Hi Phoenix,
I stumbled onto this site while I was trying to do some research on what type of mattress to buy for myself for my new place. I will be purchasing a king size mattress, and I want to go the memory foam or latex route. I have a pelvic injury that I sustained from an accident as well as back pain and for some reason only softer mattresses alleviate these issues. I attempted doing this before and purchased about four different mattresses and ended up returning them. The tempurpedic cloud supreme was perfect for me at first then got extremely soft, so much so that I was in horrible shoulder pain, so I returned it. It seems that all mattresses that have coils in them seem to hurt me as well. What I have been doing for the past two years is buying a serta 4 inch memory foam mattress topper and placing it on my crappy coil mattress and that does the job for about 4-6 months in which time it becomes way too soft so my back and shoulder start killing me again. I am looking for a mattress that I can spend a lot of time in because most of my time at home is spent laying in bed. My budget is anywhere from 1500-2000, but less would be okay as well. I would also like to purchase a mattress from a place that has a good return policy like macys or costco that will allow me to return it within 90 days if it does not feel right. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. If a mattress on the cheaper side was good in your opinion too, as long as I got at least five good years out of it, that would be fine with me.
Thanks
Hi miacane22,
You have some great options in your general area both east and west of Worcester and if you haven’t seen it yet … post #359 here has links to the posts which lists the options on either side or you as well as links to feedback about many of the manufacturers mentioned.
The choice between latex and memory foam is of course personal preference but if you do go in the direction of memory foam I would make sure it was higher density … preferably 5 lbs but worst case 4 lbs depending on your body type and weight. The Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme for example is a combination of 4 and 5 lb memory foams so the 4 lb may be on the low side for you. High quality memory foam and latex are both very durable but memory foam will soften more in the first 90 days or so and also over time than latex so I would take this into account.
As a rule … the factory direct manufacturers are very good at what they do, give good guidance for your circumstances, and will use their extensive experience and knowledge to help you make the best possible choice.
I would suggest first calling the ones that you are thinking of visiting and outlining your circumstances and preferences (including your budget) like you did here and ask them for the mattresses they make or carry that they think would be most suitable for you to test. I would make sure that you included both latex (or at least a latex hybrid) and memory foam in your testing. This will give you a sense of their level of service and knowledge and help you narrow down which ones that you want to visit.
You have some great choices available in a wide range of materials … and the hardest part you may face in your area is making choices between some very good options.
Phoenix
Thanks for the quick response. I am around 6 feet tall and 175 pounds in good physical shape. Even though I want a very soft mattress my main concern is excessive sinking which will lead to lower back pain and right shoulder pain for me. I know you mentioned some general suggestions, which I really appreciate, but I was looking more for exact models. Do you think the Sealy Optimum line is worth it? How about the Serta IComfort? Or one of the cheaper gel Novafoam mattress from a Costco type place? Thanks again for taking the time with my questions.
Hi Miacane22,
These guidelines may be helpful in helping you to avoid most of the worst choices when you are mattress shopping (such as the Optimum or the iComfort). You can see my thoughts about the iComfort lineup in post #11 here and the Optimum lineup in post #48 here. I would also avoid the Novaform.
The most effective way to find a specific mattress is through personal testing on mattresses with the help and guidance of someone with the skill and knowledge to know what to look for and can help you make your best choices based on your own unique needs and preferences. What I call “theory at a distance” is always based on “averages” and would require a longer phone conversation with someone who was actually making or selling a mattress, knew every component and material that was in it and how they interacted together, and had a customer base that included many different body types and sleeping styles which can help them “match” you to a mattress based on averages and the experience and feedback of other people on specific mattresses.
In general it is more effective to first find the best outlets and manufacturers in your area and then to begin the process of choosing a mattress. If you choose the more typical mass market outlets such as chain stores which sell mostly major brands … the odds are good that no matter what you choose it is unlikely to have good quality and value and the knowledge and experience of the people who work there will not be nearly as helpful. They will tend to be more focused on “making the sale” than on helping you to make the best possible choice. On the other hand … if you go to the better local manufacturers or sleep shops … almost anything you choose will have good quality and value and they will have the knowledge and experience to “fit” you to the best possible choice inside your budget range so that you will be as happy with your mattress in the long term as you are on the day you buy it.
This article will help you recognize the better places to buy a mattress and what to look for.
I would focus on the manufacturers and outlets that were in the links that I included in my last post. They make and sell the highest quality and value mattresses you will find in your area but most of all they will be able to tell you what is in their mattresses and which materials and combinations may work best for your unique needs and preferences.
Phoenix