Wow, brain fried.

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

I’ve lurked on here and been all over sleeplikethedead.com. It’s been about a month of research, research, research. Finally went to Macy’s, Sears, and Mattress world to start laying on mattresses. My wife has been to Sleepy’s. I don’t know how anyone buys a mattress these days, this is worse than buying a car…and as expensive as getting a used one. We had hoped to snag a deal during Labor Day sales. Are there other times of the year for mattress sales? Are the deals on Labor Day all that and a bag of chips anyways?

Our situation:
We are on an innerspring non-fancy queen mattress and box-spring on a metal frame. The box-spring is soooo noisy and I think it has given out. It is wooden slats spread pretty far apart. On my wife’s side, the mattress sags. It is a one sided mattress so we rotate it, but it still sags. My wife has been hunched over with back pain from sleeping. My back is hurting me a little too. We figure our set is about 7-8 years old. We thought buying a mattress would be a simple process…WRONG. There weren’t all these options when we bought, and the quality seemed to be higher, but maybe we were just ignorant.

As far as comfort goes, we were not impressed with memory foam at all. We got to lie on a lot of hybrid and innerspring beds but none really stuck out above the others. We only got to lie on one latex mattress, and it was an old floor model. It lacked some of the cushiness of a pillowtop, but it felt pretty good. We would like to try a few more, and also a softside waterbed. We’re in our 40s and have three kids so we need a good nights rest. We both currently toss and turn and wake up numerous times at night. I am a very hot sleeper, she likes to bundle up a bit. We both enjoyed a firm pillowtop across all the models (sealy, simmons, stearns and foster, etc). She liked the ones more towards the softer side and me towards the firmer side but still both liked firm over plush.

We are in southcoast Massachusetts. We plan on making a trip out to Worley’s since it is pretty close. I think our budget is under $1,500, which is a LOT more than we imagined we’d be looking at. Financing options would definitely help that. The big question to us is LONGEVITY. We spent almost $800 on the current setup and it lasted 7-8 years. If we spend $1,500, how long realistically is that bed expected to last? Times have been tough on us and our ends are just now beginning to more than meet by a little.

Our current thoughts are a firm mattress and a topper. If the topper wears out, we replace that. It seems to us the topper would be the first think to go, is that correct thinking? Are there pillowtop latex mattresses out there?

TIA for any advice. We are very serious, our brains hurt and we are about at the end of our rope researching and shopping. I just don’t want to throw up our hands and jump on the next thing that comes along and be unhappy, but we are getting close out of frustration. We can’t financially afford to make a mistake. :unsure:

2

Oh, she is 5’2" and 170 lbs, I am 5’11" 185 lbs.
I start on my stomach, roll over to my side and end up on my back.
She starts on her side and ends up on her back.

3

Good advice! Glad we didn’t jump on anything today.

4

Hi scottschluter,

Yes … this is one of the many links in post #1 here which is the best place to start your research and has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that you will need to make the best possible decision.

I’m not sure where you are in Southern Massachusetts but Worley would certainly be one of your better options if you are in reasonable driving distance. A forum search on Worley (you can just click this) will bring up much more information about them and their knowledge and service as well.

Post #2 here also includes links to the lists of better options I’m aware of in your general area with some links to posts and threads that also include some feedback about some of them.

The durability and longevity of a mattress is relative to the person and depends on many factors including the quality of the materials in it and the suitability of a mattress for your needs and preferences. It has little to do with the price you pay (a $3000 mattress for example may only last a specific person for 6 months in some cases and a $1000 mattress could last the same person for many years). Some of the factors that determine the durability or useful life of a mattress are discussed in post #4 here and the other posts it links to.

This can certainly be a good option if you are able to test the specific combination of mattress and topper together. It can be a little more risky or tricky if you need to purchase them separately because the choice of the most suitable topper for a specific person and mattress can be almost as difficult as the choice of mattress that doesn’t need a topper in the first place. In some cases a mattress that has layers that can be exchanged when necessary either for comfort or the top layer softens or breaks down faster than the rest can also be a good option. There are also some manufactures that can change out a comfort layer for a reasonable cost when the top layer has softened and led to the loss of comfort and support but the deeper layers are still fine.

There are certainly mattresses that have a pillowtop made of latex or other higher quality materials that aren’t as subject to breaking down as most mainstream pillowtop mattresses that use lower quality materials (usually low density polyfoam) that will soften or break down much more quickly. Higher density polyfoam or memory foam or microcoils or latex are all examples of higher quality materials that are much more durable than the typical lower density polyfoam that is very common in mainstream mattresses (with or without a pillowtop).

I would suggest “resetting” your mattress search and starting again with a new perspective based on some of the information here (in the “read first” post particularly) so that you don’t make the very common mistake of buying based on frustration which can lead to a costly replacement much too quickly.

