Need to Sleep on a Budget
Dec 6, 2010 6:29 PM
Joined: Dec 6, 2010
Points: 16
First off, let me apologize up front for jumping the gun by posting this request for help right away.   I've read through random posts over the last 6 pages of this forum, but being as tired as I am its hard to make much sense of it and to go on reading more.  I was pretty close to making an uninformed purchase yesterday or today.  I was gonna go with either a $700 Serta Trump Home mattress (this was what I considered the high end of my price range) or just go really cheap for now with a lower end $400 Serta mattress.  Then I found this forum with the general consensus being that S-brands are crap and now I don't know what to do.

The problem is it seems, from what I've read, to get a decent mattress you have to spend $1000+ to get even a decent mattress.  That's a little out of my price range, I'm 26, single, and fresh out of college and don't really have that sort of money to spend on a mattress right now.  I just need something cheaper that will be nice and comfortable for a good 5-6 years.  Anything will be better than my current situation, a $100 8-inch futon mattress that I've had since September.  I haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, I wake up every hour or 2 because its so uncomfortable and I have to to readjust.  I took the mattress off the frame the other week because the bars were poking through, but now I just feel the floor through the mattress. 

For the six years before that, I slept on another $100 futon mattress, but it had springs and was at least comfortable for about a year.  Before that I slept on a twin mattress my parents bought me from the age of 3 to the age of 19.  So in my 26 years of life, I've had a pretty crappy sleep history. 

Sorry for going off-topic there, just wanted to share how desperate I am for a good nights sleep.  Here are the qualities I'm looking for in a mattress:

- Firm to med-firm core (I'm a stomach sleeper)

- Reasonably soft upper layers, but don't want to sink into them too far.

- Something that doesn't get too hot.  I live in Phoenix and I had a girlfriend with a memory foam mattress and couldn't stand it, it got way too hot. 

Right now I'm leaning towards the cheap $400 mattress, I mean it will last me a couple years at least right?  I really don't think I can make it through another week of research, I am just too damn tired.  I realize this is my fault for waiting to the last minute.  Anyways thanks in advance for any input.

Re: Need to Sleep on a Budget
Reply #22 Jan 13, 2011 1:30 PM
Joined: Dec 6, 2010
Points: 16
Somewhere along the way I got my mattresses confused, or the salesman was confused.  Apparently the Brooklyn Hannah is not a polyfoam core; its laytex on top of a coil spring core.  Ive had no luck tracking down one at the various R&S stores so I finally called the factory directly and got this info:

 

Brooklyn Hannah

Core = 13 guage indiviually pocketed coils, with firm polyfoam encasing on the sides,  the coil count is ~700 but he was not exactly sure

On top of the Core: 1.25 or 1.8 density non-laytex foam to protect the laytex from the coils

Top Lyaer: 2" of ~28ILD Laytext.  He described this as med feel but said I could custom order one with a higher ILD if necessary

Italian Knit Cover

Price = $550

 

Should I give this a try?  I think I would have to custom order it, which means I'd have to figure out what ILD I want for the laytex, which I don't really know how to do.  Or should I just go with the Walmart bed?  It seems decent, but I read some of the reviewss and it seems some people got a good mattress and others got lemons that would never fully expand from the compressed way they were shipped.

Re: Need to Sleep on a Budget
Reply #23 Jan 13, 2011 5:56 PM
Joined: Oct 3, 2010
Points: 809
Well at least you get to choose between some good value choices. It also seems to me that the R&S store you are dealing with doesn't know so much. There are apparently quite a few of them and this one has a good recent review so maybe they would be worth a phone call. Different stores may also have different selections of Brooklyn mattresses that you can try. I would probably do most of my sleuthing on the phone first and then go to the one that has the specific mattress I wanted to try.

Since you are a stomach sleeper, you don't need quite as much thickness on top of your mattress (side sleeping needs the thickest comfort layer) and a little firmer would be better. If you also sleep on your side then a little more thickness may be necessary for your "pointy parts" in this position. You are also lighter so softer ILD latex may feel a little firmer to you than someone who was heavier.

