Need help with choices plz! Information overload!

So I, like many others, feel completely overwhelmed and have information overload! But would like to make the correct choice as mattresses are expensive.

Here is what we want:
POCKET COILS…as we would like to minimize motion transfer when one of us gets up in the middle of the night or rolls over

NO MEMORY FOAM prefer LATEX…don’t like the sinking in feeling or the hotness of memory foam And like the fact that there are no chemicals in the latex. Well…the talalay at least, I believe.

WOOL FIRE BARRIER…as I personally don’t think the chemicals they use are safe. I don’t know why they ever came up with the idea and thought it was a smart one in the first place…but that is a whole other topic.

I believe that a two-sided mattress will wear better and have a longer life expectancy. Maybe you could give me your opinion on this as I have read different opinions for both sides (one and two sided mattresses)

We are currently sleeping on a mattress that is WAY past its life (15 yrs old) so would like to purchase one soon. It is a two-sided innerspring with a deep body impression on my husband’s side and not so deep, but equally annoying on my side. He is 5-9" approx. 180-185 lbs. I am 5’5" approx. 103 lbs. We both wake up with aches and pains that subside as the day goes on. We don’t feel this way when we go on vacation or stay at a hotel. The mattress has gotten so uncomfortable lately that we both wake up multiple times during the night from pain. So we are both exhausted in the morning! :frowning:

Here is our issue…we live in zip code 47201. We drove 4 hours (one way) to Chicago to get a mattress (actually two sets…one for our son also). I called the company to speak to them about their products before making the trek and the owner actually answered the phone when I called. He was very informative and nice. Spoke to me for about 20-25 min. I told him our needs and our budget. I wrote everything down on a piece of paper that he said. Model names, prices, etc. We went there about 6 weeks or so later. When we showed up it was a whole different attitude. I was so confused based on the reviews and how he was on the phone. I showed him my paper of what I had written down from the info HE gave me. (Keep in mind the models he gave me and prices were NOT on his website) He said he didn’t know what I was talking about as he talks to lots of people everyday. So long story short, we were desperate for a new mattress and had driven all the way there. He did tell me that he “was not in the business to barter and his prices are his prices”. I did tell him I wasn’t trying to barter…I was going by the info he gave me. (That comment was ignored) We ended up paying quite a bit more than he had told me but I figured if we got some good sleep finally, oh well. Hindsight…we should’ve left. He also was NOT as friendly on the phone. So I was very clear on our needs and wants for the mattress. They build them there on site. When we got our mattress set back home and slept on it for the first night we were both MISERABLE!!! When my husband got up or rolled over it felt as though I was in a canoe. (That is the best description I can give) I had told the owner over the phone our body types…height and weight also. And that I didn’t want any motion transfer. Well I literally floated on top of the bed (for lack of a better description) and it felt as though I might as well sleep on a piece of plywood. My husband had me lay on it without any bedding and he could see where I was not sinking in at all. (I am a side sleeper) We both woke up with just as bad as pains as our old bed. So we packaged it back up and took it ALL THE WAY BACK! That was the only good part about the experience was that they refunded our money without an issue. As a side note, I was not happy about our son’s bed’s quality either but he liked it so we kept it (he was 19 so old enough to make a decision).

We then went to IKEA and bought the Heggedal. It seemed to be the best compromise for our budget. I did make arrangements before purchasing with the manager that if it didn’t work out for us we would get a refund on our card…not in store credit. Due to that was the only mattress with pocket coils, latex and was mostly “natural”. They do have a comfort exchange where you can exchange it but I wasn’t interested in any other model. The manager signed a paper for us that we could. Well we got that one home and it was not comfortable at all. Desperate and not wanting to return it and wanting a good night’s sleep I purchased a 2" latex topper. Well that didn’t work either. So back it went (90 min one way). They were very polite there and there were no issues returning. Great customer service! (As a side note we did lay on the bed for a few min in store and it seemed to be fine. We did not purchase the box spring that it was on. And that may have been “part” of the issue. I found our yesterday that we currently have a wood foundation that we thought had a solid piece of plywood but sadly it is just a flat box on top of the wood slats. That are WAY too far apart. Approx. 9-11" apart!!!) We will be replacing that this time.

