Exhausted in search, undecided and probably unrealistic - thoughts?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Greetings!

Interestingly, this site came up in a google search for ikea mattress reviews, and here I am. I’ve been shopping, online and in person for about 2 months now. I’m tired of looking at what appears to be the same thing just made by different companies and I’m lost.

I have read (and re read) the How to look for and find the best mattress … for YOU! READ FIRST thread by Phoenix and there’s a lot of great info there! I’m hoping someone will be able to give me what I imagine is a much needed reality check. :slight_smile:

Right now I have a full Comfort Dreams Select a Firmness memory foam, 13 inch, mattress from Overstock. I’ve had it for about 2 years and am pretty happy with it, actually. The only reason a new mattress has come into the picture is I’d like a queen.

I started with IKEA - their Hultsvik and Holmsta , but I was leaning more towards the Hultsvik due to the thickness and coil counts.

I’m not thin, neither is my partner, 5 foot 8, about 250, and 6 foot about 250. That was why I really settled on the thick 13 inch memory foam mattress.

Where I’m lost is finding something that’s going to last at least 5 years and be comfy. I’m also confused with ILD quality, foam v latex and reputable companies to purchase from. IKEA is a possibility, but reviews on their mattresses greatly vary - I must emphasize, greatly. And the particular mattress I was looking at has maybe 3 reviews online. That said, I did lay on the 2 IKEA mattresses, and do like the Hultsvik.

Others I’m “familiar” with are Saavta, Brooklyn Bedding, and I’ve heard of Dreamfoam. Saavta I’ve really ruled out as some of their background information isn’t the most positive.

With my weight, something tells me I’ll need a thicker mattress, but I don’t want to sleep on something as firm as rocks. (of course, finding the right firmness is going to be a personal preference), but I don’t want it to break down in a few years.

My budget is really supposed to stay in the $600-$700 range, but if I had to, I could expand it. It would have to be worth it though. All of this said, am I being unrealistic, have I diluted my opinions by starting at IKEA? Am I looking in the wrong places? Can someone clarify my thoughts on the weight v density thing?

Apologies if this was long winded and more apologies if there’s somewhere on the site or forums that answers my questions :slight_smile: There’s a lot of info here, and I really appreciate that everyone has spent a lot of time making it happen.

2

Hi tbonecopper,

I’m glad you found us before you ended up making an unwise purchase :slight_smile:

Outside of testing a mattress for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it. The information you would need to identify any weak links in a mattress is in this article and once you know this then you can compare the foam densities to the guidelines here.

They don’t list the density of the memory foam they use but I believe it’s in the range of 3 lb which is a low quality material and that in combination with the lower coil count of the pocket springs means that this mattress would probably break down fairly quickly with your weight (or even someone that was considerably lighter) and I would avoid the Hultsvik completely.

The latex in the Holmsta is a more durable material than the memory foam in the Hultsvik but I would want to know the specifics (such as how thick is the latex layer) and once again you would still have a relatively weak spring underneath it and even though the springs aren’t normally the weak link in a mattress … in your case with your higher weight and the relative thinness of the latex (which you would need to confirm) it would become a more important factor in the durability of the mattress. I would tend to avoid this one as well.

You can see my thoughts about online mattress reviews in post #13 here and as you can see they are among the worst ways to choose a mattress. I wouldn’t pay much attention to them because most of the people who review a mattress have little idea of the quality of the materials inside it and don’t have much knowledge about mattresses in general. In addition to this … each person can have a very different experience on the same mattress so what is “perfect” for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on.

Reviews about the transparency, knowledge, experience, and service of a store can be helpful but reviews that only talk about other people’s experiences on a mattress would have little relevance to you.

You can read an analysis of the Saatva mattress in post #1 here and a forum search on Saatva (you can just click the link) will bring up more information and feedback about them as well.