Walmart has two options. The acella flex with 2" 24ILD on top and with 3" 24 ILD and another inch of I believe softer on top (probably 19ILD). They are both the same price at WalMart. US mattress has the 2" version for $50 less but their return privileges are not as good. Normally this would be a great buy and there are good reviews on it on the web but there are also some that never fully expanded. If you bought from WalMart then at least returning a bad one wouldn't present a problem. A good one would be good value. In "theory", the 2" version may be better for you as the 3" version may be a little bit soft and thick for a pure stomach sleeper but you are light so that would work in your favor. Ultimately only testing it out can tell you this for sure which is why the return policy is so important.

The Hannah again "in theory" would seem good for a stomach sleeper since it is a little thinner and firmer on top but in this case I would personally try it first to make sure it was comfortable both on your stomach and in any other sleeping positions that I slept in as 28 ILD may be a litttle on the firm side. If it feels comfortable to you then it would also be very good value and I would strongly consider it.

Phoenix

Re: Need to Sleep on a Budget
Reply #24 Jan 13, 2011 6:32 PM
Joined: Dec 6, 2010
Points: 16
Thanks again for the advice Phoenix, you don't know how much it's appreciated! 

I'm ordering the 8" EcoSleep from Walmart.  I decided to go with the firmer of the two since I read somewhere here to go with the firmest mattress you find comfortable.  If its too firm I can always return it.  Hopefully Ill get one of the good ones that fully expands.

As for the Brooklyn Hannah, it sounds like a good deal, especially since they were willing to work with me and let me custom order one.  But when it came down to it I'd prefer to get away from the innerspring core and go with a high-quality polyfoam core instead.

This message was modified Jan 13, 2011 by MrThunderMakeR
Re: Need to Sleep on a Budget
Reply #25 Jan 19, 2011 6:17 PM
Joined: Dec 6, 2010
Points: 16
Picking up the Walmart mattress tonight.  Im gonna let it expand for a day before I sleep on it though.  Ill report back next week.
Re: Need to Sleep on a Budget
Reply #26 Feb 1, 2011 4:29 PM
Joined: Dec 6, 2010
Points: 16
Update:  After sleeping on the Walmart Ecosleep Laytex/Poly mattress for ~1 week, my lingering month-long back pain is 99% gone.  I think its pretty safe to say the AZ Premium mattress was the source of my pain, it was a quality mattress, just not firm enough for me.  The Ecosleep is much firmer and Ive switched back to sleeping on my stomach again finally, which is helping me get a better nights sleep.  I dont think its the perfect mattress for me, but for the price I think it will serve me well for the next couple years.  Also, I think I lucked out and got one of the good one's.  It expanded to a full 8" in less than 24 hours.  Note I let it sit on the floor without sleeping on it for the first 24 hours so that may have helped.

If anyone is curious about this mattress, here is the manufacturer info from the mattress tag:

Made by dpc LLC

3126 State Rd 59

Whitewater, WI 53190

Model 8VBT42-17-MATT T42 8" 2L

I'll report back after a month or two to give another update.

Re: Need to Sleep on a Budget
Reply #27 Jan 1, 2012 12:58 PM
Joined: Jul 14, 2011
Points: 15
I got the EcoSleep Madison in August on a comfort swap and couldn't be happier with it. As I'd read in the reviews - its the perfect combo of firm support and cushion for pressure points. Also like knowing that its free of flame retardants. One thing to note for reference: I find the feel of this bed quite different and more solid in a futon sort of way than an equivalent foam by mail setup. I'm still trying to figure out why this is - perhaps the fact that the 6" 33 ILD core and the 2" 24 ILD latex are contained in a non elastic wool padded bamboo casing as opposed to the stretchy cover reccommended for the FBM DIY setups. My boyfriend has a similar setup from FBM - 5" of 36 ILD poly core and 1" of 33 ILD latex (spare bed) and it feels a lot squishier than my bed which SHOULD by numbers be notably softer at 33/24. I personally LOVE both the beds though when first settling into the FBM bed I find the squishiness slightly unsettling. I am 5'4" 110 mostly side sleeper with mostly shoulder/arm/carpel tunnel issues to address when choosing a bed.

Recent Posts