I’m in the market for a new mattress, so I’ve been running around comparing prices and checking out Gel-Cool technology. I trekked through one cavernous Not-Walmart and looked at dozens of mattresses. I ended up leaving with six bottles of wine and no bed.
Here’s what’s got me flummoxed: I can get a set for $300-ish or $800 or so. WTF is the difference, aside from the hit to my bank account? Halp?
Feel free to discuss whatever if you have no bedding expertise.
*Not THAT kind!
Ferdzy
Yeah, we’ve been mattress shopping lately too. What a nightmare! Everything has foam, and fire retardants in them nowadays, and we are both allergic to both of those things.
I think you will find that just about every mattress consists of considerable amounts of foam now, although some still have springs. When they do have springs, more is generally better – 800 is standard, but probably too low – I wouldnt go lower than 1100 I don’t think.
If you find a foam material bed you think you would like, see if you can buy a PILLOW made of the same material first. Take it home and sleep with it for a week or two before springing for the mattress.
We bought memory foam pillows for $60 dollars each or something horrible like that a few years back, and found they stunk so bad you couldn’t use them. Even after they sat in the closet for like a year, they still stank! But at least it was $120 on pillows, and not $2000 on a mattress. (Yes, memory foam used to be more expensive, and yes, things in Canada always cost more.)
Punchy
8.0 quake off the coast of Chile. That can’t end well.
randomworker
Well….
Not much expertise here. I have just a plain ol’ Simmons inner spring mattress but then I have a thin memory foam layer on top and then a feather bed on top of that. So it’s pretty comfy. And reasonable.
I want a new one without springs but I am likewise flummoxed by the options so I do nothing.
Comrade Mary
If you like firm bedding, you can’t go wrong with a futon. I haven’t slept on anything else for a good 30 years. I got my last one 7 years ago and it’s still quite comfy.
But if you like springs and resiliency, then just ignore me.
Roger Moore
I got one of the memory foam models from Costco. I like it a lot, and it was reasonably priced. It was also damned convenient, because it came compressed, so I could fit it in my Honda Civic, which I doubt I would have been able to do with a conventional queen sized mattress.
NotMax
A bright spot (not an April Fool’s story).
pseudonymous in nc
For foam, have a look at these people (fancy website, newer startup), or these (less fancy site, more established company). Both offer trials with a decent return policy.
We went with a spring-based mattress from a local firm because we didn’t like the feel of the foam options that were within our price range. Also, they could make us a flippable mattress to order, and we didn’t have to deal with the ever-changing-name racket from the big makers.
jacy
Well, never mind then.
We had a bed once. Now it’s covered in dogs and kitties and we have to sleep on the kitchen table or whatever other flat surface has not been commandeered by the aforementioned dogs and kitties.
Poopyman
I hope “looked at” really equates to “laid down on”, because you shouldn’t buy a mattress until you’ve spent at least several minutes on it in a variety of positions. No, not those positions.
That’s really all the advice I can give, and to forget all the advertising and just go with what feels right, although I’ve found a soft mattress feels great but makes me achy. Now I love our super extra firm that we got after the foam debacle.
SiubhanDuinne
Honestly? That sounds like a very decent exchange.
khead
No on gel. What a pain in the ass. Great in the store – my wife actually crashed out on the mattress in the store – but delivery was another story. The delivered mattresses had a hump like the Geico camel.
SiubhanDuinne
@Punchy:
Oh fuck. I have friends with close family there.
CatHairEverywhere
We bought a mattress a couple of years ago. We ended up with a Serta foam thing. (icomfort, I think) It was not cheap, but it is cool and comfy and it is the only one (foam or regular/foam blend) that didn’t set off my asthma with the off-gassing. It was very firm at first, but after a couple of weeks it relaxed some, and now is firm but comfortable. Our old mattress eventually developed saggy spots, even with careful turning and flipping, but the foam springs right back with this one. It does seem like it will last a long time, and seems to be worth the money so far.
