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Got your attention! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, I actually AM considering trying something more along the lines of a traditional S brand bed, if not an actual S brand. Why? There are a number of reasons. I visited my family recently and so slept on 4 different beds: 1) My mom's pull-out couch. This consisted of some flexible wire with about 3" of crappy foam on top. I thought, "Oh my god! I'm going to wake up unable to move in the morning!" I slept on it a total of about 4 nights. I actually woke up less sore than with my own "scientifically designed" DIY latex plus springs mattress. Was it comfy? No. But it did not hurt my back. 2) My sister's "Symbol Rest" mattress. I'm not sure of the model, I will try to find out today and edit this post. It appeared to be a normal S Co. type pillow top but only about 1½ inch of pillowtop, not a thick one. She said it was about 3 years old and she sleeps on it periodically, not every night, but she weighs around 250lb. I could not find any specs on it but will try to find it on the net after I confirm the name with her today or soon. I slept LIKE A DREAM on this mattress! I slept deeply and without ANY pain when I woke up in the a.m. It was amazing. I did write down what it said it was, but I lost the paper. 3) My Dad's and step-mom's mattress. I slept good on that too but not as good as the above. I didn't even check to see what it was but I'm quite sure it is at least 9 years old and an SCo mattress. 4) My younger sister's SCo mattress. I THINK it might be a Spring Air. I'll ask. It was hard as a rock and I did not sleep well on it at all. What did I learn from all this? Well I'm not sure but I think the lesson here is that I need a SOFTER mattress, probably softer springs. I think my springs (12 gauge) are too firm for me. I think that the fact that I could actually sleep on that sofa bed, and not wake up sore, with just soft wire underneath a 3" pu foam mattress shows that soft "springs" under me feels better than firm springs under me. I am going to try to find out what kind and gauge of springs my sister's bed has, and see if I can buy the same mattress or one similar to it when I get the $. Then at least I'll have the right springs and can do mattress surgery on it when it breaks down. Oh, and one other thing: I did NOT have my weepy eyes problem that I mentioned here some time back, while sleeping on these other beds. While the problem still could be dust mites in my bedroom I am somewhat doubtful that it is mites because my family does not use anti-mite encasings and in some cases these were old mattresses so I'm sure they have as many mites as we have. My new theory is that I am allergic to latex or memory foam. I'm not sure which yet but I tried sleeping with a "regular" pillow instead of my latex and memory foam pillow at home and that made no difference, but maybe it's the massiveness of the latex or memory foam layer I am using that affects me more than the pillow? I don't know. All I know is that it is SOMEthing in our bedroom causing it, because I did not experience the weepy eyes while visiting my family. This message was modified Apr 29, 2010 by jimsocal
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I'll be waiting to hear what your sister's bed is. On another note, I would be very suspicious of off-gassing memory foam for your weepy eyes. Either that, or there is some plant/tree in your yard/neighbrohood that is the culprit. My husband's allergies always lessen when we go somewhere different - it's a sensitization thing - even though we keep our house well-dusted and beds well vacuumed. Diane |
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Don't forget about mold as a possible cause of your weepy eyes. That is an all-to-common problem in homes and apartments these days.
