Mattress Shopping :(

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volvoguy87

volvoguy87

Well-known member
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Joined
Jul 19, 2006
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2,575
Location
Cincinnati, OH
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

http://www.themattressunderground.com/
 
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
 
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.
 
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.....
 
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>
 
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?
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

sudsmaster-2015012318064102803_1.jpg
 
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 :)
 
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.

 
 
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.
 
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)
 
Another reason why Consumer Reports is worthless......willing to bet, they have no mention or testing of 'sex' in any mattress they test.....as if its only for sleep, and nothing else....

but as mentioned for some mattresses, if THAT was tested, what kind of score would they get?.....

we should write them letters, they might have jobs for people to test their mattresses....any volunteers?

willing to bet the companies themselves have some sort of survey for their product.....

as gross as it may seem, Tampon and feminine pads are issued to use, package up, and return with letters of consent for investigations of good and bad of their product........

one that always puzzled me.....Condoms are pre-tested......now there is good work if you can find it.....
 
This is as fascinating as the coffee threads.

I've had an Omaha Bedding Co. bed since 1999 and still love it.

Julia Roberts stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel and fell in love with the bed. As the story goes, she called the front desk on checkout and told them to put the bed on her bill as she was taking with her. The hotel assured her they would have one sent to her new from the factory. Innerspring with thick padding consisting of silk and wool on both sides of the mattress (you can and should flip it). The silk and wool keep the bed cool and breathable as well as holds it shape like poly fiberfill never can.   The store had an article from our local paper about the story and Omaha Bedding, so when I was shopping for a new bed, I thought if it's good enough for Julia...

 

Here is the story

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-11-28/news/9711290188_1_sleep-council-beds-mattress
 

 Even today, this is considered one of the best mattresses on the market. Being a Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) company, our Nebraska Furniture Mart has them in stock and pricing is usually far below many of the national brands. I'd buy another without hesitation.

 

A few years ago, I put a 2.5" memory foam topper on the mattress and hated it. We cut it down to my son's full size bed and he likes it. Yuck. All the reasons mentioned above are true. 

http://www.omahabedding.com
 
I tried a memory foam mattress topper years ago and was also very disappointed. It was too hot, and didn't seem to help my back at all. Even worse, when I injured my ribs (three cracks, plus shoulder blade), the topper made it virtually impossible to get out of bed. It's been folded up and shoved into a spare closet for the past ten years or so. I might wind up putting on the bed in the guest room, lol.

 
 
I've heard a lot of people say that those Temperpedic mattresses are too darned hot before, and it almost takes a declaration of war for Temperpedic to take one back if you don't like it during the trial period.

The best bed I ever slept on was a water cylinder bed. Looks like a conventional bed, but has water cylinders in it. You don't slosh around on it either. As with conventional water beds they are very heavy. Does anyone even use water beds anymore?

I remember staying in a hotel one night that had very comfortable pillows and mattress. I looked for the tags to see what brand they were. On the tag for each item it said "This Item Is For Sale, inquire at the front desk." And sure enough, they'll sell you whatever they had at the hotel. They'll just ship you a brand new item though. The prices are steeper than you'd think. Obviously there is big money to be made doing that.
 
I'm still a throwback to the 70s

I have a waterbed,  it's warm in the winter, cool in the summer.  Only problem, as one gets older the bed gets harder to get out of, and doesn't offer much support for old aching bones.  

 

Another problem is there is no rearranging your room, you set it and leave it.  Otherwise you have to drain move and reset, refill.

 

My great biggest problem now is that you can't get the waterbed conditioner any longer locally, it used to be available at Wal-mart.  So I have to search the internet to get my supplies or the water can take on an old pond smell, which will emanate from the mattress.

 

When I make a change, it will be a sleep number.  I tried one out at the mall and loved it.  Just have to get used to the idea of letting go of that kind of money.  They are really no more expensive than a high quality mattress, but I haven't let go of the money for one of those yet either. 
 
mattress shmatress

When you get to be of my advanced age, judging mattress quality by how well you "perform" on it is the least of your concerns.  I just keep an old Adironack "test" chair out in the garage. Like New York New York, I figure if you can make it there you can make it anywhere.
 
we have a latex mattress. Full latex, NOT a latex top over innerspring.

It was expensive ($1000 for QS) but it is 10+ years old and as good as new. I absolutely love it.

It is hot in hot weather - the latex really holds the heat. It is also incredibly heavy to move.

It is just sooooo comfortable.
 
I've always had a bad back, even as a kid (arthritis, vertebrae out of alignment, vertebrae fusing, etc.), so I'm VERY fussy about mattresses and have spent a fortune on them over the years.

Three years ago I had to buy a bed and mattress unexpectedly. I had neither the time nor the money to do my usual mattress hunt. So, totally against my better judgement I bought this:

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

from WalMart. I paid a little less than the $269 it sells for now. I couldn't find my order on-line so I've e-mailed WalMart for the exact name and model number, but I'm pretty sure this is it.

I love it! It's the best, or close to the best mattress I've ever slept on. No back pain and I sleep like a log. When you lie down, you sink in an inch or 2 to get a bit of that molding/cradling feeling of memory foam, but then your weight hits the coils and you feel that 'push back' so your spine is totally supported. If that sounds too soft, it isn't. My spine is MUCH happier on a hard floor than on a soft mattress and it has had ZERO problems with this mattress.

WARNING: THE NEXT PARAGRAPH DISCUSSES A MATTRESS' OTHER MAJOR FUNCTION. SKIP DOWN TO THE DOUBLE LINES IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED!

All told about a dozen (more, according to my late roommate, lol) gentlemen callers have tried this mattress. Upon hitting it, every single one of them stopped the action and made a comment to the effect of "Oh wow, this mattress is really cool. Where did you get it?" ... WalMart ... "Really? I'll have to remember that. I really like it." Action then resumed.

The unanimous decision is that doing the deed works out just fine on this mattress!
It's soft enough to avoid uncomfortable pressure points yet firm enough to push against.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

It's now safe to read :-)

In spite of the low price, the quality seems quite high and there are no signs of wear and tear. I highly recommend it.

Jim

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spa-Sensations-10-Memory-Foam-and-Spring-Hybrid-Mattress/14225197
 
deleted but now reposting comment

There certainly is a great deal of useful information here concerning mattresses. Just like most other topics there's no single type that everyone perfers. I myself like my non-Temperpedic memory foam mattress with an upholstered thick memory foam topper. My current full-figure warrants having all that foam. 

 

I never thought how well a mattress performs during "deed time" would figure into a review, probably because at my advanced age beds are for sleeping, TV watching and other activities that don't necessarily wrinkle the sheets. Besides, I just keep an Adriondack chair in the garage for testing purposes. Like NY NY, I figure if you can make it there you can make it anywhere.
 
My set is 30 years old!

I am sleeping (well) on my 1985 Serta "Posture Care" full-sized mattress set I purchased at J.C. Penney.
I have considered getting a new mattress, but the number of types, styles, prices etc. put me off every time. It's almost as bad (for me) has purchasing a car! I think I'd rather have a root canal than have to try to figure out what mattress to buy so I'll just stick with my Serta as long as I can.

philcobendixduo-2015012515395304519_1.jpg
 
For the price

That Walmart mattress looks interesting. It appears they sell it online from their Canadian stores too for about the same price... I may just have to look into this some more. Bonus if it comes shrink wrapped in a box. Plus I won't need to buy a new box spring I can just use the current one.
 

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