Belafon
@SiubhanDuinne: There have been comments in this LGF thread about it. 8.0 quake, with s 7.0 aftershock. Chile hit with a 6.9ft wave. They’re trying to decide if Hawaii needs to have a warning issued.
beltane
We went with a lower end memory foam mattress and I have no regrets whatsoever. It may not be as thick as the more expensive models, but it pretty much fixed my arthritic neck and shoulders. The dog and cats seem to like it too, unfortunately.
CatHairEverywhere
@pseudonymous in nc: Great suggestion. I found out after we bought our mattress that there is a local place here that does mattresses to order. People love them, and apparently the prices are reasonable. Next time we need a new mattress, I will definitely check out the one here.
WereBear
I think it’s a question of durability. The more expensive one will keep its shape, and bounciness, longer.
What those metrics might be, I don’t know. Depends on how many pets sleep with you, for instance.
Speaking of which, I shared my worry about James Bond (cat, almost 18) having a health scare, but our vet thinks it’s hyperthyroid… very treatable, if so.
Vet coming tomorrow and I’m calmer.
NotMax
Cannot speak to the comfort of them, but it seems Sears is phasing out mattress sales and has marked down their stock substantially to move them out.
All the same or several different ones?
(Drink enough and the type of mattress becomes irrelevant.)
And too, bought the car yet?
Suzanne
Mr. Suzanne and I bought an iComfort memory foam mattress last year. It is probably the greatest thing we have ever bought. I used to have back pain all the time. NEVERMORE. We both love it. I used to have a hard time sleeping because I am a side/stomach sleeper and the bed was either too hard or too mushy, but this thing is perfect. Wasn’t cheap—about $1500—but worth it.
Took my last exam earlier today. Then I went and did some day drinking and enjoyed the most perfect weather ever in the park. Just relaxed and enjoyed some Balloon Juice like a normal person (ha).
IowaOldLady
The mattress store sold wine? What kind of place is that?
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
We’ve got an innerspring that’s ~ 10-15 years old now. We used to flip it over every couple of months, but don’t bother much more than once a year now. It’s still fine but does have impressions in the top layers now. I see that these days most innerspring mattresses are single-sided (presumably to save them money).
Over the holidays we tried J’s sister’s memory foam mattress (I don’t recall the brand but I think it was the big one). It’s much softer than our bed and hard to get out of in the morning. I didn’t like the way I sank into it. It wasn’t restful for me (I move around a lot when I sleep).
It’s very important to try a mattress for more than a few minutes before making a commitment. J’s sister would have a terrible time returning their foam mattress if they decided they couldn’t get used to it.
tldr – The $500 difference? Dunno. Best of luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
charluckles
Pillow top.
Absolutely, if you can afford it, pay the extra money and get a quality mattress. It’s one of those purchases that seems so simple, but can really have a tremendous impact on quality of life. Sleep is incredibly important.
The first set my wife and I purchased together was a mattress at a steal of a price, because it was a floor model and a really cheap mattress to being with. What a mistake that was.
different-church-lady
@IowaOldLady:
The best kind.
James Parente
After Sandy, I needed to replace all furniture, including my bed. I chose a foam mattress and have never regretted the decision. It is the most comfortable mattress I have ever slpet on.
NotMax
BTW, happy 41st birthday, Rachel Maddow.
Roger Moore
@Poopyman:
Why not? It’s one of the things people use their beds for, so it might be a good idea to test it.
Scott
DynastyMattress Cool Breeze 12-Inch GEL Memory Foam Mattress. Bought this off Amazon. $439 delivered. Used on platform. Awesome.
Kristine
@WereBear: Good news about your kitty!
Kristine
@WereBear: Good news about your kitty!
lurker dean
my wife and i swear by a 3″ gel memory foam mattress topper from costco. converts any not-too-shot bed to the most comfortable bed you’ve ever slept on. you need to get used to sinking in, which makes it harder to move, but the support and comfort is incredible for sleeping, at least for us. we tried sleeping on a regular mattress lately and it was brutally uncomfortable. anyway, if your mattress is not too bad, it may be worth trying a topper first. in any event, you’ll have the topper for a new mattress if you have to get one.
as for new mattresses, it’s such a con game. the same mattress is sold at different stores under different names so you really can’t comparison shop. the chain mattress stores will negotiate a lot (hundreds) on mattresses, so don’t pay the price on the tag. i end up buying mattresses at costco to not have to deal with that game, they usually have reasonable prices, esp if they’re on sale.
