Substitute message for my previous one that had incorrect information.
We are sleeping on a 20-yr-old Sealy Posturepedic Sauterne Plush mattress (purchased from Art Van) to which we added a memory-foam topper two or three years ago. It still seems comfortable enough but is beginning to squeak.
What would be a good replacement for our present mattress, and where should we buy? We do have a Costco membership, if that makes any difference. And both Buis and Jonathan Stevens are close by.
Hi Z300M,
I had just completed a reply to your previous message when I saw that you deleted it but the same reply would apply to your post here as well except I replaced “King Koil” with “Sealy” :).
You were fortunate to keep your mattress for 20 years but there have been many changes in the mainstream industry in the last 20 years … and unfortunately not for the better. If you were to buy a new mattress today that was made by a major manufacturer an “average” lifespan would likely be less than half of the lifespan of the mattress you are replacing but there are many that for some people will last much less than this (even in higher budget ranges) and I would suggest a “reset” in how you are looking for a mattress away from major brands.
This has been the topic of many posts around the forum but you can read more about the major manufacturers, the current state of the industry, some of its recent history, and why I started the site in posts such as post #12 here and in post #404 here and post #4 here and post #3 here and in post #3 here but the “moral” of all of these is that I would avoid major brands or any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the quality of the materials inside it.
All the issues that are mentioned in these posts are the reason why I put together the mattress shopping tutorial which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones. I personally wouldn’t consider any of the mainstream mattresses sold at Art Van.
Sealy is a national manufacturer that sells mattresses in thousands of stores across the country. In many cases though the major manufacturers make very similar mattresses for different major retailers with different names (sometimes dozens of different names) with small or insignificant differences between them (such as using a cover that looks different) so that these retailers can claim that the mattresses are exclusive to them and make comparisons shopping between very similar or virtually identical mattresses much more difficult if not impossible. You had mentioned in your previous post that Art Van had told you that their King Koil mattresses were exclusive to them but King Koil mattresses (a brand made by Comfort Solutions) are also sold at thousands of stores across the country so while the particular name of their mattresses may be exclusive to them … King Koil or similar mattresses certainly wouldn’t be.
Since you mentioned both Buis Mattress and Jonathan Stevens then it’s likely that the better options and possibilities that are close to you would either be in the Grand Rapids list in post #273 here or in the Portage/Kalamazoo list in post #2 here and hopefully these will help keep you away from major chain stores such as Art Van.
Phoenix