://www.mattresshotline.com/compareindex.cfm

By using the cross reference list, you should be able to better leverage the prices that USMattress, 1-800-Mattres, Mattresshotline, offer in getting a similar deal from your local retailer.

Good luck and hope some of this info I''ve just spewed out is useful.

 

[Patiently_Waiting]

A mattress is such a difficult item to shop for and probably one of the most important purchases you can make (a good night''s sleep sets the tone for the whole day). I went to a ton of places, laid on what seemed like hundreds of mattresses and ended up buying a Kingsdown at Sleepys and couldn''t be happier. It was a little more than I had originally hoped to spend, but I would buy it again if given the chance. Sleepys has a machine hooked up to a "mattress" that you lay on and it does a profile to find out what type of bed works best for you, hubby/SO, and both of you combined. Then you go around and try them all out and see how they feel. I believe they have a decent exchange policy - 21 days to try it out. Good luck!

 

[somethingshiny]

talen~ Thanks for the links and the advice. I wish I had found that cross reference sooner! I wrote down all the info on the cards and then searched through tons to match them up with the other proprietary name. This will make it much quicker!! The flobed sounds good and reasonably priced, but I think we want some spring system.

USMattress has the best prices for what I''ve found. They offer a 100 day comfort exchange ($99 for an exchange plus overage if applicable) with free delivery and setup.

We''re looking in the 8-10 range for softness, but we may end up wanting something much firmer.

Where did you end up getting your bed?

 

[VRBeauty]

My innerspring pillow-top mattress is about 10 years old and holding up well, and I still love it!. The pillow-top contains a high proportion of wool, so it breathes well. It has also maintained its loft really well. I haven''t heard about pillow-tops breaking down (and I haven''t experienced it). One thing I like about them is that the pillow-top extends the flat surface of the bed.. A pillow-top mattress seems to provide a lot more flat "useable space" than a regular innerspring mattress of the same size, which I think would be especially valuable for families with kids!

BTW the store I bought from makes a big deal about their 30-day, no questions asked, return policy. I didn''t have to put that policy to the test, however.

 

[talen316]

Date: 2/7/2008 11:06:17 PM
Author: somethingshiny
talen~ Thanks for the links and the advice. I wish I had found that cross reference sooner! I wrote down all the info on the cards and then searched through tons to match them up with the other proprietary name. This will make it much quicker!! The flobed sounds good and reasonably priced, but I think we want some spring system.

USMattress has the best prices for what I''ve found. They offer a 100 day comfort exchange ($99 for an exchange plus overage if applicable) with free delivery and setup.

We''re looking in the 8-10 range for softness, but we may end up wanting something much firmer.

Where did you end up getting your bed?

Somethingshiny,

We ended up getting our mattress from a chain called Mattress Firm. If you are able to cross reference the model you want to what a local store in your area sells, you should be able to get them to price match what you''re seeing from US Mattress.

USMattress is a vendor I would have definitely considered buying from had I not been able to work the same deal locally.

Whomever you decide to buy from, make sure you get a high quality (or two) waterproof mattress protector. Mattress MFGs are notorious for voiding warranty claims if they can find even the smallest spot on a mattress... they will claim that it causes the foam in the comfort layer to breakdown, thus voiding the warranty.

Good luck with your shopping. I''m very pleased with the quality of our S&F Plaza Manhattan Dreams. Which by the way, it is basically the same as the Arles Abbey that USMattress sells.

 

[Lynn B]

I agree, mattress shopping is THE WORST! Ack, how are you supposed to tell in a few minutes what it is gonna be like sleeping on 8 hours a night?!

We bought a (king size) Tempurpedic a few years ago (slept on one for a week in a B&B and were totally *SOLD!*) HAD to have one. Have never regretted it. LOVE it!

 

[cutes814]

we recently bought a Kingsdown mattress. they are not well known because they do not advertise. instead the profits are spent on sleep research. all their customers are from referrals.

hubby and i went in to try the tempurpedic and ended up on the kingsdown machine that determines our body profiles. the computer found the best bed for our two body types and we tried the bed. it felt like heaven! seriously, it did. but we were extremely skeptical about spend $3500 on a mattress that we''ve never heard of. and also because our last mattress was a simmons beautyrest that cost us $2500 that only lasted 4 years before it started hurting my husband''s back and neck.

after months of debating, we finally decided to buy it since the store gave us a 60 day money back towards another mattress. and plus kingsdown is the ONLY BRAND TO OFFER A LIFETIME WARRANTY.

we are so glad we did, because after sleeping on it for 3 months, everytime we wake up, we feel refreshed! i don''t ever wake up in the middle of the night anymore and i fall asleep within 10 mins of hitting the bed (on our simmons, it would take me at least 30 mins to fall asleep). i don''t know if it''ll stay like this, but i sure do hope so! the last 3 months have been the best night''s sleep i''ve ever had!

check out their website: http://www.kingsdown.com/

you''ll have to find a store that carries their brand because not stores are allowed to. get on the body profile computer machine thingy and then try the bed it recommends.

 

[somethingshiny]

Milly~ Unfortunately, that manufacturer is no where close to my area.

Lynn~ We had a wonderful bed at a hotel we stayed at a couple years ago. It was the best bed either of us had ever been in. But, we had just purchased our bed prior to that trip so I didn''t look into it. I tried calling the hotel and asking (it can''t hurt, right?), but they were unable to tell me what mattress it would have been. *darn*

talen~ Thanks for the tip about price matching. Now, that I have a list of names for the one we want, I think we''ll head to the stores and see what they can do for us.

 

[Amandine]

I bought my mattress from Original Mattress Factory three years ago. Love it. It has a small pillow top on both sides, so you can still flip the mattress (which is not very common, I think). If I remember correctly, if within a certain amount of time you were not satisfied with your mattress, you could contact them and they would rebuild (or something like this) your mattress using the springs already purchased to the padding/pillow top/etc. that you wanted.

 

[cutes814]

aww, bummer shiny. kingsdown rules!!!

good luck with your mattress hunting.