Mattress Forum

I had never really researched beds before I bought them in the past.  I just went into the store, and let the salesman tell me what he thought was a good mattress for the money.  This time out, I wanted to find something that I liked the feel of.  I started off looking at innerspring mattresses with pillow tops.  Several of my coworkers have Tempurpedics and had nothing but good things to say about them, so I was interested in finding out more about them too.  While researching memory foam, I also ended up reading a lot about latex (Talalay and Dunlap).  I liked what I read about the latex ones, and saw a few nice online sites.  I read that natural real rubber was better and lasted longer than polyurethane foam mattresses.  I came close to ordering one, but couldn't bring myself to do it without getting to test one out in person before buying.  But, it made me look for anything labeled latex as I looked for a bed. 

So, while I was in one store trying out the plushest pillow tops, I layed on some Dr Breus beds.  Wow!  Talk about the weightless soft feeling that some mattresses brag about.  I loved the way the Dr. Breus Monogram Gold felt.  And then a salesman came up and told me that it was made of Talalay foam with a natural foam core.  A soy based foam....  In hind site, soy based doesn't even make sense.  Foam made from rubber does. 

I bought the Dr. Breus and couldn't wait to sleep on it.  When I got it, I thought it didn't feel like the one in the store.  I was disapointed.  I went back to the store and laid on the floor model again, and told my salesman what I thought.  He assured me that it would feel the same after I broke mine in.  So, I went back home to try it out some more.  While doing so, I looked at the tag.  I know I should have done that while I was in the store, and everyone that read this thread knows what I saw there.  Over 70% Polyurethane.  To me that meant that it was a much cheaper bed to make than it was being sold for.  And, the value of the bed means something to me too.  I felt like I paid more than it was worth, and it didn't feel the same as the floor model.  But, at least it has the 15 year warranty.  And I had 60 days to make sure I was happy with it. 

After one month I could feel an impression in the spot I slept in.  If I took off the sheets and mattress cover there was no visible impression.  It was just something I felt when I laid on it.  So, when it comes to warranty issues, do they measure visible sags or ones you can feel?  My guess was that this bed could have invisible impressions and might not be covered under warranty.  Just a guess on my part.  But, regardless, I knew I didn't want it if I was feeling this in one month.

I returned mine.  I don't think it was made of good material.  It didn't feel like the one in the store.  And I felt an impression where I slept.  I had also written a couple emails to Dr Breus web site, and to International Bedding asking for more detail on the construction.  I didn't get any answers, but International Bedding site did acknowledge reciept of my email.

But, it's also a polyurethane foam bed.  The tag on my Tempur-Pedic says 56% Visco Elastic Polyurethane Foam and 43% Polyurethane Foam.

I haven't had it as long as the Dr Breus bed yet, no complaints yet, and I don't think I'm going to feel an impression in less than a month like I did with the Breus.

While I'm a newby to this forum and as well as the DIY mattress symposium, I would like to offer my comments on the matter. If the customer is sold any product by misleading means then the seller has a responsibility to make said product right by the customer. That means a refund of the full price or some recompense depending on the customer's wishes. I would like to state, that I recently purchased one of these beds. I've been sleeping on a wave less-water bed for nearly 30 years. While they provide good support the minuses became too much. So I went looking for a new mattress that would offer the same support as a water bed mattress as well as allow me to keep the expensive frame and headboard from the waterbed. For those not in the know concerning water beads and their foundation systems, I would like to provide some insight. I have two sets of draws under a very substantial frame. The frame consists of 3 sections of 1/2" ply with 4 2"x8" wood sides attached to the plywood.

So I had to have a replacement solution that not only provided a similar experience to a waterbed (comfort and support) but allow me to insert the mattress into the existing waterbed frame. Once I determined the frame size was a Cal King, I then tried to find the appropriate mattress.

Mattress shopping is akin to root canals and media blitzing. Every mattress store had the best solution. Even though the customer can see a varied selection, it's extremely hard, if not impossible to compare apples to apples. Finally after 4 days of hard shopping I found a place that was willing to try and provide me with the needed information to allow me to make a somewhat educated decision.

I bought, for better or worse, a Dr Breus bed. The sales person didn't try to sell me the bed as a total latex bed solution. I was told what comprised mattress content and allowed to make the decision based on those facts. I understood the purchase and was afforded a price similar to a higher end coiled system bed. So I don't feel I was sold a pig-in-a-poke.

Should I find this system doesn't meet my needs. I'll return it for a refund and look into designing a latex style mattress. I'm not sure that I have a problem with utilizing other foams in conjunction with latex to keep the costs down while providing the best comfort for the least amount of time and resources spent (best bang for my buck).

So I would like some constructive feedback from the varied cornucopia of knowledge contained by the folks on this forum.

The wife and I are back and side sleepers. Were both passed middle age and I'm over 6” tall. She is only 5” 6”. We've grown into what most folks call the late middle aged form. I've always been a large guy (played the line in football).