(We are both side sleepers in case that helps)

Another question would be…do you recommend the wood slat foundation (such as at IKEA…the Lonset model or other) or traditional box springs or a platform type which looks like it is solid plywood or other wood all the way across?

So now here we are even more desperate than before as the mattress is getting worse every night. (We went to Chicago at the very end of Dec. 2014.

We are willing to purchase online or even drive a couple of hours to test out. But due to us not having any luck so far would need to purchase somewhere that we can return if it does not work out. We do not want to have to as we are desperate for a good night sleep …but have unfortunately learned the hard way that it doesn’t always work out as expected! So our zip is 47201 and we live close to Indianapolis, Louisville and Cincinnati. But like I said, we will drive up to 2-3 hours away. (We went to the Chicago store due to them using a Wool Fire Barrier and other natural materials)

I apologize in advance for the long post, but thought the more info…the better the answer :slight_smile:

Oh yes…our budget would be about $1600 (total) for a QUEEN.

Thank you so much in advance for your time and opinion!

Hi SeaLifeLover,

I would keep in mind that 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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate 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 or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can certainly 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 you may be considering, 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 whether anyone else has the same criteria or would make the same choice

I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you 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 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 you are considering.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Indianapolis area (subject to the making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked earlier in this reply) in post #2 here.

The list for the Louisville, KY area is in post #3 here and for the Cincinnati, OH area is in post #212 here and for the Bloomington, IN area is in post #2 here.

I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor (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 list that are in reasonable driving distance is always a good idea before you visit any store anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses that would meet your specific criteria, are transparent about the quality and durability of the materials in their mattresses (see this article), and that carry the type of mattresses that you are interested in testing in the budget range you are comfortable with and that have exchange or return policies that 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 visiting based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.

There is more about the pros and cons of one sided vs two sided mattresses in post #3 here. While a one sided mattress that meets the quality/durability guidelines here and that doesn’t have any lower quality materials or weak links can certainly make a durable choice … a two sided mattress would last longer than a similar mattress with a similar support system that used the same comfort layers on only one side of the mattress as long as you flip and rotate it on a regular basis (see post #2 here).

There is more information about different types of support systems that are generally the most suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here. A wood slat foundation that has a suitable distance between the slats would be suitable for most foam mattresses.

You normally won’t find any box springs any longer (that have actual springs inside them that flex) although there are a few manufacturers that make them for some of their two sided mattresses. They normally wouldn’t be a suitable choice for a one sided mattress.

A foundation with flexible slats will change the feel and performance of the mattress compared to a foundation that has slats that don’t have any flex. They would provide suitable support for most mattresses but they may not be the best choice if the mattress itself is already a good match for you in terms of PPP when it’s on a rigid support system that doesn’t have any flex because it would add some additional softness to the mattress which could have a negative effect on your alignment in some cases. There is more information about the pros and cons of a flexible slat support system in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Phoenix-

Thank you so much for your prompt response! And just so you know I had read numerous posts on your site and many other sites before posting. That is why my head is spinning with too much info. As well as the problem of already trying two different mattresses that didn’t work out at all.

I have read all of the links you provided and I will look into the other companies that you had mentioned in the posts.

What is your opinion on the WinkBeds and also the Charles P. Rogers PowerCore (either the 7000 or the 9000)? I wasn’t sure if you had any info and/or experience with either.

Again, thank you for your response and I hope to have ordered a new bed within the next week or two! We can’t take the pain from our mattress anymore!

Hi SeaLifeLover,

You can see my comments about WinkBeds in post #2 here of the simplified choice mattress topic and in this topic. A forum search on Winkbeds (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about them as well.

I don’t have any personal experience with any of the Charles P Rogers mattresses but their Powercore pocket coil is a good quality component that certainly wouldn’t be a weak link in any of their mattresses (the weakest link of a mattress is generally in the layers above the innerspring, not the innerspring itself). A forum search on powercore 7000 and on powercore 9000 (you can just click both links) will bring up more comments and feedback about both of them and about Charles P Rogers in general. While I can’t speak to whether either of them would be a good match for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP … with the extra layer of latex the 9000 would be softer than the 7000. Both of them use good quality materials and there would be no weak links in either of them in terms of durability.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding.

