Help me choose - best value/price

[JayGatsby]

Greetings all. As a new member of the forum, I humbly ask for your collected wisdom in making a mattress selection.

My wife and I are currently sleeping on a 9 year old Serta FIRM king-sized inner spring mattress with a pillow top for comfort. At this point, my side is sagging significantly - so much so that it is exacerbating my cervical spine issues (30+ year old college injury). The only firm part of the mattress that remains is the center, which sits over a split box spring. I’m 5’10" and 185 lbs, while my wife is 5’1.5" and ~128lbs.

We’re currently looking at a memory foam hybrid, as we have found that we don’t like pure inner spring mattresses anymore, nor pure memory foam mattresses. At present, we currently like the Serta iSeries FIRM (we tried the 2000 model at Mattress Firm), and the Tempurpedic Pro-Adapt FIRM. The cost difference is substantial - $2,100 for the iSeries vs. $3,600 for the Tempurpedic. In laying on both, we would likely peg the iSeries at having 85%-90% of the comfort level of the Tempurpedic. Further complicating matters is that Tempurpedic has told me that they might not honor their warranty if I don’t buy their $400 base, while Serta hasn’t indicated its warranty is subject to the same restriction. I don’t need a new base, as the split box spring that we have is in good shape (it’s only 9 years old as well), and is essentially just a couple of boxes. I’ve read on various sites that the iSeries is exclusive to Mattress Firm, but is essentially the same as Serta’s iComfort model (the pricing for both is identical at various stores).

We dragged ourselves to various mattress stores a few weeks ago to do all of the aforementioned testing, but with Covid-19 flaring up again and two kids at home, we can’t spare the time to continue mattress testing and just want to be done with the entire affair. For the most part, the salespeople were pushy and reminded us of those who work at car dealerships.

Also, we have a guest room with a queen bed that needs a new mattress. Because we like firm mattresses, we were thinking of buying a Plank by Brooklyn Bedding for the guest room because of the ease of delivery and apparent firmness options (flippable with firm on one side, and extra firm on the other side). This could be a stopgap measure to sleep on until Covid-19 passes in the next 6 months or so and we can go out and test mattresses again.

[Sensei]

Hey JayGatsby,

Welcome to the Mattress Underground ! Thanks for your question.

[quote]My wife and I are currently sleeping on a 9 year old Serta FIRM king-sized inner spring mattress with a pillow top for comfort. At this point, my side is sagging significantly - so much so that it is exacerbating my cervical spine issues (30+ year old college injury). The only firm part of the mattress that remains is the center, which sits over a split box spring. I’m 5’10" and 185 lbs, while my wife is 5’1.5" and ~128lbs.
[/quote]

Sorry to hear of the sagging issues that your Serta innerspring mattress has developed is aggravating your spinal pain issues, that must be terribly uncomfortable. Mattress materials will compress over use and time and a 9 year old mattress could certainly be vulnerable to that process. Thanks too for including your personal stats; it would also be helpful to know both of yours preferred sleep position(s), perhaps offering some small clue about your side of the mattress’s sagging.

We’re currently looking at a memory foam hybrid, as we have found that we don’t like pure inner spring mattresses anymore, nor pure memory foam mattresses. At present, we currently like the Serta iSeries FIRM (we tried the 2000 model at Mattress Firm), and the Tempurpedic Pro-Adapt FIRM. The cost difference is substantial - $2,100 for the iSeries vs. $3,600 for the Tempurpedic. In laying on both, we would likely peg the iSeries at having 85%-90% of the comfort level of the Tempurpedic.

Congrats on your mattress shopping journey The Serta iSeries Hybrid is a program created for Mattress Firm and is quite similar to the Tempurpedic Pro-Adapt mattress. It features two layers of proprietary gel memory foam over a pocket coil support base and comes in one firmness: firm. The iSeries was designed to compete with Tempurpedic at a lower price point in this category, why the differences in pricing are so substantial.

