Hi, my name is Corey and my wife and I live in WA State. We are now in the market for a new mattress so I started reading on here recently in hopes of narrowing things down a bit.
We have slept on a normal spring style pillow top mattress for the last 10 years. Needless to say, it has pretty much wore out it’s welcome with us. I am 6’2", 220 pounds and have had some upper back and neck issues over the years. I tend to gravitate towards being a stomach sleeper for the most part.
We recently went and laid on a Serta iComfort Savant and a Goodnight Refined, along with a TempurPedic. The TempurPedic is out for sure due to cost and it just seems too darned hard. The Savant seemed fairly comfortable, but a bit spongy. Finally, the Goodnight Refined seemed almost too firm, but the salesperson insisted that it would soften up a bit. Now, we are contemplating heading to a local store and trying out a Restonic Latex.
I know absolutely zero about the Restonic Latex, or the others for that matter I was hoping for some solid guidance so we can be better educated in looking at The Restonic line-up. Which, according to the salesperson I talked to on the phone, there are several levels to choose from??? Also, the Restonic are quite a bit cheaper as well, which is nice. But, is there a reason Latex is cheaper?
Sorry for all of the questions and thank you for all your input here.
The first place to start is with the Mattress Shopping Tutorial. The link for it is in the top right of the page. In it, Phoenix goes through much of the information you’ll need to find the most suitable mattress for yourself.
As you find specific details about the construction of mattresses, you can post here for comment regarding durability. As for what you’ll find comfortable, that’s up to you but the tutorial provides an excellent means to learn how to tell if a mattress seems like it will be best for you.
hmmm, wow, that’s a ton of info… I hate to buy a mattress in haste, but I have guests coming to stay for a bit within the next week and I need to have our King by then, so we can move our Queen to the available guest bedroom.
Just to add to dn’s comments (which are the same as I would have replied :)) … once you get to step 3 in the tutorial then post #2 here includes some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in various areas of Washington State.
I am in Bellingham, WA and had been looking for smaller local retailers, not larger Big Box Chain Stores.
I called this retailer tonight in Bellingham and they have Restonic. http://www.mattressdepotusa.com/ From what I had gathered on here, that was a quality local Manufacturer. This was our other choice, that carried iComfort http://www.dewaardandbode.com/
I have pretty much ruled out Costco Novaform and want to stay away from standard spring style, so I know that much at least. I am just trying to narrow things down a bit. When I hit up the stores, I am overwhelmed with all the jargon that I find myself searching for an EASY button.
The quality of a mattress always depends on what is inside it … not the manufacturer who makes it. This is part of why it’s so important to deal with retailers or manufacturers who will provide you with this information and make sure you know the specifics of all the layers and components inside any mattress you are considering. “Brand shopping” is not an effective or reliable way to choose a mattress because the “brand” is just a name on a label and all manufacturers make higher and lower quality mattresses.
iComfort is made by Serta which is one of the major brands that are mentioned in the guidelines here and that I would avoid.
Innerspring mattresses can make a great choice for some people but it’s important to make sure that the layers above the innerspring are good quality and durable materials because they are generally the first to soften, break down, or fail in a mattress. An innerspring is not generally the weak link of a mattress and some of the most knowledgeable people I know in the industry that could sleep on any mattress they wanted to sleep on some kind of innerspring mattress (although of course others would have different preferences and prefer a different type of mattress). Every mattress category has higher and lower quality versions and which one is best for you would be much more a matter of personal preference that it is a “better or worse” choice
The information on the site will help you bypass the “jargon” and “marketing stories” (or be a fact check for what you may be told) and I would tend to avoid most of the stores that used it instead of accurate and more “educational” information anyway. Who you deal with (and who you avoid) can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.
The mainstream industry certainly doesn’t make it easy to make informed choices but if you follow the steps in the tutorial post one by one you will have the best possible chance of making a great choice … and knowing how to avoid the worst ones.
Hmm, I am fairly confused at this point. I have about 15 Windows open and probably more confused than when I started. What I do know is that I am glad that we didn’t but the icomfort the first night we tested it. But trying to figure out the best bang for the buck around $1500+/- is becoming a chore.
I don’t think you will be able to figure out which mattress is the best bang for the buck based on theory or reading until you have decided on some retailers or manufacturers to visit (step 3) and then tested some of their mattresses and narrowed your choices down to some “finalists” (step 4).
All of the retailer’s listed are quite a drive from me, so transporting a king set from a retailer on the list is not possible. Nor will they deliver to Bellingham.
And as far as figuring out which retailers and/or what specifics to look at in a mattress? What do I look for other than comfort? I feel like there is a ton to take in and the first 15 minutes, it’s going to be comfortable. But the same mattress 6 months - year later, may be miserable. So, how do you choose?
If you are in Bellingham then the Vancouver list here may have some options that are closer to you (assuming you are comfortable shopping across the border).
There isn’t a forum list for the Bellingham area so for the moment choosing who to shop with based on your preliminary phone calls and this article along with the other guidelines in the tutorial post will be the most effective way of deciding where to visit.
Over the course of the next day or two as I have the chance I’ll take a look in the Bellingham area and list any of the better options or possibilities that I can see and that may be worth considering in this thread.
