Don't forget to ask for your "The Mattress Underground" forum member discount/bonus

Looking through in the info here, Sleep on Latex seems like the best choice for me. 5% off would help even moreā€¦

Hi meinong,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I hope youā€™ve had some time to look through the forum and gather some information from the mattress shopping tutorial.

If you have any questions, please feel free to start a topic and weā€™ll do our best to be assistive. And if you end up purchasing something, Iā€™ll be interested to learn what it is and any feedback you have once youā€™ve had a chance to sleep on it for a while.

Phoenix

Thanks for all of your work!

Hi Matthews,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Iā€™m glad that youā€™ve had some time to look through the forum and gather some information, hopefully starting with the mattress shopping tutorial.

If you have any questions, please feel free to start a topic and weā€™ll do our best to be assistive. And if you end up purchasing something, Iā€™ll be interested to learn what it is and any feedback you have once youā€™ve had a chance to sleep on it for a while.

Phoenix

What kind of mattress is made in America and Japan. Which is better ?

Hi ngyenluancmg,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Your question is much too broad for a specific answer. There are a wide variety of mattresses of innerspring, polyfoam, memory foam, latex and natural fibers made in both the United States and Japan. One design isnā€™t necessarily better than another, but itā€™s more about learning about the quality of componentry used within a mattress and then finding out through personal testing what might be best for your personally, as outlined in the mattress shopping tutorial.

Phoenix

Thanks for all the info on this site. Been browsing for a good mattress for the past 3 months for my new place.

Hi mrgreen,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Iā€™m glad the information here has been helpful to you. If you have specific questions, please let me know.

Phoenix

Hello, new member from Excelsior Springs, MO here. Wow what a wealth of information this place is! Currently in the midst of trying to find a new mattress to replace our 5 year old Restonic memory foam model. Felt pretty good the first few years but I have progressively developed more and more lower back pain as the foam has broken down and become overly soft and developed body impressions. Spouse and I are both about 5ā€™7", One of us on the heavy side, maybe 300 or so. Both side sleepers. Hoping to get a mattress with proper support without being punished with something too firm. Currently thinking a hybrid pocket coil / latex like the ā€œUltimate Hybridā€ at mattresses.net might be a good choice (with their KD foundation). Likely in a Cal King since our Queen is just too small for us and our ā€œfurry kidā€ and our MBR would not fit an Eastern King very well (long and narrow room). Canā€™t decide if ā€œonlyā€ 3" of latex would be enough over the coils and which firmness to choose for each side. Thanks for reading and hope to take advantage of the 5% discount when I pull the trigger.

Hi William17,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

I hope the information presented here is useful. Be sure to take a few minutes and read through the mattress shopping tutorial to assist you as you go through the mattress buying process.

Iā€™m sorry your current mattress is breaking down so soon.

A higher BMI presents special challenges and generally requires firmer materials (in the support layers especially). This could be firmer latex or innersprings (the type of support component would be a personal preference and in the right design either could be suitable) or even a zoned construction. The same overall guidelines apply with higher weights though that PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) along with using high quality durable materials that will maintain their feel and performance for longer periods of time are the way to make the best choices. Heavier people in general will need firmer and thicker comfort layers and firmer support layers than those who are lighter and because no materials will last as long with much higher weights the quality and durability of the materials and components is even more important than normal. I wouldnā€™t ā€œrule outā€ any types of mattress and base your choices on your own personal testing. Post #3 here has more information and suggestions about heavier weights that is worth reading.

Youā€™d certainly be considering an item that used higher quality materials with the hybrid model. For the best advice as to whether the 3" of latex would ā€œbe enoughā€ for you, I suggest a phone call to mattresses.net (a site member here, which means that I think highly of them and their advice and products) and explain to them your current situation and what youā€™re attempting to accomplish. Their detailed knowledge of their mattresses and how they fit with different body types and sleeping positions along with your feedback from any local testing, a customer base of many people that they can use as reference points, and any exchange, return, or any options they have available to customize a mattress after a purchase can help lower the risk of an online purchase. These online retailers or manufacturers can also be a good ā€œvalue referenceā€ for local purchases to make sure that if you are paying a ā€œpremiumā€ for a local purchase (in exchange for the kind of ā€œin personā€ guidance, service, and value that comes with dealing with a local retailer that can help you make more ā€œaccurateā€ choices that you have tested in person) is not too high.

