Mattress Shopping :(

[warmsecondrinse]

WalMart actually got back to me. They told me that this (link below) is the one I bought.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spa-Sensations-10-Memory-Foam-and-Spring-Hybrid-Mattress/14225197?cs=true

It came rolled up in a box and was quite unwieldy to bring upstairs because there was no way to grab it properly. I just figured that since it's a mattress, it can't break. I actually tipped it end over end up the stairs.

There were pretty clear instructions as to how one first places it on the bed and only after it's in position (also explained clearly) does open up the bag in which it's sealed. It slowly unfolds and inflates (the memory foam is compressed) over a couple of hours.

As I said, I'm very happy with it.

Jim

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spa-Sensations-10-Memory-Foam-and-Spring-Hybrid-Mattress/14225197?cs=true

 

[iheartmaytag]

I had stated my water bed was warm

Well I lied.  Last night was a cold and windy night, the furnace turns down to 60 after 10:00 pm.  About 12:10 I woke just freezing.  It took me a few minutes to realize that apparently the cat had unplugged the heater, apparently a few days ago.

 

Had to throw a comforter and heating pad between me and the  mattress in order to get back to sleep.  After all day heating it is almost warm again tonight.

 

As for "the deed"  does it count if you're the only one there?  Then it does fine.

 

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Matress for "doing the deed"

Katie and I have had no problem on the OMF mattress. In fact it got easier once we got it.
WK78

 

[mikael3]

The mattress we sleep on is from 1970.  My great-aunt bought it for herself, and she kept the receipt handy to remind herself why she would never buy another.  I slept on it for years when I visited her; and I can say with a shudder of horror, there was never a night when I didn’t hate that thing with all my being. 

 

Back in 2000, when my aunt moved to assisted living, my partner and I ended up with the mattress, since it came with a very nice rosewood bed frame.  After one night, we swore we were going to burn that mattress in a ritual conflagration in the back yard.  It is the very incarnation of torture.  And, it is FULL, not even queen—despite the fact that the bed itself is queen, and there is therefore has a 6″ gap between the mattress and the frame on one side.   The detestable creature doesn’t even have a tag—I don’t think it ever did, so I have no idea who made it.  I recall, possibly, that my aunt paid someone to make it for her, so that it would have the same “give” and “feel” as a concrete slab. 

 

My now-husband and I are not small people, and the two of us have nursed our loathing of this barque of the damned for 15 years.  You might wonder how any couple could be so crippled by inertia that they would carry on like this and not buy something new.  There’s no good answer to that, except that the mattress industry ENRAGES me; it is filled with crooks and liars and cheap foam rubber.  And then we were always reluctant to spend the money.  And then, as with so many things, we adjusted to the nightmare and just became complacent in the face of the enemy.

 

Perhaps a new day is dawning.  This post and all the useful information here inspire me to try shopping for a mattress again; and I’m feeling a little tremor of hope. 

 

I do have a question—just one for now.  Does anyone have a deeply held opinion about box springs?  I’ve read that they’re critical to a properly performing mattress system, AND I’ve read that they’re pointless. 

 

[sudsmaster]

I looked over the Walmart Spa Sensations web page pretty thoroughly today. Read a LOT of the reviews. The verdict seems basically positive, although I did note a couple of troubling things. One, that the mattress may develop a sag after a few months to years. That would not be good, but only a few mentioned that. The other was that some people loved it. Others hated it because they said it was too hard. Still others hated it because they said it was too soft. But I suppose that's to be expected with most any mattress. Perhaps the only way to tell is to try one out, since mattress preferences seem to be very individual. But I doubt that Walmart has them on display.

 

I also checked out the Costco Stearns and Foster selections. Basically it appears that in the case of their mattress, the one to get is the Lake Shore. It's the "luxury firm" and didn't have near the complaints that the softer "luxury plush" Maple Glen model had. So it sounds like it has firmer padding that doesn't deteriorate or flatten out like the softer model does.

 

I also checked my Costco Sealy: it's a Mira Loma, and after about 14 years the padding doesn't seem to have deteriorated at all. It's on the firm side, and as I've said I would prefer a Beautyrest or indiv. pocketed Stearns and Foster, but the Mira Loma is still going strong.

 

[this post was last edited: 1/25/2015-22:58]

http://www.costco.com/lake-shore-mattress-collection.html

 

[petek]

A box spring is just another way for mattress dealers to make more money. They won't guarantee the mattress unless you buy the boxspring. However most scandinavian beds like a teak modern stuyle I had years ago never had a box spring, it just sat in teh teak box fram on plywood and the small IKEA single we have doesn't have one either,, just a flat thinly padded piece of plywood.

 

[volvoguy87]

My experience thus far.

I went to the OMF factory location in Cincinnati yesterday. They have 3 lines of spring cores for their inner-spring mattresses, each can be had with several different types and configurations of padding on one or both sides. I found the one I liked the best and half-jokingly said to the salesman: "This one is the most expensive inner spring mattress you sell, isn't it?" He said I was right! Of course, I just have to have expensive tastes!

