Stickley Furniture - Shifman Bedding

We need to replace our king mattress set and have been overwhelmed at the variety of mattresses in the marketplace. We would like to replace our old mattress (Gold Bond-conventional inner spring) with a similar type. We've decided not to buy another Gold Bond mattress as the quality isn't the same as it once was many years ago.

From what I've read, Bloomingdales sells a "variation" of Shifman mattresses (a promotional line unique to Bloomingdales?). I have also learned that Stickley Furniture also carries Shifman. Do they also sell a "variation" of Shifman products unique to that store? The models we viewed and tested were Rembrandt (firm) and Monet (plush). Both were sale priced at $3999. Is this a quality product? Any advice is appreciated :o

Its been a while since I was a Shifman dealer, but I may call Mike Hammer back up (owner of Shifman) and look into carrying the line again, after getting that horrid 26% price increase from Royal Pedic that went into effect on March 1st. Its my opinion that Shifman and Royal Pedic are the two best USA-made bed makers on the market, and I've been doing R-P exclusively for the past decade. Shifman's good stuff may be just as expensive, I haven't looked at a price list for them in some time.

Having said that, Shifman's "Master's" collection is the old-school, cotton-layer line that they built their reputation upon. They offer conventional blown-poly foam groups as well and once you get into that category its just like any other mass-produced bed.

I can tell you this for certain. There is never a 'sale' at Bloomingdales furniture department. They routinely are one of the highest price stores in the country. Would you pay $ 4K for a Serta/Sealy/Simmons ? Unless its from the Masters Collection by Shifman, that's the category you are looking at grouping with.

drcollie, thanks for the response.

The salesperson at Stickley showed us the manufacturer's cut-out sample detailing the inner mattresses construction, as well as the boxspring construction. She did mention there is 3/4" or 1" natural latex inside the mattress (depending on model). It also has 3 or 4 layers of cotton felt upholstery (depending on model). She also copied the mattress spec sheet for us to review. It contains the model and tick numbers. I don't see any reference to "blown-poly foam" on these spec sheet. The Shifman website offers limited information on model names/numbers which makes it hard to confirm that the mattress we are considering is one of their top of the line models.

The salesperson did say that once we order the mattress, that it would take about 4 weeks to arrive. They do not stock any Shifman mattress, merely have the floor models as samples. All mattress are made to order. Does this sound right? With the exception of calling the salesperson, is there anything I should be looking for to confirm this is better quality than the shifman mattresses offered by Bloomingdales? If this is the best way to confirm, I'll make that call.

I've seen the Serta/Sealys/Simmons mattresses. They leave me more confused. Those brands are my last resort at this moment. And no, I would not pay $4000 for one of those mattresses.

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Originally Posted by Spencer

drcollie, thanks for the response.

The salesperson at Stickley showed us the manufacturer's cut-out sample detailing the inner mattresses construction, as well as the boxspring construction. She did mention there is 3/4" or 1" natural latex inside the mattress (depending on model). It also has 3 or 4 layers of cotton felt upholstery (depending on model). She also copied the mattress spec sheet for us to review. It contains the model and tick numbers. I don't see any reference to "blown-poly foam" on these spec sheet. The Shifman website offers limited information on model names/numbers which makes it hard to confirm that the mattress we are considering is one of their top of the line models.

The salesperson did say that once we order the mattress, that it would take about 4 weeks to arrive. They do not stock any Shifman mattress, merely have the floor models as samples. All mattress are made to order. Does this sound right? With the exception of calling the salesperson, is there anything I should be looking for to confirm this is better quality than the shifman mattresses offered by Bloomingdales? If this is the best way to confirm, I'll make that call.

I've seen the Serta/Sealys/Simmons mattresses. They leave me more confused. Those brands are my last resort at this moment. And no, I would not pay $4000 for one of those mattresses.