[quote=“Thrasher” post=32590]All of the retailer’s listed are quite a drive from me, so transporting a king set from a retailer on the list is not possible. Nor will they deliver to Bellingham.
And as far as figuring out which retailers and/or what specifics to look at in a mattress? What do I look for other than comfort? I feel like there is a ton to take in and the first 15 minutes, it’s going to be comfortable. But the same mattress 6 months - year later, may be miserable. So, how do you choose?[/quote]
Hi Thrasher, a couple things that may be of help for you:
Delivery and/or setup would be one thing to consider when looking at various companies. Many offer it as an add on service, and many offer it for free. I don’t know anything about the Seattle vendors, but I do know mattresses ship across the nation all the time.
Many foam based mattresses are shipped rolled up and in a box. They’re sometimes easier to transport than you’d think. This would apply to basically anything except an inner spring mattress.
Many retailers offer comfort exchanges or returns, sometimes with a fee and sometimes at no cost to you. Usually, you’ll know if a mattress is working for you in 30-90 days… Therefore, a comfort return or exchange policy might be something important to you.
These things would be part of your own personal value equation (which if not covered in the tutorial, is something Phoenix speaks to often)
I didn’t until yesterday (I was doing some of the research in your area that I was mentioning).
I haven’t talked with them but I did notice what I consider to be some misleading information on their site here where they describe some preference choices (between types of latex) in terms of “better worse” choices and talk about “knockoffs” without regard to the quality of the materials inside them in an effort to justify and sell their Tempurpedic line.
If I was shopping there I would focus on their Englander Dunlop latex mattresses but I would make sure you know the specifics of all the layers inside them and I would also make some good “value comparisons” with other mattresses. The choice of Dunlop and Talalay is not a “better/worse” choice but is a personal preference (you can read more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here).
I wouldn’t consider the other brands they list on their site (Simmons and Tempurpedic).
Some of the other retailers that may be a “possibility” in the area (based on what I’ve seen so far) and the brands they carry that I would focus on (on a mattress by mattress basis and only if they can provide all the specifics of what is inside any mattress you are considering) include …
Well, we just got done with trying out some beds here in Bellingham.
We went to The Mattress Depot and really liked their “Restonic Plush” model. Which was essentially their Restonic latex with about a 1.5" plush top and 3" of latex. This bed was extremely comfortable we thought. In looking at how we were aligned on this bed vs their bed with 2" of latex, we were much better aligned with the 3". My concern was with how this bed would change after the break in period. The owner of the store insisted it wouldn’t change. 15 year warranty, 120 day trial and free delivery $1699.
Next we went to Sleep Masters. The only latex they had was Nova Pure. Mattress made in British Columbia but they had only carried for a year. Made of talalay and only 2.5". Initial thoughts were that it wasn’t as comfortable as the Restonic no matter how long I laid on it. 25 year warranty and was $2399 for a king.
I know we are just getting started but I really wish I knew more about this so I can ask many of the right questions and not have a bullseye on myself when I walk in.
Can you find out what kind of foam is in each of the layers? If it is comfortable, and is made with quality material, it may be an ok choice given your time crunch.
The information you need to assess a mattress and identify any potential weak links or make meaningful comparisons with other similar mattresses is in post #4 here. If you can find out the specifics from them and post them here I’d be happy to help you identify any possible weak links or make some comments that may be helpful.
If you’ve spent a couple of hours with the tutorial post and the information it links to you will likely know more meaningful information about mattresses and materials than about 90% of the salespeople in the mainstream industry … as sad as that may be.
I am being told that the Restonic we are looking at is built as follows, starting with top layer and going down to base.
Top Cover Bamboo
1", 1.2 pound density quilt made of Outlast and Bamboo
Joma Wool Quilt
3", Talalay latex 36 ILD
1", 1.2 pound density convoluted foam
3/4" 1.4 pound density soy base foam
6.5", 1.6 pound density soy base foam
Not sure what all that means, so hopefully that all means something to y’all.
You can compare the specs to the guidelines in post #4 here.
While the latex is a high quality material (and I would assume that it’s blended Talalay although the specs don’t say so) … and the inch of quilting foam is inside the guidelines of “around an inch or so” of lower quality/density polyfoam … the upper layers of the mattress includes a total of 2 3/4" of low quality polyfoam (less than 1.5 lb density) which is more than I would be comfortable with and are more than the guidelines. These could be a weak link in the mattress and lead to the premature loss of comfort and support (which wouldn’t be covered by a warranty unless there is also a visible impression that is deeper than the warranty exclusion which is not that likely).
You can also compare this in terms of “value” to some of the similar online options you have such as …
… which are similar latex/polyfoam hybrids with about 2" or 3" of latex with a polyfoam support layer.
Some of the other latex options that are included in the list of online members in post #21 here (which includes some “all latex” mattresses that are in a lower budget range) may also make a good “value reference” depending on your budget range and the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
I was hoping for some solid guidance so we can be better educated in looking at The Restonic line-up. Which, according to the salesperson I talked to on the phone, there are several levels to choose from??? Also, the Restonic are quite a bit cheaper as well, which is nice. But, is there a reason Latex is cheaper?