Stearns n foster we recently got at JC Penny almost a year ago and it has been a huge hit for us even if over $2k for a king size. Had a Sealy before but this is nicer and more expensive but worth it for sleep as you do it most in life and nice to get up for work.

Following this thread with interest. It's time for a new bed.

After spending thousands over the years for a variety of 3 foot high fancy pants expensive padded uncomfortable name brand junk last time I went with the cheapest sealy “firm” mattress from J.C. Penney. $700 total for cal king mattress and box spring. Best I have ever had by a mile. A basic firm mattress is the way to go for me. 3years in and it is still nice and solid. Every other one I had would develop pits and valleys, I always felt like I was falling down a hole into hell when I climbed in bed. Firm is much better for the back than settling into a pile of foam IMO. It is comfortable, I sleep great, I have no pains, done. YMMV of course.

No use trying to figure out the brand and model by your research and recommendations. The whole mattress industry is a marketing joke based on obfuscation. They make the same mattress but give it a different name for different stores that sell them so they can make comparisons difficult. And they change the names around constantly for the same mattress. There are no logical specifications that allow you to compare different versions. All you can do is try one and see if it works for you.

I bought mine extra firm from Custom Comfort Mattress company, which may only be a local outlet, but got a good deal and fall to sleep usually a few minutes after I hit the thing.

Nail on the head.

There are only so many things you can do to a mattress.

Most big mattress companies may have say 10 different mattresses - sold with 100 different labels on them.

The bigger stores want an “exclusive” name, so you can’t walk down the road to Dave’s shop and buy the same mattress for $500 cheaper. Makes them look bad.

As an example, we used to sell a Sleepmaker queen size bed with double pillow top. Great middle of the range bed. We sold it for $1199 (whole bed) The two huge chain stores in town had the exact same product (with a different ticking colour and different badge) for $1799 and $1999.

The only difference was the extra $500 and $700 those guys were pocketing.

What was always funny (however quite disheartening) was when people would come and look at my $1199 bed, then go and buy the $1999 bed from the flash store, because they believed because it cost more, it was better. Despite me telling them it was identical inside (with cutaways to prove it)

Oh well ... fools and their money ...

rd

We had to buy a new mattress after the one we got 20 years earlier finally gave up the battle and started having broken springs pop through the top.

We have a Saatva as well (they didn't have the Saatva Loom and Leaf sub brand when we bought). We tried tempurpedic, posture pedic, sleep number, and casper. I basically figured out that I sleep so hot memory foam, while awesome the first hour or two, becomes an oven by morning on my side. Did not see what the big deal was with sleep number. The best night's sleep I got on it was "average".

Went with the Saatva in the end because they use very little memory foam, and then we paired that with a bedjet, which is AWESOME. Heats or cools your bed throughout the night on a program you set up the way you like it on your smartphone, and you can tweak until you get it perfect. You can get two bedjets and have one zone for each side of the bed. WELL worth the $250 it cost, and we easily saved enough on the Saatva direct to cover it. Saatva + Bedjet makes for some very nice nights of comfortable sleep without waking up multiple times.

I hate the girl that does the Purple ads on Sirius/XM. I listen to the slurs all over the script (on "purple" and other words) and it drives me crazy that the director let that go as-is. Terrible voiceover. Sounds like a one-take.

Good to hear it straight from someone who has lived it from the inside. This sort of stuff is out there if you want to do some internet searching and read up on it, that's what I did last time I was shopping.

Why are there mattress stores on every corner? Because there is huge margins in it. Lots of $10K bed buyers out there!

I'm lucky I don't have back or sleep issues, so I really don't get spending big bucks on a bed. The most important thing is to find the right sleep style for you, not to buy the most expensive bed.

My favorite bed of all time was a soft-sided, tube-style water bed I bought because I couldn't afford a real bed at the time . Just like a sleep number, without the cost.

So many complaints about sleep number needing service all the time. Anyone have some sleep number bad experiences to share?

I heard the same. Any users have them long term?