Lizzee
I would recommend against any sort of memory foam mattress, when you sit on them it feels like they’re trying to swallow your butt, they are hot and they are expensive.
As far as spring coil mattresses go, do NOT get a 1-sided mattress, half the mattress same price.
Next, make sure that you have a frame that has center support, any size mattress full sized or larger will last years longer if your frame supports the mattress and box spring in the center.
After that its all about what’s comfortable for you. Also smell the mattress and try to determine how much out gassing you’ll have to deal with…maybe buy the mattress just before you’re going to be away for a few days.
jeffreyw
commenting in 3..2..
Lolis
Don’t go cheap. Go mid grade firm and then supplement with toppers to achieve the perfect level of comfort. I bought my bed on sale at Macy’s years ago. They have great bed sales. I recently bought a memory foam topper 2 inches thick that is heavenly. It took some getting used to but now I love it.
TaMara (BHF)
I have a 4 year old latex mattress (and pillows) that are as firm and comfortable as the day I bought them. Can’t beat them and they’re all natural, made from renewable resources and no petroleum or formaldehyde or other nasty chemicals. Also no more back or neck pain. And cool, even on the hottest day.
Baud
So it will be that type of bedding.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
Foam mattress two years ago. Will never go back.
lahke
I had an air mattress for over twenty years that was wonderful. Hydraulic support without the water, easy to change sheets because it was so light weight. Whenever it got a leak we’d just slap a bicycle patch on it, and it was easy to refill by reversing the flow on the vacuum cleaner. When the valve finally died I tried to replace it, but AeroBed no longer makes one of that quality so the ones I bought got unfixable leaks. Aerobed won’t guarantee the beds for daily use–just as temporary guest beds, I ran through 4 of them in a couple of years and then gave up.
Ended up buying a foam/spring combo from Sleepy’s a couple of years ago that’s already lumpy. Sigh.
SiubhanDuinne
@WereBear:
That is a relief about James Bond. I hope it’s all good. And you know better than anyone here, probably, that when his time has come, he will let you know very clearly. Knowing that makes it no less sad, but somehow easier.
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Wow, are all the front-pagers in the market for cars these days?
WereBear
If anyone is thinking futon, don’t go cheap. Or those bars that hold up the mattress will go right through the cotton batting and into your hip and break all your ribs.
Arclite
@SiubhanDuinne:
Have you ever tried sleeping on wine bottles? VERY uncomfortable.
ruemara
Hmm, I sleep on a bedroll on the floor and I doubt you wish to try that. When I had a bed, I really liked the mattress I found at Ikea, fairly firm. I went with the one that was more to my then partner’s taste, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. McRoskey’s in SF has a reportedly excellent bed. But I do not know if it fits.
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
My bad. Somehow convinced myself it was a Mr. Cole post.
lurker dean
@WereBear: That’s encouraging news!
SiubhanDuinne
@Arclite:
Not the foam wine bottles. Duh.
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Couldn’t have been. If it had been Cole, he would have broken something vital while testing the mattress, and then on the way home from the hospital, he would have adopted two more pets.
Lizzy L
I sleep on a cheap, reasonably firm foam mattress that I purchased at Ikea about 3 years ago. On top of it I have a cheap two and half inch memory foam pad I got at Costco or Sears or wherever about 7 years ago. I don’t have a box spring; the mattress fits right into an Ikea bed frame. I find the combo quite comfortable. I turn the mattress and change the alignment of the pad when I change the sheets in hopes that will help them last longer. So far, so good.
The pad has a washable cover. I remember the pad smelled nasty when I first took it out of the box, so I put it in the spare room and let it out-gas for about two weeks, and that was enough. I wash the cover very occasionally.
Good luck.
