Help on a new King Size

Hi Everyone,
My wife an I are looking for a new bed and was hoping I could get some guidance on thoughts and suggestions.

Me:
6’4" 250lb
Stomach sleeper

Wife:
5’5" 170
Side and back sleeper

We both sleep hot.

I have a history of lower back problems.

Our current bed is the original w hotel bed (pillow top), it has served us very well but we have had it for about 6 years and it is sinking in the middle, we both have to sleep towards the center or else we wake up with aching backs.

I bought my son has a latex bed from Ikea (I need to verify the exact one), as we purchased a couple years ago, we have both tried it and woke up with aching backs.

I can state that I absolutely loved the w hotel bed, but the foam in the pillow top has simply broken down so much that it is useless now.
Based off of this it would seem that I would want something that is a bit softer on top, but medium-firm right under it, I like the ever so slight sinking feeling but need some strong support at my hips and thighs.

Based off what I have read, I am pretty sure I want a latex or latex hybrid mattress to keep the heat down and to hold form.

We are looking for a King bed, and I am willing to go up to $2k for the right mattress. If it matters we are located in MA.

Any suggestions would truly be welcomed.

Thanks

Hi gatpapa,

Although it’s not a great lifespan … you were fortunate to get 6 “reasonable” years out of a hotel mattress which is more than many others have experienced. You can read a little more about hotel mattresses in post #3 here.

The best suggestion I would have is to make sure you’ve read the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you choose the perfect mattress for you … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Your budget is certainly enough to find a very good quality/value mattress. I’m not sure where you are in MA but some of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Boston area and south are listed in post #2 here and in the Springfield area in post #4 here. You have some very good options available to you.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up choosing and of course any comments or questions you may have along the way.

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix, thanks for the reply. I have read the tutorial and looked at spindlemattress, my wife and I are going to try to figure out when we can go to the showroom to try in person.

Could you provide any insight into a setup that would seem similar to what the w hotel bed was. That is from what I understand a pretty firm set of springs, with a euro-pilow top?

I must be honest the range of selection available has led me into analysis paralysis.

Based on my size I believe I want a minimum of a 10" mattress, am I wrong here?

If we are talking latex, which for my price range seems to be the way to go, I think the following would make sense.
For a core it would seem I would want somewhere between a #32 and #36, and my wife who likes it a bit softer would get no higher than a #32.
A 3" topper of #28

Do you see any value in substituting memory/poly foam (or some other foam) for the latex?

Thanks for your help

Hi gatpapa,

The W hotel pillowtop would be a completely different mattress that uses a completely different design, materials, and components so the only way to know whether a mattress feels “similar” for you in terms of PPP (regardless of whether it would feel similar for someone else) would be your own personal testing and experience (see post #9 here about “matching” one mattress to another). Even if another mattress you are testing was a very similar mattress (a Simmons innerspring with polyfoam comfort layers and a pillowtop) … hotel mattresses don’t provide any meaningful information about what is inside them so you would still need to look for a Simmons mattress with a very similar pocket coil and similar foam layers above it that had a similar “feel” (and of course I wouldn’t suggest a Simmons mattress or any other major brand where you don’t know the quality of the materials inside it). Other than this … you would need to base your choice on how another mattress feels for you in terms of PPP compared to your old mattress (and this is also making a big and probably incorrect assumption that the W Hotel mattress is the “ideal” mattress for you in the first place out of all the mattresses that are available to you).

The thickness of a mattress isn’t nearly as important as the type of materials inside it and the specific design of the mattress. You may find one mattress that was 18" thick would be completely unsuitable for you and another one that was only 8" thick was perfect for you depending on the specific materials and design of the mattress. I would focus on your own careful and objective testing for PPP and I wouldn’t worry about the thickness of a mattress except as a “side effect” of a design that works well for you.

Having said that … higher weights may sometimes need thicker mattresses … again depending on the materials (see post #14 here). There is also more in post #3 here that may be helpful for those in higher weight ranges and the first part of post #2 here also has some information about accommodating a couple that have very different needs and preferences … but once again a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer will know all of this already.

[quote]If we are talking latex, which for my price range seems to be the way to go, I think the following would make sense.
For a core it would seem I would want somewhere between a #32 and #36, and my wife who likes it a bit softer would get no higher than a #32.
A 3" topper of #28[/quote]

ILD isn’t necessarily consistent between different types of latex and it’s not a great idea to try and design your own mattress based on only one of many factors that may be important (see post #2 here). For most people this would lead to information overwhelm and paralysis by analysis because they wouldn’t have any meaningful reference points about what all the specs mean in “real life”. I would completely avoid having any preconceptions about what you may need in terms of thickness or ILD and I would let your body tell you what works best for you in combination with the help of an experienced and knowledgeable retailer or manufacturer.

The choice of materials or components is strictly a personal preference choice but regardless of which materials you prefer I would make sure they are good quality because every material and component has lower quality and less durable versions and higher quality and more durable versions. There is more about the pros and cons of the two main premium foams (memory foam and latex) in post #2 here but your own testing and personal experience is the most reliable way to know which type of mattress and materials you tend to prefer.

Phoenix