hi mgrady63,
I’ll start by saying i’m 6’0" and 220 lbs (formerly just over 250), and my wife is 5’4" and 135 lbs. i won’t go into all the details about how we decided to buy the BB plank luxe over two years ago, except to say that we did, and we love it. We both really like a firm mattress, and we sleep on the firmer side of the plank luxe.
That said, you’ll find that there’s more than one mattress that can work well for most sleepers and couples. I have had the opportunity to test and trial several mattresses lately and, while none have matched the firmness of the Plank Luxe (which I’d rate around a 9.5/10), I’ve still found several to be very comfortable in their own right and could easily see myself sleeping on them long term.
One important thing to consider is the foundation you choose. it’s honestly one of the most crucial parts of your sleep setup. A lot of people buy a high-quality mattress and then pair it with the cheapest foundation they can find, which ends up undermining the entire system. I wrote a short post on the importance of using a good foundation here. It’s not an exhaustive list, just four different foundation types that came to mind while I was writing the post.
Just like I’ve found many mattresses that check off a lot of boxes in terms of comfort and support, I have also found foundations that complement them well, providing proper support not just for the mattress, but for the people sleeping on it.
As for our experience with the Plank Luxe, I would be happy to talk more about it. To keep it brief for now, I have tested about four different toppers on it, not because we needed them, but because I wanted to see how each one would feel.
The first topper we ever used was a tempur-pedic 3" topper, which we tried on a previous mattress before we got the Plank Luxe. That one was a complete disaster. You felt like you were sinking into hot lava quicksand. Like the hotel California, you could get into bed, but it wouldn’t let you leave. It made you feel stuck, suffocating and uncomfortable, and my wife absolutely hated it.
After that, we tried this malouf 2.5 in ActiveDough topper. ActiveDough is kind of like if latex and memory foam had a baby. It’s similar to a very responsive synthetic talalay feel, but with a bit more contouring.
Then I got a 3" organic wool topper from @ONFM. It’s an excellent, high-quality product that added some nice contouring and a little softness to the Plank Luxe. Once the wool compresses, the contouring stays, and the topper tends to take on the firmness of the mattress underneath. It ends up being a really solid combination.
After that, I picked up a perfectly snug smart topper. I was too lazy to remove the wool topper, so i just placed this one right on top of it. It’s a 2" topper with built-in air circulation fans, body sensors, and heating elements for cold nights. This one’s great for couples who have different temperature preferences. It also has the unique programming to maintain your body temperature coincides with your proper body temperature sleeping cycles, so it keeps you cooler during sleep and deep sleep, and then starts to warm you as you naturally begin your wake up cycle.
Finally, while visiting Berkeley, California, I stopped by @europeansleep. That visit totally changed my perspective on firmness. I realized I didn’t need a super firm mattress to be comfortable. I fell in love with their Nordic II and Heritage latex mattresses. We tested the firmer versions, and while they weren’t as firm as the Plank Luxe, they didn’t need to be. Those were two of the most comfortable mattress systems I have tried so far. The foundations they used were also among the best I have experienced.
While I was there, I also tried their oxygen pillow and oxygen sleep wedge topper. the pillow is insanely comfortable, and the wedge made a noticeable difference for me, especially since i like sleeping on a slight incline.
So this is the shorter version of advice and experience. I am a firm believer that mattress rotation is key, although there are some that suggest that the slight body impressions you make in a mattress, allows your body to maintain comfort as such. I also believe that a topper is an excellent way to add targeted comfort and longevity to your mattress. Although, again, some will say if you have a mattress with modifiable layers, you can simply replace a layer if it becomes compromised. Personally, I would rather replace a topper if it became compromised if it had previously targeted the comfort and preferences that met my needs.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or pm me.
Maverick