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It sounds good from your description, and I've not looked at the line in detail in a few years so I cannot say with certainty what it is you are looking at, but for a time Shifman was doing a high build unit and a low build unit. I had both in my store and there was a noticeable difference to the high build unit.

My wife and I replace our bedding sets every 15 years with these all-cotton units (they will last longer than conventional bedding), and though we now sleep on a Royal Pedic, our prior set was a Shifman from the Masters series. The cotton interior beds (also natural latex) don't suffer the internal breakdown from the mass-produced 'S' beds and usuable lifespan is about double.

4 weeks is about right. Shifman is made right near the Newark NJ Airport and done to order.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my posts. I do appreciate it very much. I hope to place the order before the week is out as I'm not sure when the sale ends.

Thanks again :)

Hi Duane,

I'm glad to see that you recommend Shifman mattresses. My husband and I bought one yesterday (on sale but still extremely expensive) and I'm glad you think they are worth the price. We got one with a removable pillow top. I value your opinion and hope you write a book about what to look for when buying furniture for all of us shoppers.

HA! This forum *IS* my book (without all the good stories, wait until I retire for those).....

You will enjoy that Shifman, its a premium bed and it will last a long time. Be sure to rotate and flip it 3 to 4 times a year.

Hi All,
I am wondering if anyone has purchased the Shifman "Monet" model and if so, what you think of it after sleeping on it for a few years?
Thanks!

Shifman builds an excellent product. Along with Royal Pedic, I think they are the best beds in the country.

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Originally Posted by Nosila

Hi All,
I am wondering if anyone has purchased the Shifman "Monet" model and if so, what you think of it after sleeping on it for a few years?
Thanks!

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Hi,

I have a Shifman Monet king mattress purchased March 2010. I still love it and sleep well on it. I flip/rotate it as required. So far so good.

Helen

Thank you for sharing. That helps a lot! Has it softened up at all? Or is it just as supportive?
Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Nosila

Thank you for sharing. That helps a lot! Has it softened up at all? Or is it just as supportive?
Thanks!

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There is some "give" since 2010 but not much. We have flipped/rotated as required and have had no issues. It's a big beast to move around so have extra hands around when you do this. Overall, I have very happy with the mattress and would do it all over again. My daughter needs a new mattress and I will be pushing this brand on her ;)

I'm currently doing research on a new bed since mine is 10 years old and has that "ridge" that Duane mentioned. We currently have a Kluft bed. It's a few months away from the 10 year mark so I guess it's used up now?

We really loved the bed but it's done. I would like to look at Royal Pedic just to compare it to Kluft, and Shifman. Blomingdales carried both of these brands and they do have good sales going a few times a year. Is there anything particular I should be looking for?

Hi Judy, you are so close to the main showroom of Royal Pedic in Beverly Hills why not just make a trip over there and talk to either Tony (the owner) or Charlotte about them?

Yes, the ridge in the middle means the bed is done. Finis.

Bloomingdales may be the most expensive place around to buy a premium bed. Their 'sales' are not as good as everyday prices from little mom n' pop stores like mine. In fact, I lost my Shifman account because I was undercutting Bloomie's prices so severely that they complained to Mike Hammer, owner of Shipman and said "Its either The Keeping Room or us, pick one!" Of course, Bloomie's won that one - but I used to sell a lot of Shifmans. Royal Pedic is built the same way as their Master's Collection.

Hi Duane, thanks for your reply.

We bought our mattress at a local chain. If the depression in the mattress is 1 1/2" or more they say that it is defective. Ours is 1 3/8ths. The store is contacting the manufacturer to see if they will cover it since we are only 1/8th off. We both kind of doubt that anything will be done with a warranty now so close to the 10 year end. It's doubtful, but you never know.
We will have to go and check out Royal Pedic. No one anywhere close to us carries them so a day trip into L.A. will be the next thing we will have to do.