Ive had my twin sleep number bed since 2006~. Only things that have happened are 99.99% user error. I dropped a hot iron on the top cover and it started to melt it. The old technology pumps were really loud (no longer used) and the lcd screen on the remote to inflate/deflate the old style air chamber burned out (but still pumps) from a storm.

Ive owned my X-12 for about 4 years now. Downsides? Pricey pricey. Pain in the ass to have to assemble (finalize your plan on where you want it before purchasing), there was a flaw in the foam wall and it led to me sliding out of bed. Sleep Number mailed and replaced this free of charge, the ac/heat unit was a little temperamental on one side. I went through 3 of them before we got it right. No issues with an air chamber popping or loosing its feel ect over several years.

Where is the best place to buy quality mattress's at a low price.

Where is the best place to buy a quality mattress at a low price.

Sleep Number. Period. We have a mid-range model and its great. The wife needs very different firmness than I do. I'd buy another tomorrow.

Shawn

I went through the same thing, trying all sorts of mattresses. I ended up with the Saatva Firm and absolutely love it. I would not hesitate to put one on every bed in the house. The toughest part will be figuring out if you want firm or plush. I'm over 200lbs and tall so I went with the firm - absolutely no regrets.

My furniture store before I retired in 2012.

rd

8 years, not a single problem.

We originally did Saatva firm, but it was too firm for us, so we exchanged it for a plush within the 30 (60?) day window. No headaches. It was a great experience.

Rascal_H I’m looking into a Nectar as well. Is yours going to make it beyond the 100 day trial?? Love to hear your thoughts on it.

I have a Tempurpedic that I love. It is a memory firm /hybrid that gives it some springiness. I also bought a cooling mattress padfrom the mattress store and it really helps.

I have a Tempur Pedic that I love. It is a memory firm /hybrid that gives it some springiness. I also bought a cooling mattress pad from the mattress store and it really helps keep it cool.

Waterbed. Freeflow queen size oh man its great.

I heard this was good

fester (resized).jpg

Tempur pedic since 2005 but thinking about a pillow or euro top. Wife and I both loved the pillow top beds at the hotels we stayed at.

I looked for a mattress that wasn't treated with flame retardant chemicals. Ones with a wool cover are naturally flame retardant and don't need chemicals. I bought a naturpedic latex over coil, soft coil/soft latex (they give you a choice). Latex never breaks down unlike all types of foam/memory foam.

Since I'm a side sleeper and my shoulder digs in, I might consider adding a purple topper when they decide to sell just the topper.

The motion base I bought is Glideaway elevation. It tilts the entire bed up as well as raises head and foot. It's amazing to sleep flat, but at an incline and also allows lounge mode with head and legs up, but titled forward.

I slept on a waterbed for years, and ultimately realized how bad it was for my back, but there's nothing else like it so I hadn't a clue where to start.

After a lot of reading I realized a few things...

1. As stated above, manufacturers make it impossible to compare mattresses at different shops. They vary them in just slight ways along with price, so the best you can hope for is to find a very specific mattress and scour the internet for an insider who can explain what is what, but you'll likely fail.

2. I gravitated toward foam beds... they seemed to offer the most even support and that was important as I had developed some back issues. And then I had to dig in to the variations on that.
a) Memory Foam. Everyone knows about Tempurpedic memory foam, but it's not cheap and I saw lots of complaints that memory foam sleeps hot. There are variations out there where they introduce gel into the foam to combat this, so they keep introducing new mattresses. Then there is the cheap poly foam, and Latex.
b) Latex is an interesting topic all on its own.. it does not sleep hot, and it can last 30 years which is much longer than the traditional mattress that winds up losing support in single digit years. Latex is also popular with the naturalist crowd because it comes from a 100% renewable source, and it is ideal for allergy sufferers, doesn't outgas like memory foam, and doesn't harbor microbes like a standard mattress. You can also get man made Latex which is cheaper, but from not as renewable sources, and honestly it started to become difficult understanding the idiosyncrasies of Latex manufacturing. Most interesting is that base latex is firm... and very popular with those with back issues, but with various molds they can make them less and less firm. Base/firm Latex is fairly affordable.

