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mattl

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I'm in the early stages of shopping for a new mattress.  I hate all the options.  Have no idea which type to choose.  My current mattress is about 25 years old, traditional Beauty Rest with a slight pillow top.  That is what failed. the foam disintegrated.  I've always been diligent and rotated and flipped every 6 months or so so all areas are bad.  Got to the point I was waking up with a mild case of sciatica.

 

I was up to one of my cousin's lake house last weekend and slept on a bed in a box they had just got early in the season and it was great.  That said there are so many out there to choose from and I have no idea of their longevity, don't want to buy another one in 10 years.  Had been thinking of a traditional mattress I can flip and rotate as I have always done, but I see there  are hybrids out now too.

 

When I got home last Sunday I dreaded going to bed and did wake up with issues again.  I'm 6'4" and about 175 lbs so I need a bigger bed.  I pulled a mattress off one of the other beds and tried that but found it uncomfortable.  I had a Sleep Number bed tucked in the closet, I had bought it for my dad 12 or 13 years ago, he did not like it. I assembled it.  Not bad but too small, I'm using it as a stopgap at this point.   Sleeping diagonally.  I refuse to pay for a Queen SN bed, all it is is an air mattress surrounded by foam, not worth $2000.

 

My goal is to find a mattress that will last 20-25 years as the last one did, am I dreaming?  Foam, hybrid or traditional?  All kinds of brands I've never heard of and odds are many will be gone in a few years. It used to be easy, Serta,  Simmons or one of the other big brands. Now I feel I'm working blind.
 
life span of current mattresses is 8 to 10 years, and be lucky to make it that far....their designed this way, so you purchase a new one more often....

I am a fan of the Sleep Number....

another type to choose is one with an adjustable base, it adjust feet and head, and massages, you can get a heat option too.......I have a queen for that one, but would prefer a king as my other one....

seems Full and Queen size are too rounded so to speak, like I almost feel like falling/rolling off if your not in the center....

but yeah, if your 6'4"....king is the way to go.....

actually I miss the water bed.....
 
I sell

The brand MLILY. My kids sleep on the premier hybrid. It’s good. I recommend the harmony plus if you want all foam , or the fusion luxe if you want a deluxe. It has cooling gel and is a hybrid. I comes with either a 10, or 15 year non prorated warranty.
 
I bought my current mattress a little over 14 years ago at Original Mattress Factory, and I've been very pleased with it. I got a mid-line model. I need to turn it, but my back has been bothering me since I lifted my mower a couple weeks ago.
 
I Have a REALLY Old Mattress

I bought my Sealy mattress and box spring set at J.C. Penney in 1985.
It is still comfortable (to me) but the seams are starting to split open.
The thought of having to buy a new mattress rate up there with getting a root canal or buying a new car.
I did go to a mattress store ONCE with a friend.
All I wanted was a conventional mattress and box spring (like I have now).
The salesman managed to sell me on an adjustable bed with one of those thick mattresses.
After I got home, I thought about it some more and called the next day to cancel my purchase.
The only conventional mattresses and box spring sets I've seen are online (Amazon, etc.).
None have very good ratings.
I don't want a huge, thick mattress. That will then require all new bedding, etc. and I don't want to go there.
So, I will continue to sleep on my 35 year-old Sealy until the day I die.
 
We bought our King Restonic mattress and box springs in 1983, paid $995.00 plus tax, it was the most expensive King set they had in their store at the time.  I feel the same way as Bill above about buying a new mattress. We’ve always kept a good cover and pad on it and rotated it periodically.  In fact there’s not a stain on it, just like new.  We both sleep well on it and we always remark about how good it feels to be in that bed.  

 

If we ever were to replace it we’d want another set of the same type, and they are hard to find,  as far as I can tell we’d need to order on line.

 

But for now, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

 

Eddie
 
I had a Beautyrest mattress from about 1977 to about 1990. Then it really got really worn out and I replaced it with a Sealy Posturepedic, which was fine for about 15 years before the foam on that wore out as well. The current Sealy Posturepedic is also showing wear, although not as bad as with the previous ones. And yes I rotate and flip the mattresses religiously. I notice that the newer ones are not flippable; the sleeping surface foam is on just one side. Presumably they use a longer lasting foam for that.

