New mattress - obese person

thanks for the info.

My zip is 17074

Hi Blagdaross,

Post #2 here includes several links to the forum lists that are closest to you (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked in my last reply.

Some of the better online options I’m aware of that are in lower budget ranges are also linked in post #4 here but I would make sure that the materials in any mattress you are considering are durable enough for your weight (using the guidelines I linked earlier).

Phoenix

Are innersprings worth looking into any more? I saw somewhere else people were calling them outdated and wouldn’t even consider getting one.

Hi Blagdaross,

Yes … there are many people that prefer an innerspring mattress with good quality comfort layers over any other type of mattress and they can certainly be a very durable choice. In most cases the weakest link of an innerspring mattress … especially if they are made by most of the mainstream manufacturers … are in the comfort layers above the springs … not in the springs themselves. I wouldn’t exclude any type of mattress because as long as the materials and components are good quality and durable materials the choice between different types of mattresses or components is a preference choice not a “better/worse” choice.

Two sided innerspring mattresses in particular can be very durable choices even in higher weight ranges.

The people who consider them to be “outdated” are generally just “selling a story” that they want you to believe for their own reasons (usually as a justification for buying one of their non innerspring mattresses). There is more about the different types of innersprings in this article and in post #10 here.

Phoenix

Can you find the mattress i was looking at?
E hotel collection, artisan firm, i think its Englander manufacture.

I can find e hotel collection but not that specific mattress. Is that a good brand/model?

I found this but it looks nothing like the one in the store. http://www.phillymattress.com/products/e-hotel-collection-artisan-firm

Hi Blagadross,

A google search bring up the same link that you mentioned but even if it was the same mattress the description doesn’t include any meaningful information about the quality of the materials inside it.

If you can find out the information listed here about a mattress you are considering from the retailer you are dealing with and post it on the forum I’d be happy to make some comments about the mattress and the quality of the materials inside it. If the retailer you are dealing with either can’t or won’t provide you with the information you would need to make an informed choice about the mattress then I would pass it by (see the guidelines here) because making a blind purchase without knowing the quality or durability of the materials inside a mattress would be a very risky choice and is one of the biggest reasons for buyers remorse much too quickly after a purchase.

Phoenix

Ok, talked to the guy at the store again.

It has 450 springs in the queen size which are 12.5 gauge steel
there is a double end steel edge support
Above the springs is a heavy duty spinal support pad. he says this is to protect the foam layers from the springs.
Above the pad is 1 inch of 1.8 lb density gel infused memory foam.
then in the last layer which is the quilted top there is another 1 inch of 1.8 lb density memory foam (no gel).

warranty is 15 years. years 10-15 are pro-rated.

Hi Blagdaross,

I’m guessing that the foam layers are either polyfoam (not memory foam) or the density is incorrect because it would be very unlikely that you would see 1.8 lb memory foam in a mattress. This is generally a polyfoam density not a memory foam density. Could you clarify the type and density of the foam layers?

Is the mattress one sided or two sided?

Did you do some careful testing on the mattress and is it a good match for you in terms of PPP?

Phoenix

I don’t know how else to explain the foam. he was reading from some sort of documentation about the mattress.

it’s 2 sided.

I laid on it for about 5 minutes at the store. I don’t quite understand the PPP thing. The bed felt good and comfortable when I was laying on it. My back pain was considerably less vs. the other bed I tested.

Hi Blagdaross,

The retailer you are dealing with should be able to tell you whether the foam layers are polyfoam or memory foam. 1.8 lb polyfoam would be in a suitable density range in a two sided mattress but it it’s memory foam then it would be a very low quality material that would be completely unsuitable for your weight range.

PPP means Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences which are the most important parts of choosing a mattress that is suitable for you. There is more about PPP in the tutorial post. 5 minutes also isn’t nearly enough to be able to tell whether a mattress is a suitable choice and I would follow the testing guidelines in the tutorial post and test specifically for pressure relief and alignment and to confirm that you like the more subjective “feel” of a mattress when you are testing mattresses in a showroom.

Phoenix

Even though it’s primarily an innerspring mattress?

Hi Blagdaross,

I would use the testing guidelines in the tutorial post to test any mattress I was seriously considering because your testing may not be a reliable approximation of your actual sleeping experience until you have been on the mattress for long enough for your muscles to completely “let go” and relax so that any muscle tension isn’t affecting how you feel on the mattress.

It would improve your odds of making the most suitable choice.

Phoenix

I bought a mattress today.
I got the serta icomfort intellectual efx. Comes with a boxspring as well.

I went to 2 stores and tested a few mattresses and liked this one the best. Was quite a bit more than i wanted to spend but everything near my original price range was not very good.
And since i will be spending a ton of time on it and will hopefully relieve or lessen my back pain, i thought i might as well go ahead.

Will be delivered friday afternoon.

Hi Blagdaross,

If you are confident that your mattress is a suitable match for you in terms of PPP and that you will sleep well on it then as long as you’ve done your research and are aware of and OK with the higher risk of durability issues and premature softening and foam breakdown that can be involved in choosing a major brand mattress that uses lower density and less durable or “unknown” materials (especially in your weight range) then at least you are making an informed purchase although as you know it’s not a mattress that I would suggest purchasing in terms of its quality or value.

