Looking for durable and soft mattress

[phoenix]

Hi someguy76,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

First off, I do not live in the USA so a lot of the reccommended brands on this website are out of reach for me.

Unfortunately … this site is focused primarily on the USA and Canada and I don’t have any particular knowledge about other markets so I won’t be able to help much in terms of specific retailers or manufacturers I’m aware of in the country you live in but the steps involved in choosing a mattress would be the same and the mattress materials that are used in other countries would generally be the same as the materials in North America.

For those members that are from outside North America there is more information in post #2 here that should be helpful (except replace “Israel” with “your country”).

So my part-latex, part-memory foam mattress with springs ‘collapsed’ on me after 2 years. It’s not terrible (was fantastic on day one) but now I feel like I’m sinking when lying on the bed and when I move on to a different side of the bed (part of the bed that I do not sleep in general) it feels a lot more comfortable. So I’m guessing this thing is not very durable. I realise a pad won’t really remedy the situation so I should just get a new mattress.

This would be typical for a mattress that uses lower quality/density materials that will tend to soften and break down much more quickly than higher quality/density materials and which can lead to the premature loss of comfort and support and the need to replace a mattress much more quickly than you would otherwise have hoped for. Unfortunately foam softening and the loss of comfort and support isn’t covered by mattress warranties (see post #174 here).

While it’s certainly possible to “fix” a mattress if the only issue is that it’s too firm and the mattress is still in very good condition and there are no soft spots or sagging in the mattress … it’s generally much more difficult to fix a mattress that was too soft initially or that has developed soft spots or is sagging because the best solution would normally be to open up the mattress and remove the layers or components that are too soft or have developed soft spots or are sagging and replace them with new layers. A firmer topper will generally just “follow” any sagging or soft spots underneath it and at best it may be a partial or temporary solution and at worst it can make any issues that you are having with your mattress worse. For example if you add a firmer topper you could end up with a sleeping system where the top layer (the topper) was too firm for you to provide good pressure relief but the layers underneath your topper could either be too soft or sagging too much to provide suitable support to keep your spine in good alignment.

There are some suggestions in post #4 here that may be helpful for a mattress that is too soft or is sagging at least on a partial or temporary basis but if you do decide to go in this direction I would keep your expectations low because the odds of success wouldn’t be very high … particularly over the longer term.

Like I said, I live abroad so my choices are limited but there are US brands here that I got my eye on but would like to get an expert opinion on as well: King Koil, Setra, Therapedic, Sealy. Are their products known to be durable? I have taken a liking to some of the models but want to know if they are reliable before pulling the trigger. I must note among these brands many pillow top mattresses made it to my shortlist. Money is not an issue and I’m very flexible in this manner.

The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).

I would also be very cautious about brand shopping in general because you are buying a specific mattress not the brand and most manufacturers have access to the same or similar components and materials. Many manufacturers make a wide range of mattresses that can vary from lower quality and less durable materials to higher quality and more durable materials in a wide range of prices. The name of the manufacturer on the label or the price of the mattress won’t tell you anything about whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or whether there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the design that would affect the durability and useful life of the mattress. There is more about the risks of brand shopping in post #5 here and post #12 here.

In other words I would assess whether a specific mattress would make a suitable choice for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP … that uses materials that are durable enough for your weight/BMI range … and that meets all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you on a “mattress by mattress” basis rather than on a “brand by brand” basis.

In its simplest form choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress (see the durability guidelines here).

3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix