Hi mrsrats,
Like you I certainly think highly of Rick and Fox Mattress and as you probably know they are one of the members here which means I believe they compete well with the best in the industry. I think you are certainly looking in a great direction and they are one of the manufacturers that still “make 'em like they used to” 
Phoenix
Thanks for the advice! We shall see where this week takes me with regard to the mattress quest. I’ll update everyone as soon as possible!
Hi tbonecopper,
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up choosing and of course any questions and feedback you may have along the way
Phoenix
MOVED: This post was split into a new topic and is in reply to post #16 here.
A mattress topper…hum, what an interesting idea. What do you think, Phoenix? My mattress is some kind of posturepedic firm mattress custom made by Fox Mattress. There is no sag or tear in it whatosever. I’ve always kept it covered with a mattress cover.
Lately, I have been waking up with a numb arm and my hubby with low back pain. I’m sure age has something to do with it too.
I just turned 60. I’m in good shape but am starting to feel my age, I’m sorry to say.
We both love the Cloud Nine beds provided by Hampton. I believe it’s a Serta Tranquility. After reading the posts on this forum, I think it’s comfortable because it has a pillow top. most likely made up of inferior quality foam that will loose its shape after a few months.
. I was all set to bite the bullet and order one on line, but changed my mind after getting a little more educated, thanks to this great forum.
Now, I’m thinking that a mattress with a high quality latex cover might be a better idea.
I have tried a mattress topper made out of memory foam I purchased at Sams Club. I hate it! It was hot, I sank in it and couldn’t move.
That was a terrible investment. To top it all, it stank, even after airing it out for a few days before putting on the bed.
Phoenix—are there pillow top mattresses that keep their shape for a long time?
Thanks for the reply. I’m delighted to have found this forum!
Well, the saga has ended! I’ve made up my mind and purchased (awaiting delivery) the mattress I like. It ended up being the Sherwood Bedding Opus Plush Euro Top in a Queen. After speaking with Sherwood and the owner of the store (Best Mattress Jacksonville, Mike), Sherwood uses foam and springs that meet my needs and quality standards.
I spent almost 8 hours writing a blog post about my entire journey through this, and even mentioned The Mattress Underground on the post. I’d love to share the URL here, but don’t want to seem like I’m “advertising” for my website. Despite the fact that there’s no ads and I don’t make money from “hits” to my site. If that’s okay, let me know!
Hi mrsrats,
I split your post into a new topic of its own to keep the original thread from straying into a new subject
If your mattress is still in very good condition and there are no sags or soft spots in the sleeping surface and you just need some additional softness and pressure relief then a topper can certainly be a good idea and can extend the useful life of the mattress. If you decide to go in this direction then post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you to choose a topper that would have the best chance of success.
Most pillowtops that you will see in the mainstream industry or that are made by major brands use lower quality/density and less durable materials in the pillowtop which is the biggest reason that they tend to soften and break down relatively quickly. The quality/durability of the materials in the pillowtop will have more to do with how long they last than the fact that a mattress has a pillowtop although it’s also true that thicker layers of softer materials in the upper layers of a mattress will also tend to be less durable than firmer materials or the same type. In other words the useful life of any mattress depends more on the quality and durability of the upper layers of the mattress than on any other single factor. Latex (which is the most durable foam material) along with higher density memory foam or polyfoam in a pillowtop or the comfort layers of a non pillowtop mattress will all last for much longer than lower quality and less durable materials no matter what type of design (tight top, pillowtop, eurotop) the mattress uses.
This is why it’s so important to know the quality of the materials in a mattress (see the guidelines here) so that you can make sure a mattress has no obvious weak links (in the upper layers especially) that can affect and shorten the useful life of the mattress.
This is also the reason that it’s usually better to deal with smaller independent manufacturers (like Fox Mattress) that either sell factory direct or through better sleep shops because they tend to use higher quality and more durable materials in their mattresses in every budget range than the major manufacturers.