Arclite
I’m in the market for a new mattress too, but I can’t use any foam. I live in HI, and it’s just too hot here the majority of the year. Advice? From the comments, it sounds like a high-spring count inner coil mattress is the ticket.
John Cole
I have a queen sized Sealy PosturPedic (sp?) that is like two feet thick and I adore the god damned thing.
Olivia
I have had a Sleep Number bed for 8 years and it is the best mattress I have ever slept on. Mine has a pillow top but I have slept on the regular one and it was almost as good. The thing that I like is that I can adjust the firmness when I need to. Sometimes I go for weeks at one level and sometimes I change it a couple times a night.
SiubhanDuinne
@John Cole:
Do not put a pea under it or you will never get another decent night’s sleep.
WaterGirl
I have some recent experience with this since my bed was destroyed when the tree hit my house last spring.
I had an expensive mattress set that I had bought in 2003, so I had insurance money to buy a nice bed and the manager of the furniture store was really helpful and spent a lot of time explaining things to me. The 2003 set was “plush” as opposed to “firm”. Think firm mattress with a lot of cushy stuff on top.
I don’t know if every store lets you return the mattress if it turns out not to be a good choice for you, but I recommend going with a store that gives you 30-60 days to return your mattress, which I ended up doing. The nice thing about that is that it doesn’t have to be all guesswork – you actually get to sleep on it for awhile so you can know if it’s the right bed.
It’s all about coils (number, strength, location) AND foam type AND the mattress top.
You definitely want more coils and stronger coils, which means more expensive.
Memory foam beds are less popular than they once were because they can be too hot for sleeping, especially for women. Memory foam is being surpassed by a newer technology that Simmons calls “cool max”. Not sure what the other companies call it, but I am a Simmons bed fan, that’s what I got in 2003 and again this year. I recall something about the cool max foam keeping you 5 degrees cooler.
I tried the pillow top and it was too mushy and too warm for me. (I’m not sure how anyone could have sex in a bed like that, but that’s probably a story for another day.) I actually returned my first choice (didn’t end up liking the pillow top) and getting the plush not-pillow top version. The second bed has been perfect!
Also, mattresses are very tall these days, and if I had gone with the pillow top I would have had to replace all my sheets.
It’s just my opinion, but the mattresses are so tall these days that I’m not sure now much difference the box springs actually makes. (I suspect my mattress could easily go on some wood platform and still be really comfy.)
They encouraged me to really try out the bed for a bit before purchase, so after the first one wasn’t good, I took them at their word. I came in with a tank top so I could get a feel for how warm it would be to sleep on the bed. And I actually spent about an hour because I really wanted to get it right the second time around.
MomSense
I bought all our mattresses from a local mattress manufacturer. The whole family worked at their business and they make great products because they live in the community and would hear about it if they didn’t.
See if you can find a manufacturer near you. Some of the mattresses you find at the box stores are made with really crappy materials and chemicals.
WereBear
@John Cole: John brings up a good point.
We upgraded our ancient mattress five years ago and it’s like twice the thickness… so we also had to buy the “deep pocket” sheets and they are not cheap, either.
However, it is a pillowtop and it made the old one feel like a sack of sand, so there’s that.
kindness
I don’t want say what I spent for my last mattress set except I’ve bought cars for less.
Betty you are worth way more than a $300 mattress.
WereBear
So I’d heard. A big point for Betty in Florida.
Also, it’s probable my James Bond is hyperthyroid, which is very treatable so I’m guardedly happy again. I know you asked about him.
WaterGirl
Pillows! Let’s talk pillows. My down pillows were destroyed by the tree, too, so I got new pillows. Violet or someone was talking about rubber pillows at the time, so I tried this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049DXBK0/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
LOVE THESE PILLOWS.
If you have a pillow you like, I recommend that you take that with you as you test the beds.
WaterGirl
@WereBear: I saw that and replied earlier. Yay! I will look for an update after the vet comes over tomorrow. So happy that it may be something simple.
