Hello, Thank you and the typical 'help me' question

[Hornickel]

good morning!

i’m very glad i came across this site. being in need of a mattress (more on that in a bit) i’ve read so much that my head was spinning. everywhere reviews seem untrustworthy or biased and the knowledge is very geared towards selling a specific brand. it’s a headache, and it seems that’s precisely why Phoenix started this site.

@Phoenix - a sincere THANK YOU. you’re a wealth of knowledge while being professional and unbiased. that’s rare, apparently in this industry especially, and i wanted to specifically say it’s greatly appreciated.

so, me and my mattress needs:

i’m going through a divorce and my wife is keeping the queen sized Serta 9" memory foam mattress we purchased years back. it was incredibly expensive, i believe it was all memory foam and overall pretty comfy. we were ‘sold’ in the salesman sense - NASA technology, all that jazz - but haven’t regretted the purchase. my only quibble with the mattress is that it can ‘hug’ slightly too much for me.

that’s probably because i’m 6’6" and 280lbs, however.

so, i’m looking for a queen or full mattress - i’m a big guy, tend to sleep on my side after starting on my back. i do have lower back issues. i’d like to stay with some kind of foam or latex or hybrid type of mattress for the weight transfer strengths. also, as i’m going to be newly divorced the new mattress will get a lot of ‘late night’ use. so that’s important but very secondary to my rest and back needs.

i, unfortunately, cannot spend more than $1000 on the mattress itself - and i’d like to spend less… i’ve been considering Casper and Tuft and Needle but would love to work with a local manufacturer if a similar cost/benefit ratio can be found. i live in Illinois (60108 zip) and am looking to purchase now.

it is important that the mattress has a good trial/return period because i’m paranoid like that that that’s what attracted me to both Casper and T&N.

so, i submit to the masses and wisdom of Phoenix for recommendations! please assist, and thank you again for this wonderful trove of knowledge.

[phoenix]

Hi Hornickel,

i’m going through a divorce and my wife is keeping the queen sized Serta 9" memory foam mattress we purchased years back. it was incredibly expensive, i believe it was all memory foam and overall pretty comfy. we were ‘sold’ in the salesman sense - NASA technology, all that jazz - but haven’t regretted the purchase. my only quibble with the mattress is that it can ‘hug’ slightly too much for me.

Your mattress wouldn’t be all memory foam (memory foam isn’t firm enough to be used as a support material so it’s only used in the upper layers of a mattress) but if you know the manufacturer and model of your mattress and it was a good “match” for you then it could be a good starting point for your research.

that’s probably because i’m 6’6" and 280lbs, however.

Outside of the “regular” information in the tutorial that would apply to everyone … there is some information in post #3 here and the posts it links to that will be helpful for those that are in higher weight ranges where firmer materials and more durable materials will generally be more important.

so, i’m looking for a queen or full mattress - i’m a big guy, tend to sleep on my side after starting on my back. i do have lower back issues. i’d like to stay with some kind of foam or latex or hybrid type of mattress for the weight transfer strengths. also, as i’m going to be newly divorced the new mattress will get a lot of ‘late night’ use. so that’s important but very secondary to my rest and back needs.

There is a big difference between the feel and performance of latex and memory foam so it may be worth testing a range of both of them to help you decide between them and eliminate one or the other. There is more about how they compare in post #2 here.

While preferences play a big role in the “other activities” that can happen on a mattress besides sleeping … more people tend to prefer more resilient materials that are less “motion restricting” than memory foam than the other way around (see post #2 here).

There is more about the different ways to choose a mattress (either locally or online) that is the most suitable “match” for your specific needs and preferences and how to identify and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for that are involved in each of them in post #2 here. I would always keep in mind that the only way to know whether any mattress is suitable for you with any certainty will be based on your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) or your actual sleeping experience.

i, unfortunately, cannot spend more than $1000 on the mattress itself - and i’d like to spend less… i’ve been considering Casper and Tuft and Needle but would love to work with a local manufacturer if a similar cost/benefit ratio can be found. i live in Illinois (60108 zip) and am looking to purchase now.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Chicago region (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in posts #2 and #4 here. If I was in the area I would make sure to include Quality Sleep Shop/My Green Mattress in your research. They are one of the members of the site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.

Phoenix