Hello all,
I am really close to pulling the trigger on a Brooklyn Bedding mattress. I’ve some other threads on here about it and seems like a lot of people really like it.
My question is I am about 305 pounds and 6 feet tall. Is there anyone out there near my size who has this mattress and likes it? Also which firmness did you get?
If anyone near my size has good experience with a different mattress brand I would love to hear about that too.
Hi killowatt59,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
The Brooklyn Bedding Bed Mattress Ever does use good quality componentry, and with your BMI you’d probably be best advised to choose their Firm version, but before making any purchase decision I would advise you to phone and speak with them directly and confirm that this would be the best choice for your particular application.
A higher BMI generally requires firmer materials in the support layers, and a good support unit that could be firmer latex, innersprings or higher-density polyfoams. The same guidelines of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) from the Mattress Shopping Tutorial apply to both moderate and higher BMIs. 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 wouldn’t “rule out” 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.
While other people may post here with their experiences, I’ll always advise to be cautious about using someone else’s opinions, either pro or con, regarding a particular mattress, as what may or may not work for them won’t necessarily be a reliable indicator what might work best for your particular sleeping style, size, comfort preferences, individual levels of flexibility or strength, even if they are in a similar range of BMI (see post #13 here for a bit more information about this).
I’ll be happy to do my best to help if you have other specific questions.
Phoenix
Thanks for the response Phoenix. Latex and memory foam will be a completely new experience to me regardless which way I go.
I know you are high on Dreamfoam and Brooklyn bedding. Could give me a brief overview of why either company’s mattress at least as the potential to meet my needs as a 300 pound side sleeper and what can I expect a Dreamfoam Mattress or a Brooklyn Bedding mattress to be like when I lay on them?
With my weight and position are there any redflags with either of these companies?
Also are there very reports of people having issues with returns? Brooklyn Bedding has some issues and a low rating on Yelp. What’s been people’s experience on here?
Hi killowatt59,
You are correct that both Brooklyn Bedding and Dreamfoam Bedding (sister companies) are members of this site, which does mean that I think very highly of them and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. However, I wouldn’t say that I am “high” on them more than any of the other members of the site (I don’t recommend any specific mattress, manufacturer, or retailer), or more than any other manufacturers or retailers out these who offer high quality componentry and excellent advice.
Just for clarity, the site members here are not endorsed simply because they chose to accept the opportunity to be a site member that was offered to them, but they are endorsed because the odds are much higher of consumers being able to buy a higher quality and better value mattress from them, and because they are willing and able to “educate” their customers instead of “selling them” based on marketing stories. It will also be more likely that these members will be completely transparent in their mattress componentry (see this article ) and with this information you’ll be able to confirm that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here .
You can read more about the site membership in many of the pages on the main site (including the front page) and in forum posts such as post #404 here and post #4 here and post #22 here and post #12 here among many others. You can also read some replies about why I recommend what I do and the goals of this site in post #5 here and post #12 here.
I would refer you back to my comments in reply to your earlier post and have you read post #3 here and the material linked to in that post that talks about what to look for in a mattress and materials for someone with a higher BMI. I can’t feel what you feel, so I wouldn’t be able to offer up what one mattress might feel like for you versus another. That would best be left to a detailed phone conversation with any manufacturer or store you are considering, as they would have the best knowledge to speak to how their particular products might feel to you and what product might be most appropriate for your situation.
While I can help with the “how” to choose … It’s not possible to choose the “what” or make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because 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 or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
If you are considering other online options, you may wish to include the members listed in post #21 here who are all very experienced and knowledgeable and specialize in providing the type of help and guidance on the phone that can help you make good choices. There are a wide range of options included in the choices there and I think highly of them. There certainly are other online options available to you as well.
No, there are no issues with returns at either BB or DF (if a return is performed, it is handled through a local donation), so I had to go look at what you mentioned about the reviews on yelp and I have to admit they only further reinforced what I mentioned to you in my earlier reply about the unreliability of using reviews (post #13), pro or con, as any sort of educated analysis of a product. Complaints about having to keep the product at least 30 days before being able to return (having to do this is spelled out clearly in the BB returns page), or wanting to be able to return a mattress or get a credit after the 120 day trial period, or not liking the comfort (comfort preference isn’t part of a warranty from a mattress company), or complaints about returns being difficult (returns are handled by local donations – you don’t have to box it up and send it back) reflect more on the lack of responsibility of the individuals making the complaints rather than the quality of the product. I understand that people can be upset for reasons, real or imagined, and mistakes can happen with service or with a product, but reviews like these to me seem to be more about people attempting to recruit an army to their side and turn their opinion into fact, as if creating an online post somehow accomplishes just that.
Brooklyn Bedding and Dreamfoam are two of the largest online mattress manufacturers, selling tens of thousands of mattresses a year, and these 11 negative “reviews” on yelp about them run counter to my actual experience with them over the years, and I can point to dozens of times they have gone above and beyond to assist customers with real concerns or problems. The kind of integrity they display is more rare in the industry today and is one of the reasons that most people (including me) have such a high opinion of them, so I personally wouldn’t have a concern with either their service or return policies.
This Beducation video about reviews does an excellent job at explaining online “reviews”, and is well worth watching IMO.
I may have gone a little more in depth in answering this last part of your post, but every once in a while I find it useful to address the usefulness of these review sites and remind people to be appropriate with the amount of credence they give to such sites, and instead try to have them focus upon the more objective steps in the mattress shopping tutorial as a better way to make their mattress decision. Thank you for allowing me to do that.
I hope that helps!
Phoenix
I am about 280lbs and 5’11". I recently bought the Aloe Alexis from Dreamfoam, the sister company of Brooklyn Bedding. It’s a bit more expensive but the extra layer of latex really does make a difference in terms of support since a heavy person will need more than just 3" inches of support from the comfort layer. I initially got a level 8 (19 ILD over 24 ILD) since my wife weighs much less than me and is a side sleeper. This turned out to be too soft and didn’t offer enough support for me. They offer one free layer exchange so I swapped the 19 ILD for a 28 ILD which is now below the the 24. This is basically a comfort level of 6. It makes a huge difference since two layers are firmer. If it were just me I would probably go for a 5, but even a 6 is giving me pretty good support while offering my wife a medium-soft set up.