El Cid
With foam mattresses you want access to a reliable measure of the density of the foam. In a viscoelastic (memory) foam you want to see at least 5 or higher lb/cut ft. Gels are semi-liquid materials embeded in a matrix of viscoelastic foam generally.
If you’re willing to consider internet orders, these guys carry the best quality foam in the business for internet orders.
WaterGirl
@khead: eww. Gel. I tried those, too, and I must have blocked it out until I read what you wrote. They just felt creepy to me. Just wrong. Did not like.
I agree with the person upthread who said that it’s all about lying down and testing the mattress out. And not just for 5 minutes.
Ferdzy
@Arclite: The trouble is that any coil mattress made nowadays ALSO will have a thick layer of foam. Someone mentioned latex foam as being the best, and it seems pretty clear to me that it is. No surprise, it’s also the most expensive by a noticeable margin.
Anne Laurie
Got a Sleep Number bed as a wedding present 20+ years ago, and it may have saved our marriage. Spousal Unit needs a very soft surface, and I need an extra-firm, and the double-air-bag arrangement on a platform works beautifully for both of us. We’re both fat people, and we’ve got cats and dogs, but the ‘mattress’ has held up beautifully no matter how much we abuse it. Some of the hoses on his side had to be replaced after maybe 15 years, and the gasket on my pumped-to-the-max bag started leaking around the same time, but replacing the parts was easy & the company gave us a discount even without a paper warranty.
Bob Munck
Waterbed, since 1966. Wooden box, base with six drawers on either side, big plastic bag, cheap heater ($20 in 1980), 400 gallons of water ($0.60). Two thick comforters year-around completely covering me — air comes in via a CPAP. I sleep really, really well.
Schlemizel
old hippy here – we love our water bed. Of course they are damn near impossible to find and the sack can run 300-500 bucks so they ain’t cheap any more either. The thing I love the most is the heater, tucking into a warm bed when it it 40 below outside is a thing of beauty.
CaseyL
I feel so strange reading these comments; like a relic from another age. I’m still sleeping in a waterbed (100% waveless; very nearly as firm as a regular mattress), possibly the most comfortable sleeping option ever created.
I’ve heard that the reason people don’t use waterbeds anymore is that most homes’ floors aren’t strong enough to support them. Every so often I get paranoid and check the curvature of the floor, to see if it’s beginning to sag under the weight. But I’ve been in this house for 16 years now, and not a twitch. (Knock wood!)
Are gel mattresses supposed to be sort of like waterbeds?
ETA: Me and Bob and Schlemizel. The few, the proud, the still sleeping on giant bags of water :)
Chat Noir
I swear by Simmons BeautyRest mattresses (extra firm). Our king-sized and day bed single size are the most comfortable beds ever. Prior to those, had a queen size that sold me on Simmons. They’re not cheap but are worth the money.
Lyrebird
@Comrade Mary: And either Futon Planet or one of its main competitors is right in Fla. I find that a mixed cotton ‘n synthetic futon is way more comfortable than any mattress, $300ish will go a long way, and all you need is some plywood or extra boards to turn your bed frame into a futon holder.
Hawes
After six bottles of wine, who gives a fuck what the mattress feels like?
Lokahi
Have the bottom-of-the-line memory foam model from Bed in a Box and love it.
@WereBear: And thanks for the good news update on Mr. James Bond!
Omnes Omnibus
@Comrade Mary: @Lyrebird: Definitely a futon for me.
khead
@WaterGirl:
Serta iSeries. We loved it in store.
First one delivered had a lean.
Next one had the hump.
Next one also had a hump.
Apparently standing them on their side is not a great idea.
Traded it in for a Beautyrest.
JustRuss
@CaseyL: I had a waterbed when I lived in Hawaii. No heater in it, I slept on top of a comforter. On hot days, to cool off I’d remove the comforter and let it just suck the heat out of me. Nirvana.
Howard Beale IV
Ikea Natural Latex Mattress. 25 Year warranty.
You get what ya pay for.
BruceFromOhio
I admire your pluck, and salute your forthrightedness.