If you wish to look at some items locally (near Kansas City), subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list you wish to deal with is completely transparent (see this article ) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets your specific criteria and the quality/value guidelines here ā€¦ the better options or possibilities Iā€™m aware of in and around the Kansas City area are listed in post #2 here .

Iā€™ll look forward to learning about your progress and any other specific questions that you may have.

Phoenix

Thank you for the add. We are in the market for a new mattressā€¦leaning toward the SleepEZ due to its cutomizable layers. We currently have an original Nautilus air bed which we purchased in 2002, but the air chambers donā€™t pump up like they used to, and I think the foam layers have compressed over time. They have a 20 year warranty, but to the best of my knowledge, they are no longer in business.

Hi picklepot,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

SleepEZ is a site member here, which means that I think highly of them, their product and their advice, and I believe that the compete well with the best in the industry. A phone call to them would be my best advice should you wish to consider them for a purchase, as their detailed knowledge of their mattresses and how they fit with different body types and sleeping positions along with your feedback from local testing and your current air mattress, a customer base of many people that they can use as reference points, and any exchange, return, or any options they have available to customize a mattress after a purchase can help lower the risk of an online purchase. A component-style system is a popular choice for those who wish to extend the life of their mattress by being able to replace layers over time, as well as those who wish to be able to fine-tune their comfort.

While the Nautilus brand air mattress line is no longer offered, I believe that American National Manufacturing has taken over their warranty claims, or at the very least can provide replacement parts. You are correct that your foam layers generally would have lost quite a bit of their useful comfort life quite some time ago.

Iā€™m looking forward to learning about any future decisions you make and any questions you may have.

Phoenix

Thank you! We live in Vancouver WA (just north of Portland OR)ā€¦and we would like to actually try out some different beds. I saw the post about Portland, but it hasnā€™t been updated in a few years. For some backgroundā€¦I am a side to back sleeper (135-140lbs) and hubs starts on his side, but is mostly a stomach sleeper (175-180lbs)ā€¦so the ability to have different firmness/softness levels is important I think (Which is why we went with the air bed in the first place). When I did the SleepEZ configurator for the 13", it recommended for me (Top-Soft, Medium, Firm, Extra Firm-Bottom) and for him (Top-Medium, Firm, Extra Firm, Extra Firm-bottom). Are any of the local stores even going to have the type of flexibility that this givesā€¦or how to we test drive anything comparable in the stores? Thank you in advance.

Hi picklepot,

The better options or possibilities Iā€™m aware of in and around the Portland, OR area including Salem (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here ) are listed in post #2 here . I did go through the list and update some of the information and add a few more stores.

As for latex on that list, initially I would phone these businesses and see if they have any items available that you may wish to try out:
Mulligan
Mattress Lot
Bedtime
Cotton Cloud ā€“ a few
Parklane. Few all latex and latex/memory foam. Not sure if can do custom latex products.
I donā€™t know if any of these stores will offer the specific style of customizable mattress youā€™re considering.

Those combinations certainly would ā€œgenerallyā€ be suitable for what you described, but I would still take the time for a detailed phone conversation before placing any order with SleepEZ.

Phoenix

Amazing work Phoenix and thank you for helping to demystify the mattress industry. I have immensely enjoyed reading your mattress forums and creating a place for people who want to work towards an educated approach to purchasing an important piece of their health and happiness.

-Kryph

Thank you for your quick replies!

Hi Kryph,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile: And thank you for the kind words.

Phoenix

HI picklepot,

Youā€™re very welcome.

Phoenix

Just a quick update from my post #1361. I did decide to go with the hybrid mattress from Arizona Premium Mattress Co. I should get it in a couple of weeks. After a month of sleeping on it I will post another update on what we think of it. I did talk to Ken on the phone for a good 30 minutes. He was very friendly and professional. I never felt pressured during the call, he simply asked me some questions about our situation and preferences and addressed my questions and concerns. I decided to go with a ā€œdouble topperā€ version of the ā€œUltimate Hybridā€ in a split California King configuration. This was not an ā€œup-sellā€. I was the one that even mentioned it in the first place. One of the advantages will be having the ability to adjust the firmness by how the layers are arranged. I mentioned I was a member here and he accepted the 5% discount without any problem.

Hi William17,

Thank you for your update, and congratulations on your new mattress! :cheer: You certainly did make a good quality/value decision. And thanks again for taking the time to phone the manufacturer before placing your order. Iā€™m glad that you had a good discussion with Ken and between the two of you came up with a design that he things will work well for you.

Iā€™m looking forward to your future updates.

Phoenix