Confused - looking for recommendations on mattresses
Oct 17, 2013 12:50 PM
Joined: Mar 29, 2009
Points: 10
I have been using a Slumber 1 iCoil Mattress-In-A-Box from Wal-Mart (which someone here recommended) for 4.5 years and it is now worn out in the middle and I started having severe back pain. It only has one side (I cannot turn it over) and I think it was a mistake to have ever purchased it. I am going to sleep on the floor until I get a new mattress and am looking for recommendations.

I generally sleep on my back and am of normal height and weight. I am willing to pay up to several thousand, maybe more if I can pay over time, but not more than $10,000 (saw a thread here about a $35,000 mattress!). I would like something that feels incredible and also that I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and without any back pain (granted, I don't usually have back pain, only the last 2 days after my current cheap mattress). Here are my questions:

1. I have seen a lot of recommendations here for various online companies. How would I know if I am going to like it if I've never tried it? Or are all these recommendations from ppl who have purchased previous mattresses from these companies and already have a sense of what it will feel like when it comes?

2. I went to a Tempurpedic store yesterday and tried out all 12 models over a couple hours including the Cloud Supreme and the Grandbed. Nothing really jumped out at me. I was having some back pain so I wasn't in my usual state of mind and am going to go back after sleeping on the floor for a night or 2. But the salesperson told me that I don't need to think about support -- all tempurpedic mattresses provide a lot of support and so I should just choose firmness based on comfort considerations. Is this true?

              Secondly he mentioned that the mattresses come with a 25-year warranty. If it is going to last that long then I want to make a careful decision. Do mattresses really last that long and if so, I'm confused how ppl buying online would ever get a 2nd mattress and therefore how would they know initially what to buy online?

3. I'm willing to use combinations of things like foam toppers (have not used any accessories in the past), an ergo base, get a waterbed, etc.

I live in the Boston area (apparently sleep number and the original mattress factory are not available over here).

Thanks for any input, I am very grateful for any responses as I have never experienced such back pain and I would like to get a nice mattress!! Maybe I should make a separate thread on most incredible mattresses? I think the ones who find a really great mattress/combination tend to leave the forums and so there are a lot of persons looking.

Re: Confused - looking for recommendations on mattresses
Reply #1 Oct 22, 2013 2:53 PM
Joined: Mar 8, 2010
Points: 65
Inquisitive:

i hope I haven't reached you too late.

i would go to Gardner Mattress in Salem (Google them - they have branches now in Woburn and other places. They are the only place I know of that still hand-tufts beds (like they USED to be made.) you can get a be that will last you literally decades. They are more expensive than Sleepyd but not much. Stay away from the other stores! I've been through it all.

their beds are on the firmer side, they'll be firmer than they feel in the store too. 

They make beds with beautiful talalau latex instead of cheap foams. Latex lasts much longer and doesn't break down for years. Is also free of chemical odors. I spent $1500 on a food full size bed there a few years ago.

Re: Confused - looking for recommendations on mattresses
Reply #2 Oct 25, 2013 10:41 PM
Joined: Oct 25, 2013
Points: 1
Hi, I sympathize with you. I visited my chiropractor today because I have the same morning back-ache problem. I was asked how old my mattress was and I told her that it was 18 years old. Her reply was: "Get a new mattress". I was given a recommendation such as 'Sleep Number' which is suppose to be the best - but is it really?

So, I am in the same situation as you are asking myself what is the best suitable mattress? I have not yet shopped around, I am just now researching some facts online.

By the way, you have mentioned among others 'Sleep Number'. The store for these mattresses is in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, also available at various other malls.

If you do find the RIGHT mattress I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thank you,

Lori

Re: Confused - looking for recommendations on mattresses
Reply #3 Oct 28, 2013 5:08 PM
Joined: Sep 27, 2013
Points: 27
I have been reading reviews on Sleep Number beds, and when new, most people enjoy them.  But as they get older, they tend to develop leaks, which requires more effort to keep them inflated.  In addition, as the leaks develop, apparently it requires "adjustments" on the "Number" to maintain the feel you want. The motor inflating the bed  can be noisy.  In addition, while you constantly (or even intermittently) pump humid air to maintain the right feel, apparently there is a propensity to develop mold problems associated with moister and dark places, which tend to go undetected for years.

Personally, I have not had, nor had an opportunity to sleep on one of these beds, but I would suggest that prior to purchasing one, it might be worth some effort to feel right with the reviews.  I cannot attest to any of these problems, but they are enough that I have steered clear of even the hint this type of complication. 

Re: Confused - looking for recommendations on mattresses
Reply #4 Oct 30, 2013 9:14 PM
Joined: Mar 29, 2009
Points: 10
Thanks for the recommendation on Gardner. I bought a new mattress but with a money-back guarantee, so if I don't like it Gardner will be my next stop.

Lori, I did a lot of research online and noticed that reviews were all over the place and they are not properly organized (almost impossible to find by specific mattress, even the consumer reports specific mattresses in the most recent review are not available anymore since companies re-name mattresses, etc). After looking at several review websites and Consumer Reports, I ended up just looking at the highest rated brands in consumer reports. They wait some period of time after the consumer purchases the mattress, maybe 1 year but I don't recall. The top 3 in terms of overall satisfaction were tempurpedic, sleep number, and the original mattress factory (don't remember the order), based on thousands of reviews by discerning customers. This is how I came up with my original list but found out that 2/3 are not in my area.

I ended up buying a Pacbed Original (from bedinabox). It was not featured in consumer reports but I came across is when looking at an online review site and it had many excellent reviews. There wasn't much on it on this forum. What sold me in addition to the positive reviews is that they have a 100% money-back guarantee, so if I don't like it I can return it in months 3 or 4 after purchase and they will come and pick it up. It also has a 20-yr warranty for depressions in the memory foam. I could not try it out in advance because they don't have stores in my area but there are a few scattered throughout the US. I got it yesterday. I think it's supposed to be medium-firm and initially it is firmer than I imagined it would be but very comfortable and maybe it will get softer in the next months. I'm really pleased so far but I've only slept on it one night. I decided just to get something better than I had before and not try to find the perfect mattress but as of now I am very satisfied. I also got a bigger size than my old mattress so I can sprawl.

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