Simplified Choice Mattresses aka Disruptors, Bed In A Box, One Choice Fits All, Universal Comfort, Millennial Mattresses

[phoenix]

Hi Gadget,

I’m knew to this forum and interested in purchasing a new mattress in the next couple of months. My wife and I have been sleeping on a King size tripedic memory foam mattress from select-a-bed.com for about eight years now. I find that the support and pressure relief has been insufficient for some time time now (I’m about 185lbs) though my wife still finds it okay. We both find that it sleeps hot. I think I’m done with memory foam.

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!

The tripedic mattress you own is a good quality/value mattress but if you are no longer sleeping well on it and it has lost its “comfort” and/or support then after 8 years it’s very likely that it’s time for a new mattress.

I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve 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”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) 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 based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to research on the internet about mattress buying and quality components. I must admit that the bed-in-a-box category is appealing, perhaps due to the very vigorous and clever on line marketing campaigns that make their product appear more ‘authentic’ than traditional mattress manufacturers/retailers.

I would keep in mind that “marketing campaigns” are just that and don’t necessarily relate to the suitability, quality, or durability of a mattress. You’ve probably read this already as well but you can read more about what I call “simplified choice” mattresses in the first post in this topic.

I would also keep in mind that there are many other good quality/value online mattress choices that are shipped directly to consumers that don’t fit the “simplified choice” category (in many cases because they have more than one mattress available on their site).

Outside of the simplified choice list … if you are looking at online options then the mattress shopping tutorial also includes several other links to lists of many of the better online options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) that include many different types and categories of mattresses in a wide range of budgets, firmness levels, and with a range of different return/exchange policies that may also be worth considering.

There may also be some good options available to you locally and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.

One bed-in-a-box company that I’m surprised not to see mentioned in this thread that seems to be everywhere in the online world now is the new Purple mattress with their new hyper-elastic polymer comfort layer (collapsing gel). I must admit that I am intrigued by their message and the ‘raw egg test’, though I realize the real test would by my wife and I seeing if a mattress meets our PPP’s. I wonder if their polyfoam support layers layers are a ‘weak link’ in the bed construction underneath this wonder gel layer (side note: the product and company used to be called WonderGel and you can buy seat cushions under this brand at Bed Bath & Beyond, I have one and it works really well).

Outside of the 23 mattresses that are already listed in the simplified choice list … there are currently 23 more that I’m aware of that have been launched more recently that I haven’t added to the list yet (and more are being launched on a regular basis). Some of them have been mentioned on the forum (and some haven’t yet) but I will likely add some or most of them to the list over the coming weeks although some of them will be included in the “avoid until complete specs are known” section of the list.

Because the list has so many options available I wouldn’t consider it to be as much of a “simplified choice” list any longer because there really isn’t much difference between choosing between 46 mattresses that are offered by 46 different companies or 46 mattresses (or less) that are offered by a single company and when you are purchasing online it’s not possible to make “real time” comparisons between many different mattresses to see if you like one better than another which you can in a local store. Because most of them have good trial periods and refund policies though, you can at least try them with little risk to find out if they are “good enough” in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP even though you can’t know if another one would have been a better choice unless you try it as well.

Purple certainly has a very aggressive advertising campaign (their ads show up everywhere once you have been to their site especially) and until they are listed in the simplified choice list you can see some comments about the Purple mattress and the buckling column gel they use in post #2 here and the posts it links to.

Phoenix