can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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I know these mattresses are kind of all over the place. Initially I discarded the idea of a foam mattress such as temperpedic or comforpedic but we are revisiting the idea. The analysis I received put as at the #2 for the bodysystem style of the Kingsdown. This is about 2700 for a King size. The Beautyrest also seemed comfortable and offered the least expensive option but I am concerned about the pillow top factor (deterioration). Moving onto the comforpedic which I was attracted to over the temperpedic because I am concerned about getting hot in the summer time. Those mattresses I found the most difficult to evaluate as a sleeper. Sure it felt good while I was laying on it. How will that translate into 8 hours every night? I also had a really tough time figuring out which one would be suitable for me.....going by the 'get what you pay for' the top of the line Comforpedic was 4000, out of our price range and possibly not even necessary for us. So I was hoping if I tell you a bit about our body types if you could direct me towards which level of the comforpedic we should need, if we decide that route. Husband and I are both 5'10" and I am in the 135-140range and he is around 165. Since my pregnancy (baby is now 9mo) I have aquired lower back pain and I have been unable to return to stomach sleeping in that time. DH also has lower back pain but his is sciatic, mine I don't think is related to sciatic since I don't have any of the leg pain associated with the lower back pain. We have made the mistake in the past of an overly firm mattress (S&F) that is now overly sagging and way past the point of uncomfortable. I want to keep close to 2500, this should afford us a nice supportive mattress I would think. I am not interested in doing mail order build my own foam mattress. Do you have input as to what specifically we should be looking for as far as layers in the comforpedic brand, or input on the mysterious kingsdown body system? Is it a mistake to go with a traditional inner spring type of mattress? |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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I second the above opinion. Get something with decent springs (you really don't have to spend thousands) and build your own topper. Then if it wears out or your body changes so that you want something either firmer or softer, you can just get a new topper. The foam used in pillowtops is cheap crap (even in supposedly "high end" mattresses), and once it breaks down, you are stuck. Mattress warranties are completely useless as they require a VISIBLE indent of 2 inches before they will even consider your case. If you are still sleeping on the thing by then, you will be crippled. And if you have any stains, scuffs, or dirt marks at all, it voids the warranty. With toppers you can tweak them until you get it just right. A lot of mattresses feel good when you lay on them for 15 minutes, but after eight hours it's a whole different story. Whatever you do, make sure you can get a comfort exchange or, better still, your money back if you wake up in the morning loathing the thing. |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
| thanks. When you all suggest something with good springs, do you mean to avoid the "Big S" brands? What are some brands you would recommend? Why is Kingsdown a mistake specifically? I searched for toppers on this board but there are just too many posts to go through. Where to start with good brands of toppers? Why are the build-your-own foam beds so much better than the temperpedic or comforpedic? |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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LPAD wrote: I searched for toppers on this board but there are just too many posts to go through. Others may not agree that their time is less valuable than your own . . don't be so lazy! |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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"Others may not agree that their time is less valuable than your own . . don't be so lazy!" Absolutely. If you can't be bothered to take the time to do your own research now (based on the posts/information on this forum) and then draw your own conclusions, just go buy a Kingsdown, S-Brand, or "Whatever-pedic". Then come back in a year or two when you're out $$$, and your mattress has failed to work out, and do the research then. |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
| that is so lovely of you. Nice to know this is a board full of members who enjoy sharing their knowledge with others. |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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in the time it took you to write a less than helpful post you could have typed 2-3 brands of toppers that I could have then done a more detailed search on (happily I might add to do my own research). I was just asking for a good starting point. Thanks again. sager66 wrote: Others may not agree that their time is less valuable than your own . . don't be so lazy! |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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"Nice to know this is a board full of members who enjoy sharing their knowledge with others." If you actually took the time to read posts from this forum, you would realize that is a very true statement (and not a facetious one).. |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
