I’m just looking for a basic pillow top mattress for a good price. Any good brands to stick with on that particular front?
Hi Snagged,
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).
I would put more emphasis on the knowledge, experience, and transparency of the manufacturer or retailer you are dealing with than on the brand name of the mattress and who you deal with can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.
I would be very cautious about pillowtops in particular (especially if they are made by a major manufacturer) because the materials in the pillowtop are often lower quality foams or fibers that are notorious for softening, breaking down, or sagging prematurely.
To find the “best mattress for you” (regardless of whether it would be the best mattress for anyone else), you will need to …
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Make sure that a mattress is suitable for you to sleep on in terms of PPP. A mattress that is a perfect “match” for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on regardless of the quality of the materials inside it or the cost of the mattress.
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Make sure that a mattress uses good quality and durable materials inside it regardless of the brand because this is the only effective way to assess the durability and the useful life of a mattress.
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Compare your finalists for “value” based on all the criteria that are most important to you including the price of course and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
I already linked some of the better lower budget online sources I’m aware of and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
Phoenix
I live in Greenville, SC.
I appreciate all the input and see what you are saying. How I understand it that any brand can have crap quality mattress, you just have to pick the right model.
As for comfort, I’m not picky in any way. I like a softer bed personally though which attracted me to the pillow tops. If there are any other beds out there that can be just as soft as a pillow top then I’m all for it.
I don’t have a lot of free time since I work a lot so I really have a lot going on as is so can’t really go to local stores to test out beds as suggested, in different positions on said beds. So I really just wanted to get one “site unseen.” Plus I’m a bit of a OCD person and laying on a bed 100’s of other people have laid on isn’t really something I’m excited to do either, ha.
Here is a question for everyone, if you were looking to spend around 600 dollars on a mattress and box spring, what bed would you go for? That is if you liked a softer bed. I may have missed the links where you put up showing me some good options and will swing through it again. EDIT: found the links. Are there any good pillow top mattresses out there for a good price? And the ones in your provided links are going to $800 or there ‘abouts’. Do these mattresses include the box spring with that price? Sorry for all the questions, first time for me buying a bed…which I’m sure that is apparent.
Of what you quoted in that one guys post, this one caught my eye the most. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=&seller=APCUWEOU23BHI
Also, what are some good inexpensive pillows out there I can order online and from where?
Hi Snagged,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Greenville, SC area (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked earlier) are listed in post #2 here.
I would keep in mind that a pillowtop is a method of construction and not a firmness rating. It describes a mattress that includes a separate layer or “topper” on top in its own compartment which is attached to the main body of the mattress with a recessed edge so that the “pillowtop” layer can act and compress a little bit more independently and would feel a little softer than if the same layer was inside the main body of a mattress. While “most” pillowtops are in a softer range … they come in a very wide range of firmness options and some of them that use firmer materials in the pillow top attachment that would be in a firmer range as well. There are also some “non pillowtop” mattresses that would be softer than some pillowtop mattresses if they use softer materials in the upper layers of the mattress.
You can also add a softer topper to a firmer mattress instead of buying a mattress that has an attached pillowtop so when the top layers begin to soften, break down, or compress before the deeper layers in the mattress (which is what generally happens) then you can just replace the topper instead of replacing the whole mattress.
There is more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that can help you identify and minimize the risks involved in each of them in post #2 here. If you can’t test a mattress in person then as long as you know the type of materials you tend to prefer sleeping on (memory foam, polyfoam, latex, innersprings etc) then your best source of guidance to help you make a suitable choice will be a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer who will know more about “matching” their mattresses to different body types and sleeping styles than anyone else.
I would be very cautious about using someone else’s experiences as a guideline for your own because each person’s needs and preferences can be very different and a mattress that is “perfect” for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on.
All of these would make good quality/value choices but they are also different types of mattresses and only you can decide which type of mattress or materials you tend to prefer sleeping on.
The Ultimate Dreams Natural Latex Mattress uses 100% Natural Dunlop latex on top of a polyfoam base layer.
The Ultimate Dreams Pocketed Coil Ultra Plush Pillow Top Mattress with Gel Memory Foam has a pocket coil support core and gel memory foam in the comfort layer. This is an example of a softer pillowtop.
The Ultimate Dreams Supreme Gel Memory Foam Mattress is a more typical memory foam mattress that has a similar firmness level to the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme (which you could probably test locally as a reference).
If you are uncertain about which type of materials or mattresses you would prefer then again your best source of guidance will be a more detailed conversation with Dreamfoam who can tell you more about the differences between them.
Two of these have memory foam comfort layers and one has latex and there is more about the differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here.
I would also keep in mind that if you purchase a Dreamfoam mattress directly from the Dreamfoam site instead of Amazon then there is an additional 10% discount and you would also have the benefit of their 45 day comfort guarantee
Phoenix
[quote=“Phoenix” post=49089]Hi Snagged,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Greenville, SC area (subject to the “value” guidelines I linked earlier) are listed in post #2 here.