A mattress that lasts for 15 years and is still in good condition would be almost unheard of in the mainstream industry or with major manufacturers today.
Phoenix
Hi tbonecopper,
It’s always great to see someone ask all the right questions and do good research and end up making a good choice.
Congratulations on your new mattress
I’d love to read it and there certainly isn’t any problem posting a link since I don’t consider personal sites that share your mattress shopping experiences as “advertising” or “promotion”.
Phoenix
Hey Phoenix,
Sure! Just wanted to double check before dropping links here The URL is http://www.disobeyers.com/blog/2014/6/8/hi-ho-hi-ho-a-mattress-shopping-we-go
(the site is safe, for inquiring minds, nothing out of the socially acceptable and ordinary there)
Thank you. I will read the link you suggested. I do appreciate all the wonderful advice and insight into this very interesting topic.
mrsrats, It’s so subjective, I have no idea if you wanna get a topper. But what I really like about the idea is it’s a lot easier to switch out toppers and try different things, like a wool topper vs a latex topper… And sleep on one for awhile, then switch to another. Not everyone’s gonna wanna switch that much though.
And there are other reasons to get a topper, like in your situation, extending the life of an existing mattress would certainly save some cash. But it’s been so long, you may be ready just to get a new one. Good luck with whatever you decide!
Hi mrsrats,
Most of our clients now are buying latex toppers to extend the life of their mattresses. They are much cooler, and more resilient than the memory foam. Unlike memory foam, you will not have the feeling of sinking into the mattress…
If you simply want to give life to your old mattress, and get some pressure off your hips and shoulders, a 2 inch, 30 ILD talalay latex topper will definitely bring you some comfort.
The differential construction
The other advantage of buying a good quality topper, is that if ever you decide to get rid of your old mattress, you can simply use it on a 6 inch foam support core. I would suggest getting a 2.5lb HR foam core, and with your latex topper, you will have a very comfortable mattress that will last for years, at a fraction of the cost of getting a new one… And if ever your mattress needs some fine tuning in the future, it’s very easy to add, or remove a top layer and “Get it just right” !
Good luck !!
So, we’ve slept on this mattress for one night and I have to say it is completely different than the memory foam mattress it replaced.
The Lumina Opus bed is a tri-hybrid … springs > latex > foam with a pillow top. It is super plush, perhaps more plush than the one in the store. I’m not sure how I feel about this…Part of me thinks it’s my body’s response to a new bed, a different bed, one with springs (when I haven’t slept on a bed with springs on a regular basis for 4 years).
it’s difficult to explain… but I’ll try. The foam bed was soft enough, not firm, and it enveloped our bodies. It wasn’t difficult to roll around or anything.
The new bed is very soft, but very comfortable. I feel as though I have good support on my hips, shoulders, and I didn’t wake in pain. However, it is a bit challenging to roll over, I kind of have to bounce myself up and then roll over. This is because we sink in from the edges into the center of the bed, like a shallow V. it isn’t drastic, but last night I woke up in a state of alarm, as I thought I was drowning or falling into the bed.
I’m worried the new bed may be too soft. Of course, I have only had the bed for 2 days and haven’t slept but 1 night on it and it’s not broken in. As I said above, it’s possible my feelings on this are due to the change in materials, construction, etc. I can swap out one time in the 60 day period, and the same company does make a firmer version of this mattress, but I’m not sure if that would be such a good idea.
I am going back to the store tomorrow to lay on the sister bed, the Lumina Cadence, which is a firm, but doesn’t have a pillow top (unlike the Lumina Opus I have). From the PDF Sherwood has provided, other than the pillowtop on the Opus, there is minimal difference in the thickness and density of the foam and latex or springs used in the Cadence firm and Opus pillow top firm… so it would be a good comparison, in my opinion to see if it’s a possibility.
Has anyone experienced this sort of predicament after switching from one type of bed to another? Am I crazy, over thinking it, etc? 
