Beautyrest Black Collection - Alexia Extra Firm

[phoenix]

Hi somecows,

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!

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).

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…?

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).

Phoenix