I doubt at 10 years if they will warranty it, but you never know. Most every warranty I have ever read on bedding excludes compression as its normal wear and tear - but you may get lucky.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

I doubt at 10 years if they will warranty it, but you never know. Most every warranty I have ever read on bedding excludes compression as its normal wear and tear - but you may get lucky.

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Well as expected they didn't warranty it, but it didn't hurt to try. Oh well. Time to start doing our research on a new one.

One thing you will find about the Royal Pedics and Shifman brands (and there are others) is that because they are made of cotton instead of foam, they never ridge. NEVER. You do need to flip them every 4 to 6 months like any mattress, but they maintain their form even when 15 to 20 years old. I replace my mattress appx every 15 to 17 years, just because its time. On the cotton beds, when they get that old they lose some overall firmness but otherwise look fine. You really can't tell until you have a new one in the house and that's when you notice it. Some people use the all-cottons past 20 years, but really its time to replace them at that 15 year mark at the latest, I feel. My current Royal Pedic is 2 years old, the one before it was 16 years.

The only place on So Ca that carries Shifman is Bloomingdales. If I want to look at them I need to go there. I have no idea on prices, but they do carry their hand made mattresses as well as their less expensive line. I'm going to have to make a trip into L.A. to look at Royal Pedic as well.

Bloomies is probably the most expensive place there is to buy a Shifman - don't get taken in by a 'sale' on them. Only the Shifman Masters Collection is built like the Royal Pedic, they have low-lines models that carry the Shifman label but the internal build quality is like every other mass-produced bed.

I just looked on Bloomie's site and they have renamed the mattresses so you have no idea what you are even looking at. That is just part of the confusion on shopping for a mattress. Manufacturers have their names for different lines, but they make different ones for other stores. Since they may be the only local source for Shifman I kind of doubt that we will buy one. I did look at them in the store yesterday and was told they carry two different lines, both their low-line and the 'handmade' ones, but I have no idea if they are the same as their Masters Collection. Unless I can locate an independent dealer I won't be looking at them.

I just spoke to Shifman and they make a line just for Bloomingdales. It is similar, but not the same as their Masters Collection. They do the same with the Kluft mattresses as well. It's kind of sneaky if you ask me. I don't like feeling like I'm getting jerked around by a dept store.

Does anyone know anything about the Duxiana mattresses? One of my friends swears by this mattress, but I know they are very pricy.

That is standard fare in the bedding industry. It's done that way so you can't price shop it. A store like Bloomie's will take a standard Shifman (or any other brand for that matter), change the exterior top cover to an alternate, make a new label for it and now its their own model. They will jack the price to $ 12,000, have a 50% off sale so its $ 6,000 and you think you are getting a bargain - and down the road a little store like mine will sell the standard model for $ 4,500 day in and day out but its not 'on sale'....lol. That's how the trade works.

The vast majority of production bedding is made in regional plants in high-speed, automated production lines that build for a number of makers. It takes 13 minutes to make a mattress on average (vs 8 hours of hand-sewing on a Royal Pedic). The production line will run one brand in the morning, and then another in the afternoon from another maker. All using the same basic components. Bedding is too costly to ship cross country because it cubes out trucks and railcars, so you will find one of these plants that produce all the major brands near most cities.

Duxiana is supposed to make an excellent product, though I have no hands-on experience with. Typically they are well into 5 figures for a set.

We are fortunately not in a huge rush so we have time to research it out. The bed is not bothering my husband so he will take some convincing, but I have been having some lower back pain and think it's from the bed settling.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Its been a while since I was a Shifman dealer, but I may call Mike Hammer back up (owner of Shifman) and look into carrying the line again, after getting that horrid 26% price increase from Royal Pedic that went into effect on March 1st. Its my opinion that Shifman and Royal Pedic are the two best USA-made bed makers on the market, and I've been doing R-P exclusively for the past decade. Shifman's good stuff may be just as expensive, I haven't looked at a price list for them in some time.