Phoenix

So I looked up all of the sites that you recommended in your posts as well as calling about the WinkBeds and Charles P Rogers mattresses.

I like the very generous return policy at WinkBeds which is tempting to me but I am concerned with their materials used. Such as the foam. I am worried about having the body impression issue within a few years due to them using foam and also the foam with the gel in their beds instead of getting a mattress with latex. And while it says it does not sleep hot…what I have read about their materials makes me wonder if that will be true. But I definitely want the pocket coils in the mattress I purchase.

I called Charles P Rogers and while I like the specs of their mattress…the salesman told me that they only offer a one time “exchange” at a cost of $375 to me!!! So that seems quite high. And I am a little confused since I read through some of the posts on this site from people who actually purchased and they had stated that they had 90 days to exchange or get a refund with shipping included. So I don’t know if their policy changed or if the refund was for local customers since mine would have to be shipped.

Through your links I looked up I did like the two-sided option with latex from Flexus Comfort. I called there and spoke with the owner (he answered the phone) and he was very nice and informative. But they do not offer any exchange or returns. So I am hesitant.

I called Niagara Therapy (which is local to me…within an hour) and spoke with a salesman there. He couldn’t really answer any of my questions and said that he had to talk to his Plant Manager (which seemed odd as I would think the sales people should know the answers) and get back with me and that if he hadn’t called me by Wed to call him. That was a little frustrating since I am trying to make a decision this week. But he said that they could make me a two-sided, pocket coil with latex, wool fire barrier with an organic cotton cover. That is great because I think that is exactly what I am looking for. Unfortunately he couldn’t give me a price and he didn’t know what to recommend to me for a foundation. He just kept telling me that they could either make me a wood slat foundation or an actual box spring. Whichever I preferred. And I kept telling him that he was supposed to be the expert and I wanted to know which one he recommended to me for that type of mattress. I never did get an answer from him on that one. :frowning: He said they are really backed up from doing several state fairs in the surrounding states. So I will wait until Wed to see what they say.

I also looked up the pocket coil with latex from Arizona Mattress. I emailed them to ask what they use for a fire barrier on that model and I am waiting a response.

So I have narrowed it down to those four choices but have also considered trying to find a dealer that carries an all natural all latex mattress to see if I am interested. The only one I have ever been on was at IKEA and I don’t think it was very good quality since I sat on the side at first and it compressed WAY down (I am only 100-105 lbs). So I didn’t look into the latex any further since my husband is 70-80 lbs more than me. But I have read alot of positive things about the all latex that are better quality. I would like to go and lay on one though to see if we are even interested.

So that is where I am at after my months and months of extensive reading. (At this point I feel as though my eyes are going to fall out of my head! lol)

If you have any input, please share.

Thanks again for your time!!!

Hi SeaLifeLover,

You can see the details of their previous return policy on the wayback machine here and their return/exchange policy used to be conditional on being inside their delivery service area (inside a 100 mile radius of NYC) and on having tried their mattress in a showroom before a purchase. According to their site they currently only have a 90 day exchange policy (not a return/refund policy) but they don’t list the specifics on their site.

There really isn’t much additional information that I can share outside of what I’ve already linked unless you have a specific question I can answer but based on your comments you seem to have a good understanding of the pros and cons and tradeoffs involved in the choices you are considering so it’s really a matter of deciding which of the tradeoffs involved are most important to you.

Once you are down to a list of finalists and you are confident that they would all be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or you have good options after a purchase if you aren’t) and that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them in terms of durability then you would be down to finalists that are comparing “good to good”. If there are no clear winners between them at this point (which is usually a good indication that you have done some very good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely make a good quality/value choice and (post #2 here) can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Sometimes a final choice may even come down to very minor differences or can sometimes just be a matter of “gut feel” or “educated best judgement”.

Phoenix