The Bed Thread

[jeffg]

Hi All, we've decided to buy a new bed and we're looking for recommendations. My partner and I are both side sleepers (exclusively) and height/weight proportional (5'10" 150# and 5'11" 160#).

Any recs are greatly appreciated. We're looking for a traditional coil spring mattress and not foam, air or a waterbed.

Thanks!!

 

[polkanut]

Jeff,

My wife & I have had a Simmons mattress for the last 10 yrs. and we absolutely love it. We do turn it over & flip it end over end, and vacuum it every spring and fall so it wears evenly. They have many styles to choose from, check out the link.

Mattress Company Online | Simmons Just for Fun-ZZZs

Shopping to buy a mattress online for better sleep shouldn’t be hard or break the bank either! All Simmons mattresses are cost-effective & ship to your door w/ free shipping.

www.simmons.com

 

[alr2903]

Jeff, We had 2 sets of spring air, that were dissappointing. their warranty covered the first set, it had developed our imprint, we are both less than 200 lbs. The second spring air had the pillow top and they cannot be turned over they are a fiber like on one side, you can only rotate it head to foot, same side always up. It too, quickly developed the "imprint". Hurricane katrina took care of that one. we now have a Serta, A good friend has a Stearns & Foster and swears by it. Just really look at the spring construction, in the little cut out samples on display, more metal is better IMHO. arthur

 

[nmaineman36]

We have the Sleep Number bed and I can tell you its the best nights sleep you will ever get on a bed. I can adjust the air bladder on my side of the bed to go from 100 which is rock hard to a nice cushy 35 the way I like it. Scott keeps his side at 45. Never wake up with a backache and I find that I do have more stamina during the day since I sleep so deeply on the bed. Yeah I know I sound like a commercial but I have to tell ya what they say in those infomercials about the bed is very true.
Once you sleep on a bed like this you never go back to anything else.
And one big plus is that not every couple likes the same kinda firmness on a bed. Thats a big reason why many couples we know dont share the same bed since one might want it one way...you know what I mean. And its great for those times that when you notice that you just cant get comfortable no matter how many times you toss and turn. With this bed you just change the settings on the remote control until you find the perfect setting.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Platform bed and platform mattress.

Started this trend in 1981 and have never gone back...............

Latest mattress was one of those conventional spring jobbies where vibration/movement is not tranferred to the other side of the bed. WORKS WELL!

 

[rp2813]

Two Words:

Simmons Beautyrest. This is the one that they used to run the ad for where they dropped a bowling ball on the bed to show how when one person moves around or gets up, the other doesn't feel anything on their side of the mattress. I can attest to this being the absolute truth. We've had our mattress for a few years now and wouldn't buy anything else. I used to hate being knocked around and trying to sleep while my partner would be sitting on the side of the bed tying his shoes in the morning. That doesn't happen with the Beautyrest, and it has reinforced edges so you can actually sit there and have support. I highly recommend this one.

Stay away from Tempurpedic if you were even considering it unless you hate to have sex but love the sweating part of it.

 

[peterh770]

We have a place here called "The Original Matress Factory". I just got a new bed from them and am very pleased with it. I don't know if they distribute countrywide...

Mattresses, Box Springs and More - The Original Mattress Factory

Manufacturer of the best mattresses and box springs for the Eastern US. Providing the best comfort and durability you can find in a mattress.

www.originalmattress.com

 

[whirlcool]

We have had a Stearns & Foster for the past 15 years. It is very comfortable and is holding up very well. We would definitely consider another one.

Our neighbors have one of those Tempurpedic memory foam mattresses and they said it's not as comfortable as advertised and you get VERY hot and sweaty while sleeping in it. It may work in an artic climate, but not in Texas. Plus tempurpedic gets very nasty with you when you try to return it.

 

[mattl]

Sleep Number Question...

I did a little research on the Sleep Number Beds a while ago, and one complaint I came across a number of times was that when there was a dissimilarity in settings people tended to roll to the center, any truth to that?

One other issue that came up repeatedly was that it was next to impossible to return and get a refund from the Sleep Number people.

Not sure as to the voracity of these reports but it was enough to put me off SN beds, plus the $$$$ for that matter.

 

[jeffg]

Thanks all for the advice so far. Ralph, since you're local to me, can I ask what model Beautyrest you bought, and where you bought it?

Matt, I've never read such conflicting opinions about any other bed than Sleep Number. Some people absolutely swear by them, some say they're great as long as each person keeps to their side of the mattress (that won't work for us, we're incurable spooners). And still others say they're like sleeping on balloons. The thing that puts me off is reviews of SN's customer support, which range from bad to terrible.

 

[polkanut]

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that we have a Beautyrest also. Don't know which model it is though, would have to unmake it to find out.

 

[iheartmaytag]

We just got my mother a Denver Mattres

Mom is a larger woman so it was nice you can go into the store, try the samples, pick the cover, padding, springs, and it custom made for your.

Not that expensive either around $600. It is a double sided so it can be flipped. The man at the store recommended because of Mom's size to flip it monthly and end to end it every other month.

I tried a sleep numberr at the mall. When I win the lottery I'm getting one.

 

[gizmo]

I know you said you wanted a steel spring mattress, but we have changed to a latex mattress and I just love it.

we have had cotton futons for years, then a top quality innerspring, but the latex is fantastic - you don't roll in together (it doesn't sink in the centre), it moulds beautifully to your shape, it seems to have the perfect balance of firmness and cushioning. The only drawback is that they are VERY heavy to lift into place. I have a cranky back, it has settled down a lot since changeing to latex.