Having said that, Shifman's "Master's" collection is the old-school, cotton-layer line that they built their reputation upon. They offer conventional blown-poly foam groups as well and once you get into that category its just like any other mass-produced bed.

I can tell you this for certain. There is never a 'sale' at Bloomingdales furniture department. They routinely are one of the highest price stores in the country. Would you pay $ 4K for a Serta/Sealy/Simmons ? Unless its from the Masters Collection by Shifman, that's the category you are looking at grouping with.

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Hello - I'm shopping for a new king mattress set and am seriously thinking about taking the plunge with a Shifman mattress from Stickley as they are the only dealer in my area (Charlotte, NC). I do not want a pillow top because I think I can achieve the same thing with a quality mattress topper for way less than the $1700 it would cost for the same mattress but with the pillow top. Does Stickley ever have sales on Shifman mattresses? Also, does Stickley only carry the "Master's" collection? How do I know that my paying $6299 for a king Shifman at Stickley's I'm getting the real deal? I'm so confused!! I've been shopping for mattresses for six months and am scared to purchase anything because everything is so confusing and nothing is comparable! Thank you for this forum, it's been a life saver and very informative.

Dottie,

I would highly recommend a Royal Pedic from Duane. We purchased a standard king bed about a year ago and love it. We just got back from vacation yesterday and couldn't wait to sleep on our own bed compared to what the resort had as it was soft and had limited support compared to our Royal Pedic. You can't go wrong with this bed and Duane can help you navigate all your questions to get what you need.

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Originally Posted by Calch

Dottie,

I would highly recommend a Royal Pedic from Duane. We purchased a standard king bed about a year ago and love it. We just got back from vacation yesterday and couldn't wait to sleep on our own bed compared to what the resort had as it was soft and had limited support compared to our Royal Pedic. You can't go wrong with this bed and Duane can help you navigate all your questions to get what you need.

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My Man! This is EXACTLY what happens to Mrs. Collie and myself when we go on vacation, the beds - even at higher end resorts - are big mush puddles with no support and you wake up all achy if you can sleep at all. Marriott resorts are probably the worst, who buys their bedding? Is that what the average customer they have really wants? A giant, soft pillow to sleep on? When we get back home we hit the Royal Pedic and say "oh yeah - this is it". Now days when we first go into a room at a hotel/resort - we check the bedding before we do anything else. If its non-supportive we go down to the desk and request a room with a firmer bed, though that usually gives the front desk people a real challenge and we have been known to leave a hotel due to the bedding.

Does Stickley ever have sales on Shifman mattresses? Also, does Stickley only carry the "Master's" collection?

I think you have to ask Stickley about this.

A Royal Pedic King Size All Cotton Set (premium, not the internet line) - delivered to most locations - from my store is $ 5,330 as of the date of this post. No sales tax collected outside of Virginia. That's the only price barometer I can give you.

So the Royal Pedic king sized mattress set is firm. I'm trying to compare the RP to the Shifman Rembrandt but there are no RP dealers in North Carolina for me to visit (at least according to the RP website dealer locator). Any ideas? I'm thrilled you've answered my questions, I thought this forum was too old to get a reply. Awesome, thank you! This mattress buying is for the birds. I'm so confused I've put off making a decision because I'm scared I'll make the wrong choice and be out > $5k! If I bought the RP from you, would shipping be included in that price and what would I do with my old mattress?

I was a dealer for Shifman for about a decade, then Royal Pedic after that (and to this day). In my opinion, there is very little difference from a base Royal Pedic All Cotton and a Shifman Master's collection, and I have had both in my own home at the same time. Shifman still does an 8-way hand-tied boxspring whereas that is/was optional on Royal Pedic, the latter charged around $ 500 for that. On my own personal bed, I decided to try one on my RP and paid the premium to see if it was worth the extra money. Neither my wife nor I did saw a benefit over their standard box spring, not at $ 500 one anyways. So that's about the only difference, and of course the logos on the bed. They're made the same way - both are excellent, you can't go wrong with either one. Both Shifman and Royal Pedic are light years ahead of the more common products you see out there, and of course, more costly.

