Mattress

[Methuselah]

Searched engine on top, zilch, Googled, got one thread with word Mattress, so didn't start new thread, but "encouraged" so here it is.

We're thinking of maybe getting this one

(King, 10 or 12")

We bought Tempur-Pedic Rhapsody mid 2011. By 3-4 years we called it shot (sinking in, @ 175, 100#). It's on a platform. One before it "lasted" 25 years IIRC was $500, this was guaranteed 25 years cost us $2592. We could still sleep on it I suppose, but no more help turning it so it sits as-is the past 2-3 years now.

BTW, you're not supposed to flip it over, we never tried. What should we expect if we did?

We like medium firm, and hope to find something we can reuse bedding with (12"), even if it's a bit softer. I think $1500 is our ceiling. We looked at sleep number, can't agree on split for raising, but too pricy for the hit-and-miss reviews. It seemed few of them last over 10 years without being plagued by multiple issues - kinda suggests newer suffer in quality?

The above also has 100 day "trial" but not sure we can hang onto old one. Tempur-Pedic warranty was carp, prorated, measure everywhere so we can deny your claim reputation so we didn't bother.

We might be ok with replacing every 2-3 years if the price was commensurate and we got at least one really good year out of it... Still, initial goal is quality if there is such a thing now that the US of A has adopted a quality is job 1.1 policy.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Not a fan of memory foam mattresses at all. We bought a few over the years for the kids and they hated them too. Went back to standard springs and padding mattresses. They just don’t have the same feel. I highly suggest you test drive the memory foam mattresses before you buy - they are not the same. Oh, and if you do go foam, you absolutely need a solid base for it to support it.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Also, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of old mattresses around here. There’s only one landfill in our area that will take them and they charge a ridiculous dumping fee for it. This causes a lot of people to dump them on the roads sadly. It’s for this reason that we typically buy from mattress stores because they will at least charge you a lesser fee for “old mattress removal” and it’s more convenient. Not sure if that’s an issue where your are but, for us, we don’t have a truck so disposing of old mattresses is a royal PITA.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

As for flipping and rotating, yeah, that never did much for us with any mattress. The manufacturers all claim it must be done but I think it’s just another excuse for them to deny warranty claims. Usually memory foam mattresses are one-sides so all you could do is rotate it. But you’ll quickly realize that a king size foam mattress (or any mattress really) weighs A TON and is not easy to move on your own. The memory foam ones always seemed a lot heavier than the standard spring mattresses too and they are not very rigid so it’s not easy to flip them without them buckling in half.

You’ll need about 6 people to flip a king sized memory foam mattress …

 

[VinnyinNJ]

Here's my take on mattresses being a big person. Get an extra firm spring mattress without any additional padding and put a mattress topper on it. All foam sinks down so when the topper goes, throw it out and start all over again. King size = heavy but 2 x- long twins gives you king size and weighs half the weight and much easier to handle.

We learned our lesson with a "luxury firm" mattress and the foam underneath the ticking deteriorated within a couple of years. We now have an extra firm mattress and put a 2 inch topper on it. They are about 2 - 2 1/2 years old and the topper is starting to go but the mattresses seem ok. Easier to spend $200 on a topper than $2000 on a bed.

 

[Methuselah]

Not a fan of memory foam mattresses at all. We bought a few over the years for the kids and they hated them too. Went back to standard springs and padding mattresses. They just don’t have the same feel. I highly suggest you test drive the memory foam mattresses before you buy - they are not the same. Oh, and if you do go foam, you absolutely need a solid base for it to support it.

I think we had difficulty locating a company selling "regular" mattresses at that time. They did sell us a solid base for it.

 

[Methuselah]

As for flipping and rotating, yeah, that never did much for us with any mattress. The manufacturers all claim it must be done but I think it’s just another excuse for them to deny warranty claims. Usually memory foam mattresses are one-sides so all you could do is rotate it. But you’ll quickly realize that a king size foam mattress (or any mattress really) weighs A TON and is not easy to move on your own. The memory foam ones always seemed a lot heavier than the standard spring mattresses too and they are not very rigid so it’s not easy to flip them without them buckling in half.

You’ll need about 6 people to flip a king sized memory foam mattress …

I don't know about disposal, we put it out with the trash that gets picked up every month or three (usually it's tree limbs, demolition from home project construction and the like.

On rotating we didn't for a year or more, and were supposed to, but I also can't imagine it would have made any difference and agree it's more a tool for the company to deny claims. Three people were on the delivery team, and you are right, at 12" thick it IS very heavy.

There are also hybrid mattresses on the market now, but I've not read any reviews on them (yet).