3. Layers. All mattresses are composed of layers, and this is what makes shopping so difficult even if you decide on the base component. Even spring mattresses have started to incorporate the various types of foam in their layers, so you can claim "memory foam" but let's be honest, 1" of memory foam is not going to do anything for you. I still don't understand how 1/8" of memory foam does anything useful in shoes, but I digress. Then there's cotton, wool, springs, and a million other possibilities.

So trying to cut this short, I found an all Latex mattress at Macy's by Sterns & Foster based on internet advice. With various discounts I got a really good deal, particularly since they don't need a box spring so that was added savings. In hindsight that was a load of crap. Latex lasts 30 years, but within 4 years that thing was no longer supportive, so it was probably a poly foam with a thin latext topper. poly doesn't last all that long, but plenty of people us it... it's probably cheap enough to replace every year compared to standard mattress prices. The warranty for the S&RF required a 3" indentation before replacement but it was closer to 2". When I moved I tossed that mattress.

With all that hard knowledge acquired to date I took a winger on a mail order Casper mattress. I was tired of being confused at mattress stores and their high prices, and the composition and layers looked fairly ideal. It turned out to be very comfortable except that being a side sleeper I would get aches in my shoulder because I would sink right through the softer top layer and hit the harder base foam layer. Yes, mattress choices also vary based on how you sleep too. Casper has an excellent return policy, but they talked me out of it by sending me a latex topper, which mostly did the trick. So now I have the advantage of cooler softer Latex on top and enough support. That was a first run mattress, and I believe they have made some changes, but here it is 4.5 years later and it still does fine.

I still wouldn't consider the mattress 100% ideal though... in fact I still don't know how to answer the "what is ideal" question but I have a hunch. Next time I'll be more specific on the layers, paying attention to the densities and thicknesses of each. I think deeper mid-firmness layer would have helped me from hitting the base but a soft topper is still recommended. Casper is close to that but again not perfect. There are mattress firms where you can specify all that, even varying it on each side! Now there are other mail-order competitors, and it comes down to the simple fact that the whole process is very personal, and very trial and error.

Just remember you spend 1/3 of your life in bed, so that's one of the few things worth the extra time and money. Both mattresses were around $1k, so neither was a big investment, but they can easily climb to 5x that. I hope this was somewhat helpful.

Saatva Mattress. You can only buy them online on their website but they are without question the best mattress money can buy. Free setup, free removal of your old mattress and if you don't like it after 120 days with it...you can return it for a full refund at their cost.....minus the shipping costs to deliver it to you....$99. Really a great deal! They make 3 mattresses.....soft, luxury firm and extra firm. I have the Luxury Firm and it's great! best sleep I've ever had and it's 4 years old now and still doing great!

I don’t go to sleep until I am completely exhausted and ready to pass out , at that point mattress does not matter.

I ordered a Purple original for the guest bed today ($100 off cyber Monday) so we’ll see if it stays in 100 nights or goes back for something else.

Was definitely interested in the sports specific Bear brand as well as the new natural Avocado and Plushbed Eco version for this go round of mattresses but, Purple for less $$$ (and more interesting tech,) won in the end.
I guess the Casper original got a recent tune up so that might be a contender too but the old version didn’t wow me.
(Hence why I originally went Loom and Leaf firm for the master; also Purple didn’t have a Cal King back then.)

I feel for those still trying to sleep on the same crusty skin/sweat-laden mattress from 10-20+ years ago.

Seriously,
Treat yourself (and your partner/future other) to a new/modern mattress.

There are SO many Bed-in-a-Box choices in 2018 compared to a few years ago; I agree, it’s so tough to settle on which is the all around best for the $$$.

Endless hours of YT watching helped a bit but, still...there would always be plenty of negative videos to follow the good ones up!

Thankfully most companies now have a long trial period in place with full refund/removal so, it’s not as stressful as the old days of trying to find true mattress blissZzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

They make more than three. They have expanded their lines.

I wouldn't buy a mattress unless the salesman allows me to bring someone and have a shag on it in the store. How else would I know if it fits my needs?

Queen Pillow Top mattress, $299 with box springs. From sign on exit ramps on local freeways. Delivered next day. No receipt. Cash deal.

I recommend Saatva luxury firm.