any suggestions?
i am looking for a split king and adjustable base.
thanks,
Hi diggis_tennis,
some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Raleigh/Durham area are listed in post #6 here.
The adjustable bed thread here may be helpful with an adjustable bed purchase and has some good sources you can use for a “value reference”. I would also consider buying an adjustable bed separately from your mattress unless the retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with has equivalent value for the adjustable you are most interested in.
Phoenix
Pheonix,
thanks for the pointer. i am a little low on time and dont know if i can visit multiple stores to buy a local mattress.
i know saving 1000-1500 bucks is a big deal but i am also looking for a mattress which i dont have to worry about for next 8-10 yrs atleast (although warranties run for 25 yrs).
i called up lake mattress and they may have good quality mattress but what i am worried about is that these local stores dont have any return / exchange policies which make it tough to decide. i would like to try the mattress out for a few days.
i was initially looking into tempurpedic and icomfort (came across directions series) before i stumbled on this site.
am really confused and kind of frustrated with the whole process.
any quick way to go about with this?
Hi diggis_tennis,
Warranties have little to nothing to do with the useful life of a mattress and only cover manufacturing defects … not the loss of comfort and support which is the main reason people need to replace a mattress (see post #174 here about warranties).
The only way to make a meaningful assessment of how long a mattress may last for you is if you know the specifics of all the layers and components in the mattress. Without this information, “quality” or “durability” is just a meaningless word and you would be fortunate (and probably unlikely) to get 8 - 10 years of good service from a mattress.
Lake mattress is open and transparent about their mattresses and has much better quality and value available than the mainstream brands. Good and objective testing (using the testing guidelines) will greatly improve your odds of making the most suitable choice and return or exchange policies are one of the “traps” in the industry that add to the cost of a mattress (the people who need to exchange a mattress pay for the ones who don’t test carefully and do and it’s often a new profit center for a store as well) but of course that’s all part of each person’s “personal value equation”. Good testing will generally be “close enough” that only minor “fine tuning” changes are needed (if at all) and they can also replace or change out a layer for a reasonable cost which is a much more effective and less costly option to have. In many cases when you are dealing with a mainstream store that has an exchange policy it’s just a way for them to encourage a “quick” decision with the marketing spin that “you can always exchange it” only to find out you are “locked in” to exchanging for another lower quality or even worse value mattress that will cost you even more than your original purchase.
The fastest and most effective way I know is to follow the steps in the tutorial post. A mattress is one of the most important purchases you can make and will have a significant effect on how you feel over the next decade or more and a rushed decision will often be a poor one more often than not. It’s always best to make an informed choice that won’t lead to buyers remorse or a completely unsuitable or low quality/value choice and leave you with few good options after a purchase … even with an exchange.
Phoenix
If you need ideas, and are on a $500 budget, I’ve got just thing thing for you, honey!
I just got this Dunlop latex mattress the other day. I saw it posted on this very forum!
It has almost 5lb density, it is 6" thick, and is made of Latex.
I paid under $500 for this. It is a true latex mattress, and was a killer value.
Good luck with your hunt, and sweet dreams!
thanks for the detailed response.
so i am still waiting on a quote from lake mattress. only catch is they are 2 and half hour drive away.
in the meanwhile, how about a icomfort savant with a serta adjustable base (wireless remote), 2 pillows, 5 yr warranty on the mechanical parts of the bed for 3-3.5 grand? i like the feel of the savant.
this is for split king.
Hi diggis_tennis,
You are making two separate purchases here (the mattress and the adjustable base) so I would compare them on an individual basis. The adjustable bed thread here has some links which can help you compare the adjustable bed you are looking at with others that have similar features.
You can see my thoughts about Serta mattresses in the guidelines here (#1 in particular) and in general you will find that there are much better quality/value options available to you than any of the major brands and I would tend to avoid them (you can read more about some of the iComfort line including the Savant in post #11 here).
I would also make sure that you’ve read the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choice and save you a great deal of time and frustration in dealing with retailers or manufacturers that can’t or won’t provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.
Phoenix
Hi phoenix,
So i landed up buying the split kind gel comfort 120 from lake mattress
http://lakemattress.biz/gelcomfort120.html
And leggett and platt D-222 adjustable base for total 3200 bucks (tax + delivery included)
Any thoughts about the purchase?
Hi diggis_tennis,
The Lake Mattress site doesn’t list the densities of the foam layers so I can’t make any detailed comments (unless you post the densities of each layer on the forum) but in general terms they have good quality and value mattresses so I would say you did well and it’s unlikely there are any weak links in the mattress.
In addition to that the D-222 is a very strong adjustable bed (700 lbs lifting capacity with a DC motor which is very high) and in a split king the price usually ranges around $2200 so if you purchased both of them together for $3200 I’d say you did very well 
So congratulations on your new sleeping system … and I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
Phoenix