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I've done a little research, but still very new to the "art" of buying a decent bed. Almost bought one of s-brand ones, but canceled it after doing some research. The only hesitation I have about memory foam is that I am usually pretty sensitive to hot temperatures in a mattress, and also I am about 110 to 120 lbs, which I also read may give me some issues with high density foam. Any recommendations from people about where I should even begin with my search? Brands and models of what I should purchase would be extra helpful. Thanks |
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What is your budget and what size mattress? The problem you will find is that any of the less expensive (and even the more expensive) innersprings is that they use junky foam. So, it may not be the most comfortable and it will lose support over time (sometimes fairly quickly). Of ones I have tried (but not owned), I liked the Stearns & Foster Estate luxury firm. They are a bit expensive though, especially if you don't get a good sale. The older models got bad reviews because they started to sag over time. I am not sure if they have fixed that problem. Sealy has interlinked coils which should provide a firmer surface, but may not be as comfortable for a side sleeper. In my experience, the most support will be on the ones with the most coils. They will cost more, and even the most expensive ones will have some junky foam in it. One strategy is to get the firmest one and add an 1-3" topper (latex or memory foam) to get the right comfort. I slept on a newer Sealy innerspring recently and even that get pretty warm. I am coming to the conclusion that any type of foam at the top level will retain heat, and the more you sink into it the more you will feel it. The old style innersprings did not use much foam (if any), so they sleep fairly cool but are not that comfortable. Have you considered all latex? Or is that too expensive? So, there is no easy solution. Costco has innersprings and memory foam beds, that you can at least return if you don't like. One poster really liked the 10" Sleep Science at Costco, and said it did not get too hot. I tried 1 of the 14" (same maker) and I don't remember getting overly hot, but it was too firm for me (and too thick for toppers). |
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sandman wrote: What is your budget and what size mattress? The problem you will find is that any of the less expensive (and even the more expensive) innersprings is that they use junky foam. So, it may not be the most comfortable and it will lose support over time (sometimes fairly quickly). Of ones I have tried (but not owned), I liked the Stearns & Foster Estate luxury firm. They are a bit expensive though, especially if you don't get a good sale. The older models got bad reviews because they started to sag over time. I am not sure if they have fixed that problem. Sealy has interlinked coils which should provide a firmer surface, but may not be as comfortable for a side sleeper. In my experience, the most support will be on the ones with the most coils. They will cost more, and even the most expensive ones will have some junky foam in it. One strategy is to get the firmest one and add an 1-3" topper (latex or memory foam) to get the right comfort. I slept on a newer Sealy innerspring recently and even that get pretty warm. I am coming to the conclusion that any type of foam at the top level will retain heat, and the more you sink into it the more you will feel it. The old style innersprings did not use much foam (if any), so they sleep fairly cool but are not that comfortable. Have you considered all latex? Or is that too expensive? So, there is no easy solution. Costco has innersprings and memory foam beds, that you can at least return if you don't like. One poster really liked the 10" Sleep Science at Costco, and said it did not get too hot. I tried 1 of the 14" (same maker) and I don't remember getting overly hot, but it was too firm for me (and too thick for toppers). Thanks for the post. This is helpful. My primary concern with all latex is not cost (even though it is expensive), but my idea of what latex will feel like is for some reason not that good. I have been unable to so far find a place where I test a latex only bed. Plus, flobeds is seemingly too complicated for me. I work 5 days a week, 9 to 7, so it's hard for me to wait around to receive packages and figure out how to "assemble" a mattress or what not. Maybe I'm over thinking this... So, right now I am thinking of a firm innerspring (any thoughts on brand and model that would be good but not too expensive?) with a latex topper of some sort. That would allow me to get the coil support I'm used to with an added layer of comfort from latex. And, this also seems to me would be the easiest solution. So, any recommendations on an s-brand firm (but not ultra firm, I don't think I could handle that, even with a topper) |