I took home the literature for their Orthopedic Eurotop set to do some more specific research and review reading. The link to that mattress is at the bottom of this post. They offer 2 box springs, both of which are functional. A regular 8" thick box spring and a 5" thick version. They have different springs inside to give the same performance regardless of which height is chosen.

My bed frame is part of a lower-end Danish Modern set, which I believe dates from the first half of the 1960s. I've been sleeping on it for nearly my entire life. The headboard has some integrated shelves and the nice mattress set I like is just too thick and would come up above the shelves! Even with the thinner box spring, it's just too tall. I am now looking at their Orthopedic Premier Super Pillow Top set, which is one step down from the Orthopedic Euro Top and is one inch thinner, which would come up even with the shelves.

One thing I like about the OMF is that for $20.00 I can have extra reinforcement built into the edge of the mattress's inner spring so the edge won't crush so far when I sit on the edge of the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed concentrates more weight in a smaller space than laying on the bed. Sitting in the same spot often can cause the mattress to dip there (mine is doing this now). Hopefully a reinforced edge will allow the mattress to age more gracefully than my current example.

Now it's time for more research!
Dave

PS: Regarding the box spring; I believe that, so long as performance is the same, the choice of using the 5" or the 8" box spring offered at the OMF is a matter of personal preference. The height differential is only 3", but under the right circumstances an extra 3" can make a world of difference. It can mean the difference of being able to easily get out of bed, or stand up, without having to climb up or jump down. Of course, the height differential may come into play during certain recreational activities, depending on application. Your mileage may vary.

http://https//www.originalmattress.com/orthopedic-mattress/comfort-choices#orthopedic_eurotop

 

[retro-man]

We still have a water bed also. It is a King size with motionless mattress and lumbar support. Just love this bed. The only concern is when the mattress goes, it is fiber filled and impossible to remove the majority of water and heavy as a front loader duomatic.

Jon

 

[g3bill]

Simmons beautyrest is what I bought in the 70's and loved it till the roof leaked distroying it . Bought a new one around 2000 and was too firm then found they didn't actually make a box spring any longer, it had torson bars they called it, with my knee or elbow I bent one down, then later a few times more till there were dips all over. The old box spring was in the back yard so looked from bottom side and was built with quality in those days, lots more coil springs and all tied with heavy string. I suppose the simmons mattress is still good these days but dont like over 7". Since I've found two well made discarded old style box springs and want to recover and use it with a not so firm mattress. ?

I searched a year ago on the internet and found some real nice beds to my liking but i'm not buying a bed without trying it out, kinda hard buying by wire...

 

[countryguy]

Last summmer while in Toronto for a weekend, I went window shopping in the distillery district where I came upon a store that sold mattresses. If you've got money to burn this is the place to buy a mattress. I tried out one that cost $110,000.

Gary

http://www.hastens.com/en/

 

[mark_wpduet]

I have a Sealy Posturpedic

That is approaching 8 or 9 years old. It's a pillow top plush. I hate firm! It's still pretty comfortable but you can't flip it! So what I do is every time I change the sheets, I rotate the foot part of the bed to the head part of the bed, and next time I change sheets do the same..

I often wondered to myself if I buy a new mattress if I need to buy new box springs, because the ones I have look fine. I thought about buying a new one a year ago but changed my mind (for now)

 

[mrb627]

$110,000 ???

Does it come with a house?

Malcolm

 

[countryguy]

No and it didn't even come with a head board! I lay on it for 10 minutes and I could not tell the difference between it and my mattress at home.

 

[whirlcool]

There are also places that will custom make you a mattress to your own specs. These are normally about $3K & up. Sometimes "The Dump" will have them on sale for a cheap price. All handmade, no machines involved.

The worst mattress we ever had was a brand called "Englander". We bought it a John M. Smythe furniture in Chicago which was known for selling quality goods. This must have been around 1977 or so. The mattress was fine for about the first three years, then the center collapsed in. It was like a hole. You'd get on the bed and the "hole" would pull you in by gravity. It wasn't a cheap mattress either. Then to top it off if you tried to sleep on it you'd wake up with a horrific back ache. By 1981 we got rid of it and got our first Stearns & Foster. What a difference! The Englander brand was well known in the Chicago area, but I have never seen it anywhere else.

 

[washman]

volvoguy

I have the ORTHOPEDIC PILLOW TOP. Would not trade it for all the tea in China. And yes, I had the edges reinforced so I could actually get in at night and up in the AM. Same price twenty bucks. They are blue cylinders that go in every other spring around the outside. Well worth it.

On top of that, the actual innerspring goes all the way to the edge. Not like the other brands that stop a full 3-4 inches shy then you have the "encased" foam to bring a queen size to 60x80. Translation: we use less steel for the innerspring and make it up with much cheaper foam. This, of course, is total BS.

