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I have been reading this forum the past few weeks trying to gather information to purchase a new bed since our 2 year old Simmons Beautyrest has been killing our backs for about a year now. Same story with sagging that you've all heard before. So like most of you, I am gun-shy to make another expensive purchase to end up in the same boat again. Right now our options are: Floor model Tempurpedic Bellafina-good price, no returns. That scares me since we've never had a foam mattress before and may not like it. I have several friends along with my sister who all love theirs but of course everyone is different. Serta Serenity Latex bed- can get pretty decent price on this one. It is described as 4" latex, 2.5" memory foam, convaluted foam and soy based PU. It has a 30 year warranty for even a 5/8" dip or sag and of course the comfort guaranty will apply as well. Flobeds - I have researched this option since so many people here have had such good results. My husband is not wild about not having any idea what an all latex mattress would feel like along with ordering online and dealing with returns should that be necessary. Lastly the cost is the highest. My husband and I are not big people. I'm 5'1" 100 lbs, he's 5'9" 160 lbs., mostly side sleepers although on our current bed we toss and turn into every position imaginable. He gets lower back pain only from sleeping which goes away shortly after he gets up. This is what prompted the last new mattress purchase. I never had any pain at all but now wake with back pain from the Simmons. I know these are very different options but we HAVE to make some kind of decision soon as we can't take it anymore. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this Serta latex bed. I am wary of the S brand beds as well, but it sure sounds like they are improving in an effort to compete. Any thoughts? This message was modified Jul 29, 2009 by nightnight
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My thoughts are, Forget the Serta. Latex is expensive, period. Even at rock-bottom online discounters like FBM, its still about $100 per inch (E.King.). The point, is that these "S" guys put a wee-bit of latex into a mattress, then throw in a bunch of el-cheap-o grade PU foam so you will be oooed and ahhhed at the showroom by how "its like sleeping on a cloud". But oh, it has latex in it so it must be great because I heard of all these wonderful things about latex! Make no mistake, all of that PU foam will be shot in a year (this includes the convaluted and MF -- its all PU). 5/8" is a huge amount of sag with nobody laying in the bed. This is high-profit-margin marketing at its finest. The Tempur and FloBeds are excellent choices. I was reminded of the quality of Tempur MF this weekend while at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. They had Tempur pillows for $99, and I was testing out the foam. Wow are they in a totally different league from all of the other MF I've ever felt. I was in your same position about 9 months ago. I decided to DIY and am happy with the result, though there are a few minor things I plan to tweak in the future. Same as your husband, I was not familiar with latex and was skeptical. If I had to get a new bed right now, I would very much consider the FloBed. One of the nice things about latex, is that if you indeed determine that you just don't like the springy "boinginess" of it, you can put a CuddleBed, some MF, or convaluted foam over top of it to dampen that effect. FloBeds uses a top layer of convaluted latex, so if you went that route I doubt the springiness would be an issue. |
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Thank you SO MUCH for your reply. I just saw that your are in Cypress, TX...me too! We might shop at the same Bed, Bath and Beyond :) (I'm in there on a regular basis). You actually have confirmed my gut feeling on the Serta, not to mention my husband doesn't really want to buy from this same particular place we bought the Simmons from. The Tempurpedic is pretty tempting too. Gosh it is totally ridiculous that it is this hard to find a good bed that will last and give you comfort, not to mention the outrageous cost of it all. I have to wonder what is everyone sleeping on and how are they comfortable? All of our friends are like "what's the big deal? Just go buy a new bed!" Ugh! I will discuss the Flobeds option with him some more tonight. It seems like we have really reached the point where we can't hardly stand even one more night on the bed we have. He is ready to go pick up one NOW. |
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Well howdy neighbor! Yeah, the BBBY on 290 & Spring Cypress is the place. Incidentally, they have talalay latex pillows there for the ridiculously low price of $24 if you use your 20% off coupon. I'm so intrigued by what it would be like sleeping on one that I'll probably go back and get one. At that price if it doesn't work out, then no big deal. Beds are crazy, no doubt about it. Used to be that you could get a decent flippable coil mattress, throw one of those eggcrate toppers on it (and change it out every year), and you were set. Then the pillowtop craze set in and they started making them insanely fluffy. Then on top of that, I really believe that you cannot judge a bed until you have actually slept on it for at least 3 nights. I feel your pain -- been there, done that. All the stories here, and many stories from my friends, family, and co-workers -- are very similar to yours. I've gotten so jaded about the typical "S" brand mattresses that I really don't even consider them an option. My experience with memory foam is that it is just too HOT for where we live. Even with the AC going during the spring/summer/fall its just not cool enough. I worry that Tempur could be worse since it is VERY dense compared to all other MF. My opinion is based just on sleeping on MF toppers, not Tempur. But Mattress Mack sells a LOT of Tempur beds and that many people can't be wrong. And it sounds like you personally know several people that like it too. If you are ok shelling out $2000-$3000 (I assume you want E.King) I think FloBeds is a great idea. But, that much money sure would buy a lot of Ambien too  . I really think more people should sleep on latex, but its a tough sell because frankly as soon as people hear "latex" it turns them off.During Hurricane Ike my parents came up from Friendswood to "hunker down" at our place in Coles Crossing. The day before landfall my first order from FoamByMail had arrived for my big ol' slab of Lux-HQ and some HD36. They had their choice of sleeping on that (on the floor) or in a queen sized guest bed. They wanted to try out this very-firm foam, so we threw on a fitted mattress pad and some sheets. The next day they were amazed at how well they slept (hurricane fast approaching, mind you!), and their usual back and neck aches and all that were not there. I think it was then that they realized their big fluffy pillowtop bed at home was the root of their problems and not just old age. You can make yourself crazy trying to decide what kind of bed is for you. It's even worse if you decide to DIY (OMG all the foam types, densities, ILDs, etc!!!). I really believe that by avoiding the status quo "S" brand mattress out there, you're destined for success, regardless of the route you choose. Sure, it may take a few tweaks, but before long you'll be a bed snob and everyone will be so annoyed by how much you like your bed and how you always complain whenever you have to sleep anywhere else. Good Luck! Let us know what you do... (even if you cave and get the Serta :) |
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Small world for sure. We have friends in Coles Crossing but we live near Jones & Grant. Thanks for the tip on the latex pillows. I would love to try them out! I think pillows are pretty important too and I'm picky about mine since my neck can hurt on the wrong pillow. We too have become very jaded about the S brands due to our current situation and it sure sounds like we are not alone. I am very intrigued about the latex beds for many reasons...the natural aspect, being hypoallergenic, not having as many chemicals etc. We both have allergies so that is a concern as well. I am going to read through and see what all you've used to build your bed. Sounds like you are very happy with the outcome. That is a pretty big testament that your parents loved it so much with ole Ike approaching. That certainly was a stressful time. And you are totally right about making myself crazy trying to figure out what to buy. You just have no way of knowing until you sleep on something how it is going to feel and it's a lot of money to be throwing around, especially since we paid a lot for the crappy mattress we have now just 2 years ago. I will certainly let you know which way we go. I really appreciate this forum for educating me and letting me know we are not crazy and not the only ones out there who have experienced being ripped off by the big mattress companies ;( |