Hi tbonecopper,
It’s not unusual for someone to take some time to adjust to a new mattress that is very different from the one they are used to and the “subjective feel” and the response of a slow response material like memory foam over a polyfoam support core would be very different from a mattress that has thicker layers of softer and more resilient materials in addition to memory foam and springs like the one you purchased.
It will normally take a few weeks for the mattress to break in (which would generally make it softer yet) and it’s usually best to give it a couple of weeks at a minimum to see how you feel then but what you are describing isn’t that unusual for a pillowtop mattress that has thicker and softer comfort layers that includes super soft and hyper soft polyfoam in addition to the latex and the memory foam … especially with heavier body types.
Phoenix
Thanks Phoenix. I went back to the store today (coincidentally my parents bought a Restonic ComfortCare Signature mattress while we were there), and talked about the mattress issue with the store owner. He thinks the bed may be defective and is going to order a new one. I’m going to give Sherwood Bedding the benefit of the doubt and a chance to fix this before I consider switching to another brand - such as Restonic.
I’d like to keep everyone here updated, if that’s alright.
Hi tbonecopper,
That would be great … thanks
Phoenix
I spoke with the mattress store this morning and they sent someone out very promptly. We found it wasn’t the mattress causing this, it was the frame. The frame, as you can see from the pictures below, uses slats. The slats rest on a midbeam and rails on each side of the frame.
If you notice, the mid beam of the frame sits lower than the rails, creating a inward facing roll when you lay in the mattress. This is due to the gap. Weight on the mattress makes it push down into the “uneven area” and can damage the mattress.
They brought out a metal frame + headboard + slim profile box spring for me, and it is much better. Though, I haven’t slept on it yet…will in a few minutes!
http://nyc.mt-cloud.com/mattress/1.JPG
http://nyc.mt-cloud.com/mattress/2.JPG
http://nyc.mt-cloud.com/mattress/3.JPG
http://nyc.mt-cloud.com/mattress/4.JPG
http://nyc.mt-cloud.com/mattress/5.JPG
http://nyc.mt-cloud.com/mattress/6.JPG
Hi tbonecopper,
Thanks for the update … and with the dip in your bedframe it certainly makes sense that it would have a significant effect on the mattress.
It looks like your bedframe was assembled incorrectly (I think the side rails may be upside down).
Is that the Ikea Tarva?
Phoenix
That’s what I thought, until I went over the directions again and the rails are in properly. Unless I’m missing something.
The frame instructions are here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/tarva-bed-frame__AA-792116-4_pub.pdf if you get really bored
Yes, IKEA Tarva
Hi tbonecopper,
If it’s the Tarva then the side rails are definitely assembled upside down and reversing them should fix it (the metal attachments should be closer to the bottom of the wooden side rails not closer to the top).
You’ll need to remove the metal attachments on the side rails and reverse them so that they are the right way up after you reverse the side rails.
Phoenix
HI again!
Apologies and a half for the delay. A lot has happened in the time since my last update.
We determined the bed frame was not going to work. Despite your suggestions, Phoenix, we couldn’t sort out how to resolve the issue with the bowed in slats due to the higher rails on the sites. As a replacement, we bought a standard metal bedframe and headboard from the mattress store. Wasn’t the most aesthetic solution, but it’s worked out well.
Interestingly enough, I read the warranty and consulted with the mattress store. Turns out the IKEA bed frame would have essentially voided our mattress warranty. The warranty requires we have 5 points of contact, and it only had 4. The new frame has 8.
As far as the mattress is concerned, even after swapping the bed frames, the Sherwood Lumina bed didn’t work out. It was just too soft and was causing some physical pain to manifest due to the awkward sleeping position you would lay (lie?) in as a result of the softness. We swapped out for a Restonic ComfortCare Signature Diamond “Plush EuropTop” mattress. It’s another hybrid, with springs, latex, and foam.
The new mattress, is, well… divine. It has got a tad softer over the week or so that we’ve had it, which was expected. We are thrilled and quite happy to be done with the mattress saga. Now, if I could find bed sheets and such to my liking, I’d be set