My wife and I just bought a Stearns & Foster mattress (hybrid) and are not particularly happy with it after 2 months… Namely we see some depressions forming already even with rotation. I should have done more research before buying but this appears to be a common thing with S&F mattresses.
I went to the mattress store I bought it from and they offer a full refund or a single exchange for another mattress. I went around the store and unfortunately the only mattress I really liked the feel of was another Stearns & Foster!
Do their mattresses really not hold up that well and should I avoid buying? I’m having a really tough time finding a plush inner spring for a back sleeper that has good reviews! Suggestions?
Unfortunately, the brand you mentioned (and quite a few others) use some lower-density foams, and when you combine that with a marshall spring unit that travels a bit, it’s a component recipe for deeper than desired body impressions.
Perhaps there are there are other brands for which you may exchange this mattress at that store? List the brands and I’m sure you can get some more specific guidance from forum members. And if none of the brands available to you use better componentry, at least you can get a refund.
I had a SF before I found this site and I’ll never buy another store brand (Sterns, Sealy, Serta…).
My mattress is from Brooklyn Bedding and I love it (2.5 years now). There are many good companies listed in the underground membership tab. Maybe you should consider ordering one online – One of the ones who allow a full refund if you don’t like it.
Maybe if you give your location the Moderator “Phoenix” can list a few local places for you to try.
Either way, I’m sure you need a good mattress because we all do. I know my issues (Shoulder pain) is no longer an issue and the biggest problem was my SF mattress.
Thank you for the reply. We’re in Sunnyvale, California.
The other mattress we’ve tried was the Hotel Collection by Aireloom Vitagenic Gel at Macys, which we also really liked, but I don’t know how it performs with cooling and longevity.
Unfortunately all the major brands (not just Sealy/Stearns & Foster) tend to use lower quality materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely and I would avoid them completely (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
The “luxury” is just marketing stories.
If I was in your shoes I would go for the refund so you can start again to find a much better quality/value mattress since if you just replace your mattress with another mattress made by a major manufacturer you would probably just be replacing one mattress with lower quality and less durable materials with another one.
You can see some comments about Saatva (and some of the other "simplified choice online mattresses) in post #2 here and as you can see I would be somewhat cautious here about the quality and durability of the materials that they use. A forum search on Saatva (you can just click the link) will bring up much more information and feedback about them as well. I would be very cautious about buying any mattress based on “marketing information” that is on a website.
I would keep in mind that while other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because any mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here).
The first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all of the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones (including the major brands and the stores that tend to focus on them)
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” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and 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).
Once you reach step 3 in the tutorial 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.
Outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing all the specifics of its design and construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to confirm that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
It’s very unlikely that you will be able to find out the information you need to make an informed choice so I would also avoid Aireloom (see this article) along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the quality and durability of the materials inside the mattress.
Thank you for the comprehensive replies. I didn’t realize buying a mattress would be so research intensive. Granted, you own one for so long it makes sense you’d want to really put some thinking into it, but I had no idea there are so many variables to consider. I’ll start reading and follow up with any questions… thank you again!
You are located close to some very reliable mattress stores.SC41 is one of them. A visit there will help you prove everything you learn in the MU tutorial to be the best way to buy a mattress. Buying online should be your very last choice since you have local access to some highly recommended stores.
I hope you choose a personal experience over a phone conversation.