I would keep in mind that a pillowtop is a method of construction and not a firmness rating. It describes a mattress that includes a separate layer or “topper” on top in its own compartment which is attached to the main body of the mattress with a recessed edge so that the “pillowtop” layer can act and compress a little bit more independently and would feel a little softer than if the same layer was inside the main body of a mattress. While “most” pillowtops are in a softer range … they come in a very wide range of firmness options and some of them that use firmer materials in the pillow top attachment that would be in a firmer range as well. There are also some “non pillowtop” mattresses that would be softer than some pillowtop mattresses if they use softer materials in the upper layers of the mattress.
You can also add a softer topper to a firmer mattress instead of buying a mattress that has an attached pillowtop so when the top layers begin to soften, break down, or compress before the deeper layers in the mattress (which is what generally happens) then you can just replace the topper instead of replacing the whole mattress.
There is more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that can help you identify and minimize the risks involved in each of them in post #2 here. If you can’t test a mattress in person then as long as you know the type of materials you tend to prefer sleeping on (memory foam, polyfoam, latex, innersprings etc) then your best source of guidance to help you make a suitable choice will be a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer who will know more about “matching” their mattresses to different body types and sleeping styles than anyone else.
I would be very cautious about using someone else’s experiences as a guideline for your own because each person’s needs and preferences can be very different and a mattress that is “perfect” for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on.
[quote]Of what you quoted in that one guys post, this one caught my eye the most. www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=...seller=APCUWEOU23BHI
www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Dreams-Queen-Nat...UTF8&m=APCUWEOU23BHI
www.amazon.com/DreamFoam-Bedding-Ultimat...UTF8&m=APCUWEOU23BHI
www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Dreams-Supreme-M...UTF8&m=APCUWEOU23BHI[/quote]
All of these would make good quality/value choices but they are also different types of mattresses and only you can decide which type of mattress or materials you tend to prefer sleeping on.
The Ultimate Dreams Natural Latex Mattress uses 100% Natural Dunlop latex on top of a polyfoam base layer.
The Ultimate Dreams Pocketed Coil Ultra Plush Pillow Top Mattress with Gel Memory Foam has a pocket coil support core and gel memory foam in the comfort layer. This is an example of a softer pillowtop.
The Ultimate Dreams Supreme Gel Memory Foam Mattress is a more typical memory foam mattress that has a similar firmness level to the Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme (which you could probably test locally as a reference).
If you are uncertain about which type of materials or mattresses you would prefer then again your best source of guidance will be a more detailed conversation with Dreamfoam who can tell you more about the differences between them.
Two of these have memory foam comfort layers and one has latex and there is more about the differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here.
I would also keep in mind that if you purchase a Dreamfoam mattress directly from the Dreamfoam site instead of Amazon then there is an additional 10% discount and you would also have the benefit of their 45 day comfort guarantee
Phoenix[/quote]
Hmmm, well I’m honestly not picky about what I sleep on. Most of the time I fall asleep on a lazy-boy and I sleep just fine, lol. So really anything would suit my needs. If I had to choose I would say I like a somewhat firm but soft bed…if that makes any sense. I would like to have a soft bed but not so soft that I sink in it like a water bed. I don’t even know if that really is a category. I’m really just trying to get a new bed for an affordable price. I would also like to get a queen sized support structure and even possibly even a a head board for the bed as well. Any good deals going for a description like what I’m looking for?
I don’t have to get a new support structure for my bed but would like to if the price is right.
And it makes sense to get a pillow topper separately so you can replace it when you need to but I’m thinking by the time that happens I would be able to dump a lot of money on a really good bed. I’m really trying to get something that will work for me for the time being without spending too much money on something.
I know Overstock is having a pretty big sale going on and came across this one:
A). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
B ). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
C). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
D). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
E).Dreamfoam by Brooklyn Bedding - Dream Foam
I’m not all that picky right now mainly because I’m “researched” out. Just did extensive research on a new gaming computer (all its components and how to put it together myself), exhaust setup for the car (what is the best quality and sound…I’m a car person), a nice LED TV, rugs, chairs, bed sheets, new brake pads (ceramic vs semi metallics)…lol Point being, I’m burned out on researching everything but do need a new bed setup ASAP.
Hi Snagged,
As you can see in the guidelines here … I would avoid the major brands such as Simmons and Serta which would eliminate most of the mattresses on your list.
The Dreamfoam Freedom mattress would certainly be a great quality/value and durable choice and also has the advantage of having 12 different configurations so you can customize the support and comfort of the mattress by rearranging the layers after a purchase so if you like the “feel” of latex then it would be the only one on your list that I would consider.
Phoenix
Well poop. Well how in the world can you customize the Dreamfoam Freedom? I guess that is the one I"m going to pull the trigger on then.
And if you HAD to pick one of the options of A - D what would you go for given the factors I threw out?
