My wife and I have been desperately looking for a new mattress for about the last month. The last 2 weeks we have been actively searching within the stores here in Alaska. We had both somewhat narrowed down the type of feel we were looking for when I stumbled across this forum. I am very grateful for all the useful information, but I also wonder if I would be sleeping like a baby on a mattress right now (probably overpriced) instead of continuing to have dreadful sleep on the rock we have now as I try to ensure that we are not getting ripped off. I know I could probably read through the vast amount of information on here and probably be better equipped to decide what I need and where to buy it, but as I read more and more I feel more and more overwhelmed with the info. Iāve yet to find any real dogmatic information on certain mattresses or places to buy from (aside from a list of internet sites, which I am reluctant to order from since I cannot test). I guess Iām asking for help as far as be pointed directly to mattress suggestions. Iāve read enough to trust that the information on here is genuinely researched and presented, even if it is often opinion based, which I definitely appreciate.
To give you an idea we had both really liked the icomfort savant (until realizing its probably overpriced), the sealy optimum radiance (until I learned 3.5lb foam is probably not dense enough) and the Boyd sleep metrics #3 (until I realized that too is overpriced and also deceptive in its āengineered latexā claim).
I really do appreciate any help or information, and I hope Iām not seen as trying to unfairly or rudely take advantage of the service being provided here.
My back and my wifeās shoulder say thank you in advance!
I can certainly understand the sense of overwhelm with thousands of posts on the forum but the best suggestion I could make is to start with and read through post #1 here and the information it links to which will give you the basic information you need and will save you having to sort through all the information overload on the forum. Even more importantly it can act as a reference to help you know who has the knowledge and experience to help you make good choices that are suitable for your needs and preferences and who is only interested in selling you whatever they can.
Once you are armed with the basic information and tools you need ā¦ then the goal is to find the experts in your area so you donāt have to become one yourself.
I havenāt done a lot of research in Alaska but if you happen to be in Fairanks then post #2 here includes some of the better options and possibilities in the area.
If you are in another city in Alaska let me know which one and Iāll take a look to see what I can find with some internet searching and a few phone calls.
I do appreciate itā¦ I live in Anchorage. Unfortunately Fairbanks is about 6 hours away, though if need be Iām sure I could figure something out. The only mattress store I can think of that you might be referring to here is Mattress Ranch. They also have stores in Washington.
I wasnāt referring to any store in Anchorage (Itās one of the few places in the country where I havenāt done any research yet) although Mattress Ranch is listed in the Fairbanks list I linked as one of the better possibilities there so my comments would likely be the same as they are on the Fairbanks list. Of course my thoughts about them would also depend on their ability and willingness to provide you with the details of all the layers in their mattresses.
If I have the chance this evening or tomorrow Iāll take a look in the Anchorage area to see what I come up with as far as any other possibilities so the forum will have an āAnchorage listā as well :).
Hey Phoenix,
I was looking at the few places we have here in Anchorage. I havenāt been to Ashleyās Furniture yet, but I wanted to ask if you had any opinions on the quality of the mattressā there.
I managed to do some searching and make some phone calls and these are the retailers (out of about a dozen that I looked at) and the brands they carry that I would focus on. I would tend to ignore the brands I didnāt list with each retailer and of course make sure that no matter which mattress you are looking at that you find out the details of the layers and the quality of the materials in the mattress.
http://www.mattressranch.com/ Anchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, Wasilla, AK. Carries over 30 models of Lady Americana mattresses including models with latex, memory foam, gel memory foam, microcoils, innersprings. They told me they would call the factory to try and find out any information or foam specs they didnāt know and provide it to customers who asked.
http://www.sadlers.com/mattresses-dept.php Anchorage, Fairbanks, Sterling, AK Carries mainstream brands (which I would ignore) but also Easy Rest which is made in Oregon and uses good quality memory foams made in China but CertiPur certified.
http://www.baileysfurniture.com/store/browse/100-natural-latex Anchorage, Wasilla, Soldotna, Fairbanks, AK. Carrries a wide range of Englander mattresses that are their own design of all types including latex, memory foam, gel memory foam, and innersprings. They will also provide all the specs of their mattresses.
http://www.sleepcomfortbynerlands.com/ Anchorage, AK. Carries Savvy Rest component latex mattresses which allow you to choose the firmness of each layer. They are a high quality mattress but are also in a more premium budget range so I would also make sure you make some careful value comparisons.
