I could really use some help

So ALL of my constant research has landed me here. Thankfully in my experience when you get into a community forum you can get true unbiased opinions and information. This has been true in the industry I work in as well as many other interests of mine.

Now, my wife and I made the mistake of going to Sit N Sleep totally uninformed and ended up buying a “proprietary” branded memory foam mattress from them called Sherwood, it was a grand estate “HD” foam bed. We got it home, slept on it for a few months and turned it in as it was unrealistically firm. We actually had to warranty it as it had defects. We went back in after a bit and ended up buying a hybrid from Sealy called the Sealy “trust” which is from their posturpedic line. The top Gel was so soft I had lower back aches every morning. We actually got this one approved for a full store credit.

Now to the area where I really need some help. We are going down there tomorrow to pick out our new bed(and this is really our last chance as all sales are final on this one based on their stipulations) and I really need any/all help possible. Everything I have read on here so far points to Latex. And I actually thought Latex was cheap and should stay away from anything with Latex in it. To the contrary this ideology is seemingly totally wrong. So we have a total of $1400 credit available to use on a new mattress and I am all ears. This is a big box retailer and they likely are loaded to the gills with the big “S” brands but they have others was well. I just want the best mattress available for the price we have to work with.

Sherwood does make a few Latex hybrid mattresses that may be affordable but I am not sure about any of the other brands. Even if you guys have an off the wall suggestion like buying an affordable very basic mattress and putting an super nice latex topper on it. Anything helps us here. Here is the retailer http://www.sitnsleep.com/ we are only buying a mattress btw, the box spring we have is new and should be totally adequate. Thanks for reading, I look forward to the feedback. Cheers

Hi swarm,

As you’ve discovered latex is among the most costly foam material (although there are also different types and blends of latex that have a range of prices) and it is also the most durable foam material as well. I would keep in mind though that a mattress is only as good as it’s construction and the quality and durability of all the materials inside it so if a mattress has “some” latex but there are also other lower quality materials “in the mix” there could be still be a weak link in the mattress that can have a significant effect on the durability and useful life of the mattress and how long it will maintain the comfort and support that was the reason you purchased it.

I would always make sure that you know the type and quality of all the materials in any mattress you are considering so that you can confirm that there aren’t any lower quality and less durable materials that would be a weak link in the mattress regardless of whether it has “some” higher quality materials (see this article).

[quote]So we have a total of $1400 credit available to use on a new mattress and I am all ears. This is a big box retailer and they likely are loaded to the gills with the big “S” brands but they have others was well. I just want the best mattress available for the price we have to work with.

Sherwood does make a few Latex hybrid mattresses that may be affordable but I am not sure about any of the other brands. Even if you guys have an off the wall suggestion like buying an affordable very basic mattress and putting an super nice latex topper on it. Anything helps us here. Here is the retailer www.sitnsleep.com/ we are only buying a mattress btw, the box spring we have is new and should be totally adequate. Thanks for reading, I look forward to the feedback. Cheers [/quote]

Like many of the members that have come here you are in a somewhat difficult position where you need to exchange a mattress and are “locked in” to a store that sells many mattresses that I would normally suggest avoiding in the first place and where there may not be any particularly good quality/value options available to you but there are some suggestions and ideas in post #2 here about the two main strategies that you can use that can help you make the best of a difficult situation.

Phoenix

Phoenix, Thank you for the reply. It is tough to comb through so much info and I know no one is going to just say “hey based on the info you gave us mattress A is the best you can get from that store” so getting down to the knitty gritty that the Sherwood bedding company has a legit background in making beds and they are much more transparent about materials used. They do an EvoSleep line and a Dunlopillo line both of which contain some Talaly latex. However they all seem to buried in a buch of “soy” based foams or Tencil topper materials. Which as I read can be weak points in all the mattresses. These are the narrowed results that I can to based on all I have read so far and my particular circumstances, here http://www.sitnsleep.com/brands/sherwood?price=1000-2000&sns_size=93
any recommendations on any of these? or if you know of a great bed available there that we should check out? This would be really great to have some opinions from your experiences with any of these or others. Thanks so much for the help, this is a really big deal for us. Cheers

Hi swarm,

You can read a few general comments about Sherwood Bedding in post #2 here and post #2 here. They are certainly a legitimate company but as you can see in post #5 here they aren’t always transparent about the materials they use in their mattresses.