Both Brooklyn Bedding and Dreamfoam are sister companies (see post #3 here) and are members of this site which means that I think highly of them and they compete well with the best in the industry. They are also both in the list of the better online retailers and manufacturers that are linked in the tutorial post (in the optional online step). With your higher weight though I would make sure that you pay particular attention to the density of the foams in your mattress because a mattress that would be durable for someone who was lighter would be less durable for you.

Whether you need to increase your budget would depend on the types of materials you prefer but if you are most interested in specialty foams (memory foam or latex) then it would probably be a good idea to increase it somewhat yes.

Post #2 here also has more information about choosing a mattress for those in higher weight ranges that may also be helpful.

If you follow the steps in the tutorial post one at a time (without skipping any) you will have the highest chance of making a successful purchase. If you let me know your city or zip code then I’d also be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

The “basics” are to make sure you test a mattress carefully and objectively for PPP (or if you can’t test it in person then you would need a more detailed conversation on the phone with an online manufacturer or retailer) so that you know a mattress is suitable for you (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

Once you are confident that a mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP … then you need to make sure that you know the specifics of the materials inside it so that you can also make sure that the mattress would be durable for you.

Once you have confirmed that any of your finalists are both suitable and durable and you are choosing between “good and good” … then you can make a final choice based on the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

3

Thanks Phoenix!

My zip code is 32205.

4

Hi tbonecopper,

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Jacksonville, FL area are listed in post #7 here.

Phoenix

5

Oh awesome! Thanks! Do you have any info on Ocala or Orlando places? :slight_smile:

6

Hi tbonecopper,

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Ocala area are listed in post #2 here and for Orlando are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

7

Thanks. So are the IKEA beds as bad as they say? Or is that just rumors and competitive noise? The 2 I have my eye on are in my price range and I’d be able to get a topper if I desired… it is just easier that way.

8

Hi tbonecopper,

Outside of the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP (which is the most important part of the “value” of a mattress) … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality of the materials inside it and the name of the manufacturer on a label means very little so it would depend on which of the Ikea mattresses you are talking about and the specifics of the materials inside them.

They have some better quality/value mattresses and some mattresses that I wouldn’t consider at all. There is more about Ikea mattresses in post #3 here and some of the posts it links to about some of their new models.

Phoenix

9

Thanks so much!

I phoned Fox Mattress, as they are about 1-1.2 hrs from me and spoke with Mic for at least half an hour. We’re going to drive down this weekend and check things out :slight_smile: Hopefully I’ll have some more clarity.

On the way down, we’ll be stopping at Best Mattress Jax to see what they have, as well.

I’ll report back when I can with more details :slight_smile: Thanks again!

10

Hi tbonecopper,

It sounds like you are looking in some good directions and I’m looking forward to your feedback after your trip :).

Phoenix

11

Hello :slight_smile: Wanted to provide an update.

We’ve had a busy busy day! We did go to Fox Mattress and worked with Trena (Trina?). They are incredibly nice and super helpful. I did find 2 beds I liked:

The first was from Kingsdown, the Engleman Pillow Collection - Kingsdown . It was quite nice, and the only one, was on sale, etc. I didn’t go to Fox to buy another brand of mattress, however. The other bed they had was one of theirs. It was a tri-hybrid, memory foam on top of latex on top of springs. I’m not sure of the specs beyond that, other than they had 1 queen and 1 king, and were discontinuing that particular model. It was also a bit expensive, but oh my so comfortable.

Speaking with Trena (just going to run with that spelling, apologies in advance!) she was super helpful with clarifying information about construction of mattresses, foam types, latex (which isn’t my favorite when it’s just latex), etc. If you want high quality service, I’d recommend them for that. :slight_smile:

On our way home, we stopped at Best Mattress Jacksonville. There were 2 guys working, Juan and another. The other guy wasn’t my favorite, he didn’t seem to be forthcoming with info, but Juan was a nice guy and really tried to help. They have this odd brand of memory foam, Alasae or similar, I didn’t catch the proper spelling, it was comfy and priced well. However what really caught my eye was a Sherwood Lumina Encore Opus plush bed. Hybrid bed, so plush and comfy, I might not want to get out. As well as a Restonic Signature bed (though, it was a tad firm, which I attribute to their “marvelous middle” feature).