| i have spent more time perusing this board than you give me credit for. And yes, I can definitely identify some members who seem more than willing to share their knowlege. I do think it's a shame that as a new member I was received with a kind of negative attitude. Instead of perceiving me as an overwhelmed prospective buyer looking for some solid direction, you perceived me a lazy consumer unwilling to do any research. A poor, and unkind, assumption to make. |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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LPAD wrote: thanks. When you all suggest something with good springs, do you mean to avoid the "Big S" brands? What are some brands you would recommend? Why is Kingsdown a mistake specifically? I searched for toppers on this board but there are just too many posts to go through. Where to start with good brands of toppers? Why are the build-your-own foam beds so much better than the temperpedic or comforpedic? You don't necessarily have to avoid the S brands to get good springs, it's just that they may not have the best ones. You will have to do some research to find out who has good springs. Even the Big S springs are probably okay, but by looking closely at the various manufacturers' stats you can see the coil thickness and count and judge by that. DON'T get Simmons - the springs are fragile-ly tied and they tend to come to ruination easily. As to toppers, look at the Brylane thread here. Stick with topppers of 1" or so, that way they won't cause your back to sag and you can always buy 2 x 1" ones to TRY 2" and see if you like it then take one off if it's too much. Some like latex toppers, some like memory foam toppers and you can also just try PU or polyurethane toppers but they wont' last very long. Latex lasts 15-25 years generally. It doesn't matter where you buy the toppers, really, what matters is what they are made out of, as per above. Brylane has a great deal on a latex topper that some say is very soft. Memory foam can be found on many sites. I'd get the 5lb type or 4lb but not the 3lb. You can mix memory foam and latex but don't go over 2" of toppers - even that might be too much. Sometimes you can get 3/4" memory foam toppers. The reason I say "get good springs" is that when the bed no longer feels good, you can use an exacto knife to open up the top on 3 sides, pull out the crappy foam they put in there and replace it with good foam - HR foam or latex and/or memory foam. Never use more than 2" of memory foam - if that. It does not provide support. I don't care what Tempurpedic says. |
Re: can someone help me narrow my mattress choices? Kingsdown, Comforpedic, or Simmons Beautyrest
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LPAD, I agree that you were greeted with less than helpful and respectful responses. But it is really hard for anyone to make a very specific recommendation. We all have our nuanced opinions that may or may not be appropriate for you. You might not be able to find what you are looking for locally. You might be forced to look into buying from the internet unless you are lucky enough to live near a retailer that sells what you are looking for based on your research. If you are looking for positive recommendations and comments about mainstream brand mattresses, you probably came to the wrong place. Most people here would not recommend those kinds of mattresses - especially the three S brands. I've never heard of Kingsdown. Most people here would not recommend any mattress from Sealy, Simmons or Serta for a lot of reasons. Check out the reviews and forum discussions. My biased opinion is toward latex. There are a lot of threads about latex on this forum. You are generally young and healthy and don't seem to have any serious back problems, you probably can't go wrong with a good latex kit bed from a good manufacturer. You would most likely benefit from the ability to customize layers to your weight and preferences and to split the layers in case you like a different firmness than your husband does. You might also want to be careful about off gassing of memory foam and fire retardant chemicals with a new baby. Many people dislike how hot memory foam gets. A lot has been written about that here. You might want to read some of the recent Dunlop vs. Talalay threads. I am very biased toward Dunlop latex. Others prefer Talalay. You can read my "Savvy Rest report" thread and my review of our Savvy Rest Serenity mattress review in the review section. Savvy Rest does list local retailers that carry their mattresses on their web site at savvyrest.com. You might be close enough to a local retailer to try it and buy it locally. Many people here like FloBeds.com because they have a good layer exchange and return policy. They also sound like they have a very nice knit mattress cover. Check out FloBeds.com, SleepEZ.com, SavvyRest.com, http://thenaturalsleepstore.com/organic-mattress.html - many other sites that sell latex mattresses for information about kit beds. You might be able to find something local to try. I did not buy my mattress from this retailer but I found this description of how to choose a natural Dunlop mattress helpful: "Most customers seem very happy with a soft/med/firm layering (the mattress arrives with a zip-cover and 3 layers, so you can put whatever layer you want on top, rotating the layers to find the softness that feels best). If you wake up feeling sore or if you sleep on your side, you likely need a soft layer on top to relieve pressure points. Light-weight people also usually need a softer mattress (due to not having enough weight to allow the mattress to mold to the body shape and relieve pressure points). My sister and I both like the soft-soft-medium layering best for ourselves (we are in the 100-150 lb range and suffered from back-aches in the past when we used innerspring mattresses). Our husbands weigh more and prefer a firmer mattress for their side of the bed, for example soft-med-firm (at 180 lbs) or med-med-firm layering (at 220 lbs). Generally larger people will need firmer mattresses than lighter weight people (something that feels soft/squishy to a 220 lb person can feel really hard/firm to a 100 lb person). The queen and king size mattresses can be ordered with split-layering (different layering on one side compared to the other). If you'd like that option, please just let us know after ordering (it's no extra charge). The split layering offers the greatest flexibility for changing the firmness once the mattress is at your house (you can rotate the layers around until you find the softness that works best on each side of the bed). " |