Hi Snagged,
The Freedom comes with three 3" layers of synthetic Dunlop latex (which is a good quality and durable material) in soft, medium, and firm and also has a zippered quilted cover that is firmer on one side than the other. The layers can be rearranged in 6 different ways to customize the pressure relief and support of the mattress by using the layers in a different order (the “standard” layering would be soft on top, medium in the middle, and firm on the bottom) and then you can also use the softer or firmer side of the cover for each of the 6 different foam combinations for a total of 12 different combinations.
If you do decide on this mattress then I would order it from the Dreamfoam site instead of Amazon because they have an additional 10% discount and they have a 45 day comfort guarantee as well.
Without knowing the type and quality of the materials in each of them (see this article) there would be no way to know and there wouldn’t be any basis to make any meaningful comments or comparisons between them and you may as well just flip a coin or roll the dice.
While I would never choose a mattress that I didn’t have enough information to make an informed choice … if I at least knew the type and quality of the materials and components in each of them then I could at least make a choice (if for some reason I “had” to) that was the “least worst”.
Phoenix
Hmm, so it seems like latex is the way to go for me. BUT, I’m not going to spend 900 dollars on a mattress. Sleep is very important but I can’t spend that kind of money on a bed like that. Do you know if any other good manufacturers for this Dreamfoam Freedom that is similar in quality? I’m wanting a queen sized bed.
Follow-up, out of this crap brands, which option would be the closest to the Dreamfoam Freedom?
A). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
B ). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
C). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
D). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
Thanks for the help!
Hi Snagged,
There is more about the different ways that one mattress can “match” another one in post #9 here but I don’t know of any other mattresses that use synthetic latex that have the same or a very similar design that would be in the same or a lower budget range no. You can see an example of another mattress that is somewhat similar here that uses three 3" layers of continuous pour Dunlop latex that is a mostly synthetic blend (rather than all synthetic) and has a different wool quilted cover (and wool quilting would be more costly than polyfoam quilting) but it’s also in a much higher budget range. Another one that also uses three 3" layers of synthetic latex and has a wool quilted cover as well is here and is also in a significantly higher budget range.
Of course there are other mattresses that use different materials besides latex that also use higher quality and more durable materials other than latex. The Dreamfoam 12 in 1 customizable here for example is a similar mattress to the Dreamfoam Freedom except it uses 2 lb polyfoam (which is also a good quality and durable material) instead of synthetic latex.
There are also other lower budget options in the previous posts I linked that use good quality and durable materials.
They are all completely different mattresses that use different materials and components than the Dreamfoam Freedom so this would be an “apples to oranges” comparison because none of them would be close. The only way to know how they would compare to each other in terms of how they feel for any particular person would be based on side by side testing or personal experience and the only way to know how they would compare in terms of the quality and durability of the materials would be by knowing the specifics of the materials and components in each of them.
Phoenix
Hmmm, well that seems like a good option to me right there. Amazon.com
And does this come with the box springs as well? I’m not sure how that works.
The queen is only 399 dollars which is something I could certainly live with money wise. I would like to have latex but those all seem so pricey.
ANy good advice on bed support structure and affordable head boards?
Hi Snagged,
No it’s just the mattress only so if you don’t have one already you would need a suitable metal or wooden bedframe and a foundation or a platform bed with a suitable support surface to support the mattress.
Dreamfoam sells a platform/bedframe combination here and a foundation here (that would need a metal or wooden bedframe) that would both be suitable and there is more about the different types of support systems that would be suitable for different types of mattresses and some sources for each of them in the foundation post here.
A headboard (or a footboard) isn’t necessary but if you do decide to buy one then it would be a personal preference choice based on your taste and preferences.
Phoenix
Gotcha. I do have some box springs/wooden bed frame but want to keep that with the mattress I’m replacing it with so I would need to get a new bed frame for this new mattress. What bed frame would you suggest I get and where from?
Again, thanks for all the help on this.
Hi Snagged,
Assuming you mean a steel bedframe … I don’t have any specific suggestions since there are so many that are very similar and will work well and prices are constantly changing but there are some guidelines in post #10 here that should be helpful.
Phoenix
Yeah, those frames appear to be from $60 to $100.
Here is another stupid question. Do any of these questionable mattresses come with box springs? I don’t know how that works. I tried to find out if there is any mention of them in the listings but came up with nothing.
A). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
B ). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
C). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
D). Bed Bath & Beyond | The Best Deals Online: Furniture, Bedding, Rugs, Kitchen Essentials & Moree
Hi Snagged,
Most mattresses sold today do best with a rigid non flexing or semi-flex foundation not a box spring (which has springs inside it).
According to the descriptions or titles of the mattresses you linked … they all come with a foundation and are being sold as a set (mattress and foundation) rather than as a “mattress only”.
Phoenix
Good to know! And that is awesome. I guess I will just take my chances with the mainstream ones since it is an all in one thing and looks good with price.
I really like the good mattresses shown but looking to save a bit of money. Looks like I’m going to have to roll the dice.