When I sold my Sleep Number, I sold in pieces on Ebay.
If you're in Canada, or where ever, and you already and have a box spring and frame, you can look to buy the pieces.
You'd need: the mattress shell with top, air chamber, pump, and foam sides (if not included with the shell).
I had the lower end model, as I like firm mattress. I also had the basic air pump which is nothing more than a pump with a hand held on/off switch. The whole "sleep number" thing is catchy term, but for your own bed, you kind of want it the same firmness all the time. So, once I set up the bed, I'd just unplug and slide all the controls under the bed because I knew I won't be using them.
I tried some type of memory foam mattress, in a hotel I was staying at. It was horrible. The longer I slept on it, the worse I felt. You'd sink in so much, you didn't need a pillow. My back ACHED during the day after using it. Was awful.
An air mattress that leaks air, regardless of what brand, is broken and should not be slept on. Since selling my air Sleep number, I've experimented with several air mattresses and longevity is definitely an issue. Some lasted a month (Kmart) and took back 4 times basically at the end of each month. My most recent was nice with easy use pump that lasted a year and half (Kohls). Then, when staying at a hotel (I always bring my own linens and mattress) I was pumping it up and heard the hiss. :-(
Also, the cheaper air mattress are made with questionable poly-vinyl materials that off-gas and can irritate one's eyes and nose (the cheapest one was the worst).
Sleep number beds have an air bladder made from rubber witch is more durable (TODD, what were you doing in the Hotel?) and they don't lose air over time, even with MOST activities. In all the time I had the Sleep number, it never leaked.
A few things to keep in mind:
You really can't give a honest opinion about a mattress until you've slept on it for at least 5 days. If you're going from a terrible saggy spring mattress to anything new, you won't be used to it, and your opinion is likely to be negative. Remember, the question isn't "Is this mattress like the one you have NOW?, the question is "Does this mattress make you feel good when laying down?"
One reason I won't do a spring mattress is they are designed to fail and wear out. The force of gravity will slowly compress the metal springs. So you know it will disappoint, but it won't always be obvious. I've gone the route, back in the 80s, when getting my first mattress set from JCPenny. It was fine the first 6 months, but then just got worse. If you start over with a new set, same thing. Do you see the pattern here and how it's designed to hit YOUR pocket book?
Third, starting in the early 2000s, the spring mattress industry really ramped up advertising with a number of gimmicks. Frankly, when ever there is a product that is designed to need replacement, corporatists/investors will go all out to exploit it. And they did. Remember the talking sheep, and the pillow tops requiring special deep sided fitted sheets....... and the ever LARGER Price tags.
I've also seen the attempts made by these corporatist groups to try and cut into the air mattress beds, and other mattresses types, that won't need replacement. All types of ridiculous false claims. Typical republican corruption trying to keep people hooked on bad products. Don't fall for it.
Fourth, Sleep Number beds do not have materials or space where bed bugs can nest. The box springs are open on the bottom and all plastic, and the mattress is a sealed air chamber that is impenetrable. Unlike those old spring mattresses that have a closed, wooden box spring and a spring mattress that has so much cavity space between the coils..... you could hide money in them.(?) (And people have)
). and doesn't feel like it's broken down too badly. For the limitations our house put on things, it's fine. The Sleep Number--my parents got one, and it's also good in upstairs/tight configurations, and breaks down easily for moving--perhaps a good special-purpose mattress. Interesting they don't sell in Canada, though.