@Hawes: This, also, too.
seabe
My mattress from IKEA was $300 and it is fantastic. Sultan Hallen I think it was. Medium firmness.
El Cid
Chile is mobilizing and rapidly evacuating the population at risk. For a live video feed of local news — Spanish language — try here.
Beeb
I love my Tempur-Pedic. I don’t find it too hot, but that might be because my bedroom is the coldest room in the house. The cats and dog love it too, which is a Very Good Thing. Beds without pets just don’t feel right.
There might well be lower cost copies that would have worked just as well, but I’m a sucker for name brands.
worn
Betty – read your and immediately thought of this article critical of the industry from years ago. Related: gawd, has it really been 13 years?
Sir Laffs-a-lot
check out the Original Mattress Factory website; they have an excellent section on mattress types. They also make superb well priced mattresses and have location in the Orlando area. You may be able to shop online and have it delivered (I don’t know their delivery zone in your area)
Howard Beale IV
@seabe: I have the Sultan Engenes. Before that, I had a Spring Air that developed a nasty dip and wasn’t all that amenable to flipping.
Ruckus
I just got a piece of 1 1/2 inch memory foam to put on top of my 3/4 plywood bed. I sure can’t tell any gassing or smell and I am actually less stuffy sleeping on it than before. The big thing is no pressure point discomfort.
PhoenixRising
From one lady of a certain age to another, I advise you to not spend money on foam. Here’s the thing: foam retains heat. Unless something very unusual happens, you can expect that within the life of this mattress, you and the Mr Cracker will be experiencing widely divergent temperature swings. (Not to get overly personal, but you did ask.)
We bought the size that fits the frame at Costco 10 years ago, and we’re due for a new one this month. Will do the same thing again, as we’ve been happy until the last few months.
Sophist
@IowaOldLady:
Of course. Man does not live by bed alone.
RepubAnon
@Anne Laurie: Plus, the lower-end Sleep Number beds come in around $600… and they don’t need to be turned, so another benefit for your back!
geg6
@pseudonymous in nc:
This. Get it made locally and you save $$ and get exactly what you want, how you want it. At least you can here. Foam mattresses suck donkey balls, IMHO. Custom spring mattress with a good Amish frame.
Mnemosyne
I admit, the next time we’re in the market for a mattress, I am VERY tempted to buy one from Marriott (yes, the hotel chain. The Mitt Romney one.) I always wake up with a backache at any hotel we stay at except the Courtyard by Marriott.
@WereBear:
Fingers crossed! My brother’s cat got to 21 with hyperthyroid treatment, so you may still be able to have a few good years with Mr. Bond.
LongHairedWeirdo
Only advice I can give is the one I’ve heard most of my life: spend *time* mattress shopping. You need to test. And you can’t test in a minute. You need 5-10 minutes, minimum, to figure out what this might feel like over time. (And I’ve heard that 5-10 minutes is still too short – you’re going to be on this sucker for hours at a time each day!)
indycat32
I got a TempurPedic about 3 years ago and I hate it. It holds heat, it provides no support, resulting in back pain, and when I want to turn over I have to grab onto the side of the bed to pull myself out of the trough I’ve sunk into. Unfortunately it cost so much I can’t afford to get rid of it.
Mike in NC
When we moved from NoVA to this rural area, the first time we read one of the local newspapers there was a classified ad that read, “Mattress for sale. Excellent condition. Slight urine smell”.
Mnemosyne
@indycat32:
I wonder if a mattress topper would help, if only so you wouldn’t sink in quite so far. You’d probably want one that wraps all the way around the mattress (not just anchor points at the corners) so it would be stable.
MikeJ
If your 6 bottles were cheap wine, try hyperdecanting. I tried it this weekend on some plonk, and it does make a difference.
It should be equally effective on good wine, but I’m not convinced enough to do it to my Lynch Bages.
Suzanne
@Mike in NC: When we bought ours, we got a waterproof bedbug bag thing, as well as a waterproof mattress pad. Because OH HELL NO. Came in handy when Spawn the Younger pissed all over the bed. Dry as a bone.
