Well, we just ordered the Dreamfoam Arctic Dreams mattress, plus a wireframe foundation. Now the waiting game starts! 
Hi drm870,
Congratulations on your new mattress
You certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback when you receive it and have had the chance to try it out.
Phoenix
Heh, my dad just asked me what the price is for a King. I guess they’re considering ordering one for themselves, depending on how I like mine. B)
Got the mattress today, and am currently sitting on it typing this. Looking forward to going to sleep on it in another hour or so! It does feel a little more “dead” than I was expecting, but I think it’ll be fine.
Also, checked the law tag on my old mattress. Just wanted to see what it said, but I couldn’t help but notice the date “Nov. 29 1984” stamped on it. :ohmy: I knew it was old (my parents handed it down to me after they moved up to a King size), but I had no idea it was THAT old. Don’t know if that was the date of manufacture of the date of sale, though. The crazy thing is, we’re actually replacing it because the quilting is pretty much torn to shreds, not because it’s sagging (though it had sagged a little).
Hi drm870,
It would be the date it was manufactured.
I hope you sleep well tonight
Phoenix
Been sleeping on the Arctic Dreams every night since my last post. I can feel it breaking in slightly, and while I think it’ll be fine…if I had to do it again, I’d probably save up and get a slightly firmer feeling mattress. If this is a 6, as Dreamfoam’s Amazon listing for it claims, I probably would been perfect at a 5 (one step firmer). As is, though, this is closer to optimal than I thought it might be given my weight. I don’t wake up in any pain, and as I get more used to the mattress feel psychologically I’m sleeping more soundly. I do bottom out while sitting on it, but when laying on it and distributing my body weight more evenly it seems supportive enough. While it is, as I said, a little “deader” feeling than I’d like, the Energex foam does make it feel more like a conventional mattress than the memory foam and latex mattresses I’ve laid on (which I consider a positive).
Overall, it seems like a keeper so far, but as it continues breaking in we’ll see if it’s, as you would put it, too close to the edge of soft for me. I’m optimistic, though!
Also, my parents did go ahead and order a King-sized Arctic Dreams for themselves after trying mine. So I guess that does say something (though the price, again, played a large part in that decision).
Hi drm870,
Thanks for taking the time to share an update … I appreciate it
Phoenix
Update time…
My body has acclimated pretty well to the Arctic Dreams mattress, despite my higher weight range. Unfortunately, I bought this wireframe foundation for the bed, and one side collapsed at the head-end when I got into bed tonight. I’m fine, but it does teach me a bit of a valuable lesson in terms of buying cheap versus good value products (as Jeff from MattressToGo once discussed in a video). I’ll probably see if I can fix it in a moment (it’s past midnight here in the midwest) but if I can’t I’ll put my mattress on the floor for now.
Other than that, things are fine! 
Hi drm870,
Thanks for the update.
Unfortunately you are one of many people that have had quality or durability issues with the Sleep Master SmartBase but it’s good to hear that you are all right.
Phoenix
Yep, my mattress is now on the floor. After taking it off the foundation and actually having a look, it appears the wires of the wireframe structure were bowing somewhat, too. I guess an obese person like myself was too much for its 2400-lbs. capacity.
In any case, I’m going to go to sleep now. Tomorrow I start to search for a replacement. Any suggestions?
Hi drm870,
There is more information about support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here and some of the information and comments in this topic (which would apply to any foam mattress) may be helpful as well.
Phoenix
drm870 wrote:
Sorry to hear about your frame collapsing, but as you found out the weight capacity is rated as spread out over the entire product and the legs on many systems like this are suspect. I’m glad you’re all right. Take a look at some of the alternatives that Phoenix linked. I’m going to our industry’s market in a few weeks and I’m looking for a quality version of these bed frame kits. I haven’t been able to find one yet. Heaven forbid you had a pet or child playing under the bed when you sat down and the leg collapsed.
To clarify, the leg itself didn’t bend or break, but rather the metal piece that keeps it from folding up. Still, I have to admit that I’ve kind of lost trust with this unit.
I’ll take a look at those recommendations.
Well, I found the Bedigami cardboard platform foundation by Nest Bedding buried in your “The best foundations or base for a latex or all foam mattress” thread, and I’ve decided to give it a try. I’m not sure how it’ll hold up to my weight (or normal wear-and-tear, for that matter), but it doesn’t seem to have any moving parts so that’s a bonus.
