Way Off Topic - Mattresses

[Bird]

I guess this is about as far off topic as you can get, but we think it's about time to replace our mattress and don't know what to buy. We sure like the hype on the TV, videos, brochures, etc. for the adjustable air mattresses, but there are so darned many brands (each with several models) and naturally they all claim to be the best (and they all seem overpriced). I can find lots of "information" on the Internet, but no independent comparisons, and no independent evaluations as to whether they really are better than conventional mattresses.

Anyone have any experience, facts, or even just opinions as to what's best?

 

[Mrwurm]

Bird, with work, three kids, part-time college, and tractoring, I don't have time to sleep. Maybe I should consider a good pair of sneakers and take-up sleep walking.

 

[Mrwurm]

OK, seriously. Before I got married (16 yrs ago) I had a water bed. My wife and I slept on it for about two years untill she decided we had to get rid of it. I have never slept so well since then. If I outlive her, I'll be getting another one. (Bed, not wife)

 

[Golfgar4]

Bird,

Before I make any comments, I want to say right up front that I am prejudiced! One of my best friends is a Vice President for the Simmons Company. We have a Simmons plant in town, and I got to know him when we lived across the street from each other.

Anyway, for a long time, my wife and I had one of those matresses that could inflate on each side independently of the other. I don't remember what brand it was. But we could never seem to get "our" side the way we wanted it. I like a really firm side, but my wife prefers something a bit softer.

After using this for a few years, I realized that everyday I was getting up and my back was killing me. So I made the decision to get a new mattress. After checking them all out, I got a Simmons. I forget the model name, but it's the extra firm one in the next to the best line. And this was before I'd met my frend.

Of course, this didn't solve the problem of the way the wife likes her mattress. Well, since the kids were all grown and gone, and since she likes to stay up late and read and watch and TV and I like to go to bed early to sleep, I moved into my daughters old room (after re-doing the decorating!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif). Problem solved, right?

Well, after a time, the wife decided she needed a new pattress also. So she got a regular one too. She's been sleeping better than ever since!

Now I'm not saying you gotta move into your own room or anything. And maybe we had a real cheapo brand of air mattress in the past. All I know is that after trying water beds and air mattresses, a regular mattress has been the best we've ever had. You just have make sure you get a good quality mattress (and yes, there are some others besides Simmons - but not many!/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif) of the firmness that you like. And don't be afraid to go into a showroom and lay down on one for awhile. At the Simmons plant here in town, they have a big sign in the showroom that says "Come on in and lay down for awhile".

For me, a regular mattress can't be beat! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[BKColeman]

I slept in a water bed for a big portion of my life and I sure did like it. I might have another one again someday.

But I'll have to agree with Garry, Simmons (and Sealy) make the best in my opinion. We bought a Simmons from Sam's when we moved into our house (we moved up to a king bed). It is incredible. It has the double pillow top in addition to the mattress and is heavenly. Boy was it a job getting it out of Sam's though, but that is a long story.

Our queen mattress before that came from Sears, but says it was made by Sealy. It is great too and all of our guests now love it.

I don't have any experience with the real air mattresses, but I slept on an air bed (the inflatable kind) for 6 weeks when my wife had moved (and took all the furniture /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif) and I was finishing up a project. I went to sleep good every night but woke up feeling miserable every morning. It seemed to slowly lose air, even though I never could find a leak. I assume the real mattresses are better than that though.

 

[Alan L.]

Bird, I think its gonna be a matter of preference, but I prefer a high quality "real" mattress to the inflatable ones. My daughter and son in law paid the same for their inflatable as I did for a good Simmons back rest. They slept on our bed one night while dog-sitting and wish they had gotten one instead of the air mattress.

Ours is VERY soft, but has great back support. I sleep like a log on it, and would buy one just like it again. Its really thick and uses those oversized sheets. Seems like the mattress alone (king size) was about $1700 or $1800.

 

[PitbullMidwest]

<font color=blue>and yes, there are some others besides Simmons - but not many!</font color=blue>

Them's fightin'words! We have the Chittenden and Eastman (Eastman House/Heilig-Meyers) factory here in my town and they also make a high quality product.

My father in law worked for C&E for 40 years as the traffic manager. He passed away last month after a short fight with pancreatic cancer. The local traffic club voted yesterday to renamed their annual golf tournament in his honor.

 

[Egon]

Bird:
Been sleeping on a water bed for almost twenty years and really like it. It's the type that has no sideboards and looks like a regular mattress. Every six or so years we've had to replace the bladder which is a pain .I do beleive the new one's are much better.
Can't say if we would buy another or get a regular mattress. The water bed would be easier to keep clean.
Whatever mattress you get the more expensive name brands are what I'd be looking at.
Seeing that I can sleep on a hardwood floor as long as there is a small roll of something under my neck and something under my kness any advice from me would be of dubvious nature!

Egon

 

[Bird]

Uh-oh, slightly different opinions, and no one really recommending the air mattresses. I was afraid of that. I've only slept one night on a water bed; don't know what brand it was, and it wasn't bad, but not something I'd buy either.

I don't believe I've ever owned a Sealy or Simmons, although I know they both have good reputations. And the best (and most expensive) "conventional" mattress I guess we ever had was a King Koil, but it's been 13 years since we got rid of it.

Oh well, I appreciate the information, guys. We haven't been sleeping too well lately and I'm getting up every morning with a backache. Sleep Comfort is claiming their mattresses will cure that (and I tend to be a bit skeptical) but they're offering a 30 day free trial, so I guess we're going to give their top of the line a try.

 

[DavidInNH]

The new "pillow top" mattresses seem to work very well. You pick the mattress firmnes that suits your back and the pillow top is nice and soft to keep your appendages from going to sleep.

-david