Way Off Topic - Mattresses

Bird · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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. · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

and yes, there are some others besides Simmons - but not many!

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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 · Jul 18, 2002

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

Bird · Jul 18, 2002

David, Sleep Comfort (as with several brands, I guess) has 3 "models" (good, better, and best according to them) and the "pillow top" is a $200 option on each, so that's what we're ordering. Hope you're right about them working well.

Golfgar4 · Jul 18, 2002

"Them's fightin'words!"

Oh, Oh! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Hold on a minute - this isn't a discussion about GST vs HST!/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Remember, I said "...and yes, there are some others besides Simmons - but not many!" I didn't name any names intentionally, and I won't.

C&E is an excellent brand. Never said they weren't. After all, any organiztion that has the class to name a golf tournament after one of their own has to be a #1 outfit!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Hoosier_Daddy · Jul 18, 2002

Bird, We have had all kinds over the years and the last one being a conventional King that you needed a FEL to pick up.

About 8 years ago we bought the King Select Comfort with the Pillow Top. Love it. Have since bought a full size for the antique bed in the guest room.

I don't know what it is but the beds seems cool in the summer and warm in the winter. can't explain it..

Also they don't need flipped, and they are so easy for the wife to pick up the edges when changing the sheets.

The grand kids (we put a stop to this) have pumped the one bed up so high they could bounce all the way to the ceiling fan.

What I like is I can change the softness and firmness at will. Sometimes I just like a change.

On a funny note, we had a new granddaughter spend the afternoon with us and we didn't have the Baby bed out of the attic. We kind of deflated the guest room bed some and she didn't move from the middle at all.

Select Comfort had a 90 days trial which was basically a 90 day same as cash also but if you didn't like the bed you could ship it back to them. Of course, you had to pay the freight back which was about $50.00.... But what the heck, a bed is something you usually keep for a long time and can spend a lot of time using.......... Good luck on your choice. Tom

Bird · Jul 18, 2002

Thanks, Tom. That's a little more encouraging, at least./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

King Select Comfort with the Pillow Top

We've never gone to the King size; have just always used a Queen size, so that's what I ordered.

grand kids (we put a stop to this) have pumped the one bed up so high

The lady who took the order said her grandkids like to let all the air out when they visit, then call that night laughing about it./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Select Comfort had a 90 days trial which was basically a 90 day same as cash also but if you didn't like the bed you could ship it back to them

Now it's a 30 day free trial and 60 day same as cash, but can still return it for just the shipping costs.

the beds seems cool in the summer and warm in the winter

One of the selling points for the more expensive models, supposedly because of the type of material used. Hope they're right.

Hawkflyer · Jul 18, 2002

We got a sleep comfort a few months ago, and so far it's great. I am still waiting for our first "flat". Nice thing is the wife can have it set for very firm, while I can have my side set to soft. Of course there may be times when you'll want to have both sides set the same, but you'll have to work that out on your own./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gifIt has helped my back quite a bit. It used to take 20 or 30 Min. to get going in the morning, but now the problem is gone.

Bird · Jul 18, 2002

It has helped my back quite a bit. It used to take 20 or 30 Min. to get going in the morning, but now the problem is gone. 

Sounds just like the reason I'm getting one; hope I have the same results.

Hawkflyer · Jul 18, 2002

Well, I would agree with some that they are a little on the expensive side. But after you play around for a few nights and get the thing adjusted, it really does help. Also, they are shipped in parts, not complicated, but it does require at least two people to get things put in place. If you get a thick one measure the legs on your bed frame. In our case we are planing to build a shorter frame. Ours worked out to be about 8" taller than the old bed. Not a problem really except every time I lay down I hit my head on a shelf built into the headboard. On the old bed the shelf was above the matress, on the new one it is at the same hight.It was fun watching the dog jump up there the first time. Seems over 10 years she kinda knew just how high to jump, then someone came along and changed it without consulting her. My wife laughed for hours.Getting older is just full of little annoyances, but the alternative doesn't look like any fun at all./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird · Jul 18, 2002

require at least two people to get things put in place

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gifThe video and brochure tell all about how simple, quick, and easy it is, and then when I called to order, the lady said for $75 they send someone to assemble it for you./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I told her I think I can handle it. Of course that $75 would also include hauling off the old bedding.

Ours worked out to be about 8" taller than the old bed. Not a problem really except every time I lay down I hit my head on a shelf built into the headboard.

Uh-oh, I may have to do a little custom carpentry.

Hawkflyer · Jul 18, 2002

Yea we thought the video was pretty good too. However after assembling one, I am convinced that the folks in the video had done a lot more than one before they made the tape. I really isn't difficult, but you do spend some time flipping the parts around on the floor till it starts to make sense. There were a few moments of concern as to weather the thing would actually hold togeather and hold us. You really kind of have to set asside any preconcevied notions you might have about how a bed should be built, and what constitutes a sound structure. In my case it was 3 nights before I was certain it would hold up. It is actually a very clever design, and a good use of recycled milk cartons/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gifAnd then there is the part about cross supports that I never did figure out /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif. My old bed did not have any, and the new bed did not seem to need them. If you installed any cross supports, the box would not be supported fully along it's entire edge (you'll have to look at one to see what I mean).Interestingly, there are no box springs. That part gets replaced by a hollow plastic box (why the pump isn't installed inside there is beyond me, we are making a small modification here). The only part of the original bed that you use is the frame (and unfortunatly in my case) the headboard/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. Not really knowing you (but having read your posts) I feel certain you will have no problem assembling the thing yourself. But it might be worth the $75 to have them haul off the old bed.

cp1969 · Jul 18, 2002

I'm not sure that, as we age, we can ever regain the comfort we used to have.

I used to work out of Chicago and had a flop-house type apartment there. I had an old rollaway bed with no mattress at all and could sleep like a log on it. In fact, I used to occassionally sleep on the hardwood floor with nothing but a blanket and pillow and woke up feeling great. Now, I CANNOT get comfortable and the longer I stay in bed the worse it gets. We've been through a water bed (I hated that thing) and several name brand mattresses. It makes no difference. As someone else said, sleeping in a different bed seems to help, but only temporarily for me.

Aging--I could do without it.