Hi drm870,
They were only recently introduced so there is no long term information available about how they will hold up over the longer term but based on their design and testing they certainly appear to be “strong and durable enough”.
I also haven’t seen any feedback about them on the forum so I’ll be interested in your comments and feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to try it out under your mattress.
Phoenix
Will do, but you’ll have to wait. I got an email from Nest a couple of days ago stating that the queen size Bedigami was backordered, and that I’ll be receiving a tracking number when they ship it.
Will update my thoughts on the Bedigami when I am less sleepy – it’s 12:53 AM here. (I’ll be using my mattress soon! ) For now, I will say that my parents have been using their Arctic Dreams mattress for a few months now, and seem to like it pretty well (which is a relief: I thought it’d probably work for them, but in all honesty really wasn’t sure what to expect). The mattress seems slightly undersized versus the last mattress they had, which may be due to the amount of time we kept it vacuum-rolled, and they noted it seemed to sleep hot every now and then (it wasn’t too bad, but noticeable enough that they asked about it), but for the most part they seem quite happy with it.
Hi drm870,
Thanks for the update
I’m looking forward to your comments about the Bedigami.
Phoenix
Hey, it’s been awhile…
The Bedigami didn’t work out, but I’ve come to suspect I didn’t put it together carefully enough. Anyway, I’m going to withhold judgement in this particular case…
My parents and I are still sleeping on our Arctic Dreams mattresses. Truth be told, there’s been some moderate sagging on my father’s side of my parent’s mattress, but I was willing to let it slide as A) he’s typically laying on the bed to watch TV a lot more often in his home hours than most folks; and B) he hasn’t really complained about it.
I first noticed that a few months ago. In the meantime, my own bed has finally started softening up. While it’s not as noticeable with my mattress (visually or, arguably, in terms of feel) as it is on theirs, I am starting to notice some back pain in a way they aren’t. (My mom’s side of my parent’s mattress is fine, by the way.) I can’t really complain, given how relatively inexpensive the mattress is, and at any rate I suspect part of the problem was that it was softer than I prefer to begin with. Plus I’ve been pretty overweight these past couple years.
Anyway, I know there’s an 8" version of the Arctic Dreams now that’s supposed to have a medium-firm feel, but I’m thinking I might want to get something else (and invest a bit more money) this time. Wasn’t sure what you’d advise.
One more thing: I’ve been losing a lot of weight this year. I ended up eventually peaking at around 360 lbs, am down to 290 currently, and am shooting to get to somewhere under 200 as my goal. Figured I’d let you factor that in.
Hi drm870,
Thanks for you updates! Good to hear from you again.
Yes, if this wasn’t assembled properly, it would not hold shape too well. I’m sorry to hear about that.
While the Arctic Dreams does represent an excellent value, I would expect some softening in the areas of the mattress if it is used frequently during the day as well as the evening. I’d even expect that with a product using higher-density base polyfoams. I don’t recall if you mentioned what your parents are using for their base under their mattress. I think I do remember you had an issue with a metal platform bedframe breaking underneath your mattress.
All of those things can certainly contribute to lower back pain – plushness level being too soft, having a higher BMI.
Just to refresh your memory, ideally you’d like to consider something using firmer materials (in the support layers especially) for a higher BMI. This could be firmer latex or innersprings (the type of support component would be a personal preference and in the right design either could be suitable) or even a zoned construction. The same overall guidelines apply with higher weights though that PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) along with using high quality durable materials that will maintain their feel and performance for longer periods of time are the way to make the best choices. Heavier people in general will need firmer and thicker comfort layers and firmer support layers than those who are lighter and because no materials will last as long with much higher weights the quality and durability of the materials and components is even more important than normal. I wouldn’t “rule out” any types of mattress and base your choices on your own personal testing. Post #3 here has more information and suggestions about heavier weights that is worth reading.
As far as picking out a specific mattress, while I can certainly help with “how” to choose, it’s not possible to 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”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) 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).
If you’re still considering shopping online, I still think very highly of the site members and that I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. They are extremely knowledgeable about latex, memory foam and different configurations, and I would not hesitate to recommend any of them for your consideration.
If you are considering a specific item, feel free to post back here with the specifications or your questions and I’ll do my best to be assistive.
Also, congratulations on your continued weight loss – that’s great!
Phoenix