Thanks and sorry for possible being to verbose.....

Your bed must be really tall sitting on that water bed platform with drawers underneath?  I picture your wife needing a ladder to get on the bed.  All the Dr Breus beds I saw were very thick.  I got the low profile foundation when I got mine, and it was still pretty tall on my standard bed frame. 

And you mentioned not being sure about utilizing other foams in conjunction with latex to keep costs down.....  I think you've already made that plunge when you bought the Dr Breus bed.  That's what they do in the construction of their bed, only they don't keep the cost down for the customer.  So, you'll know first hand if you decide to build your own later.

Good luck with your new bed.

Well here is my report after nearly a week in my new Dr. Brues bed. As I previously stated my water bed went south for the final time (began leaking like a sieve). After paying nearly $200 to have the WB mattress pumped down and the old hard side frame connected to the drawers, we were nearly ready for the new mattress. I went in and stapled some inserts to protect the new bed from the existing brackets (used to secure the 8" side boards together as well as connect the frame to the platform).

We took delivery last Saturday. The bed fit like a glove in the existing WB hard side frame. The top of the mattress is about 2 to 3 inches above the existing frame. We put on the mattress cover and laid on the bed for a while to see how it felt. The mattress is firmer than the one in the store. I have to wonder if that is partially because of the frame as it extends most of the way up the sides of the mattress. This doesn't allow the bed to extend horizontally as with typical beds when you lay down.

My grown up son ran in and jumped onto the new mattress expecting the same amount of give as the WB. Was he surprised. It did cushion the attach but didn't give nearly as much as the WB. So we heard a muffled groan from him. He did say that he liked the mattress selection. My grown daughter has tried the new mattress as well. We nearly had to drag her off the bed. She wants one also.

We've sleep well in the bed and my wife, while a little over 5' 6” is able to get into the bed. I don't have nearly as much trouble as I'm nearly 6' 2”. Although, we've a lot of practice since we've had the Water Bed nearly 30 years. The new mattress is breaking in and is conforming more to our distinct body types. I do have a 3” high density memory foam topper we purchased years ago to go on top of the water bed. The topper allowed us to get rid of that nasty electric heater that is mostly required to keep the water bed to a decent temp. Should the mattress not be as comfortable as we like, we'll utilize the memory foam topper.

The wife seems to be sleeping well as she hasn't been getting up in the middle of the night and seems to be sleeping until the alarm goes off. I'm still evaluating the comfort. I have problems sleeping due to a couple of herniated disk in my lower back. I do notice that I'm not as sore in the mornings.

I'm still experimenting with pillow selection. I'm having some neck discomfort and am contemplating some other options. I would appreciate any feed back concerning pillows for a mainly back sleeper. We've tried memory memory foam and don't like them. I'm currently using a memory foam pillow to pad my desk chair. It seem to work well for my butt but not for my head....LOL

I will keep all apprised on how things work out with the bed as time goes along. I will consider a purely latex mattress should this one fail to meet our standards.

Regina,

Well, the mattress is doing well. This past weekend we put a 3” memory foam topper on the bed. It was a left over from the water bed. It has made the bed a little softer without making it to soft. The wife and I are have less back problems and as I stated the wife is sleeping through the night until the alarm goes off.

My situation may be a little different than most. Since I had a plywood platform and 8” two bys for sides, this keeps the mattress from squishing out the side as it would on the showroom. I believe this tends to make the mattress a little firmer than when we tested it. The topper doesn't seem to make the bed sleep hotter than just the mattress. We are in Texas with record heat.

So far I would recommend this bed to others. My grown kids keep hinting about wanting one as well.

It's only been a week and a few days but there doesn’t seem to be any deforming of the mattress. The wife and I aren't light weights and with me being over 6 feet, the bed gets a workout. I'm a displaced IT person and have been out of work for a good while. Also, with my lower back problems (2 herniated disks) I found that I have to lay down during the day to unload my back. The mattress is great to lay down and relax even on my stomach.

The problems I see is that mattress selection seems to be such a personal thing. Everyone seems to want their selection to be the panacea to rid them of their maladies. I believe, for folks that need different recipes for comfort, are better off with the latex mattress companies. They seem to offer a way to dial in your comfort needs. The major bedding manufacturers tend to try and apply a few formulas to reach the general public. While I seem to be able to get a mattress manufactured to my specs from the small guy, at a reasonable price, it's hard for the average consumer to visualize as well as experience the Best Night's Sleep”. It seems it takes some trial and effort. So if you have the time, resources, and aren't easily dissuaded by the attempts go for the varied mattress companies referred to by this forum.

As for now, I'm sticking with the Dr. Breus. I'l try and keep folks apprised as time goes on.

Sorry for the soap box......

Many of the people on this forum are like you have have physical issues and are looking for help finding a bed that will fit their special needs.

Mattress shopping is extremely subjective.

I hope the Dr. B works out for you in the long run.