And, BTW, we also chose an S brand for our new bed. Serta Vera Wang Latex Firm. I'll post my initial impressions when it arrives in 7 - 10 working days, and a follow-up review after sleeping on it for a while. This message was modified Apr 25, 2010 by garypen
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| Thanks for the possible causes of weepy eyes... I guess I'll have to try to eliminate things one by one, but it's hard to do... |
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Okay, I found where I wrote down the bed I liked at my sister's house. It is a Symbol Rest. That is all the info I have. I am not sure which model it is, but I am betting it's the top one at this web site: http://207.59.38.211/products/noFlip.htm It could be the one at the top of the page, the Ultimate Plush. The only other one I think it might be is the Regular Pillow top, the next to last one on the page. I am betting it is the top one with the Double Offset coils which might explain why I like it better than my Bonnell coils. However the other one I think it could be does have Bonnell coils. I will try to get further info from my sister but knowing her, she won't know anything about it. I have to wonder if the mattress really felt that great or if I was just extra tired from having slept on my mom's sofa couch on previous nights. But my guess would be that yes, this mattress did feel good. As to whether or not this mattress would last, I am doubtful that it is really made any better than most other S Co type mattresses. From looking at the site I do not see any reason to believe their mattresses are made substantially better. And in any case, they do not have stores on the West coast so I could not get one anyway. But I could probably approximate their coils with another mattress, though, interestingly, they do MAKE THEIR OWN COILS, which is unusual. They also make a latex mattress that looks interesting. They don't list prices but I would assume it would be lower than most because it uses an Omalon base with a latex top layer(s). Omalon is a long-lasting, pre-stressed type of HR or HD foam. I would think, though, that this would be VERY firm especially if they are using Dunlop or perhaps some kind of synthetic latex which I imagine they are because if not they'd be crowing about their Talalay. Omalon is very firm and dense. |
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Yeah, you got MY attention, LOL! I like the feel of offset coils over Bonnel coils myself. I found that out when I went out of town a couple of summers ago. Just a different feel, like being cradled. I think Leggett and Platt make these springs too. Should be available all over the US. You want springs that allow you to sink, but also be supportive I'd think. Does no good to be hard as a rock. I slept on a pull out at my parent's house before...it had a cross frame piece that was higher than the rest of the bed, right across the middle. It was painful. Good luck. Kait |
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jimsocal wrote: Okay, I found where I wrote down the bed I liked at my sister's house. It is a Symbol Rest. That is all the info I have. I am not sure which model it is, but I am betting it's the top one at this web site:
http://207.59.38.211/products/noFlip.htm It could be the one at the top of the page, the Ultimate Plush. The only other one I think it might be is the Regular Pillow top, the next to last one on the page. I am betting it is the top one with the Double Offset coils which might explain why I like it better than my Bonnell coils. However the other one I think it could be does have Bonnell coils. I will try to get further info from my sister but knowing her, she won't know anything about it. I have to wonder if the mattress really felt that great or if I was just extra tired from having slept on my mom's sofa couch on previous nights. But my guess would be that yes, this mattress did feel good. As to whether or not this mattress would last, I am doubtful that it is really made any better than most other S Co type mattresses. From looking at the site I do not see any reason to believe their mattresses are made substantially better. And in any case, they do not have stores on the West coast so I could not get one anyway. But I could probably approximate their coils with another mattress, though, interestingly, they do MAKE THEIR OWN COILS, which is unusual. They also make a latex mattress that looks interesting. They don't list prices but I would assume it would be lower than most because it uses an Omalon base with a latex top layer(s). Omalon is a long-lasting, pre-stressed type of HR or HD foam. I would think, though, that this would be VERY firm especially if they are using Dunlop or perhaps some kind of synthetic latex which I imagine they are because if not they'd be crowing about their Talalay. Omalon is very firm and dense. So, what is it that you think makes this mattress better for you? Looks like it has more coils that yours. Probably thinner gauge. It looks like they are interlaces and offset (double offset- whatever that means). Not sure what exaclty goes over the springs, but maybe you can call them to find out? Sealy seems like one brand that has more, thinner, interlaced, offset springs compared to your Englander. So, maybe that is the closest of the S brands. Possibly the Symbol Rest uses better foams than the S brands. |
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Kait, I was amazed that I did NOT wake up sore from the pull-out couch/mattress! I found that by positioning my body just right it actually gave me proper support! Sounds crazy I know, and certainly it was not comfortable because during the night I'd have to constantly re-position myself to keep from putting my weight over a cross-bar as you said. But I actually woke up less sore from that than from some configurations of my DIY mattress! Again, I think it boils down to my needing softer springs. I now realize (or at least think I realize) that I bought the wrong kind of springs for me. My decision was logical and researched and based on my experience with an Englander mattress in a Vegas hotel that was comfy. However, now I have to conclude that my springs are too firm for me (12 gauge or is it 12.5 - I forget). So yeah, Sandman, I think this experience with the Symbol Rest double(?) offset coils system shows that I need that type of spring, and I will do more research on trying to find out more about this specific mattress. I have been meaning to call my sister the past few days but haven't gotten around to it. I hope she can find a label on the mattress or perhaps her invoice that might show at least which exact model it was. Then, maybe I can find that type of spring in a similar bed. They say they make their own coils unfortunately so that may make it hard to duplicate but if they'll give me the specs on the coils maybe I can find something more or less equivalent. It's not an emergency because right now we just cannot afford to buy new springs. But when we do get some $, I want to be ready to buy the right set of springs. Who knows I might even find a mattress I like with those springs that won't need surgery. (Doubtful though.) |