RuhRow_Gyro
I recommend the mattress they sell at Sam’s Club. It is a good value, and squishy.
SiubhanDuinne
It is really kind of hilarious the way Google ads work. I have been inundated with mattress ads, and I daresay those of you who don’t have some kind of AdBlock thing going are also getting them. Pretty funny.
SiubhanDuinne
@Sophist:
Oh god.
Felonius Monk
You want the best and biggest workbench that money can buy — period. Oh, it should also have a pillow top.
bluefoot
I also need a new mattress, and I am very allergic to latex. A lot of mattresses seem to have at least some latex. Any recommendations?
JGabriel
I’m fifthing the Futon recs from Comrade Mary, Werebear, Lyrebird, and Omnes.
beth
@Mnemosyne: We did that! My husband fell in love with the bed in our hotel room at the Marriott and called a buddy of his who worked for them and ordered them through the hotel, had them delivered to our house and seven years later we’re still enjoying them. They’re made by a company named Jamison. Don’t know if they sell retail under another name.
SIA
Dreamfoam natural latex from Amazon. awesome & affordable. SO comfortable and no chemicals.
mclaren
$1500 mattresses? $80 pillow?
Holy fuck, you bastards are rich.
Beatrice
It’s such a personal preference that no mattress is going to be right for everyone — witness the poster above who appears to think “squishy” is a GOOD thing — but my one piece of advice would be to NOT get a pillow-top mattress. It eliminates the ability to turn the mattress, so it will wear out faster; plus, the pillow-top is going to wear out sooner than the rest of the mattress but then you will have to replace the whole thing. If you like a soft bed, buy a regular mattress and then a feather bed or some other topper for the mattress which you can replace when it wears out while the rest of the mattress is still OK.
Suzanne
@mclaren: We saved up for over a year and gave up birthday gifts. Not being in chronic pain (I have a back injury from having a store display fall on me) was worth it.
Goblue72
This is still a solid article on how to cut through the mattress marketing B.S. –
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/shopping/2000/11/going_to_the_mattresses.html
Short story – most of the gimmicks aren’t worth it. Buy a solid, affordable basic spring mattress with no bells & whistles. If you need some extra cushion, buy a mattress pad – you can get them in memory foam these days. You will sleep just as fine & your wallet will thank you.
It’s what we did. Bought a basic spring from one of the Big S companies (Sealy, Serta, Simmons). No pillow top, rock hard, durable. Then bought a memory foam pad at Macy’s for some cushion.
You may have to ask to see the mattresses without the pillow tops. The mattress stores often keep them in a corner standing up because they are the lowest prices mattresses in the store with the lowest profit margin.
Treat your local mattress store like a used car lot. Be wary, avoid the sales pitch and keep a hold on your wallet.
WaterGirl
@TaMara (BHF): @SIA: I think it was you guys who were talking rubber pillows that led me to the pillow on Amazon. Thanks for that!
Howard Beale IV
@Goblue72: Consumer Reports has a similar take on buying mattresses.
Singing Truth to Power
I’ve had a SleepNumber mattress with pillow top for at least 15 years, and still love it – for extra cushiness, I got one of the thick wool mattress pads – the company is Cuddle Ewe. I recommend the combination highly.
Howard Beale IV
Breaking; Charles Keating, poster boy for the 1980’s Savings and Loan crisis, dead at 90.
gray lensman
My wife and I have slept on the same waveless waterbed for 40 years so far. It is easily the best bed we have. We own a second-house in the CO mountains and have a California King Sleep Number, a queen-size Serta best quality, a double-size futon, and two single bed regular mattresses there. We have tried them all (the Sleep Number mostly) at various times in the last 16 years in the cabin and we always go back to Denver gratefully to our waterbed. The reason we haven’t bought a waterbed for the cabin is the chance the electricity (and furnace) will fail and a 40-below night at 8760 feet altitude will freeze it and make a mess. So far so good.
feebog
Did not read the entire thread, but the Mrs. and I swear by our Sleep Number mattress. Individual settings for each side of the bed. Check it out before you buy anything else.
