Hi TandL,
I read your entire thread! There’s quite a lot of useful information there. I do think your frame was fairly similar. Mine is just larger because it’s a king, and it has 6 total support legs screwed in. I do believe it might break as yours did. I discussed taking the slats out and using a foundation on the (otherwise brand new) frame with my fiancee, and he doesn’t want to consider it. He wants to try the slats first. We’ll see if we can even try that depending on the warranty/return policy of whatever mattress we do select.
Regarding my mattress search, I haven’t been able to get out to the stores yet, and we’re bracing for a winter storm, so it could be a few days. I clicked through the list of online retailers here to look for more mattresses to consider and landed on this post about Dr Rick. I was intrigued by the discussion of SelectABed and more specifically the various mattresses to consider. According to Phoenix, the Tempflow line “is exceptionally high quality and breathable”. I tried contacting TempFlow because prices aren’t listed on their site, and got some quotes and recommendations for mattresses based on our data (height, weight, softness preference, cooling properties, etc).
The prices are definitely higher than most others I’ve looked at, probably too high. I’ll write it here, and I’m sure Phoenix will edit it out if it’s some sort of violation of the rules to discuss quotes. I was first recommended the Celestia model, and that sounds right to me. I was quoted $2995 for an Eastern King. Probably a good deal for such excellent materials, but I didn’t want to go that high. When I asked for something in a lower price range, I was recommended the Flexia for $2195. That’s around the right price, but the mattress description sounds a bit firm. We did want something that felt soft. Then again, we might need the extra support given our weight/height ranges (5ft7 175 lbs and 5ft10 220 lbs respectively). I’ll keep it in mind as I test mattresses.