These are where I would put my focus to the exclusion of the other retailers that are in Anchorage Iām aware of.
So, its been a couple weeks since you helped me with that information and I still havenāt purchased my bed yet The good news is I have narrowed it down between two choices. The Easy Rest Gel Max 14" and the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel mattress. Iām leaning towards the Ultimate Dreams, but that is kind of dependent on how much shipping to Alaska will be (Chuck is finding out). I had a question concerning foundations now. Hopefully I can find something good and cheap. Iāve read up on it but figured it wouldnāt be a bad idea to double check with you.
I think youāve clearly done some good research and your final choices seem to be between āgood and goodā although I donāt know the exact specs of the Easy Rest 14" gel memory foam mattress.
The foundation thread here has some of the better foundation options Iām aware of. I donāt know anything about the quality or construction details of the foundation you linked or the type or distance between the slats. I wouldnāt use it for a latex mattress (the gaps are too wide) but your mattress will have a polyfoam base and looking closely it seems to have 10 slats so if the slats were good quality, preferably 1x3, didnāt flex, and had good center support, it would probably be suitable.
Iām looking forward to finding out about your final choice ā¦ and of course your feedback when you receive it. I think that mattress shopping can be one of the more tiring things we do ā¦ and sleep always sounds good when itās done
To give you an idea we had both really liked the icomfort savant (until realizing its probably overpriced), the sealy optimum radiance (until I learned 3.5lb foam is probably not dense enough) and the Boyd sleep metrics #3 (until I realized that too is overpriced and also deceptive in its āengineered latexā claim).
I really do appreciate any help or information, and I hope Iām not seen as trying to unfairly or rudely take advantage of the service being provided here.
My back and my wifeās shoulder say thank you in advance![/quote]
I am a first timer on this forum, but I have been paying attention for the last few days. My search is almost over for a new bed and I do have to say that on my first run to the store the exact same mattresses stood out as winners to meā¦ After looking through suggestions on this forum I have stumbled across the Restonic cool gel plush, the Scandanavian sleep Bliss, and the select foam circus supreme. I have never tried the selection, but if it is like the temperpedic it is supposed to mimic then Iāll be happy. One thing is for sure. All 3 are significantly less $$ than the temperpedic I tried out. All 3 appear to be high quality, and all 3 feel as good or better than the original 3 you mentioned. The other thing I like is that on the restonic and the scandanavian it appears that salesmen(women) appear to be able to haggle like the good ole days. With the 3above mentioned they are set in stone priced fixedā¦ Fwiw.
I am interested on any thought about the quality of the restonic,scandanavian and select foam. By the sounds of it you guys need to try the restonicā¦ If you can find one, its magic melt you to sleep riffic!
I would be open to trying any bed reallyā¦we just have a very limited selection here in Anchorage, but it sounds like your looking for the same feel we are. I checked in to the select foam cirrus supreme and was interested in buying it as well. I also spoke with Matt there and I would suggest you do the same if you are considering it. He was VERY informative and helpful in not just selling but pointing me to the right mattress feel and possible foundation if I needed to buy one seperately.
I think one of the keys to remember when you are buying a mattress is ā¦
Comfort/pressure relief is what you feel when you first lie on a mattress.
Support/alignment is what you feel when you wake up in the morning (either with or without discomfort or pain)
Durability is all about the comfort and support of the mattress a year and longer down the road.
The first two you can test in a showroom but the last one is all about knowing the quality of the materials in a mattress because you canāt āfeelā the quality of a foam in a showroom. All of these as well as each personās many preferences, budget range, and the options and services offered by each retailer or manufacturer are all important parts of a mattress purchase. One of the most common āmistakesā when people are buying a mattress is to pay attention only to the comfort of a mattress or itās āshowroom feelā and to forget the other parts of a mattress purchase that are just as important.
This is why itās always important that no matter what mattress you may be considering to make sure that knowing the quality details of every layer of the mattress is part of your buying decision ā¦ no matter how it may feel in a showroom.
I donāt know the layering details of the Scandinavian (and I would make sure you know it if you are considering it) but the other two you are mentioning use good quality materials.
Hi Pheonix, I cannot thank you enough for this forum.
After spending two unsuccessful weekends flopping around on beds at Macyās and Sleepyās I decided to do some online research. I became even more frustrated when I found a study by RTI International which, to paraphrase, told me we wouldnāt be able to choose a mattress that produces a fully restful and healthy sleep experience based on how it āfeelsā in the store. (Publications | RTI).
Now, having found your amazing website and reading a lot of the information, I feel much better equipped to make a sound decision. Thank you, thank you. Weāve spent another two weekends testing latex mattresses at the stores you recommended for our area near NYC (zip code 07302) on another post, but havenāt found āthe oneā. (I nearly drove the lady in one store crazy with all of my questions, but she was lovely and helpful!)
At a relatively fit 45 and 50 years of age, my husband and I are ready for a softer mattress to relieve presser-points, but donāt prefer that sinking feeling you get from full latex/foam mattresses. We liked the microcoil/latex topper combo we layed on at Thomas Jordan, but were totally unimpressed with the construction. So, now Iām looking for a mattress with offset innerspring support, micorcoil and 100% natural talalay latex comfort layer, with a wool top layer for temperature control, all held together with a quality 100% cotton ticking, not too tightly tufted, with sturdy side construction. Any suggestions!!!
I have these questions as well:
How thick should the wool layer be to benefit from its temperature regulation properties?
How thick or thin should the latex layer be on top of microcoils? What IDL should we start with?
What gauge wire should the microcoils be and is this important? Quantity?
What is a reasonable sideboard to expect for an innerspring mattress?
Thanks in advance for your response and your dedication to all of us out here who are desperate for years full of good nights sleep, and exhausted by the run-around of big box mattress stores.
p.s. Maybe I donāt understand how micocoils work, and the donāt require the offset innerspring? Also, maybe I prefer a mattress that we can flipā¦ no box spring, slats. O jeesshā¦ I think Iāve read so much I donāt know what Iām talking about anymore!
This is an example of a microcoil that is used in the comfort layer of a mattress. It can be used on any type of support layers but you would find them most often on top of some kind of innerspring ā¦ usually a pocket coil. A Leggett & Platt version is here and the Hickory Springs version is here. In the video here you can see a cutaway with two sections of microcoils with foam above, below, and in between them.
They are a shorter version of a pocket coil with thinner wire that is meant to be used in the upper layers of a mattress regardless of what is under them.
Iād read part one of this report but I hadnāt read part two so thanks for linking this. A quick scan is interesting and I certainly agree with their conclusion that most consumers make poor mattress choices and as often as not choose a mattress that is not even as good as random chance would choose for them.
Many of your other questions are more about trying to define a mattress based on ātheory at a distanceā and this would also be worse than random chance as well IMO. Most of your questions can be answered with āenoughā rather than a specific answer which canāt be known for any individual. Donāt forget that the two main functions of every mattress are pressure relief and support and all the ātheoryā is only designed to help you match your individual body type and sleeping style with these two basic needs and with your preferences.
Do you mean the microcoils at Scott Jordan? If this is the one you were looking at I have always considered them to be good quality and value. Iām not clear why you were totally unimpressed with the construction. Other than the offset coil ā¦ the BE mattress at Scott Jordans fits your description very well. Parklane also makes more mattresses with microcoils than most manufacturers and also have a mattress that has some similarities to your āidealā construction here but it also has a number of differences as well and they are not available to test in New York. There would probably be others that have some similarities to your āidealā but none I know of that match it (although I certainly donāt know the specifics of most of the mattresses sold in New York).
I think you may be getting a little overanalytical in the specifics of the mattress design you are looking for and if it exists at all then the one you find that does match may still not be suitable for you because there are so many different versions of latex thickness and ILD, offset innersprings, latex firmness and thickness, and wool quilted cotton covers that it would be difficult to find any manufacturer that offered enough versions of this specific design that it would match your needs and preferences and your specifications with these exact components. You may need to find a custom manufacturer that offers all these specific components in various versions and will make a mattress to your exact specifications. This may be difficult to find ā¦ if it even exists.
This is a preference and would depend on how much you wanted the feel of the wool and how much you wanted the feel of the layers below it. This is like asking how much rice should I eat. Any amount of wool will help with temperature regulation and of course more will have a greater effect on both this and the āfeelā of sleeping on wool but will also affect and modify the feel and performance of the layers below it more as well.
Again there is no real answer to this because it depends on too many other things. It should be thick enough and soft/firm enough that in combination with the specific microcoils that are in the mattress and the specific quilting/ticking used provides you with the pressure relief you need along with the secondary support that āfills inā the gaps in your sleeping profile in all your sleeping positions.