 

[Methuselah]

Here's my take on mattresses being a big person. Get an extra firm spring mattress without any additional padding and put a mattress topper on it. All foam sinks down so when the topper goes, throw it out and start all over again. King size = heavy but 2 x- long twins gives you king size and weighs half the weight and much easier to handle.

We learned our lesson with a "luxury firm" mattress and the foam underneath the ticking deteriorated within a couple of years. We now have an extra firm mattress and put a 2 inch topper on it. They are about 2 - 2 1/2 years old and the topper is starting to go but the mattresses seem ok. Easier to spend $200 on a topper than $2000 on a bed.

I like your idea, but I'm not sure how we do the math on it, with 12" sheets we would probably be looking at 10" mattress and 2" topper. Some toppers are latex now, correct? I wonder if they are worth considering. Also, it used to be more local companies sold the regular mattresses, I'm not sure any still do that here, but will definitely look into it. Sears, Penny's, and Montgomery Wards come to mind ... all closed.

The Amazon one was being considered bc most people who had issues with that one were told keep it, they got refunded, and if I "tracked" the reviews correctly they predominantly decided to send it back because they did not "inflate" to stated height. That's the first consideration for us, being able to reuse our sheets, and, second, being able to dispose of it and keep our old one without being told a defective mattress isn't returnable. I'm too old to be shopping for the next great refund opportunity so hoping if 24,000 people bought it they can't all have had issues

 

[VinnyinNJ]

I like your idea, but I'm not sure how we do the math on it, with 12" sheets we would probably be looking at 10" mattress and 2" topper. Some toppers are latex now, correct? I wonder if they are worth considering. Also, it used to be more local companies sold the regular mattresses, I'm not sure any still do that here, but will definitely look into it. Sears, Penny's, and Montgomery Wards come to mind ... all closed.

The Amazon one was being considered bc most people who had issues with that one were told keep it, they got refunded, and if I "tracked" the reviews correctly they predominantly decided to send it back because they did not "inflate" to stated height. That's the first consideration for us, being able to reuse our sheets, and, second, being able to dispose of it and keep our old one without being told a defective mattress isn't returnable. I'm too old to be shopping for the next great refund opportunity so hoping if 24,000 people bought it they can't all have had issues

The math may or may not work, it all depends on how thick the mattress is. Mattresses that have little padding tend to be thinner than ones with a lot of padding. We are using the same king size sheets on our 2 x-long twins. Sometimes sheet depth is mis identified as we have some sheets that fit correctly and some that do not.

Not knowing your area it's hard to say where you should look for mattresses. We have mattress stores around us, some department stores sell mattresses even places like Costco sell mattresses. There are a couple on-line mattress stores that will deliver a mattress to you and have "white glove service" to get it into your room and may even cart out the old one.

Latex toppers can be expensive, I saw the price and stopped looking. We got a memory foam topper from a store named Kohl's that worked out OK. 2 inches may be a little thin for some people but we just wanted a little softness to our bed.

Price for a mattress is something else, we bought just 2 mattresses and it was around $1800. I do see places selling mattresses cheap but the quality could be suspect. We bought a cheap mattress for our guest room and from a warehouse store and it is not the same quality as our regularly used mattresses. But a 250 + lb person has a different requirement than a 120 lb person so please keep that in mind.

Personally, I like spring mattresses. The extra foam makes it more comfortable without sinking into it too much. I don't toss and turn a lot but my wife does. For her getting a full foamed mattress probably wouldn't work too well.

Of course those specialty mattress companies would have us spend $1000's on one of their "great" mattresses.

 

[dfwnoob]

I've noticed that when it comes to cheap mattresses, you tend to get what you pay for. The cheap all-memory foams all have a very finite short life. My brother and I both bought similar ones around the same time, mine came from Costco, his came from Sam's. I believe they were different "brands", but they were definitely the same thing in the both. They were very similar to that one you showed on Amazon. Both of ours became useless and indented around the ~4 year mark, but I never really liked mine. I found it entirely too hot in the summer and generally just unsavory feeling after the first year or so.

My buddy had a Sleep Number bed he got from his parents when one side of it failed about 5 years into ownership. There was a lot of back and forth with the manufacturer regarding the warranty, but they figured out some way to weasel out of fixing it.

At the beginning of 2020, my fiancé and I got (what is now called) the Purple Hybrid Premier 3. We have been very happy with it since, since it's a mix of both the Purple "grid" material along with pocket coil springs. I'd say it's medium firm, and it's very cool in the summer. But it is really pricey and we haven't hit that magical 4-5 year spot where every non-conventional mattress seems to go to heck. I guess we'll see. It does have a 10 year warranty and they seem to be receptive to replacing things if it doesn't work out. There is also a 100 night trial. I would recommend staying away from the non-hybrid grid-only Purples as they are just way too firm and weird.