[quote] However they all seem to buried in a buch of “soy” based foams or Tencil topper materials. Which as I read can be weak points in all the mattresses. These are the narrowed results that I can to based on all I have read so far and my particular circumstances, here www.sitnsleep.com/brands/sherwood?price=1000-2000&sns_size=93
any recommendations on any of these? or if you know of a great bed available there that we should check out? This would be really great to have some opinions from your experiences with any of these or others. Thanks so much for the help, this is a really big deal for us. Cheers [/quote]

I don’t have any specific suggestions because you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own personal testing or sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses but it will always come down to 1. suitability and PPP, 2. quality and durability, and 3. “value” based on how a mattress compares to your other finalists in terms of #1 and #2 along with all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

While I can’t help with which mattress is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (which is the most important part of any mattress purchase) and you would be in a better position to tell me than I would be to tell you … I can certainly make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials.

If you can find out the information in this article and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials and the mattress as a whole and help you identify whether there are any obvious weak links in any of the mattresses you are considering.

Phoenix

Ok, so after all was said and done, when we got down there, we dispenssed with all the pleasantries and got to it. My choice ended up between these two options http://www.sitnsleep.com/brands/sherwood/sherwood-ambiance-luxury-firm and this one http://www.sitnsleep.com/brands/sherwood/lumina-spirit-super-pillow-top now I was all ready to go with the dunlopillo firmer latex/foam hybrid and after trying them both back to back I actually really loved the lumina spirit hybrid. It just gave me that a-hah moment more than the other. They both have some talalay in them, but the lumina seemed to have that support with a bit more plushness on top. It was weird because even with the plush top the latex provided fast bounce back and comfort that I have not felt before. So hopefully it sleeps as good as I felt, part of me still wonders if that dunlopillo mattress was better but I am very confident in the comfort and that the PPP was met on the one we chose. Btw the sales guy do not charge us and basically gave me the run of the place so that was very cool too.

Hi swarm,

You can see some comments about the Ambiance in this topic. While it may be a good match for you in terms of PPP … there are certainly thicker layers of “unknown” and probably lower quality/density polyfoam than I would be comfortable with and it would be a risky choice in terms of durability.

Being a pillowtop this one probably has even thicker layers of “unknown” and lower quality polyfoam than the Ambiance (you can see a very general description here) and the only known “high quality” layer in this mattress is the latex which is right on top of the springs and all the other “questionable” layers are above it and closer to the top of the mattress where quality and durability is even more important (a mattress will tend to soften and break down from the top down) so depending on the thickness and density of the “unknown” layers it could be even riskier than the Ambiance in terms of durability.

The strategy I would generally use if you aren’t able to find out the type and thickness of all the layers in a mattress that is a good match by itself but where you can’t confirm the quality and durability of the materials would generally be to try and minimize the thickness of any unknown layers in the mattress (which usually means choosing a mattress that is firmer than you would be comfortable with) and then adding a good quality topper to provide the comfort and pressure relief that you may need (the topper would be instead of upper layers of lower quality materials that are “built in” to the mattress).

