How to look for and find the best mattress ... for YOU! ***READ FIRST***

[phoenix]

Hi gianos,

McRoskey makes some very high quality mattresses and have a loyal following but they are nowhere near the same price or value range as BE or other choices you may have in the area. Their mattresses require a box spring as part of the sleeping system (with the possible exception of the McRoskey by design which can be used on a platform bed) and in anything close to an apples to apples comparison they are significantly more than BE and many other options similar options. In queen size … the basic set which uses synthetic fibers is $3400, the Classic is $4460 and the McRoskey by design (which may be the closest comparison to a BE) is $4000 mattress only. As you mentioned … they also don’t have the same ability to customize or alter after a purchase.

One choice is to buy a latex topper from BE just to see if that will do the trick. That would also be the cheapest solution.

Natural fibers including wool tend to compress and become firmer over time so if the only problem is that your current mattress is too firm and needs some extra pressure relief and the surface is even and supportive then a topper could be a good choice yes. If it has impressions that are affecting alignment then a topper will still follow the dips.

Another option, again sticking with the McCroskey line, is to buy a new softer mattress in their line (keep our current box spring) and use the topper (because they don’t have mattresses with comfort toppers) to provide the pressure point relief. This is appealing because I think they have a quality product and good service but there is not much customization available here, either side to side or just different levels of softness, etc.

This is a possibility but it would be the least attractive one to me in terms of flexibility and value. You would need a mattress, possibly a new box spring (depending on the condition of your current box spring and if it has any soft spots or dips), and a topper as well … and all of this together would easily be much more than a BE or other options you have.

Finally, we could move to the whole BE system and start all over.

This would certainly be better value and have more flexibility than the previous option IMO.

Price is not a big factor because the BE and the McCroskey would be similar in cost (unless the topper works by itself - I am thinking unlikely). I am of the opinion that it is difficult to tell for sure until you sleep on it for several weeks at least, so I sort of favor the BE stuff because the store will customize more and in the event it just does not work we can return altogether - not cheap but not a complete loss. McCroskey will not take the mattress back.

Again … unless I am somehow misreading the McRoskey website … the difference in price in anything close to an apples to apples comparison (based on the components you would need) is significant.

We live in Menlo Park - I can’t seem to find any place that lists where I can buy BE (including their website) and European SW is a long way away. Any ideas on the best place to buy BE? or the best sales expert to help us?

BE is only available in a very limited number of stores across the country. The closest to you that I’m aware of is http://www.sc41.com/ in Soquel about 35 miles away.

Does it make sense to try the topper first? or is the mattress old or our situation changed so much that it is unlikely to work.

It would make sense if your current mattress was still firm and relatively even and the only issue was pressure relief (not alignment and lower back issues that are not “in you” can be caused or aggrabated by a mattress that doesnpt provide good alignment in all your sleeping positions). At 15 years old though … it may be worthwhile to consider a new mattress anyway that not only provides better pressure relief but may work better for your changing needs and provide better alignment in all your sleeping positions.

Assuming the mattress is suitable for a topper though … it could put off the decision for a few more years and give you the pressure relief you need even though if there are any alignment issues caused or aggravated by the mattress it isn’t likely to solve these.

Is is really practical to figure out in advance which system is best for us or do we need to assume we will have to try several or find something that is adjustable (like the BE system).

No. Personal testing … especially with the help of someone who has the knowledge and experience to help you know what would work best for your needs and preferences … will always be more accurate than a theory (such as those we are discussing). there are too many variables in both people and sleeping systems for theory to be anything more than just a starting point for testing.

You also have some other good options in the area besides just McRoskey and BE and they are listed in the San Jose thread in post #2 here (with a few others but mostly overlap in the San Francisco thread in post #2 here.

If I was in your shoes … I would either go with a latex topper that was soft enough to provide the pressure relief you need (assuming no alignment issues and that your mattress is suitable and would evenly support a topper and you were looking to delay the mattress replacement for a while) or start over again with either BE or one of the higher quality and value options available within reasonable driving distance. A trip to Santa Cruz to test both the BE and Bay Bed would be well worthwhile IMO and there are other options that are quite close to you that I would also include in your research.

Phoenix