Phoenix

5

Thanks.

So how does one evaluate something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050JL4TC/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

6

Let me try:

  1. Fail:Can’t lie in to try out the 5 steps to your perfect mattress

Under the Mattress Shopping Guide

  1. Fail:Major National Brand
    2, Fail:Can’t really determine the quality of the materials, not enough information and can’t see and feel it
  2. Fail:Not local
  3. Undetermined:Is that 2" of support foam the “lower density polyfoam?” If so it is twice the suggested thickness limit. Or is that meant to mean the comfort layer?
  4. Fail:Major sale-Deal of the Day
  5. Fail:Can’t test it
  6. Pass?:Well below budget we thought.
  7. NA
  8. NA
  9. Fail:Can’t tell because it isn’t in front of me.

Other

  1. Fail:No foam density listed
  2. Fail:2" memory foam, if not high quality will that hold up?
  3. Mixed:Mostly great reviews, but there are some concerning low ratings.

The price and reviews make it a difficult one to pass up, $450 can get you the entire mattress, pad, and frame. And you could reason getting a high quality topper if you want some pillowtop feel and still be under budget.

Must resist urge.

How’d I do? :cheer:

7

This is a good list for my area. We abut Cape Cod, MA

Post #2

These three are closest:

http://ecinindustries.com/index.htm
http://www.themattressmaker.com/retail.php

Thanks!

8

Let’s try on this one:
http://barbos.com/product/eco-friendly-latex/

We can visit the store and try the mattress. But from construction, the thicknesses look good, no?
4" of comfort layer split into two firmnesses
5" support layer

Densities?
Barbos is a local small furniture retailer.
Gold Bond has roots in Hartford Ct.
Specialty mattresses
This looks to be the mattress: here
Talalay, but still no densities. Email to them sent!

9

Hi scottsschluter,

One of the most important criteria in buying a mattress is that you are able to find out the quality of the materials that are in it. This is one of the main reasons that I suggest avoiding many major brands because in most cases they don’t disclose any meaningful information and for the few mattresses that they do the “value” is not there compared to other smaller manufacturers that use similar materials and designs.

If you know what is in a mattress then you can make meaningful quality and value comparisons regardless of any other preferences you may have. A local manufacturer or retailer that doesn’t disclose the materials in their mattress … regardless of the manufacturer … would be no better a choice than a major brand because you still can’t find out the quality/durability of what you are buying.

No matter how well you test a mattress for PPP (posture and alignment, Pressure relief, or Personal preferences) … if the materials are low quality then how the mattress feels and performs in a showroom won’t last.

One of the most important parts of mattress shopping is to put the odds in favor of the consumer by knowing how to tell the quality and “value” of a mattress and being able to make meaningful comparisons. This will be a lot easier if you are able to 'connect" with experts that have the knowledge and experience to educate and inform their customers about what is in their mattresses and who put their customer’s long term interests above their own.

Overall I’d say you are doing well so far :slight_smile:

[quote]These three are closest:

ecinindustries.com/index.htm
www.themattressmaker.com/retail.php[/quote]

All of these are on the list of better possibilities and your odds will be much higher of dealing with people who are knowledgeable and experienced and will disclose what is in their mattresss … which is the reason they are on the list. These would certainly be among the better options in your area.

[quote]Let’s try on this one:
barbos.com/product/eco-friendly-latex/[/quote]

This is a good example of a mattress that uses all high quality materials and has no obvious weak links because it contains all Talalay latex. Of course that still doesn’t mean that the mattress will be suitable for your needs and preferences in terms of PPP or that it’s good value but knowing what is in it gives you the ability to make meaningful quality and value comparisons to other mattresses that are similar. Gold Bond is an old independent manufacturer that will disclose what is in their mattresses which is one of the reasons I like them and they are included as one of the “better” options in many of the lists throughout the forum.

You can read more about Gold Bond in post #4 here and the links it includes.

The density of latex is not a “quality spec” because it only relates to the softness or firmness of the latex which you can test in person … not to the quality of the latex.

With polyfoam and memory foam, density is a “quality spec” which relates directly to he durability of the material.

With latex … the type and blend of the latex is the information that you would need to know to make meaningful comparisons between different types of latex.

The upper layers of a mattress are generally the “weak link” of the mattress so I would tend to avoid more than “around an inch or so” of undisclosed or lower quality /density materials in the upper layers. If a mattress has 2" of firm polyfoam in the bottom layer than this would not generally be a durability issue but if the mattress has 2" or more of lower density polyfoam in the upper layers than this would be a factor in the durability of the mattress. You can read more about the many factors involved in durability in post #4 here and the other posts it links to.

Phoenix