We were warned off "memory foams" as they tend to break down over time, where as latex keeps its shape and resilience - over here it is common enough to get latex mattresses re-covered at about 25 to 30 years old, as the fabric is showing its age but the latex inside is still perfect.
It is warmer to sleep on than innerspring, but not as hot as foam. We use a light doona (duvet) in winter and a cotton blanket or two in summer.

Chris

 

[golittlesport]

We have a Select Comfort mattress and love it. It is the most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on. What is nice is that you can adjust the firmness of the bed on each side independently of the other. I like mine a bit firmer and am a bigger guy, so I can customize to my comfort level. We have not experienced any of the negatives mentioned.

http://www.selectcomfort.com/

 

[jamiel]

1. Go stay at a Radisson hotel before investing in a Select Comfort. They have them all over and you can try it out. It's an acquired taste, shall we say.

That said, it's wonderful in certain circumstances (wish to heck I'd had one during a period when i was moving around a bit, because I could manage everything in cars except for mattresses so had to rent trucks occasionally).

2. Select Comfort (queen/king) is two air bladders surrounded by semi-rigid foam (pool-noodle type stuff). If you're spooners, may not be the best, but if you contain yourselves to one side of the bed, you're fine. Tends to have some hammocking when the bed is made unless you plump up the air every morning.

3. Tempur pedic and imitators are heavy and warm. My partner and I got one in May (faux from Costco...good return policy and cheaper than Tempur pedic) because we could get it up the stairs . Not too hot for us, a little sinky-into (you feel like you're swimming in it...I'm 6'0 240 and Brian is 6'2 280, so we're big bears). I don't think either of us are too in love with it, but given the choice between a pricy Select Comfort, a no-brand air mattress (faux Select Comfort), a pricy Tempur Pedic or a no-brand foam from Costco, I think we made the best decision for a 1920's colonial 2 story house.

4. Remember that all mattresses are basically the same...if the number of coils and the configuration (individually pocketed/Beautyrest or linked/Perfect Sleeper-Posturepedic) are the same...you're looking at the same mattress. That is, if you're seeing a 720 coil Serta at Costco, Macy's and Sears...it's the same mattress and the only differences are the cover. Also, a tight-top (i.e. non pillow-top) will probably show less depressions and allow more flexibility (featherbed, ...) with subsequent things. This also helps with private labeled mattresses...a 750 coil queen size probably comes out of one factory no matter the brand, a 768 coil queen probably comes from a different factory.

 

[rp2813]

Jeff, I will have to dig through some file boxes for the exact model. What I've found with mattress shopping is that each dealer seems to have different names for the series of mattresses they carry--even if the manufacturer is the same.

Let me locate the paperwork on ours and I'll get back to you. I'm trying to recall if we bought our mattress and later, my mom's, from the same place.

Also, buying a mattress is a lot like buying a car--you can haggle.

I've heard very good things about latex by the way, but have yet to try one out.

Ralph

 

[rp2813]

Jeff, I just emailed you with the info off of our invoice.

Ralph

 

[sudsmaster]

I had a Simmons Beautyrest bed for about 25 years. Towards the end it started to sag a bit - the surface padding was pretty much worn out. But for most of its life it was an excellent mattress.

I replaced it with a Sealy Posturpedic mid-line number. It's ok, but I do miss the isolated coils of the Beautyrest. When it comes time to retire the Sealy, I will be going back to a Simmons.

Along the way I picked up a 2" memory foam mattress topper (Temperpedic or similar). It was ok, but when I broke three ribs in a bike accident I found the topper made getting in an out of bed nearly impossible. So I removed it and stored it, and haven't brought it back into operation since then (it's been a couple of years). It also makes for a more humid bed experience, since it doesn't breathe like a regular mattress should.

I have noticed there is a trend in newer mattresses to make them extra thick, and also non-flippable. I'm not sure I like this trend. It can make older fitted bottom sheets and mattress pads not fit properly, and I wonder if having only one usable side to the mattress reduces its overall life expectancy. I guess the rationale is that by having only one usable side, the usable side can be made higher quality and therefore have a longer life.

The better mattresses seem to use more expensive, natural materials, such as wool, for the padding. Cheaper ones seem to use synthetic foams which deteriorate and compress over the years. As with many things, you get what you pay for. As Ralph pointed out, however, mattress marketing is completely out of control, other than for standardized length and width dimenions. I would avoid the discount mattress houses, unless you plan on changing out the bed every five years or so.

 

[rp2813]

Yeah Rich, our Beautyrest instructions advise only to rotate the mattress and not to flip it over. That was a cause for concern but after locating the paperwork, I see it's nearly 6 years old already and it's holding up fine just with spinning it around once in a while.

For a king size, expect to pay about $1K for a Beautyrest or comparable mattress. Also, ours is on a waterbed platform that we bought when our previous Serta's box springs were failing (this can happen when you have as many as 5 big men on the bed at one time). I think it might be a little firmer as a result. The Beautyrests don't come with box springs but instead have a companion platform. We didn't order that because we already had our waterbed platform, but the mattress feels pretty much the way it did in the showroom. I'll never go with a box spring system again. An otherwise good mattress will end up generating back aches simply because the box springs aren't doing a good job of supporting it.

Ralph