I wanted to know if anyone on the Forum has tried out the Beckley Lambs Wool mattress.I know a couple of people own the Bristol and thought it was a very firm mattress that needed a topper for more comfort.I specifically want to know the difference in firmness of the Lambs wool VS the horsehair.Jeff

JCturboT,
I couldn't reply for a while because of trouble moving to the new forum, and I am not sure I can help with your question.  I did not try the lambs wool Beckley, but it was intriguing.  I agree with Bedbug that I wish we had gone softer, but having said that.....With the topper set up we have I can sleep comfortably on my back, sides and stomach on the Bristol firm.  Being able to sleep on my stomach was very important to me, and I don't think I could sleep on my stomach on a softer mattress.  This mattress is almost a year old and there is not a dent in it.  We tried six mattresses(all kinds including pocketed coils and latex) before this one.  The Beckley is the best of the lot and didn't cost any more than the Simmons that killed my back.  It is not the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on, but I was unable to buy those mattresses.  My mattress search is over.  At our age this could very well be the last mattress we ever buy.  Ugh!  That's a scary thought.  My advise to you would be to try the Beckleys first, if you can.  It is a gamble to buy sight unseen, but we did better with the untried Beckley than with all the mattresses we tried out.

I happened to catch a Martha Stewart episode this week where she was introducing her new line of linens for Macy's and showing people how to make a bed.  She said you start with a really good mattress and box spring and she had the Beckley there - this is where I first heard of Beckley, on Martha's website - and she proceeded to dress the bed.  She said this was a very firm bed and that she always put a mattress pad on it - what she showed looked quite thick and plush, and then her "secret" was to put on a thick feather bed.....she said you needed to fluff this up about once a month - my house - every night!  Memory foam is working much better on that front........It was quite interresting though and fun to hear the Beckley mentioned.             Oh, she also said the box spring absolutely must be covered - ah martha you'd be disappointed at my house - that little box spring peeks out a bit from the sleigh bed  --- whoops!

Agguh, ConfusedBedbug, I can't believe I missed Martha's Beckley bed making demo. Fortunately I found the video on her program web site (Set. 13). :o)

Click on Thursday Sept 13 show http://www.marthastewart.com

Hi there.  We bought the Beckley Bristol, and put their own down topper over it.  My backaches are gone, but we also found the mattress, even with their down topper to be a bit too firm on our joints.  We shopped, and also bought the 4 lb 2 " memory foam from Healthy Foundations. (same as bedbug.)  We like it very much, though I am still experimenting with my pillow situation, as we sink a bit more into the bed.  I have a question for all of you though.  After watching the Martha video- what sort of think cover could I put on the down topper that is not ornate, and will just fit over it, as it sheds a bunch of down each time it is moved?  Right now we have our main mattress cover over the down topper, which is over the bare memory foam , and then the mattress, and box springs.  I know if the down topper didn't shed as much, I would fluff it up more often.  Suggestions for a cover?

Thanks

HOw about a duvet cover of some sort?  Of if you are handy, sheets sewn together to just fit with a velcro or zippered opening so you can remove it when you want to?

I just took delivery of a firm Bristol queen with matching boxspring this past week.  I echo the comments of others here as I am quite surprised at the firmness.  Way too firm for a comfortable sleeping platform if you ask me. 

I am investigating different options for toppers.  The firm mattress does seem like it will be a great platform to build on but I must express my disappointment as I was not hoping to put a topper on at all.

Different options that have been recommended to me are the Hastens toppers, which need to be fluffed or tuffed every couple of weeks, or maybe a 2/3", 19ILD latex topper.  Any suggestions from others would be appreciated.

Thanks

goskers,
We have tried several topper options for our Beckley.  In our search for a good mattress we bought several toppers along the way.  We have tried them all in different combinations on the Beckley.  We have combined a latex topper with a memory foam topper underneath the Hastens topper.  That we too soft.  We have tried the latex topper under the Hastens and without the Hastens.  That was not soft enough, and latex does not agree with me.  The two best combos were the two inch memory foam topper on the mattress and memory foam topper under the Hastens, which is the one we have chosen to keep.  Just this morning I didn't want to get out of bed because I was so comfortable.  When the Hastens topper is newly fluffed the bed is grand.  I could sleep comfortably on this mattress with just the memory foam topper on it, but we are memory foam fans.

Beachlover,

I have spoken with a couple Hastens dealers regarding toppers and both have recommended a 3" latex with an ILD of 19.  Speaking with FSF, they don't recommend their soft (ILD 20-22) topper but rather the medium one.  I would love to go with just one topper as this could get really expensive really fast.  Of course, at the end of the day we are all searching for a great, repeatable sleep which will be different for everyone. 

Being able to stay away from the Hastens BJX topper would be great as that is 1350 alone.

goskers, I am not absolutely sure we would purchase the Hastens topper if we had it to do all over again, but I won't give it up, either.  We never tried three inches of Memory foam or latex on the mattress.  There is a  3 inch Sensus topper waiting in a closet if we do want to try.  I don't know what latex ild would work the best for your situation, but if it were me (and I could sleep on latex) I would go with the higher ild.  The Hastens is a firm topper and adds a feeling that is very unique.  It does cut down on the temperature response of the memory foam topper.  I believe you will be able to find the right comfort on your Beckley without having to purchase the Hastens topper.