Mattress Shopping :(

[volvoguy87]

I am embarking on a process I am quickly coming to hate, buying a mattress! Mattress shopping seems to combine the worst aspects of buying real estate with buying a used car from a shady salesman. My current mattress wasn't a very good one when it was new in the 90s, and it hasn't aged gracefully. I am looking for something that won't hurt my back overnight. What do y'all know about mattress shopping?

I stumbled upon The Mattress Underground and have been doing lots of reading. Their website is linked at the bottom of this post. I'm getting the impression that many of the large national brands are quite overpriced and that I can get a mattress of equal, or better, quality from a local manufacturer at a competitive price.

Has anyone ever dealt with "The Original Mattress Factory?" They are a regional manufacturer with operations in the Cincinnati, OH area. I've been told they are good by several local friends, but I've never done business with them. If anyone knows any other places to look in Cincinnati, please let me know.

Happy sleeping,
Dave

Welcome

The Mattress Underground provide quality mattress information to help guide you in choosing the best mattress. Ask questions and get recommendations from industry experts.

www.themattressunderground.com

 

[nmassman44]

We have a Sleep Number bed that we both love. Mind you, it wasn't cheap, but it will be the last mattress we will ever buy. I have my side of the bed at a comfy 40 and Scott has his side at 90. The bed adjustment takes into account ones weight and I sleep like a rock and no back pain at all. What's nice is the fact that when one can't get comfortable, just adjust your side of the bed to where it is comfortable.
Before we bought the Sleep Number bed, we tried that Temperpedic one and it was too hot and one couldn't move since the foam locked us into place....and never mind doing the deed....that's another story for another time....lol

 

[petek]

I'd love a sleep number mattress. Only experienced on in a hotel a few years ago. The piece of crap memory foam pillow top Sealy I bought had body divets in less than 2 years and it wasn't a cheap one even at 1/2 off. Regular mattresses are always on sale so whatever the regular non sale price is offer half and be prepared to walk away.

 

[yogitunes]

there were two choices for us....Sleep Number, which has gotten better and better, now they added things like adjustable versions to raising head or feet....plus there are so many options...you can customize it for your own comfort....

but we choose at the time, Serta Perfect Sleeper, king size, extra firm, dual head and foot adjustment, heat, vibrates, pillow top(both sides)......

with the adjustable head and foot, you have to use their base/mechanicals.....otherwise, you can choose any base or platform, and order only the top mattress....

both offered a 30 night trial guarantee refund.....

 

[richardlxixxx]

Temperpedic Mattress

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 12pt;">Mike,</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 12pt;">Do tell about doing "the deed" on a temperpedic mattress.  I almost choked on my coffee when I read that line.  We all need a good laugh, so do tell.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 12pt;">Richard</span>

 

[andic29]

nmass,

We've been looking into a new set. We bought our current one 2 years ago, got a TOL set and now we wake up sore and dont sleep well. We are interested in the sleep number but I've read reviews where people stated that it's a glorified air mattress that stays cold... Do you have any issues with yours?

 

[washman]

The biggest joke

is the so-called "no flip" mattresses. What you are paying for is basically a 1 sided mattress. It is total BS. However it appeals to the lazy American who is deluded into thinking that gee, I don't HAVE to rotate OR flip!

Bollocks!

What you are getting is a 1 sided mattress but paying a 2 sided price!

Have you ever heard of automobile tyres that don't require rotation? Neither have I.

Stick with a 2 sided mattress. I have one from Original Matress Factory that was a lot less money than the national brands and has been very comfortable to sleep on.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Original Matress Factory customer here:

Katie and I have had our OMF bed for about 4 years now and could not be happier. We bought their TOL inner spring sleep system. I also had a OMF matress at my old residence and loved it. The quality cannot be beat and it iss the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on.
The pricing can't be beat either. Go to their store and you will see why we are so happy.
WK78 and Katie

 

[whirlcool]

We have been using Stearns & Foster matresses for at least the last 30 years. We always get at least 25 years out of each one.

There are certain months of the year where there are massive sales on mattresses and bedding. I think January and June are two of them.

 

[xraytech]

My last mattress was in use for about 15 years, and it was a Serta Perfect Sleeper it was a good mattress, but not firm enough for my liking. In 2009 or 2010 I bought a new Sealy Posturpedic in extra firm with a memory foam pillow top. I chose that model over a non pillow top model because it was on clearance for less than half the price.
I must say this mattress was a huge mistake, The memory foam pillow top has had a big dip where my head rests since 2 months after I got it, the dip now runs from top to bottom of my bed, and since I tend to sleep in the middle of the bed rotating doesn't help.

Within the next year I plan on getting a new mattress, I plan on buying from a local Mennonite owned store, the mattress brand they carry is Monarch, I believe. I like the feel of their upper end extra firm mattresses

 

[circlew]

Dave, I got my queen size mattress about 10 years ago at Original Mattress Factory, and it's the best one I've ever slept on. It's still very comfortable.

 

[danemodsandy]

Single-Sided Mattress:

I am currently getting ready to replace one of these inventions of Beelzebub, purchased just over five years ago when I moved to Waterloo and needed everything all at once. I did not have a clue about the single-sidedness until the damn thing was delivered.

It cuts down enormously on the life of the mattress, because all you can do to even wear is to turn the mattress end-to-end. I typically get fifteen to twenty years from a mattress - this one is toast in five.

Whichever Satanic cult leader who came up with this criminal cheapening of an essential should be sentenced to twenty years in the electric chair.