Let's see, I got it in 2006 after a severe bout of sciatica. Thus it's going on 9 years and while the padding has settled a bit, it is just as comfy now as when I bought it.

You would do well to get an OMF mattress. And box springs while you're at it.

 

[dustin92]

In my opinion, don't bother with a Serta. I have one currently, it is about 10 years old, but spent it's first 6 or so in a guest room (because I hated it from day 1). Starting from day 1- it had a horrible chemical odor, like cheap foam, which only got worse over the next few years, then finally decided to back off. It has a very slippery polyester cover, so sheets always slid off and bunched up, I figured out how to live with this by keeping a tight fitted cotton mattress cover on it. I don't like firm beds at all, and while it felt pretty good in the store, it is rather hard in real life. Very hot to sleep on, which is only made worse by the next issue- it has developed a deep sag in the center, which is near impossible to pull out of. I have a twin comforter, and a foam egg crate pad under the cotton cover. Makes it bearable to sleep on, and somewhat fills the sag. All in all, very disappointed and won't be buying another Serta when this one goes.

 

[yogitunes]

most box springs today are just the "BOX"...hollowed wooden framework, a piece of cardboard topper, and covered in material........not what we were used to of yesteryear, actual springs that bounced.....

many times you will see a sale on a bed, and the box spring is only 10.00 more.....all it does anymore is lift the mattress itself off the bedframe to a somewhat normal level...

my preference is a platform base....to which I am using my waterbed base and frame, and slid the mattress inside.....in fact someone is giving away a king bed set waterbed, with the drawer bases....I like extra storage...

to empty a waterbed completely, using a garden hose and or pump to get the majority of water out, then use a wet/dry vac to vacuum pack that mattress down to a lighter flat sheet that is easy to handle.....been there.....I have used both, semi-motion and motionless...

 

[volvoguy87]

I'm a Friggin' Genius!

Dustin, it sounds like your Serta has gone! Better start planning a replacement.

As I wrote earlier, I couldn't get the super-thick mattress because it would partially cover the shelves on my headboard. I thought "wouldn't it be nice if someone made replacement bed rails that were lower so you accommodate a thicker mattress without affecting the height of the bed?" I did a little whimsical searching online, and LO & BEHOLD, someone else who had a bed rail factory thought the very same thing! My low profile bed rails did exist, and I could easily order some and I could have the mattress I liked with my family heirloom head and foot boards! Did this satisfy me? Of course not! I thought that a queen sized bed isn't all that much bigger than a full.

Maybe...

YES YES YES!!!!!!
I found I could purchase a set of replacement full size bed rails with small extensions on the sides which would allow me to retain my full size head and foot boards, along with the rest of the matching bedroom set, yet accommodate a queen size mattress.

If only I could somehow combine the two rail sets and have a low profile full size rail set that could also accommodate a queen size box spring and mattress. I wonder if anyone else has already thought of this? I wonder if that person might have access to a bed rail factory? I wonder if this has already happened?

YES! YES! YES! and even more YES!!!!!!!
The link to it is at the bottom of this post. It's affordable, it's on its way, and I shall order the queen size mattress upon its arrival.

Dave

http://www.amazon.com/Glideaway-DRC...8-1&keywords=queen+full+bed+rails+convert+low

 

[danemodsandy]

Be Careful....

....To check the thickness of the new mattress against that of the old.

Mattresses are not the standard seven-inch depth of yore; they now come in all kinds of different thicknesses.

If your new mattress is much thicker than the old, you may have to ditch all your old sheets and buy new ones.

Sheet manufacturers are trying to accommodate this by making deeper-pocketed contour bottom sheets, a tactic that I find only partially successful. I personally don't like the new contour sheets; they're loose on all but the thicker mattresses. I like a taut bottom sheet.

 

[jkbff]

On the topic of mattresses, does anyone have any thoughts on wool beds?

http://www.surroundewe.com/Products.asp?d=0&ID=8

I have a Serta iComfort that was the middle choice of three options when it was new. I have a love hate relationship with it... I wished I could just flip it over and use the other side but I don't think its made for that. The other thing is it would be nice to wash the outer cover, because it is removeable but it warns against it. I have the bed in the corner of my Studio Apartment against the walls at the head and right side. I twist the mattress around when I change sheets and having the bed against the walls, I can lay direction/position on the bed because some nights, I just can't find a way to get comfortable... I seem to flop around when I sleep.

Generally, when its not one of those nights where I can't get comfortable, I love how this mattress feels.. It provides just the right amount of support and feels like one of those old down beds. Thats kinda where the Wool bed idea was going.

I did go for the iComfort vs the tempurpedic because these sleep cooler... I still have nights where if I don't have my fan on, I wake up drenched in sweat... But the apartment stays 65 degrees, winter/summer because it is in a basement. If I don't block the heat vents etc, it easily gets to 75 down here winter/summer.

I wished we had access to some of these mattress companies you guys are talking about. It'd be too simple to have a NFM up here...[this post was last edited: 1/28/2015-04:09]