 

I've looked at Stearns and Foster and it looks like a Beautyrest kind of internal construction (individually pocketed coil springs). But so does a Sealy at Costco I've been eyeing. So who knows? Maybe the Beautyrest patents ran out. Anyway, that's probably what I'll get.

 

The current Sealy isn't bad, but I just find I want a softer mattress. For some reason I can't lie on my left side; perhaps due to an old hip injury. So a softer top might help with that, I dunno. Actually I have a 2" thick memory foam mattress topper I could throw on it to see if that helps.

 

I get along fine with a Queen size bed. And to tell the truth, a full or even a twin would work for me. I would think anyone who is 6'4" would need a California King size bed. No?

 

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mattress-sizes
 
I'm sold on Simmons Beautyrest.  We like firm so I went with "luxury firm" without a pillow top.  This is the second Beautyrest we've had.  The first one went away with a smaller bed after we moved and got a new king size.  That first one was a good 15 years old and still felt and slept like new.

 

The Beautyrest independent coil spring design requires no flipping.  Just rotate if you so choose.  The Beautyrest also requires no box spring.  Simmons includes a flat platform instead of a box spring.  I can attest that box springs are just as much a culprit for back discomfort as are deteriorated mattresses.  We had a Serta-Pedic that gave us both bad back aches after 15 or so years.  We put it on a waterbed platform and it was like a new mattress.  The box springs were shot.  Well, that was back in our wild and crazy group scene days, so they were traumatized a number of times.  Still, I'd avoid box springs.   You'd be asking for eventual problems.

 

Another good thing about Simmons -- maybe it's not unique to them, though -- is that the sides of the mattress are reinforced to provide support when sitting on the side of the bed and to prevent them from sagging over time.

 

A guy your size should have a California king.  They're longer than a standard king.
 
Lots of good info, thanks.  I'm fine with a queen size, that's what I've had for 40+ years.

 

Interesting thoughts on box springs.  The SN came with  plastic "box spring" and I think that is one of the reasons my dad and I hated it.  When I put it back into use I just put it on the box spring my old mattress used and I'm not minding it at this point. luckily this will give me a bit of time to go out shopping and find a good fit for me.
 
Matt,

if you like Michigan made, King Coil is made in Roseville. Art Van used to sell them. I've not slept on one myself. Had my first Stearns and Foster back in 1986. Had it until 97. It was the correct confort firm. It wasn't shot, but hubby has a herniated disc, and wanted a new one. We got a Dormia hybrid memory foam baffled made in NY state from Art Van with a 20 year warranty. By 2008, he was over that too. We had the option of a pro rated replacement, but he didn't like it. Back to Stearns and Foster. It is very thick, with a luxury padded top. Still have it, and it's fine, even though they have moved production to Mexico. The kids have those ones that come in a box rolled up, and love them. One has a Casper, the other kiddies is from Art Van. The parents have something similar in a King size from Gardner White. They sell Serta, Sealy, Simmons, etc.
 
Sleep Number M7

I have the Sleep Number M7 with the adjustable and massaging base. I love it my only complaint is the foam around the bladder wears out quickly and needs replacement often. There is a sliding scale on price as the mattress gets older the price of parts gets more expensive but its not too bad.
 
The double sized Sleep Number I'm using is from the mid 2000's and has a black foam pad. Seems ok at the moment as it's  had little use.  I did look for a replacement but did not find anything that looked better.  Have seen reports of mold issues and SL sending replacements, there is one spot of mold on the foam but it's small.
 
Latex

I had a friend who was a mattress salesman and he said Latex mattresses are the longest lasting on the market. All the salesmen and managers of his company all slept on Latex beds.

He hooked me up with a bed they were testing for hefty people. I am 6'6" and about 350. I've been sleeping on it for 5 years and it has been great! But it is traditional spring and foam construction. Just really beefy springs.
 
My parents bought a US Rubber Latex double mattress and matching box springs in 1954 also another set for my sisters room.  These were hands down the most comfortable beds I ever slept in, bar none.  Mom used hers until 2000, 46 years. The only reason she and my stepfather bought an new Temprapedic mattress set was because they wanted a king size bed. The 46 year old latex mattress was just as good as the day it was delivered in 1954.

