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Hi. Got a Simmons BackGuard last week after returning an NXG 250 Firm which turned out to be both too soft and too hard at the same time (butt sank too much, back was pulling while shoulders were in pain and arms went numb). The BackGuard has zones (thinner coils under hips and shoulders and very firm for lumbar support) that I can distinguished with my ribs when I lay on my side after a minute or so (I weigh 250 lbs). Every morning, I wake up in pain (shoulders, ribs, back) so I'm looking for a topper but don't want to go overbaord to avoid making it too soft. Budget is limited so I'm leaning toward Foambymail latex topper. Don't know if I should go for 20 or 32 ILD. Any advice? Also, does anybody know how bad will their topper smell? How long before it dissipates? This message was modified Dec 7, 2010 by ZZZZ
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Went back a second time and felt way too soft so I gave up on the Goose Bay. It strange how your judgment can get affected by stress, pain and anxiety. I couldn't believe I had found it comfortable the first time. I now fear that I can't even trust myself to pick a mattress anymore. Oh! The agony... Our last mattress, which lasted almost 20 years, was a Simmons and they use pocket coils, which is why I tend to check them out more. My plan B is still to get the firm Classic. I know it wouldn't last very long but I could be sleeping on it 24 hours after purchasing it and it can be had for about 650, which is still a lot of money for 3 or 4 years of use but it would solve my problem quickly. Been diagnosed with two herniated discs this morning. Didn't come as a big surprise but still, not pleasant news to hear. I finally gave up on the Backguard two nights ago and been sleeping on an el cheapo inflatable mattress in the basement. Much better! Probably inflated a tad too much because my hips are sore but my back isn't killing me as much, although still very painful. At least, there is no hump. I won't be able to keep this set up much longer though, since we are expecting guests next week. I checked out Matelas Bourck this afternoon. Very nice little place. They have a mattress that could be of interest in their Classic series. http://www.matelasbourck.qc.ca/classique.html It's the President. Two-sided, 608 coils, only one inch of 2.2 lb poly on each side. Extra-firm. I wouldn't be able to sleep on it as is (even my wife found it way too hard) but it would make a solid base. It's affodable (around 840) and covered with an excellent warranty. The owner says he's been making them for 20 years and it used to be the best mattress he had. He only changed the fabric on top. Will keep looking. |
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Now you're getting much closer. Even the polyfoam they are using is much higher quality which means more durable both in terms of how long it keeps it's qualities and how long it lasts. This is one of the reasons I like smaller manufacturers because when they do use poly, it will usually be of much higher quality ... and/or they can tell you exactly what to expect from it. This would be much more suitable for adding layers for comfort purposes. I don't know if this is the best option available as my ability to read some of the sites is a little limited (I can get a sense of them in french but not every detail) and none of them have any prices attached. I did notice though that a retail store I was looking at had dreameasy mattresses and they also seemed to be a reasonable option within your general budget and had some (about 2") of latex on what seemed like HR foam on top of coils ... although they didn't have all the construction details. I get a sense that some of the others also have some very high quality mattresses but without seeing their prices either on their site or at a retail outlet that carries them I just don't know where they fit in terms of price. I also tend to find that the advice that comes from the smaller manufacturers is often (though not always) much better so if I was in your shoes I would probably call them and explain your back issues including the problems you had with your previous mattress ... tell them your budget ... and see what they say. I have found that I accomplish on the phone in an hour of preliminary calling what it would otherwise take many hours to do. It would probably help you target where to go and save you quite a bit of time. The more specific your questions, including their prices, the better the information you will get. Once you have a sense of the prices on a few mattresses, the rest of the website or at least similar mattresses tends to be easier to predict. You would likely get a pretty clear picture fairly quickly which ones offer the best value. Phoenix This message was modified Nov 24, 2010 by Phoenix
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Talked back to him today and he offers to replace the 2 x 0.5 inches of 2.2 lbs foam with 1.5 inch of Talalay latex, ILD 36 on each side. That would bring the price up by 360 dollars, so it would be 1200$. The only other thing in the mattress, except for the coils and the surface quilting is a full felt and and then another piece of felt for the center 1/3 of the mattress to reinforce the lumbar and center area. Obviously, I can’t try the mattress before it will be made so what do you think? Would that make it too soft, just right or still too hard? A mattress is already a blind purchase but a mattress that you can't even try is an act of faith! This message was modified Nov 24, 2010 by ZZZZ
