Hello Phoenix,
Based on your recommendation I went to Jamestown Mattresses today
but I didn’t like their mattress. They were too bouncy for me.
I also looked at Beautyrest Black Collection (Alexia Extra Firm King)
at sears. I really liked the comfort of this one.
The other mattresses that i liked were:
Beautyrest recharge Brentford luxury firm pillowtop (1400$ including taxes with free delivery mattress only )
The other mattress was beautyrest allegheny extra firm ($1200 including taxes and delivery mattress only)
The Black Series Alexia Extra Firm King is $2000.
I really liked the comfort of Alexia but at the same time I am questioning myself
if black series is worth spending extra 800$.
What is your take on this?
Have you seen people having problems with Black Series Mattresses?
Simmons is specifically one of the “major manufacturers” I would avoid and that use low quality and less durable materials in the comfort layers. I would never buy any major brand mattress (or any mattress for that matter) unless you know the specific quality of all the materials inside them and can confirm that there are no obvious weak links in the mattress. You can see an example of the type of low quality materials you will typically find in a Beautyrest Black mattress here (compare this to the foam density guidelines in post #4 here and you will see that there are significant weak links in the mattress). I would also keep in mind that these are their upper end mattresses and the lower end are even worse.
I would be VERY cautious about buying this and yes there are many people who have learned the hard way that low density foams in the comfort layers don’t hold up for very long and will need to be replaced (most likely without warranty coverage) much too quickly.
Phoenix,
After your response, I am back to square one
Can you please provide a link to Beautyrest Black Series owners where they have shown their discomfort/dissatisfaction?
I started with Saatva and then convinced myself to sepnd couple of more 100s to buy the Alexia but if you can recommend something which fulfils the following requirements, that will be great.
Firm to Extra Firm
No Plush/Euro top
Foam/Gel/Coil on Coil combination
-Strong/Reliable Edge Support
Preferred Price Range: 1000 - 1500 max is 2000 including delivery+tax.
Among the 3 “S” brands, which one would you consider has better quality and longevity?
Not many of the forum members here would have purchased one after reading the tutorial and learning more about mattress materials but you can see a few examples here and here and one of our members actually cut theirs open to do mattress surgery after 6 months and you can see their comments and pictures here. A forum search on Beautyrest Black (you can just click the link) will bring up more comments and feedback about them as well and a google search using search terms such as “beautyrest black issues” or similar would bring up many more.
You can see my earlier reply in post #4 here about recommending specific mattresses or “what” to buy but but if you follow the steps in the tutorial post one by one about “how” to choose you will have the best possible chance of success.
That would be like asking whether a Ford or a Chevy or a Chrysler weighed more. It would depend on the specific mattress you are considering and the quality of the materials inside it.
I personally wouldn’t consider any of them (see the guidelines here). While they do make some mattresses that use better quality materials they are still overpriced compared to many others that use the same or better quality materials and components. Asking someone that was knowledgeable about mattresses to choose between them is somewhat like asking them to choose their poison.
Phoenix:
Can you please recommend some reputable local mattress manufacturers in these cities?
Akron, OH
Mentor, OH
Cleveland, OH
Youngstown, OH
Detroit, MI
Pittsburgh, PA
We purchased full Beautyrest Allegheny Extra Firm from Sears.
Mattress had definite “valley” on one side, whiche we blamed on delivery.
Sears replaced mattress with same mattress and it had the same defect on the same side.
We went back and paid more for a Stearns & Foster Ultra firm which will be delivered in two days.
I would recommend strongly against purchasing Beautyrest Allegheny Extra Firm.
Perhaps at the end of production of this particular model, they were skimping on materials.
[quote]We purchased full Beautyrest Allegheny Extra Firm from Sears.
Mattress had definite “valley” on one side, whiche we blamed on delivery.
Sears replaced mattress with same mattress and it had the same defect on the same side.
We went back and paid more for a Stearns & Foster Ultra firm which will be delivered in two days.
I would recommend strongly against purchasing Beautyrest Allegheny Extra Firm.
Perhaps at the end of production of this particular model, they were skimping on materials. [/quote]
It’s possible that the issue you had with sagging was from the foundation or support system under the mattress but I would extend your recommendation to avoid the Beautyrest Allegheny Extra Firm to avoiding all the major brands completely (see the guidelines here) along with any other mattress that uses lower quality and less durable materials or where you aren’t able to find out the quality/density of the materials inside them.
