Need help finding a mattress (take #2)

Hi Jtat84,

[quote]We ended up choosing an all latex medium Spindle Mattress. It was comfortable in the store, but had a difficult time adjusting once home. My wife was pregnant at the time, so we didn’t rush to make a decision. Unfortunately almost a year later, our problems seem to be getting worse. Namely, uncomfortable side sleeping (too firm on shoulder, saggy by hips) and both of us are experiencing lower back pain.

I want to clarify that I do not think this is any way the fault of Spindle mattresses. Their service and customer focus is great - I think we must just not be “latex” people. The good news is that they refund a large portion of the purchase within a year if you provide proof of donating the mattress.[/quote]

I’m sorry to hear that your mattress didn’t work out for you. You certainly made a great quality choice and their mattress has so many different layering configurations that are possible by rearranging the layers or adding or replacing a layer that it’s very unusual that one of their customers doesn’t find a combination that works out well. It also sounds like Spindle really went “above and beyond” in your case because while they do have a 365 day comfort adjustment … they don’t normally refund a mattress so it seems that they made an exception in your case.
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: Spindle Mattress

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The most reliable way to know which types of materials or mattresses you tend to prefer in general will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.

Based on some of your questions I’m not sure if you’ve read (or perhaps reread since you were last here) the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly help you know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

While I can’t speak to how any mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances … outside of PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines I linked to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

I’m not sure where you read that 14 gauge pocket coils were the “best” because it certainly isn’t the case. The “best” innerspring or pocket coil for you would be the one that is inside a mattress that you have confirmed is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP whatever it may be.

A mattress will tend to soften and break down from the top layers down and the innerspring in a mattress isn’t generally the weakest link in terms of durability and the useful life of the mattress although the type of innerspring can certainly make a difference in how it feels and performs. To the degree than an innerspring makes a difference in terms of durability … the most important factor in the durability of an innerspring would be the total amount of steel that it contains (assuming that it is tempered) which unfortunately isn’t a specification that you would normally be able to find out. There is more information about the different types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here.

[quote]1… Innerspring support layer
2. No memory foam or similar in the comfort layer
3. Motion isolation (so I don’t wake up my wife if I come to bed later)
4. Decent durability (thinking about 6 years is a good target)
5. Price - No more than $1200
6. Convenient shopping - we aren’t willing to buy online. Don’t mind haggling at retail stores, but it seems like the thought here is that those stores stock low quality mattresses that feel nice in the store but deteriorate.

So the avoid rambling further, Help! I need you guidance. [/quote]

I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses or their specs that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor or have available online (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking their websites and making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the local lists is always a good idea before you decide on which retailers or manufacturers you wish to deal with anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses that would meet your specific criteria, are transparent about the materials in their mattresses, and that carry the type of mattresses that you are interested in that are also in the budget range you are comfortable with. Once you have checked their websites and/or talked with the ones that interest you then you will be in a much better position to decide on the ones that you are most interested in considering or visiting based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.

I think you’ve read this already but the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Boston arrea (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) are listed in post #2 here.

I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or whether anyone else (including me) would have the same criteria or circumstances or would make the same choice.

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 that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in 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 range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  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