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I believe that is would be much more appropriate than what you were previously considering and it is unlikely that it would be too hard (36 is quite firm for an upper layer but there are people here that think it's perfect). If it was too hard it would certainly be much easier to fix with a topper since the base of this would not represent any "issues". It is pretty certain though that with only 1.5" of latex on top that you would be going through the top layer no matter how firm it was and that the springs themselves would be playing the major role in both your comfort and your support. This could be either "a good thing" or "a bad thing" depending on the type and quality of the springs themselves. Having said that though ... you are in the budget range of an all latex mattress where you can choose your layers and exchange a layer at low cost if you don't "get it right". I believe also that you could probably do better than 1.5" of latex over springs in terms of cost ... even though it is 2 sided. If I was in your shoes, not really sure about "what was best" and considering purchasing a mattress I had never tried, then how easy and inexpensive it was to exchange for a different option would play a major role in my buying decisions. If you look in the thread "searching for a mattress in quad cities" you will see some options for an all latex mattress where exchanging either a layer or a whole mattress is a relatively simple and inexpensive process. I realize you are in Canada and "time is of the essence" but even with the extra shipping, exchange rate, and GST when it crosses the border outlets similar to these would probably represent better value for you. Perhaps even more importantly, I would think based on what I have seen that there is probably better value available from some of the Canadian or even more specifically Quebec outlets I have seen. Sometimes though it is important to go with what you know in a more "urgent" environment and if the springs in this mattress are of good quality, strong, and suitable for you then it may be worth paying more as long as you know that you may very well need a topper over this. I also believe that this would be a better choice than any of the "S" brands you were considering. Have you phoned any of the others? I would be giving them a quick call and asking something like "I have some serious back issues etc ... here is my "statistics" (weight and body distribution), and I am looking for a mattress that either has 3" of latex over good quality springs, good quality HR poly, or an all latex mattress ... do you have anything like this and what would it cost me? Their specific answer to this (I don't mean a general answer like "Of course we do ... why don't you come in and take a look") would tell you a lot. You will very quickly find out who is happy too put their value up against anyone else and who depends on you being in their showroom to make a sale. BTW this applies to retail outlets as well. I would NEVER go somewhere I had not called first to find out what they knew and the level of advice and information they were willing to offer over the phone. Phoenix This message was modified Nov 24, 2010 by Phoenix
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In the overall scheme of things it may be a step in the right direction and it would probably help a lot financially as well. It has less poly (although still more than I would prefer) and the coils are better ... but I'm just not sure of the suitability of any of the Simmons coils in your case. I would personally not go with a Simmons beautyrest pocket coil at all if I was in your circumstances but it does at least seem to me to be better that what you had. You would likely need a topper with it for the pressure issues as well. Phoenix |
| Her husband delievered it an hour ago and you're right, it's much firmer. Even with my one inch latex topper and one inch egg crate, it's still a little too hard. What would be best to add? Another inch of latex or one inch of memory foam? At least, it's straight, so I can fix it. |
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I personally wouldn't use 1" memory foam as you will probably go right through it almost as if it didn't exist and it will likely wear out very quickly. I think in this case latex would be a much better choice both in terms of the overall construction and comfort and in terms of durability. Generally you need about 3" of good quality foam on top of firm springs to give good pressure relief (more or less depending on weight and sleeping style etc) so if 1" more of latex isn't quite enough then you can always add one more but it should be getting close with the poly underneath. I would probably also order the next layer with a slightly firmer ILD if you can (say about 24). Phoenix |
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I could also get 2 inches of good quality memory foam and use it with the 1 inch of latex I have. How should I layer them? Latex on top or under? Is there anything worthwhile at Costco? Anyone has first hand experience with gel toppers? This message was modified Nov 26, 2010 by ZZZZ
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I personally would not use memory foam at all in your case. You will also go right through 2" and probably 3" as well. You would also increase the risk of sleeping out of alignment with thicker layers of memory foam. If you did decide to go in that direction I would definitely put the latex on top of the memory foam to try to insulate it so it wouldn't "melt" as easily but then it may not be as soft as you want. Also if you go in that direction ... you would almost certainly need heavier density (preferably 5LB) and definitely not 3LB density. In your case I believe that latex is much more predictable and it is also more resilient so will help with support issues to a degree. Your tendency will be to sink in too far and memory foam will only make that worse. You may also feel good when you go to bed with a thicker layer of denser memory foam but sink in gradually over the course of the night and end up with a backache in the morning. I believe that memory foam would be a very "risky" option for you. Phoenix PS: I don't believe that either of the Costo options would be even close to suitable. This is not the "buckling column" gel that you may have seen discussed on the forum and has none of it's benefits. It's basically just inexpensive (don't want to say cheap) low density memory foam. This message was modified Nov 26, 2010 by Phoenix
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What about this one? it's 5lb. http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Comfort-Dreams-Sensus-Memory-Foam-1-inch-Mattress-Topper/3657733/product.html If I go with latex, should I order another inch or two more inches? Or perhaps 1.5 like this? http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/E.C.O.-Luxury-Latex-Queen-size-1.5-inch-Mattress-Topper/3478991/product.html This message was modified Nov 26, 2010 by ZZZZ
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