After we left there, we visited Mattress1, which is kinda like MattressFirm, but not as pushy. The manager was really nice and after about an hour, I found a Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid bed, The “resourceful” model. It would compare with the Lumina Oncore Opus from Sherwood in terms of comfort.

I’ve pretty much decided that I want a hybrid bed, it was what I was originally looking for. Now, I’m stuck between the Sherwood Lumina Encore Opus and that Sealy Hybrid. I don’t know much about Sherwood as a company though I’ve read you feel they tend to make a high quality bed from higher quality materials. And that Sealy, well, it’s a Sealy. They seem to be hit and miss in quality and that really makes me nervous. I couldn’t find much info on the Hybrid, how they are holding up, common issues with them, and Sealy isn’t very forthcoming with info. Not that I’ve asked them, but it would be futile I’m sure. Sherwood, no idea. They are a family company, not too far from me actually (Jacksonville, they are Orlando).

Any thoughts on that, or perhaps more insight you might be able to offer on Sherwood, Sealy’s “Hybrid” lineup, or even Restonic? :slight_smile:

Sorry this was long winded also, I’m one of those people who tends to over do it on explanations and setting up points of view.

12

Hi tbonecopper,

Post #13 here talks about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase.

I can’t speak to the parts that have to do with PPP or how a mattress “feels” to you since only your own testing can assess that part of “value” but if you can list the specifics of the materials and components of any mattress you are considering (see this article) I’d be happy to share my thoughts about the quality of the materials or help you identify any potential weak links in the design or construction.

Without this information there really isn’t any way to know the quality/durability of a mattress or to make any meaningful comments or comparisons with other mattress since the brand is just a name on a label and has little to do with the quality of the materials in a mattress.

Phoenix

13

There’s a better chance that I’ll wake up tomorrow with the ability to fly than there is of Sealy giving me that info :lol:

However, I’ll call Sherwood on Monday and see what I can squeeze out of them! I think we’re going to go back and look at the Sherwood bed at Best Mattress Jax tomorrow. I’ll see if the store reps have any more info on them as well.

14

Hi tbonecopper,

Unfortunately you’re probably correct and their lack of transparency and their use of lower quality materials in the comfort layers of their mattresses is the reason that I generally suggest avoiding them. They are much too common a source of buyers remorse.

Phoenix

15

I just signed in as a new member. We purchased our last mattress at Fox Mattress about 15 years ago. They sold us a great mattress and it’s basically still in great shape after all these years. Our bodies have changed, so we’re looking for s mattress not quite as firm. I’m here trying to educate myself in order to make an intelligent decision. I really don’t plan to shop other stores. The professionals at Fox Mattress know they stuff and they build quality beds. I read your post and thought I’d pass along my opinion. Happy shopping!

16

Mrsrats, if your 15 year old mattress really is still in good shape, you could try just putting a topper on top of it to make your sleeping system softer. A topper is just like a big thick pad you put on top of your mattress. And the thing is, firm mattresses (as opposed to softer, like pillow top mattresses) are really the ideal thing to put a topper on top of. Or at least it’s a very common well thought of strategy in piecing together a sleep system.

I know some links in the forum for this stuff, but I’m afraid I’ll start you off in the wrong place. If you’re interested in looking at toppers, I’m sure Mr Phoenix will be along to give you appropriate links.

17

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” :slight_smile:

Phoenix

18

Thanks for the advice! We shall see where this week takes me with regard to the mattress quest. :slight_smile: I’ll update everyone as soon as possible!

19

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 :slight_smile:

Phoenix

20

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!