Further complicating matters is that Tempurpedic has told me that they might not honor their warranty if I don’t buy their $400 base, while Serta hasn’t indicated its warranty is subject to the same restriction. I don’t need a new base, as the split box spring that we have is in good shape (it’s only 9 years old as well), and is essentially just a couple of boxes. I’ve read on various sites that the iSeries is exclusive to Mattress Firm, but is essentially the same as Serta’s iComfort model (the pricing for both is identical at various stores).

From Serta’s web site, their warranty process starts with the authorized retailer where the mattress was purchased from. If you do choose to purchase the iSeries Hybrid 2000 from Matt Firm, ask for details of the warranty coverage up front, including what base is recommended for use of their product. Certain mattress constructions require specific types of bases for optimal performance of the mattress over its expected lifetime and why their use is required from a warranty standpoint. And yes, you are likely correct in your assumption of iSeries vs. iComfort in terms of similarity.

[quote]We dragged ourselves to various mattress stores a few weeks ago to do all of the aforementioned testing, but with Covid-19 flaring up again and two kids at home, we can’t spare the time to continue mattress testing and just want to be done with the entire affair. For the most part, the salespeople were pushy and reminded us of those who work at car dealerships.
[/quote]

Completely understood, JayGatsby; with little ones at home and the increasing advance of COVID-19 in many areas, it is much better to have best practices in mind when prioritizing the urgency of some errands. This is also a case when technology can help with some things; a Live Chat, email or phone call will answer basic questions such as your warranty concerns above, and eliminate “pushy” sales people in the process as well.

Also, we have a guest room with a queen bed that needs a new mattress. Because we like firm mattresses, we were thinking of buying a Plank by Brooklyn Bedding for the guest room because of the ease of delivery and apparent firmness options (flippable with firm on one side, and extra firm on the other side). This could be a stopgap measure to sleep on until Covid-19 passes in the next 6 months or so and we can go out and test mattresses again.

This could be a good intermediate solution for you in the short term. If you go with the Plank for your guest room, will you stay with a queen size (what you’re replacing) or upgrade the guest room to a king size mattress? Looking forward to hearing your updates as you move forward in your research .

Thanks,
Sensei

[JayGatsby]

Domo arigato gozaimashita Sensei.

I prefer back sleeping because of my neck issue, but sometimes roll to the side in the middle of the night. My wife is essentially the same, albeit without the neck issue.

The sagging on my side is likely due to my back sleeping position, plus the fact that my wife likes to sit cross legged on my side because it’s closer to the en suite bathroom and the bedroom door. This likely is doubling the wear and tear, perhaps more because her entire weight is concentrated right where my back would lay when sleeping. I’ve explained this possibility to her a few times, unfortunately to no avail.

As for our guest room, it’s already tight with a queen bed, so no upgrade to a king. I figured with Brooklyn Bedding’s return policy, I have little to lose in replacing the queen mattress.

[Sensei]

You are most welcome, JayGatsby and thanks for your reply !

The sagging on my side is likely due to my back sleeping position, plus the fact that my wife likes to sit cross legged on my side because it’s closer to the en suite bathroom and the bedroom door. This likely is doubling the wear and tear, perhaps more because her entire weight is concentrated right where my back would lay when sleeping. I’ve explained this possibility to her a few times, unfortunately to no avail.

Indeed, if you both are spending time on the same side of the mattress (she for relaxation purposes and you for sleeping), that would definitely count as “doubling the wear and tear”, material compression will happen naturally over time with regular sitting added on top of regular sleep use. You are a kind and understanding spouse for sharing your side of the bed for your wife’s preferred closer access to exits, and I’m sure that she is appreciative of your thoughtfulness.

As for our guest room, it’s already tight with a queen bed, so no upgrade to a king. I figured with Brooklyn Bedding’s return policy, I have little to lose in replacing the queen mattress.

Hopefully the BB Plank mattress will serve the stopgap role successfully in the short-term until you feel that COVID-19 conditions are safe for shopping again in your locale. When you have time, drop by with an update and let the TMU forum know which mattress you eventually went with.

Thanks,
Sensei