MySide Series 6 GVL?

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

Hey All,

We are in the market for a new mattress, and went to a local store (Burlington Bedrooms in VT) on a whim one day to look at them. My girlfriend likes a softer mattress, while I like a firmer (but not rock hard) mattress. We spoke to the sales guy there, and he started talking about the MySide mattresses, which seemed like a good idea - we could both get what we wanted in a mattress. We also did the ‘test’ that they had, which put her at a Gold and me at a Blue - right in line with what we thought.

We originally were looking at the series 2, as it was the closest thing to what we currently have (an old NovaFoam). We both really liked it, but decided to consider it a little more.

So I (like many who have looked at the MySide) went to Sleepy’s over the weekend, and checked out the MySide there. They didn’t have the Series 2, but just for the hell of it we decided to check out the other ones. I didn’t care for the Series 3, the Series 4 was a little bit better, but we both really liked the Series 6. He gave us a great deal, but like before, we decided to consider it a little bit more.

Finally, we decided to go back to Burlington Bedrooms yesterday in hopes of comparing the Series 2 with the Series 6. To my surprise, they didn’t have a Series 6, but they had a Series 6GVL. We tried it, really liked it (it seemed cooler for the 5 mins we laid on it), and again walked away to consider it a little more.

So, then I come online to look at reviews on all this, and everything I find is for the Series 6 at Sleepy’s. However, the Sleepy’s one didn’t have the ‘GVL’ marking on it’s tags. Is this a different mattress? Has anyone heard / tried out the Series 6 GVL? The 6 had a pillow-top-like topping, where the 6GVL had a more memory-foam looking topping. You can kinda see the difference here between these two pictures:

Series 6: http://www.mysidebeds.com/myside-products/series-6.aspx
Series 6GVL: http://www.wgrfurniture.com/Kingsdown-Queen-Mattress/6GTGQN-1153/ItemInformation.aspx

So in general, I’m looking for some advise on the comparison between the 6 and the 6GVL. I’m also looking for some advice around the MySide Series 6GVL and other memory foam mattresses - ie do all the opinions of the poor construction of the Series 6 apply to the Series 6GVL? Would you recommend a different mattress altogether?

Thanks again all!

2

Hi JoeLemaire,

The first thing I would suggest is to read this article which will hopefully help you avoid most of the worst choices you could make when you are mattress shopping … including Kingsdown and all the other major brands and mainstream outlets and chain stores.

My reply in post #2 here from earlier this morning also includes the same type of comments that I would make to your questions and comments. Without knowing the details of every layer in your mattress there is just no way to know the real quality or value of a mattress you are considering or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses that use similar materials and have similar benefits.

Without meaningful information … it would be like choosing between two different pieces of furniture that had a similar look and function but where you didn’t know which one was mostly particle board and veneer and which was MDF or real wood or which parts of the furniture included the different materials in each of your choices. They will all perform the same way for a while but real wood is higher quality and value and will last much longer than lesser materials. When we buy a mattress … we are sleeping on the materials it is made from and not the label on a mattress. The quality of materials and construction means much more than the label of the manufacturer or the model names which mean very little.

The “perfectmatch” system can be a tool (which should never be more important or considered more accurate than what your body feels or replace accurate testing for pressure relief and alignment) but it is mostly used as a marketing tool to sell Kingsdown mattresses and the high profit margins that goes with them. Thee system is “matched” to specific Kingsdown mattresses and is not designed to help with other mattresses that you may be considering. I would treat it as a minor factor in your choices.

If you let me know the city or zip where you live, I’d be happy to take a look and let you know of any factory direct manufacturers or better retail outlets that I’m aware of in your area where the odds are much better that you will find better quality and value.

Phoenix

3

Hey Phoenix,

Thanks for the great advice! I’m going to read over your article. I live just outside Burlington, VT (05401) in Fairfax (05454). Anything around that area would be great.

Thanks again,

Joe

4

Hi JoeLemaire,

Burlington is one of the areas of the country that doesn’t have any factory direct manufacturers in the area but there are a few retailers that may be worth considering.

I looked at about 35 or so stores that are within about a 75 mile radius and the best of these are listed along with the names of the brands they carry that I would consider (I would not consider any of the major brands they carry). It’s still important to make sure that the outlet provides you with the specifics of the materials and components in each mattress that you are seriously looking at but at least these brands may have better odds of finding better quality and value in some of their models.

http://www.thegreenlifevt.com/index.php? Burlington, VT that carries White Lotus and Savvy Rest mattresses that use natural or organic materials but are also in higher budget ranges.

http://burlingtonbedrooms.com/ Burlington, VT. Carries Naturepedic which are also high quality natural and organic mattresses along with Symbol mattresses.

http://www.burlingtonmattress.us/ Burlington, VT. Pure Talalay Bliss latex mattresses.

http://sleepquartersvt.com/index.php Retailer in South Burlington. Appears to carry Natura mattresses.

http://www.wendellsfurniture.com/ South Burlington, Colchester, VT. Gold Bond, Pure Talalay Bliss, Wendells private label.

http://godnicksfurniture.com/ Rutland, VT. Carries Pure Talalay Bliss and Gold Bond

http://heartofvermont.com/ Barre, VT. Carries Royal-Pedic innerspring/natural fiber mattresses which are high quality mattresses but also carry premium prices.

http://www.loonrustics.com/ Lincoln, NH. Carries Savvy Rest component latex mattresses

http://www.greenmountainorganics.com/ St Johnsbury, VT. Savvy Rest component latex mattresses

In areas like this where there are only a few better options … it may also worth considering an online purchase if that’s within your comfort zone. The members here that specialize in online purchases and are good at providing guidance about your best choices (particularly in latex or latex hybrids) are listed in post #21 here. A few of the better memory foam choices (if that’s a direction you are considering) are listed in post #12 here. Online sources can also act as a “value reference” point for a local purchase as long as you are making apples to apples comparisons. I normally suggest that if any premium for a local purchase compared with a similar style, and quality mattress online is more than about 20% or so that an online purchase may be worth considering (depending on each person’s “value equation”.) Less than this for similar mattresses and a local purchase makes more sense IMO, especially if you are working with a knowledgeable retailer, because you can more accurately identify which mattress best suits your needs and preferences.

While you have some better options … it may take a little additional research to make sure that you know what you are buying and I would especially focus on the knowledge and service of retailer to make sure they are open about the materials in their mattresses

Feel free to post any questions you may have along the way.

Phoenix

5

Hey Phoenix,

Thanks again for all the great info. I definitely have no reservations about purchasing online. However, my biggest concern with that is not being able to try it out first. I’m definitely going to check out what you’ve listed here, and I’ll let you know if I have anymore questions.

Thanks!

Joe

6

Hi JoeLemaire,

This is the “classic” dilemma between a local purchase which you can test in person and an online purchase which may have better prices and in some cases offer more flexibility or layering but carries additional risk. Each of these are part of each person’s “value equation” (the factors that are most important to each person) and always involve a series of sometimes difficult “tradeoffs”.

If you are able to do some local testing to get a sense of your needs and preferences (and you do have some good options for this) … then it can help a knowledgeable online manufacturer or outlet help you make better choices that can take into account your actual testing experiences rather than just height/weight and sleeping position considerations that are based on averages.

You have some good local choices for testing and I’m certainly happy to provide any thoughts or feedback if you have questions along the way.

Phoenix