 

[Methuselah]

Well, putting some math into this, paid $2592 got no more than 5 good years out of it, so $520 a (good) year. If buying for double that, say $1000, it puts break even at 2 years. One year break even for the one in the link.

It's just as much not wanting to Mattress shop every one to two years though. I reckon most cheap mattresses these days are good for 6 months to a year, and expensive ones probably 3 to 5 years? Makes the math more about level of comfort during that life expectancy?

Equations and mattresses and dice, oh my... (wizard of Oz)

 

[Mdragger88]

Well, putting some math into this, paid $2592 got no more than 5 good years out of it, so $520 a (good) year. If buying for double that, say $1000, it puts break even at 2 years. One year break even for the one in the link.

It's just as much not wanting to Mattress shop every one to two years though. I reckon most cheap mattresses these days are good for 6 months to a year, and expensive ones probably 3 to 5 years? Makes the math more about level of comfort during that life expectancy?

Equations and mattresses and dice, oh my... (wizard of Oz)

Fwiw I am still loving my 12” zinus mattress in a box. I did get a topper for it that also came with a very plush mattress cover that fits over the whole deal. Its like sleeping on a cloud if you’re into that sort of thing. I hated my last $1200 set after about 2 years. When I got the mattress in a box I went with a metal platform frame so I no longer require a box springs/foundation which is also much easier to deal with when it comes time to change again. The change also brought my bed down to where I can easily get in & out of it which is a huge plus (short people problems )

 

[Saturn94]

Here's my take on mattresses being a big person. Get an extra firm spring mattress without any additional padding and put a mattress topper on it. All foam sinks down so when the topper goes, throw it out and start all over again. King size = heavy but 2 x- long twins gives you king size and weighs half the weight and much easier to handle.

We learned our lesson with a "luxury firm" mattress and the foam underneath the ticking deteriorated within a couple of years. We now have an extra firm mattress and put a 2 inch topper on it. They are about 2 - 2 1/2 years old and the topper is starting to go but the mattresses seem ok. Easier to spend $200 on a topper than $2000 on a bed.

Last time we bought a mattress (years ago; forgot how many) we went with the 2x twin xl instead of a king. Like you said, much easier to handle. Also like you, we bought a firm spring mattress (from Original Mattress Factory) and put a foam topper on it. It’s worked out well for us and the mattresses are holding up very well.

 

[Methuselah]

Fwiw I am still loving my 12” zinus mattress in a box. I did get a topper for it that also came with a very plush mattress cover that fits over the whole deal. Its like sleeping on a cloud if you’re into that sort of thing. I hated my last $1200 set after about 2 years. When I got the mattress in a box I went with a metal platform frame so I no longer require a box springs/foundation which is also much easier to deal with when it comes time to change again. The change also brought my bed down to where I can easily get in & out of it which is a huge plus (short people problems )

How long are you using it now? It's 12" + height of topper, so 14?

Maybe false economy, but I'm hoping to keep using the sheet sets we've got, so kinda stuck at 12" total. Oh Boy! Never heard of 14" (or more!) sheets, or foam matresses bed before last. Maybe I'm too old...

I wonder if you can still buy a conventional box spring and mattress set

 

[Methuselah]

Last time we bought a mattress (years ago; forgot how many) we went with the 2x twin xl instead of a king. Like you said, much easier to handle. Also like you, we bought a firm spring mattress (from Original Mattress Factory) and put a foam topper on it. It’s worked out well for us and the mattresses are holding up very well.

How tall did it end up being?

My parents swapped out a queen (king?) for two twins pushed together when I was little more than an ankle biter. Interesting.

I like the big fancy head/footboards and it's part of a bedroom set from the early 80's, but it does take up a lot of room I suppose.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

How long are you using it now? It's 12" + height of topper, so 14?

Maybe false economy, but I'm hoping to keep using the sheet sets we've got, so kinda stuck at 12" total. Oh Boy! Never heard of 14" (or more!) sheets, or foam matresses bed before last. Maybe I'm too old...

I wonder if you can still buy a conventional box spring and mattress set

Yes you can buy a spring mattress and box spring. We bought a Serta but Simmons, Sealy, Sterns & Foster make spring mattresses. The place we bought our mattress from had their own brand of spring mattress but we went with Serta. Unfortunately it seems that finding a spring mattress without a lot of foam padding is getting difficult to find. I see that our mattress type is no longer available from Serta.