There are too many better quality/value options available to take the risk of purchasing a major brand mattress that includes lower quality and less durable materials that will generally lead to the loss of comfort and/or support and the need to buy a new mattress much too quickly after a purchase relative to the price you paid … and the loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by a warranty (see post #174 here)
Phoenix what do you make of the fact that Consumer Reports rates some of the Big S brands of mattresses pretty decently?
I don’t know if CR is a taboo topic around here, if so I apologize!
I’m not even taking about their reviews as a whole, I’m specifically curious about the tests they do that supposedly simulate 8 years of use. I had been looking at one of the Simmons Beautyrest Hybrid models at one point, just cuz I thought it was comfy, even though I’m turned off by the idea of buying a Big S brand, and noted that CR said they held up very well under their simulated usage tests. But I know your opinion is that these mattresses tend to use poor materials and might break down quickly. So just wondering what your thoughts are. Do you think the CR tests just aren’t very realistic, or…?
There are no “taboo” topics on the forum (as long as they are inside the forum rules)
You can see my comments about the Consumer Reports mattress ratings and recommendations in post #2 here and in this topic. While they may be a good source of information about more “objective” purchases … as you can see I would consider them to be an unreliable source of information or guidance about purchasing a mattress. My thoughts are shared by most of the more knowledgeable people in the industry (see post #5 here for an example).
Their testing they do is unreliable IMO and certainly doesn’t reflect the “real life” experience of consumers who purchase mattresses that use the type of lower quality and less durable materials that you will find in most of the major brand mattresses (and many other manufacturers as well).
Just thought I’d share some of my experiences. I was in a similar position a year or so ago looking at mattresses and the simmons beautyrest black and recharge had models I was considering. The mattress that was being replaced was a stearns & foster queen. Many of the “S” brand mattresses feel great in the store. It started forming lumps and slight sagging within 6mo that only got worse. The 18yr warranty I paid extra for wasn’t worth the paper it was written on because as with mattress warranties, sagging and ‘broken down’ support are two different things. Most will declare a certain height which is measured with no weight on the bed using a string pulled tight across the surface. The soft foams in the upper layers which are so comfortable are able to ‘fluff’ back up even once their support is gone which makes it very difficult to officially warranty a mattress for ‘sag’ (which is one of the biggest reasons ppl wish to warranty). Granted it was a pillowtop so it was more prone to the issues of breaking down than a tight top mattress would be,
While hunting mattresses I spoke with a couple of local shops who both steered me away from the black series due to durability concerns. Recounting multiple customers who were able to warranty their mattress but had already done so twice in a year, three times in two years etc before switching to a different mattress all together ($1200-1500 price range). These vendors I spoke to had access to those mattresses and could have easily sold me one but opted not to and instead gave me better options to consider.
Thanks to this forum and months of researching, speaking with many people and different stores I ended up purchasing a latex mattress. Not to say latex is the answer for you but I do think I ended up with a better quality mattress that was similar in price to the mid/upper end “S” brands. Many things aren’t as durable as they once were. More profit can be made when people need to replace items more often. The initial feel is a huge selling point but there’s no indication in a showroom how long it will continue to feel that way.
From what I’ve seen just based on the various vendors I spoke with and contacted from the vendor list here, they’re not as highly known or advertised as the “S” brands and are likely selling thousands of units rather than millions. Bigger corporations likely don’t even know when a customer isn’t satisfied. Many of the folks with sites here rely more on repeat customers and word of mouth and really seem to go the extra mile to take care of people. Whether it’s comfort exchanges, working with people to find what’s right for them and so on.
Whether it’s memory foam, latex, innerspring or a hybrid that appeals to you I think you’d have better luck working with a local company or one of the vendors on the list here than say a large retail chain. Until I started looking I didn’t even know there were other innerspring options. Transparency when it comes to revealing the various components is a real plus. There’s a difference between telling the customer what their layers are comprised of and those saying well, there’s the springs, there’s edge support and on top we have some nice fluffy stuff.
Best of luck to you on your mattress quest. I know what a pain it can be especially when a mattress is due to be replaced. Just hate to see someone going through the same headaches as I’ve heard and seen others go through along with my own disappointment with a mattress that started showing signs of wear long before its’ time.