Phoenix

Well all I got here was ppp… Which i still find confusing.
There was no mattress recommendations at all.
I went to showrooms and tested several mattresses as suggested and picked one that seemed good to me.

It doesnt sound like i would have been able to afford the kind of mattress you think i should get, if one even exists. Examples those kind of mattresses would have been more helpful than telling me i bought a bad mattress after the fact.

Hi Blagdaross,

The first overview that is suggested reading in the tutorial post is all about the two main functions of a mattress which is comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment and the testing guidelines that can help you test for comfort/pressure relief and support/alignment are in step 4 of the tutorial. There is also a list of the preferences that may be important to you in post #46 here which is also linked in the tutorial post. There is also a list of my replies to you here and the links I provided for you to read that I believed would be most relevant to your questions and circumstances which along with the information in the tutorial is much more than “just PPP”.

That’s because specific recommendations aren’t possible to make and it’s only possible to help you with “how” to choose, help you narrow down your options so you can avoid the worst choices, answer any specific questions you may have, act as a “fact check” so that you can make sure you are getting accurate information, and help you make meaningful comparisons. You are the only one that can decide on “what” to choose or who to deal with based on the guidelines that are available to you and nobody else can do this part for you because nobody else can feel what you feel on a mattress or know the criteria that are most important to you. There is more about making specific recommendations in mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here and more about the different ways to choose a mattress in post #2 here which are both linked in the tutorial post as well.

Testing mattresses for suitability is only one of the three main parts of the value of a mattress purchase. The other parts of “value” are checking for the quality and durability of the materials and comparing your finalists for “value” based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Going to showrooms that can’t or won’t provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice is more of a waste of time than anything else unless the durability of a mattress isn’t an important issue to you. There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which is also linked in the tutorial and explains why buying a mattress that may feel “great” in a showroom or when it is new but doesn’t use good quality and durable materials that will last for a reasonable length of time relative to the price you paid isn’t particulary good value.

If you have tested a mattress and it’s a good match for you then there are still two other parts involved in making a good choice (checking for durability and comparing for value).

There isn’t a specific type of mattress that I think you should get because this is a preference choice. Your part of the “job” is to find the mattresses that meet your criteria and that are suitable for your needs and preferences and again … nobody else can do this for you. Most local areas have at least some better retailers or manufacturers and suitable mattresses available but if there aren’t any good quality or value choices available locally then there are also many good online options available as well in the same or lower budget ranges than the mattress you purchased which use higher quality and more durable materials.

In the end though … it’s always up to you which parts of the guidelines you choose to read or follow and which you don’t and my only role is to make sure you have the information available that you will need to make the most suitable, the most durable, and the best value choices possible. What you do with the information or which parts you decide to follow is always up to you and if you are happy with the choice you made regardless of what I or anyone else may think then that’s all that really matters because in the end you are the one that will sleep on it and the one that will decide when you need to replace it.

I’ve been accused of lots of things but providing too little information or only providing information about PPP and nothing else is a new one to me :slight_smile:

Phoenix

my point is that you can tell me that the mattress I ordered is bad based on quality and value, but you can’t tell me a single brand that has good quality and value. if you know what brands are bad, then you must know what brands are good, right?

Obviously a big part of choosing a mattress is going to be personal preference, but you seem to have a criteria for value and quality which isn’t personal preference. So what brand(s) meet this criteria? Thats all I’m asking.

There are links Phoenix posted in this topic to stores in your area as well as some online options for your budget.

Don’t mean to intrude, but you may also find this analysis Phoenix has of the top 16 manufacturers to be helpful.

Hi Blagdaross,

[quote]my point is that you can tell me that the mattress I ordered is bad based on quality and value, but you can’t tell me a single brand that has good quality and value. if you know what brands are bad, then you must know what brands are good, right?

Obviously a big part of choosing a mattress is going to be personal preference, but you seem to have a criteria for value and quality which isn’t personal preference. So what brand(s) meet this criteria? Thats all I’m asking. [/quote]

Unfortunately your logic doesn’t work with mattresses. The problem with “brand shopping” is that you aren’t buying the brand … you are buying a specific mattress … and most manufacturers make a wide range of mattresses that can vary from very low quality that in some cases may only last you for weeks or months to much more premium mattresses that use higher quality and more durable materials that will have a much longer useable lifetime. In terms of quality and durability … a mattress is only as good as the type and quality/durability of the materials and components inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. The name of the manufacturer on the label won’t tell you anything about whether a specific mattress is suitable for you in terms of PPP or whether there are any lower quality materials or weak links in the design. There is more about the risks of brand shopping in post #5 here and post #12 here).

Choosing the most suitable, the most durable, and the best “value” mattress will require some time and effort on your part that nobody else can do for you. While the information on the site can help you narrow down your choices and save you a great deal of time and frustration and the high possibility of buyers remorse much too quickly after a purchase … it can’t do all the “work” involved for you.

I’m not clear why you are continuing the discussion here though because I thought you have already made your choice for better or for worse based on your own set of guidelines.

Phoenix