I’m 6’2", 350#, My wife is 5’8, 220#.
I currently have a Restonic memory foam mattress that I bought in 2008. I’m thinking I was buying “Cheap” memory foam, but it certainly didn’t feel cheap when I was writing the check. Fast forward to 2012, and I like I’m sleeping in a hammock due to lack of support. I’m looking at options, and want something that’s going to last more than 4 years.
I am considering Latex, probably a Firm Firm Medium or Firm Medium Medium combination from Sleep EZ or Savvy Rest. After being “burned” by the memory foam technology, I’m a bit trigger shy with Latex.
My other option is a conventional Innerspring, built for “Extended Life” from King Koil. it’s made from 12 1/2 gauge steel coils and has 2# density foam for the comfort layers. This is about $1850 with a foundation, so it’s significantly better for the budget than the Latex.
Does anyone have any insight into the two options, considering our body sizes?
I’m not sure about the density of the memory foam that was in your Restonic but there is no doubt that any materials will not last as long with much heavier than average weights. I would also be very hesitant about using memory foam at all because of how easily it can soften much more quickly … especially with thicker layers. If you did choose to use memory foam … I would be looking at high density options (at least 5 lbs and preferably higher). Some of the models of the King Koil HD series use 6 lb memory foam for example.
Post #2 here and post #2 here also have some useful information about heavier weights that may be helpful in your decision.
In general terms though … the upper layers will have more of an effect on the durability of a mattress than the lower layers (although both are important in terms of finding a mattress that suits you) because they will soften more quickly than the lower layers. Latex will also be more durable than high density polyfoam (HR polyfoam which has a higher density than 2.0 lb HD foam will also be more durable) and in the higher densities tha are normally used for a firm support layer will also be more durable than an innerspring. Bear in mind though that no matter what the material … it will wear faster with heavier weights.
There is no doubt that the King Koil HD mattress and foundation (which is built very strong as well) are much more durable than an “average” mattress. As a matter of fact … some models (such as here) use even higher quality materials than you mentioned (in this case 2.5 lb HR polyfoam and 6 lb memory foam) and some (such as here) use talalay latex as well as part of the layering. 12.5 gauge innersprings are also the strongest gauge innersprings generally available however the gauge of an innerspring in only one of several factors which will determine the suitability of a mattress for your needs.
These same quality of materials are also available though to most local manufacturers and many better sleep shops who sell alternative or local brands and who are also very knowledgeable and can provide excellent advice about the combination of materials that will meet your needs for pressure relief and alignment as well as your preferences for things like durability. They are usually “expert” in helping people with a very wide range of needs and preferences and besides their knowledge about helping to fit" a mattress to different people their value may also be better than larger brands such as Comfort Solutions (King Koil).
So while the King Koil HD lineup uses some high quality materials … it is certainly not your only or perhaps even your best choice in terms of your needs, durability or value. If you let me know the city you live in I’ll be happy to see if I know of any local factory direct manufacturing or better outlets in your area.
Another example of a mattress designed for heavier weights is here. Bear in mind again though that these materials are available to any manufacturer and are not only found in mattresses that are marketed as being for heavier people.
While I understand your hesitancy, memory foam and latex are two very different animals and latex has been around longer than either polyfoam or memory foam and it’s durability has been proven over many decades. You can see some examples of very old latex mattresses here. A high quality latex mattress may not be the lowest cost of your options but it would likely be your most durable choice of all … especially if you buy it from a manufacturer that has exceptional value.
So overall you have many good options but the first step I would take (besides looking at the King Koil HD models that may suit you best) would be a local manufacturer if there are any in your area or some of the better online latex manufacturers such as SleepEz (Savvy Rest is high quality and uses similar materials to some of the SleepEz models but is not in the same value range).
While I don’t know who may carry these locally, I think a google search on local retail outlets and a few phone calls will find out if any local outlets carry them fairly quickly. The Comfort solutions website also has a retail outlet finder here that will help you find a local outlet. They are not a manufacturer that I would seek out or recommend unless you have specific information about a specific mattress that interests you (besides their marketing stories) because they are one of the many manufacturers who don’t like to disclose basic information about the materials in their mattresses and do what they can to make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses difficult or even impossible. This isn’t to say they make bad mattresses … only that they are not “consumer friendly” in terms of being open and transparent.
More importantly though I want to reply to your comments about Jeff at Matt to go. While of course I don’t know the details of your experience and I am in no position to make comments about any of the specifics that may be involved … I will say that these types of “emotional” comments posted in a public forum that includes none of the facts or substance behind them are not reasonable in my eyes.
I have talked with Jeff on several occasions and within the limits of my experience with him, think highly of both him and his approach to business. He has also been a force for openness and transparency in the industry and his videos have helped to educate thousands of people all over the internet and are widely used by many websites. He has built a reputation for integrity for over 20 years and your comments don’t seem to be about the same person that I have talked with or that has thousands of satisfied customers that he has helped make better purchases over several decades.
