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.
I sleep on my sides and ocsasionally on the back. I feel very prone to having pressure on the shoulder and lateral muscle part of the side Iām sleeping on so I prefer soft mattresses. My bodyweight is between below average and average (varies according to season).
So my part-latex, part-memory foam mattress with springs ācollapsedā on me after 2 years. Itās not terrible (was fantastic on day one) but now I feel like Iām 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 Iām guessing this thing is not very durable. I realise a pad wonāt really remedy the situation so I should just get a new mattress.
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 Iām very flexible in this manner.
Thank you in advance for any advice you may offer me.
Unfortunately ā¦ this site is focused primarily on the USA and Canada and I donāt have any particular knowledge about other markets so I wonāt be able to help much in terms of specific retailers or manufacturers Iām 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 āIsraelā with āyour countryā).
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 isnāt covered by mattress warranties (see post #174 here).
While itās certainly possible to āfixā a mattress if the only issue is that itās too firm and the mattress is still in very good condition and there are no soft spots or sagging in the mattress ā¦ itās 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 āfollowā 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 wouldnāt be very high ā¦ particularly over the longer term.
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 arenāt 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 wonāt tell you anything about whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of ācomfortā, 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 ā¦ that uses materials that are durable enough for your weight/BMI range ā¦ and that meets all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you on a āmattress by mattressā basis rather than on a ābrand by brandā basis.
In its simplest form choosing the ābest possibleā 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 ā¦
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 ācomfortā, firmness, and PPP ā¦ and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or āfine tuneā the mattress and any costs involved if you canāt test a mattress in person or arenāt confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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).
Comparing your finalists for āvalueā based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Iām certainly going to indulge myself further with the information you have provided. Sure it might delay my purchase by a few days or so but itās going to be worth it! Iām excited.
Iām looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding ā¦ and of course to any other comments or questions you may have along the way that I can help with.
Iām back after 2-3 months and thanks to this website Iāve found stuff that are far more comfortable than any of the stuff Iāve rested on in the bigger chain stores.
Now Iāve narrowed it down to a couple of choices, and the most comfortable Iāve felt on was an unorthodox type I would say, so I wished to clear up any doubts before I pull the trigger.
The structure is:
3 inch 100% natural talalay latex (pad)
2.5 inch 100% natural talalay latex
bonnell spring
2.5 inch 100% natural talalay latex
So my question is, although it is very comfortable in the showroom, how would this thing be in terms of durability? I mean, would a bonnell spring setup do any harm? And since bonnell is the oldest type around, would it also mean its the least durable as well or would such an assumption be unfair? (The page on innersprings doesnāt really give a verdict as to durability so Iām guessing it wonāt be bad?)
The other choice is a straight up 7+ inch talalay latex mattress, thatās also very comfortable but didnāt feel as comfortable as the one I mentioned above.
Thank you in advance yet again for any help you might offer! Iām really excited about this whole thing and feel like Iām at the final stretch.
[quote]The structure is:
3 inch 100% natural talalay latex (pad)
2.5 inch 100% natural talalay latex
bonnell spring
2.5 inch 100% natural talalay latex
So my question is, although it is very comfortable in the showroom, how would this thing be in terms of durability?
[/quote]
Youāre certainly considering a product using durable and higher-quality materials. You can reference the durability guidelines that I posted in my previous reply to you for confirmation and reference.
The innerspring is usually one of the most durable parts of a sleep set. Here it is used as a support unit that would have a different feel from a latex support core. The age of an innerspring design doesnāt necessarily indicate quality or durability. There are many different Bonnell versions, and you didnāt mention which style this mattress is using. Overall, I wouldnāt have a concern with durability of this particular product as it pertains to the materials being used.
Is this mattress meant to be flippable with a āfirmā and āplushā side? Do you have ILDs of the latex being used? Just curious.
They had a model without the 3 inch pad (exact same materials and structure otherwise) that was flippable so I reckon this would be too. The ILD was 28 if I recall correctly.
Iāll be marching to the store tomorrow to make my long-awaited purchase, really excited here. I canāt thank you enough!