 

Eddie
 
I think everybody should at least try a waterbed. For me, it's the greatest sleep on the planet. On the rare occasion I have to sleep somewhere else, I wake up feeling like I got ran over by a dump truck. Doesn't matter what the mattress is. They even make them now where they don't have waves. It's heated in winter, and nearly air-conditioned in summer. They sell everything you could possibly need on Amazon. Wonderful invention.
 
How do waterbeds compare with traditional mattresses for athletic sex and the associated variance of positions?  We had a Tempur-Pedic mattress on a trial basis and sent it back after a couple of weeks.  Not remotely sex-friendly even for the most pedestrian vanilla variety.  We also were sweating like crazy in the middle of winter. 

 

I've been on a waveless waterbed but am still skeptical about them providing the same degree of support as a traditional mattress for an active scene between two enthusiastic men.
 
I have avoided waterbeds because for most of my life I've been a renter, and most rental agreements prohibit waterbeds.

 

Now I'm a homeowner and I'm not sure I'd be a fan of waterbeds should one spring a leak. Especially with a cat.

 

Yeah, I know, there are waterbed frames that can contain the flood.

 

Maybe.

 
 
Reply to RP2813:
It takes getting used to. It kind of repeats you like an echo. I won't go into detail, but I have the original full wave type. The support is all over the place. You can add and subtract water to adjust the firmness to an extent. It's fun though you can bottom out and hit the wooden frame with the weight of two moving people if you aren't careful. A big plus is that if you need to keep quiet, there is minimal noise. I also like the sanitary factor. It's very easy to throw sheets into the washing machine, and wipe down the vinyl mattress.
Reply to SudsMaster:
It's not a matter of WILL it explode, it's a matter of WHEN. It's best to replace the mattress every 10 or so years to avoid catastrophe. The mattresses are fairly cheap, and worth replacing. They also make them much thicker than they used to. I have a liner in mine to catch MOST of the water, though a ton of water would still spill.
_______________________________________________________________________
When I originally wanted a waterbed, the price for a frame was insane. I went to the hardware store, bought the lumber and built it better than you can buy premade. With a fancy bookcase headboard and all, the entire bed cost me around $400. Frame, liner, heater, mattress, pad, and sheets.
 
I have had a waterbed in the past. I had to give it up because I needed an adjustable bed for my lung problems. Otherwise I would have kept it, it was the most comfortable bed I ever had. Mine was 50% stabilized. I wanted some of the wave effect, but didn't want to be sea sick. I was very happy with that.

However I didn't like it for having sex on. It was a nightmare! I can't believe some people are saying it's great for that. When I had a "date" at home, I used the bed in the guestroom, that was a rather firm queen sized boxspring.

A waterbed will never explode. If that happend there is way too much water in the mattress. And that is not very comfortable because it the middle of the mattress will ball up. You need to fill the mattress just enough so that your spine is perfectly horizontal. Not more and not less. There is not really any pressure on it, so if you have a leak, a bit of water will flow out, it will not be a flood. I had a colleague who had a leaky waterbed in the middle of the night sometime. The mattresstop was wet ofcourse, but no flooding. When there is a leak, there is suddenly not more water in that bed than before, so it will not overflow like a sink with the tap on.

A good waterbed has a thick mattresspad on it. A cat's claws are not long enough to go through that I think. Or you must have a tiger for a pet. ;-)
 
I've had a waterbed with cats in the house for a total of over 20 years and no cat has ever punctured it.  Once, I was changing sheets on my old one and the liner flipped up just right and the mattress hit a screw head in the corner and it sprang a leak.  Just got the kit at walmart and glued the patch over it.  I haven't seen waterbed repair kits in a while so I now keep a pool liner repair kit on hand...same thing.  My current mattress has lumbar support and everything and is semi-waveless.  I'm just not quite heavy enough to displace the lumbar support area so I tend to scoot down in the bed so more of my torso is on it.  I built my bed too.  They aren't cheap anymore so I built the pedestal and frame and my dad built the headboard...you'd never know it wasn't store bought.  Everything total was about $200 for the mattress, liner, digital heater, and the wood.
 
Have had a water bed for at least the past 30 years. It has a lumbar support in the mattress and is pretty much motionless with the fiber filling the bag. No rising up in the middle with too much water. I have it quite filled so that is pretty firm. Sex is great on it. Previous bed was a basic bag in a frame. Now that was terrible for tumbling around. They have made a lot of improvements over the years. Our beach house has a regular mattress which needs replacement and my back and hips notice the difference.

Jon
 
Yeah, big problem with memory foam is they're awful for sex...thats what hotels are for... We had a Novaform from Costco for about 11 years. It had a knitted cover which pilled and ultimately split...I hadn't realized how much the memory foam mattress relies on the ticking to give structure to the entire thing. We bought a GhostBed right at the beginning of lockdown and it's been quite good. Thinner than the Novaform (which means sheets fit better). A firmer, more rigid woven ticking as well gives it a firmer feel. I've been happy with it (it's slightly better for sex too!)
 
The firmness of a waterbed is not determined by the amount of water you put in it, but by the stabilisation fillers of the water mattress. I'm sure more water makes it firmer, but that is not the way to do it if that causes the spine not being in a straight line. There are guide lines for how to fill a waterbed. A lot of people will get away with an incorrectly filled waterbed just like a lot of people get away with sleeping on a bad mattress. But if you have back problems there is no option otherwise than a correctly filled waterbed.

Besides that too much water (not enough is bad too), can stretch the vinyl too much, put too much pressure on the seams so the risk of leaks becomes bigger. More water also means more energy to keep the water at the selected temperature.

One downside of a waterbed is that you have to keep the blankets or duvets on it to keep the energy low. I prefer not to make the bed all day to make life difficult for the dustmites. Dustmites like the warmer environment of a heated bed with covers on it. Ventilation is important to keep control over these creatures.
 
We all have different likes & dislikes...

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">I had no idea water beds were still popular. About 100 years ago I flew (on World Airways, how old is that) to Kansas City to visit friends and slept on a waterbed. It was awful. It was like sleeping on a pile of hot water bottles.  Every time I moved it created a wave and made me seasick. I'm sure there are higher-quality waterbeds today and adjustable thermostats. My friends were cheap so I assume the bed was too. I have been planning on buying a new mattress for my adjustable frame as a reward once I'm scheduled for the reversal of my "C" surgery. I currently have an early model memory foam bed. I want a new cushy pillow-top mattress, maybe something hybrid. Even though I have back problems (cancelled that surgery) I don't want to sleep on anything firm. And since I haven't done any entertaining in the bedroom in 10 years, even if someone gives me a "Blow Up Bob Doll" for Christmas, that's not a concern either. I want that "sink-in" feeling. I hope to find some good advice here.</span>

twintubdexter-2020082215364108347_1.jpg
 
I had a waterbed from ‘73 til ‘76 when the craze first began.  It was a double size frame made of 2”x8” pine boards held together with 6” lad bolts on a plywood platform.  I think I paid around $150 for the frame, mattress and heater.  I thought to was very comfortable, easy to make.  I just used flat sheets, tucking the bottom sheet into the space between the frame and mattress and the weight of the water held the bottom sheet in place.

 

Back then they were the rage with my age group.  People used to say the motion was like power steering for sex.  It was a bitch to move, and I moved 5 times while I owned it.  The second time I moved it, I was in a hurry, so while it was draining through a garden hose directed outside, I thought, why not start taking the frame apart?  Bigga mistake!  As I removed the second 6”lag bolt from the right side with  the mattress half way drained, the mattress rolled off the platform onto my leg, like a tremendously heavy blob.  I was by myself, but I managed to free myself.  But then it was a real problem getting it drained the rest of the way and my “time saving” attempt ended up costing me at least an extra 2 hrs!  Ya live and ya learn as they say, LOL.

 

Finally, in the early summer of ‘76 I moved into an upstairs apt. and waterbeds were verboten. So, I bought a used double mattress and old fashioned steel bed springs from The Salvation Army Thrift Store for $22 ($20 for the mattress and $2 for the springs).  It fit perfectly into the pine waterbed frame with about 12’’ at the foot for storage of extra blankets.  That was the most comfortable bed I ever owned, believe it or not.  And everyone that ever shared it with me said the same thing too.

 

Eddie
 

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