While I can understand that someone can have a bad experience with any business … to post these kinds of inflammatory comments without any of the relevant facts or the context or circumstances behind them to go with them can say more about the person posting and their attitude and approach to issues than it does about the intended “target”.
I would encourage you to stick with facts without trying to pre-condition or influence your readers with emotional comments or “setting the stage” with this kind of embellishment or exaggeration if you want your issues or experience to be taken seriously. To make these kind of comments without including the “rest of the story” and the context behind it is really just an attempt to injure someone’s reputation or cause harm to their business without giving anyone else a chance to decide for themselves what the circumstances behind your issues may really be.
I would encourage you to take a more balanced approach to these kind of insinuations or complaints … or at the very least include the circumstances and facts behind them.
Your latest post still contains no details of why your experience was so bad and it still contains harmful innuendos with no facts to support them.
While I appreciate that you removed most of your previous post … I also disagree that it wasn’t embellished, exaggerated, or primarily meant to cause harm and was basically a personal attack on a reputable business with no substance to support it. When you are talking about creating a"piece of literature" that your “grandchildren’s grandchildren” will remember along with the other things that have now been deleted … that’s what i call exaggeration in the extreme.
Even the fact that you didn’t buy a mattress from him and there are no issues here about something that you actually purchased … and that he suggested something that you could buy somewhere else that was similar speaks to integrity and not just trying to make the sale. It also implies that there is more to this story.
While I have never done this before in the history of this forum … unless you are able to provide specific factual details besides just saying in essence “I hate that guy and that business”, so that someone has a chance to reply to your harmful insinuations and present another side to the story … I will have to remove your posts as being a personal attack and against the Rules of this forum.
While businesses need to be held to account for what they sell, say, and do, and differing and even strongly held opinions are part of reasonable discussion … consumers also need to be responsible and accountable for what they say and do and buy as well.
I do not intend to allow this forum to be used as an outlet for a vendetta based on a singe bad experience (which may have a different context than you are implying) or as a vehicle that can cause harm to a 20 year reputation of integrity based on an emotional outburst without facts and substance behind it. The anonymity of the internet already allows for too much of these types of posts where people are more interested in presenting themselves as victims and looking to cause harm than they are in posting facts that can help people make up their own minds or that can be refuted if they are simply one sided presentations of a completely different story. All of us need to be responsible for what we say and do and simply saying “I think that guy or business stinks” without including the facts, or circumstances behind the opinions that can be discussed or even refuted is simply not reasonable in my eyes.
I’m so glad I found this website and forum! I’m trying to find a new bed for a big (340 lb - but shrinking, yay!) guy with a bad back thanks to a bad car accident. He’s sleeping on a 20-year-old mattress from a hometown factory in the Midwest (no tags - I can’t tell you if it was firm, soft, whatever, when it was purchased), and he’s waking up with numb/tingly arms/hands and horrible back pain. Trying to navigate the mattress stores here in the Washington, DC area (suburban Maryland), has been dizzying. I actually got into it with a mattress salesman who kept trying to tell me that a hybrid Pure LatexBliss bed was “100% Talalay throughout.” Had to show him the company website on my phone.
Ready to bang my head against the wall with frustration while finding a good bed that isn’t going to break the bank. Do you have any recommendations for relatively local options for someone in this area? Came to this entry in the forum doing a search on King Koil Extended Life mattresses.
Thank you for any advice you can offer. I know a big guy who is dying for a decent night’s sleep.
It’s sad that so many salespeople are so misinformed. They may be nice mattresses and even have better than average value but the Hybrid 3.0 line certainly isn’t 100% latex (as you know).
A mattress is only as good as the materials inside it and while the Comfort Solutions Extended Life mattresses do use some higher density foam (2 lbs +) in the layering … it’s still important to know ALL the layers so you can identify any potential weak links in a mattress you are considering … especially when you are in a heavier weight range. this is the job of the retailer to provide this to you and if they can’t or won’t then I would pass them by. There are too many good choices that will for you to spend much time tracking down the specs that are necessary for you to make any meaningful assessment of the quality and value of a mattress.
While the Washington, DC area is not the most “mattress friendly” area in the country (many other areas have a larger number of better choices, manufacturers or options available) … the better ones I know of are listed in post #2 here.
You’ve probably read this already but just in case … post #1 here and the information it links to is the most important post on the forum and will give you the basic information you need and a step by step guideline that can help you make much better choices.
When you are in higher weight ranges … what is “soft” and “firm” to you will not be the same as others who are lighter and the importance of more durable materials (higher density polyfoam and memory foam, good quality latex, lower gauge thicker springs etc) can’t be stressed enough and finding and working with people who are knowledgeable about mattresses and materials and will take the time to educate you more than “sell” you and tell you the “why” behind the “what” is particularly important.