Hello Mattress Underground!
First, thank you all for the most comprehensive mattress website & forum on the internet!
Like many, I’m trying to educate myself on a new mattress I need to buy, and, needless to say - I’m a little overwhelmed. After reading everything here & elsewhere, I’m considering buying a WinkBed. I know it’s best to actually go to a recommended store and actually talk to a person and try a bed before purchasing, but I am pressed to find the time. Your advice would be greatly appreciated (realizing, of course, that this is a very personal decision and it’s hard to generalize). First let me give you some notes on me:
225 lbs
Single person
Mostly a stomach sleeper
Prefer a hybrid innerspring/foam bed
Adjustable base compatible
$1100 or so budget
Little time to shop retail stores
I’ve read about the concerns with the top layer density, etc. of the WinkBed, but overall it seems to be a good bed. Like many online companies they offer a generous return policy, but can the forum members weigh in with their thoughts? Any others I should consider, etc?
Also, I think I would like to purchase an adjustable base for the bed. Any recommendations? And is their a better time of year to buy on sale or wait to see what new models become available, etc?
I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists (based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).
I would keep in mind that the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a certain combination of layers and components will “feel” to you or compare to other mattresses based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own actual personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I’m not sure how you are defining a “good” bed but outside of “comfort” and PPP a mattress is only as good as the quality and durability of the materials inside it (regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label) and a mattress that uses lower quality/density and less durable materials and has a weak link in the design would be more likely to develop soft spots or visible impressions more quickly than a mattress that uses higher quality and more durable materials and this can lead to the premature loss of the comfort and support that was the reason you purchased it and you may need to buy a new mattress more quickly than you may have hoped for.
I think you may have seen this already but there is more about Winkbeds and some of the other simplified choice mattresses in post #2 here and a forum search on Winkbed will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because any mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range) and othe people’s experiences or reviews in general certainly won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
There is more information about choosing an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the main adjustable bed topic that it links to that can help you choose an adjustable bed based on price vs features comparisons and also includes some retailers that you can use as good sources of information about the features of the adjustable beds they carry and as pricing references as well (in post #6 in the main adjustable bed topic). Of course there are many other sources as well and prices can change on a regular basis so I would also include some internet searching in your research and I would also keep in mind that online advertised prices are often price controlled so make sure you contact the stores you are considering to find out their best prices rather than just looking at websites.
Adjustable beds may go on sale if the model is being replaced but you won’t be able to predict when this may happen and there really isn’t a particular time of year that would be worth waiting for.