2liberal
@IowaOldLady: costco sells mattresses and more wine than any other company in the US – it also matches the description of non-walmart big box store
JustRuss
We had an Englander, after about a year it developed quite a sag. they took it back and “refurbished” it, could barely tell a difference. When we complained, they said “meh”. Spent a bit more on our next mattress, but 6 years later I still love it. Can’t tell you what it is, my wife is sleeping on it. but it’s a conventional mattress with a couple inches of memory foam on top, very cush.
Flatlander
Mattresses are a racket.
Futons, on the other hand… I find a $300 futon much more comfortable than a $1000 mattress. Mine is foam-core, wool-wrap. Wool is the best. Naturally antimicrobial and cool.
And pillows? I can’t say enough good about the buckwheat hull pillow.
Betty Cracker
Thanks for the recs and advice, everyone!
Abo gato
@CaseyL: DFH’s here our ownselves. Been sleeping on a full slosh waterbed for 40 years. It’s warm when you want that, cool when you want that too. The most comfortable place in the world to slide into when you are tired. Wouldn’t trade it for anything except another one.
Emily68
The comfiest bed I’ve ever slept on is an Exped Comfort MegaMat 10 Sleeping Pad. It’s the crème de la crème of air mattresses and you can buy one at REI for $219. If you buy two, you can strap them together and it’s the exact same size as a queen-size mattress. (I don’t remember if the strap is included or you have to buy it separately.) Put the two on the old crummy springs you already have and Voila!!! comfort every night. And the Exped company says if you don’t poke a hole in it, it’ll last for years and years.
I promise I don’t work for the company, but I do sleep on the bed every night.
evodevo
Buy the cheapest “firm” mattress you can find. It will outperform and outlast all the 1k ones, hands down. And if it is unsatisfactory, you’re only out a couple hundred.
Sondra
@Poopyman:
It is very difficult to comparison shop for a mattress because even though different stores carry the same name brands, none of the brands they carry at one store is exactly like the same brand of mattress at another store.
Apparently they customize in ways that are hard to figure out – especially the pricing. A “Sealy” queen at “Mattress Giant” for $999 is not the same mattress at “Macy’s” for $1029: “Macys” will have different features like a pillow top, or the one at Mattress Giant will be a little wider to accomadate deeper bottom sheets.
Tempurpedic used to be the only foam out there but even their pillows are different one from the other, and they were hot to sleep on. So they added gel foam to be more comfortable and now everyone is doing it. I have not been able to figure out the differences in foam mattresses or even if they are an improvement on inner springs.
I’ve been looking to replace my mattress for years and still don’t know which way to go. My hunch is that whatever period of time they offer us as a trial period, is not going to be long enough to know for sure if we like it, but it’s better than nothing at all.
BUT – I always wonder what happens to those mattresses that people reject? Do they go back in stock to be re-sold at a huge discount? Is there a recycling factory somewhere that grinds them up into goo for a landfill? Or goo for that pink stuff McDonald’s uses as a food?Are they just sterilized and shipped out to a discount mattress chain like Costo?
Once my mind wanders into this territory I begin to think that that deep valley in the middle of my old bed is sort of comforting after all.
Biff Longbotham
For shame, Betty!! A screw-top wine bottle??
Epicurus
@Roger Moore: Probably not something you want to try in your local mattress store.
HelloRochester
My wife and I have gone through 4 mattresses in 15 years. And, no, not in the good way. We have suffered repeated pillow-top failure- memory foam, one latex/memory foam ($$$), and one regular plush top. Memory foam mattresses are too damn expensive. Here’s the route we went two years ago and it’s been fantastic: Buy an inexpensive ROCK HARD mattress/box spring combo (we paid $600 for a King) and get a 4 inch memory foam topper ($300 from Costco or Amazon). 3 inch isn’t enough and more is silly. If the topper goes or if our children or one of our pets biohazards it, it’s only $300 to start over. So far, the top of the under-mattress is still unfazed and we are both large-and-in-charge. For coolness, buy egyptian cotton sheets. You’re welcome in advance.