 

[Methuselah]

Yes you can buy a spring mattress and box spring. We bought a Serta but Simmons, Sealy, Sterns & Foster make spring mattresses. The place we bought our mattress from had their own brand of spring mattress but we went with Serta. Unfortunately it seems that finding a spring mattress without a lot of foam padding is getting difficult to find. I see that our mattress type is no longer available from Serta.

We have Costco here, I believe Kohl's closed or went out of business. I concur it's getting hard to find spring mattresses! Not surprised yours is no longer available either. We tossed our box springs when we got the platform for our Tempur Pedic, wish I'd kept it but frankly, I don't recall if it needed replacing and we didn't have anyplace to store it.

Perhaps it's just a sign of the times, everything adjusted for maximum profit, and direct shipping sales means no overhead in a brick and mortar store. Seems everything I've checked into so far is vacuum packed into a box except the Sleep Number, which is very $$$$ and reviews say it isn't up to it's original quality standard (adjusted for more profits).

I reckon I can look into Simmons, Sealy, and Sterns & Foster - but I'm not hopeful. The one I linked to originally seems like a craps shoot - reviews say they don't inflate fully, and very few reviews of people having them for more than 2 or 3 years (likely?) means the reviews are mostly new purchases, or expectations were they last a couple years (due to crazy market prices?), and so - no complaints when they get replaced. It's getting like this with everything since America shipped it's manufacturing capabilities overseas. Now that overseas manufacturers are starting to pay out a cost-of-living wage they are cutting costs to make consumers foot the bill. We did it (sometimes, and now more often), now they are doing it. (sorry for the rant, thank you for your suggestions and experiences ).

 

[kul]

We bought an extra firm spring mattress about 4 years ago. We use a topper. It’s a bit too firm for my liking so next time we’ll buy medium firm. I think because it’s so firm, it’s likely to last many years. But it’s just too hard even with a topper. Kind of gotten use to it but not madly in love.

The memory foam is really uncomfortable to us which is what we had prior to this one.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

We have Costco here, I believe Kohl's closed or went out of business. I concur it's getting hard to find spring mattresses! Not surprised yours is no longer available either. We tossed our box springs when we got the platform for our Tempur Pedic, wish I'd kept it but frankly, I don't recall if it needed replacing and we didn't have anyplace to store it.

Perhaps it's just a sign of the times, everything adjusted for maximum profit, and direct shipping sales means no overhead in a brick and mortar store. Seems everything I've checked into so far is vacuum packed into a box except the Sleep Number, which is very $$$$ and reviews say it isn't up to it's original quality standard (adjusted for more profits).

I reckon I can look into Simmons, Sealy, and Sterns & Foster - but I'm not hopeful. The one I linked to originally seems like a craps shoot - reviews say they don't inflate fully, and very few reviews of people having them for more than 2 or 3 years (likely?) means the reviews are mostly new purchases, or expectations were they last a couple years (due to crazy market prices?), and so - no complaints when they get replaced. It's getting like this with everything since America shipped it's manufacturing capabilities overseas. Now that overseas manufacturers are starting to pay out a cost-of-living wage they are cutting costs to make consumers foot the bill. We did it (sometimes, and now more often), now they are doing it. (sorry for the rant, thank you for your suggestions and experiences ).

There is an on line retailer - US Mattress that has a lot of info on mattresses. They deliver and remove for $99. They tell you the depth of the mattress as well. You don't need bowstring if you have a platform. The box spring is to give support to the mattress ... I am assuming the platform is solid.

Good luck with your search!!

 

[Mdragger88]

How long are you using it now? It's 12" + height of topper, so 14?

Maybe false economy, but I'm hoping to keep using the sheet sets we've got, so kinda stuck at 12" total. Oh Boy! Never heard of 14" (or more!) sheets, or foam matresses bed before last. Maybe I'm too old...

I wonder if you can still buy a conventional box spring and mattress set

I think I have had the mattress in a box since 2019 & I got the topper for Christmas 2020.
I have “deep” sheets that will fit up to 18”. My last mattress was deep/thick as well so all my sheets fit. They definitely still make regular mattresses. I like the hybrid (coils & foam) which is available in big brands as well as ones in a box though they differ a little. My previous hybrid serta set was so expensive (over 3x’s the cost of my MIB) & I don’t feel it was any less prone to getting “the dent” than this one, the difference is that I don’t have to live with it for more years than it’s comfortable because “I paid so much”. I can just get a new one. Full foam is really heavy & it feels like a coffin to me lol YMMV.
I could use a box spring/foundation if I wanted but it’s not necessary with the platform type frame I have. What I think is crazy is that previously I was told that you must buy the matching box spring/foundation at the same time or you would void your warranty - macy’s told me this with the serta (can’t reuse your old one) but they sell that exact mattress on one of those adjustable beds now which has no foundation/box spring I call BS.