 

[nmassman44]

We have not had any issues at all with our bed. I don't find the bed cold at all. We use flannel sheets in the winter and regular high tc sheets in the summer. The air bladders are right in the middle of the mattress and they layered the bed quite nicely. Never have to flip or rotate this mattress either.
I said the same thing about it being a glorified air mattress, but it's much more than that. It's great for couples since one can adjust each side and your not stuck on a too hard or too soft mattress, when one is comfy and the other , well, not so much. My cats love the bed and they love my side since they sink in and it acts like a hammock for them.

 

[sudsmaster]

I bought an extra firm Beautyrest two sided mattress set back around 1978. I liked it a lot but by 1998 the padding on both sides had pretty much given out. Not that one could see  coils, but there wasn't the level of support I wanted. 20 years was a pretty good run, though.

 

I replaced it with a two-sided Sealy Posturpedic from Costco. It's a good mattress, and the padding seems to be holding up quite well after 16 years. But when it starts to fail I plan on getting another Beautyrest,  or a pocketed coil Stearns and Foster (which Costco has also carried from time to time).

 

As for the single sides issue, the argument is that having only one side means the springs and padding can be optimized for a better sleeping surface, yada yada yada. I suppose it's true if the mfg is reputable. And if the mattress lasts as long as a two sided version, I suppose the elimination of the need to flip the mattress every six months or so is an improvement.

 

Sadly, the Simmons Company, the originators of the Beautyrest bed, was basically raped by a series of private equity and investment firms, which drained $750 million in profits from the company and piled on over $1 billion in new debt. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 but was continued under new investor/owners and still fortunately produces mattresses today.

 

[moparwash]

Original Mattress Factory..

We had ours for a few years and the price, quality and delivery were outstanding. I would of liked the fluffy version, but this works well for us

 

[jamiel]

Consumers' Reports actually has some good information on mattresses. We bought a Costco TempurPedic knockoff which has been fine for that type of mattress, as we have a tight staircase and the shrink-wrapped box fit up the stairs OK. We ended up at Ikea for box springs (remember that Twin Extra Long is 1/2 of a king size) because they were the only place where we didn't have to buy a set. The memory foam from Costco is a perfectly fine example of a memory foam mattress...if the ambient temperature is low you can really feel the excessive firmness (always a treat coming back at 11 pm from vacation when the thermostat was 59 degrees and you jump into bed and you bounce...takes only a moment to sink in but feels abnormal. It does tend to be warm because you're really enveloped in the mattress; fitted sheets often slip off, also as noted above intercourse can be a challenge . If you're buying innerspring, remember that within a brand, the same number of coils means that the guts are the same no matter which store; only differences are upholstery and padding. (The Sealy Whiz-bang from Sears and the Sealy Sleep-a-Matic from Macy's both with 450 springs in the same size are the same mattress). There are lots of mattress factories around because they're expensive to ship. If you're having trouble maneuvering a queen box spring (we did in this house) up the stairs they make a "split queen" foundation. Sleep Number/air adjustable mattresses fold up into a box when you move them--if you're at the stage of your life when you're a bit mobile (as I was in the late 90s) they're the shi@@ for being able to take them with you. A treatise, but hope it was helpful

 

[rp2813]

We bought a Simmons Beautyrest "Luxury Firm" king size probably 10-12 years ago and it has been excellent.  It was one notch down from the firmest they offered.  Nice and firm, and thanks to its independent spring design, you don't feel a thing when the other person in the bed moves or gets out of bed.  Simmons used to demonstrate this feature in their TV ads by dropping a bowling ball onto one side of the bed from a great height and showing that the other side was unaffected.  I wanted that feature because on our old Serta with box frame, when Dave would sit on the edge and tie his shoes in the morning, the whole bed would shake.  Not so with the Simmons. 

 

Simmons doesn't use a box spring either.  I've found that more often than not, the box springs fail when the mattress is still OK.  Simmons provides a platform/pedestal instead of the box spring and it's a huge improvement.

 

Instructions with the Beautyrest advise not to flip it.  The coils are designed in such a way that precludes flipping.  We've not had any problems from just turning the mattress around, and the mattress is still very comfortable.

 

Before we bought the Beautyrest we tried a TempurPedic on a trial basis and sent it back well before the trial was over.  All we did was sweat, and that was during the winter.  And as Mike said, sex is impossible. 

 

It's hard to describe, but it's kind of like quicksand.  If you run and jump onto the bed, you're in for a real surprise.  You'll land with a thud, and you'll feel yourself sinking as the memory foam begins to mold itself around you.  It's a very strange and abnormal sensation.  No bounce whatsoever.  Let's just say a TempurPedic fights you every step of the way and you'll never develop momentum or get a rhythm going.  It's simply impossible.  Another reason we sent it back early.  Just getting out of bed required extra effort.  The term "roll out of bed" does not apply to memory foam.

 

 

[mattl]

Another point of view -- I HATE Sleep number mattresses.. Worst thing I ever tried. I have a Simmons Beautyrest and have enjoyed it for years. It's getting toward the end of its life and will look for the same again.

 

[jamiel]

My parents have a sleep number bed and like it. Sex in the Tempur-Pedic is exactly as mentioned--no way to get any momentum going. We are threatening to get a massage table for the spare bedroom It is a very still way of sleeping...not much that Brian does is noticeable (I sometimes have trouble in a hotel room now with an innerspring mattress because it doesn't suppress every little movement/vibration like the foam)