Phoenix

Well, here’s a quick update…the nightmare continues. We ended up with the Sherwood Lumina Cal King, if fit all of our preferences and we took a lot of time picking it out. So I met the mattress movers during my lunch break to do the swap yesterday and quickly had leave to get back to work. Long story short, I did not notice during delivery but the new mattress is like 4 inches shorter than our box spring!!! We have a matching Sherwood cal king box spring and there is no way in hell this mattress us the correct size. Incidentally I looked at the product tag on the new bad and it does have CKM in the mattress code which I am assuming cal king mattress. Oh and btw they told me there was quite a few latex layers in this, a think one over coils and another in the actual pillow top, the tag says that %1 of the mattress is latex, %1 !!! My wife and I are at our wit’s end here and we really don’t know what to do. I thought about emailing the manufacturer about our story, maybe to see if we would get some help there. We are really at a point where I just want our money back so we can start from square one some where else. And btw the mattress feels nothing like what we laid on in the store, we really feel taken advantage of now. So that’s the story, super, super bummed out.

Hi swarm,

I’m sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your replacement mattress and I can imagine that you must be frustrated. I’ll make some comments about each of the issues you mentioned separately.

If the mattress is 4" shorter than your foundation then it would most likely be a king size and your box spring would be a california king. If your foundation is from your original mattress set and your old mattress fit the foundation then your original mattress would have been a california king as well and they somehow sent you the wrong sized mattress so at least this should be easy to rectify. You can confirm this by measuring the mattress because a california king will be about 72" x 84" and a regular king size will be 76" x 80".

I would always make sure that you know the specifics of all of the layers in any mattress you are purchasing whether it’s an original purchase or a replacement (see this article). This is the only way to identify whether there are any lower quality materials or any “weak links” in a mattress. If you can’t find out the specifics that you need to know about a mattress that is a good match for you by itself then I would focus on choosing a mattress that minimizes the amount of “unknown” materials inside it (which usually means buying or exchanging for a mattress that is much too firm for you) and then adding a good quality topper as a comfort layer.

I would first try and solve the issues directly with the retailer since a wholesale manufacturer will normally suggest that you deal with them directly anyway.

Unfortunately this may not be a possibility if the store you are dealing with doesn’t have a return/refund policy.

This is also “normal” because there is a break in and adjustment period with any new mattress and a new mattress will usually feel somewhat firmer than a mattress that you test in a showroom (see post #3 here).

The first step I would work on is having them change your mattress for one that is the correct size or perhaps even talk with them about buying a much firmer mattress that doesn’'t have the “unknown” layers inside it and then adding a topper as your comfort layer so that the combination is a good “match” for you in terms of ppp and would be more durable than a mattress that has thicker layers of lower quality materials inside it.

Phoenix

Phoenix,
Thanks so much for your time and help. Yes this has been really frustrating, and I did check very thoroughly the sizes and labels. Fist off the mattress sent was a cal king, on the tag it said 72x83, which is the same as our foundation. However the bed measures too short and about an inch too wide. It is not regular king dimensions either. Anyways they don’t sell any good latex toppers and the only decent latex bed available it a Sherwood dunlopillo thick top but has 3 inch of talalay and another graphite infused latex layer between all the other poly foam. Now this one was really nice and it was my other choice but it felt pretty soft and the lumina was seemingly just right… Now I know the mattress is firm at first for a while, which would be better than what we have now, but idk about long term.

The other bed that actually really interested me(and I know this is a dirty word around here) is this one http://www.beautyrest.com/products/recharge-memory-foam-plus/ and they make a level that is one below the ultra plush which is just plush and it has all foam and gel and minimal layers to be a possible weak point. They had a firmer version of this and I did like it if it were softer. Otherwise we are kinda stuck with the other sherwood

Hi swarm,

If you decide to buy a firm mattress and then add a topper then post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline for choosing the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success and also includes a link to a list of some of the better sources for toppers I’m aware of as well.

While the most important part of the “value” of a mattress purchase is comfort and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), outside of PPP a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality and durability of the materials inside it and the durability and useful lifetime of a mattress is also a very important part of the value of a mattress purchase. No matter how it may feel in a showroom … there would be little value in buying a mattress where the use of lower quality and less durable materials leads to foam softening and breakdown and the loss of comfort and support much too quickly after a purchase and the loss of comfort and support it isn’t considered to be a defect and isn’t covered by mattress warranties (see post #174 here). This is certainly a choice that I would avoid.

Phoenix