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If you have done your homework then you know from reading this form that many people have gone through the same process that you're going through. I almost purchased a Stearns and Foster all latex mattress. But after doing my research I came to the conclusion that one of the online stores that offered exchanges and a full return of money if I didn't like the mattress, would be a far superior experience. This of course necessitated that I made arrangements to be home to receive the mattress and go through the process of putting it together and sleep testing it. But when you're talking about $2500-$3000 for a mattress ( California King) then having to put myself out was worth it to me. The biggest single thing is what kind of firmness level is going to work best for you. Again, if you have done your research on this forum, you know that many people have a difficult time ascertaining what is going to actually be the best configuration for them. Some people come to this conclusion easily, quickly and simply. There are many of the rest of us, who do not. Where ever you purchase your mattress you want to be darn sure that they have a good return policy, and best of all if they have an exchange policy. What ever you pay for a mattress, can become very expensive very quickly, if you don't like it and they won't take it back, or exchange it for another mattress. Think about it. This message was modified Jan 19, 2010 by eagle2
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eagle2 wrote: If you have done your homework then you know from reading this form that many people have gone through the same process that you're going through. I almost purchased a Stearns and Foster all latex mattress. But after doing my research I came to the conclusion that one of the online stores that offered exchanges and a full return of money if I didn't like the mattress, would be a far superior experience. This of course necessitated that I made arrangements to be home to receive the mattress and go through the process of putting it together and sleep testing it. But when you're talking about $2500-$3000 for a mattress ( California King) then having to put myself out was worth it to me. The biggest single thing is what kind of firmness level is going to work best for you. Again, if you have done your research on this forum, you know that many people have a difficult time ascertaining what is going to actually be the best configuration for them. Some people come to this conclusion easily, quickly and simply. There are many of the rest of us, who do not. Where ever you purchase your mattress you want to be darn sure that they have a good return policy, and best of all if they have an exchange policy. What ever you pay for a mattress, can become very expensive very quickly, if you don't like it and they won't take it back, or exchange it for another mattress. Think about it. That makes sense and will help me come to a decision on what to try. Thanks, I'll update this thread after some more research. |
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I think it is hard to recommend any one of the S brands over the other. However, I would avoid Spring Air since they seem to have the worst reviews. Sealy came out slightly ahead. Orignal mattress factory, Denver mattress and Simmons were the top 3 rated innerspring brands in consumer reports. I think the first decision would be pocketed coils vs. interlaced (connected together). In theory, pocketed will conform more to your body, so they might be more comfortable. However, they may also be more likely to shift and lose support. Most pillowtops will lose support over time, so usually best to avoid those. You probably need to go to a store (I found that Macy's had a pretty good selection in my area) and see what you like. I tended to like S&F, Simmons and Sealy (in that order), but I have not tried many other brands. I wouldn't buy the cheapest Simmons or Sealy, since they don't seem to have as good support as their more expensive ones. You may want to look at us-mattress.com to see what goes into the different mattresses at different price levels. They also have their own comfort rating and some consumer reviews as well. Since they all seem to use lower quality foam in the low to mid priced versions, you are almost better to cut the top off and replace it with higher quality foam (mainly latex). However, you have to be pretty adventurous to do that. That will add to the cost as well. Otherwise a customizable latex bed is probably going to be one of your best options to get the comfort and support you want. If you have no idea of what type firmness will work best, then a place like flobeds is a good option since you can exchange layers and return the whole thing if you don't like it. Yes, it can be a bit of a hassle and expensive. I have found this to be the hardest item to purchase of anything (short of a house). This message was modified Feb 26, 2010 by a moderator
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Slides wrote: So, any recommendations on an s-brand firm (but not ultra firm, I don't think I could handle that, even with a topper) I have the stearns and Foster Ultra firm estate series (the new and improved S&F). It's really firm. My wife (about your size, and prefers soft )could not take the firmness of it. However, she loved it with the 3" soft memory foam I was referring to earlier. But of course I didn't like the memory foam, so like I said, we're switching to latex. In other words, I think with the right softness of latex/foam you could probably handle an ultra firm mattress. |
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I layed on the S&F Ultra firm and it was very solid. I knew that it would be too firm to sleep on as is, but the luxury firm might have been okay for me as is. Aspear, maybe you need to make the topper different on each side? Might be kind of wierd, but memory foam on 1 half and latex on the other half. |