All the base beds are firm, you soften then up by adding toppers to either brand. I always recommend you start with firm and give it at least three weeks. You have probably been sleeping on a broken-down mattress for some time and the firm will seem uncomfortable at first. After some times go by however, you may not want it any softer. If you do, its easy to add a topper afterwards as most can go UPS.

I don't think you can really tell how a bed sleeps in a showroom anyways. 10 - 15 minutes on it? That's not going to tell you much. Here's a little secret - all new beds sleep pretty good. You can buy a hotel-grade bed set for $ 500 and its going to sleep pretty good for about 1 year, 18 mos - maybe 2 years, then it will break down and when it does you need to toss it and get another. What you are buying with a R.P. or a Shifman is consistent performance over a period of time, they don't break down like conventional bedding. Fifteen years is an average lifespan for Cotton bedding, some push it even more. Most people sleep on broken-down beds WAY past their useful lifespan, and most hotels/resorts keep their bedding too long as well. Try a RP or a Shifman, you'll be glad you did.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

I don't think you can really tell how a bed sleeps in a showroom anyways. 10 - 15 minutes on it? That's not going to tell you much. Here's a little secret - all new beds sleep pretty good. You can buy a hotel-grade bed set for $ 500 and its going to sleep pretty good for about 1 year, 18 mos - maybe 2 years, then it will break down and when it does you need to toss it and get another. What you are buying with a R.P. or a Shifman is consistent performance over a period of time, they don't break down like conventional bedding. Fifteen years is an average lifespan for Cotton bedding, some push it even more. Most people sleep on broken-down beds WAY past their useful lifespan, and most hotels/resorts keep their bedding too long as well. Try a RP or a Shifman, you'll be glad you did.

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We bought our Royal Pedic bed from Duane around 2 years ago. We live in So. Ca. and drove to Beverly Hills to their factory store to look at beds. We ended up buying their Royal Latex Ca. king mattress.

I can attest to that you can't really tell about a bed in the short time you are in the showroom. We really liked our bed when we tried it in the showroom, but after it arrived, and for the first week well lets just say we needed to adjust to it. My husband hated it and wanted to send it back. We took off for vacation a week after it arrived, and when we returned well somehow the bed magically went from "this is terrible and I'm not sure about it" to its a great bed. I think not sleeping on our old bed for two weeks gave us some time off of the old bed and that helped us adjust to the new one. You really do need time to adjust to a new bed.

We bought our Royal Pedic bed from Duane around 2 years ago. We live in So. Ca. and drove to Beverly Hills to their factory store to look at beds. We ended up with their Royal Latex Ca. king mattress.

I can weigh in on the Royal Pedic all cotton firm. We ordered it through Duane and have had it about three months now. We absolutely love it! I have never had a better night's sleep than what I've had on this mattress. I actually look forward to going to bed as I fall asleep within minutes and stay asleep till morning. It is not a coincidence - it is this great mattress!!

I know...right? Wait until you go on vacation and sleep in a resort bed...lol

Most folks can't get past the price tag of a Royal Pedic, they see too many bedding sets advertised for 1/3 the price and think "It's just a bed". Mistake. You spend 1/3 of your life in bed, that's not the place to skimp. I am totally committed to the brand myself, we have four bedrooms in our house and each one has a Royal Pedic All Cotton in it. Even at an early age, my kids got them for their rooms.

decollate,
Can you or anyone respond as to the firmness of the Shifman Cezzanne mattress (formerly top of the line in the Masters Collection) and whether this mattress is suitable for side sleeping?

Sorry, I have not tried out a Shifman in quite a few years, but they build a quality bed.