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Thread: Mattress Recs?

  1. #1
    cinlo Guest

    Question Mattress Recs?

    We decided today that we need a new mattress. Where do we begin? What manufacturers should we look at?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by cinlo View Post
    We decided today that we need a new mattress. Where do we begin? What manufacturers should we look at?
    Rather than manufacturers, you want to look at bedding types is my suggestion. Mattresses are made of different materials and each perform different and price points are all over the board.

    The bedding industry is the sleazy part of the home furnishing business. Its full of smoke & mirrors, useless warranties, empty promises, confusing specifications and slick talkers. There is NO aspect of the bedding industry free from this, all makers do it. So having a basic understanding of bedding types will arm you to do battle. One thing I will always do is give an honest answer though it may make be very unpopular with people in the trade! There will be those who say I am way off-base, but this is my knowledge base of selling bedding since 1984.

    Some Basics:

    Bedding wears out. It wears out much faster than most people expect. When two people sleep on a mattress/box for perhaps 300 nights a year, multiply that by 10 years and that's 3,000 nights of some 300 to 400 lb atop foam and springs. They all break down and wear out.

    Warranties are confused with service life. Warranties are there to service manufacturing defects, not wear and tear. Most people confuse the two. 100% of beds will wear out, but only 1 % or less will ever have a manufacturing defect. A bed can have a 20-year warranty, and be worn out in 8 years, happens all the time. The bedding makers want you to think that warranty protects you, but if you read it carefully it excludes more everything other than loose stitches, broken springs and broken box frames.

    The average service life of the common bed is around eight to nine years. You can tell the bed is used up when their is a ridge in the middle of the bed (assuming two people sleep in the bed) that no longer dissipates after the matt has been rotated.

    Types of beds. Within each type you will find ardent supporters who claim its the best bed ever. Learn the facts, try them out and decide for yourself.

    * Conventional Foam: These are the vast majority of beds, made with a spring grid covered with various densities of polystyrene foam, similar to what you see under wall to wall carpeting. Cheap to make, and fast to produce in the factory, its a high-profit bed and typically is what you buy from Sealy, Serta, Simmons, King Koil, etc. They vary wildly in price from $ 300 a set to $ 2,000. They break down quickly and are at their best the first five years of use. They also tend to be a 'dirtier' bed than other types and have more dust mites, etc. Not for allergy sufferers.

    * Memory Foam. High Density Foam that conforms to your body shape, some love it, some hate it. It does tend to sleep hot as air cannot circulate under you body as easily as with other types. Priced like conventional foam.

    * Air Chamber Bed (Sleep by Number, etc). Pockets of air chambers you can adjust firmness with a control. Not that supportive in most cases, but some like them.

    * Natural Latex Bed. Made of Latex, usually expensive. Different densities of latex are used in the bed to support different weight areas. Tends to sleep 'soft'. These last 2x as long as conventional foam. $ 3,000 and up.

    * All Cotton Beds. Old School, layers of cotton felt and sewn above a spring grid. The Cotton does not break down like foam, and maintains its form far better over time. Lasts 2x as long as conventional foam. Two makers in the USA are Royal-Pedic and Shifman. Expensive, requires a lot of hand labor to produce. $ 2,500 and up.

    FYI I sell only one bed brand in my store, and sleep on them as well (as do my kids), and that's Royal-Pedic out of California. I replace my bedding appx. every sixteen years. I prefer their all-cotton to their latex line, because I like a firmer bed. If I were not buying all-cotton bedding for myself, I'd purchase a conventional foam bed in a 'hotel' grade and toss it every four to five years.

    So, there's a starter for you to go shopping.

    -Duane
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #3
    green-minded Guest

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    According to the Royal-Pedic website, they don't have a dealer in my area. Since you recommend trying out mattresses in the store, can you suggest a second choice?

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by green-minded View Post
    According to the Royal-Pedic website, they don't have a dealer in my area. Since you recommend trying out mattresses in the store, can you suggest a second choice?
    Buying bedding is like buying running shoes, everyone has a favorite brand and yet no one can really say "mine is best!". I've been sleeping on all-cotton bedding for the past 30 years, and that's all I will buy for myself and family, but that's just my preference and others surely will recommend theirs.

    If you're going for all-cotton bedding and trying to stay under $ 5,000 for a set, then the choices are Royal-Pedic or Shifman in the USA.

    All bedding provides good support when its new (except for perhaps memory foam, and you have to like the unique way that it sleeps). The all-cottons don't break down as fast and remain 'cleaner' from dust mites vs. conventional foam beds. I've been real happy with them both as consumer and as a dealer for them (No customer complaints!).
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  5. #5
    puhmuckel Guest

    Default Latex

    I bought a Latex mattress a few month ago. I bought the Sealy Spring free in Queen Size for about $1800. There are several models available, and I opted for the plush and it comes without a pillowtop. The latex is very comfortable and supportive without getting too hot. My friend just threw his sleep number bed into the garbage and bought a latex mattress and is very happy with it.

  6. #6
    jchrestman Guest

    Default Wool or no wool?

    Duane, since you prefer the Royal-Pedic cotton mattress I wondered if you had the wool wrap or not.
    Also, I like a firm bed my wife not so much. Do you use one of the mattress toppers? If so what do you think of them?
    One more thing, does it make sense for my wife to use an x-long twin topper to get the comfort she wants (we want a ca king) while I use nothing or a different thickness of a x-long twin topper?
    Regards, John

  7. #7
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    I have three Royal Pedics in the house (Master Bedroom and two Teenager bedrooms) and all are the standard models, which use Boric Acid as a fire retardant rather than the Wool Wrap used in the Organic Models (more expensive units). That's the sole purpose of the wool, to act as a fire retardant.

    The basic all-cotton bed is very firm. My wife and I slept on the basic bed for eight years, and then we stayed at a Westin in Downtown San Francisco that had a topper on it, and she had to have it. So we added a 3" topper and she liked it much better, to me it made no difference at all (but I can fall asleep on a motorcycle at 70 mph, so thats not saying much). It really comes down to a matter of preferences. Good toppers are expensive, so I usually tell folks to try the standard bed then add the topper in month if they feel the bed is too firm.

    I've not known anyone to use a topper on 1/2 the bed, it would seem to me you'd have a pretty severe 'speed bump' halfway across the bed. One way is to split the difference and get a quilt top model. It has some extra 'cush' to it, not nearly as much as a topper, but not as firm as the standard model, either.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  8. #8
    green-minded Guest

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    While on vacation last week, we were finally able to try Royal-Pedic. I was surprised that their latex mattress felt much firmer than the cotton, which was still too firm for me. I liked both beds with the 5" topper, but not the prices (over $6000 for a king latex with topper). They look like great products, but I think I'll take a look at the Sealy spring-free and some other brands.

  9. #9
    jchrestman Guest

    Default Much thanks for your help Duane

    Ather some delay we purchased the cotton Royal-Pedic without any topper. I love it as does my wife. Still recovering from a busted-up left shoulder and arm so have not been able to sleep on that side....something to look forward to. Thanks again.
    Regards,
    John

  10. #10
    jarrodsmorton Guest

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    Latex is doing amazing right now. I personally sleep on a Serta perfect day with a culmination of latex and visco along with innersprings. It has all the bells and whistles. I have had it since July of last year, and I have yet to see a body impression. I talked with others with the same mattress, and they have the same story. You can't go wrong with latex. If you want to do an all latex mattress, I would recommend the Sealy Spring Free, the Serta Vera Wang series, and the Spring Air Nature's rest. Each will have a mattress with different density levels. You can choose your level of firmness. The only way to do that is to lay on all of them.

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