The answer here is similar to #2. The microcoils should be tall enough, have the number of coils, and have the gauge and number of turns that in combination with the layers above and below it provides the pressure relief and secondary support that you need in all your sleeping positions.
Iām not sure what you mean by āsideboardā , could you clarify?
Youāre very welcome but I really do think you are being overly analytical and specific in what you are looking for and once you have a more general idea of the components you prefer I would let your body ā¦ and some good guidance from knowledgeable retailers or manufacturers ā¦ provide the answers you are looking for. You may also need to vary your design and preferred components a bit to the component combinations that are available to you in the area.
Good Morning Pheonix, We had a good laugh in my house over your reply this morningā¦ itās no secret that I tend to be overly analytic. I am the embodiment of the adage āa little information is a dangerous thingā. Thanks for being forthright.
The imaginary mattress I outlined is a amalgam of the many, many hours weāve spent laying on mattresses of all types in New Jersey and New York over the past six-weeks, and was born out of my desperation to find a mattress that is durable, comfortable, supportive, healthy and affordable ($2-4k). I think we do have a good idea at this point of what we like and donāt like, itās just a matter of finding it. I agree that my āidealā could end up being far from that.
RE: Scott Jordan, I felt there needed to be something tying the bed together other than the very thin zippered cotton casing they had on display. I read the term āsideboardā on one of the websites Iāve been on, I meant the sides of the bed (usually foam). Also, I didnāt notice that their innerspring included the thick wire around the perimeterā¦ a feature that makes me feel the bed is solidly constructed. But, maybe thatās not something you find in pockets microcoils, in which caseā¦ shouldnāt there be something holding them inside the mattress?
Question: If Iām reading correctly, pocketed micocoils can be the core-support, but always contribute to the comfort layer? So the offset springs arenāt necessarilyā¦ necessary with microcoils? Sorry Iām not getting this.
Another: Do you know of any Berkley Mattresses we can try in our area??
Onward. Iāll check back in when we are closer to resolutionā¦ thanks again for your help and support.
A polyfoam surround is a way to lower the cost of the steel used in an innerspring (polyfoam costs much less than steel) and it can be a more risky method of edge support than other options. It is one of several ways that can be used to create a firmer edge but it also carries a risk of foam softening over time (higher density polyfoam is important if it is used at all), delamination and coming away from the coils, ending up sleeping in a āwellā where the part of the mattress inside the foam surround sags, or the other issues that can be connected to the use of polyfoam in a mattress. There are other ways to create edge support besides a polyfoam surround for mattresses that would benefit from it. Most pocket coils donāt use a border wire and the coils are connected together by attaching the fabric that surrounds the coils to each other in the middle of the coil (so the attachment doesnāt interfere with the response of each individual coil). An innerspring without a border wire can usually be used on an adjustable bed as well (always check with the manufacturer first though) and an innerspring with a border wire usually canāt.
All of the components in their Berkeley Ergonomic mattresses are very high quality. There have been several forum members who have purchased their mattresses and been very happy with both their mattress and the knowledge and service of their dealers. I list them as a good option to include in research whenever there is a retailer that carries them in any particular area because they are better quality/value than many other choices and certainly better than mainstream manufacturers.
The cover in the Berkeley Ergonomics is a wool quilted cotton cover and is high quality. The wool quilting is also used to pass the fire regulations which is the least toxic and most ānaturalā way to pass the test. It also has removable components that can be exchanged or replaced as necessary which is also a big advantage either for fine tuning or to replace a layer down the road if it becomes necessary. Overall ā¦ my thoughts are the opposite from yours in terms of the quality of the components in the mattress and its overall value.
Microcoils are a comfort layer ā¦ not a support layer ā¦ and are used to provide pressure relief in the upper layers of a mattress or in some cases used as a transition layer a little deeper in the same way that softer foam is used in a mattress. They are too soft to be used as a support core.
Scott Jordan is the only one that carries them in the area which is why they are one of the options I suggest looking at in New York. NOTE ADDED: They are now a member of this site as well.
Iām looking forward to more feedback or any other questions you have along the way.
The good news is I have narrowed it down between two choices. The Easy Rest Gel Max 14" and the Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel mattress. Iām leaning towards the Ultimate Dreams, but that is kind of dependent on how much shipping to Alaska will be (Chuck is finding out). I had a question concerning foundations now. Hopefully I can find something good and cheap. Iāve read up on it but figured it wouldnāt be a bad idea to double check with you.