Mattress shopping has me dizzy... help me narrow it down?

Searching for a good mattress brand. Prefer memory foam or hybrid, probably will go with full or queen. All I really know is that I used to have a Serta iComfort mattress that I loved but it really collapsed/compressed after 9 months or so and they refused to honor the warranty; citing something about a dirt scuff on one corner that happened when we moved it in. Not eager to give them my money again. I slept on a Sleep Innovations mattress in a rental a couple months ago that I loved, but no idea how they hold up long term.

How about the new mattress-by-mail offerings like Casper or Lull?

Also, not breaking the bank is a good thing. I don't mind spending good money on good rest, but often times buying a lesser-known brand will get you 95% of the quality for 50% the price. A nod toward sustainable/recycled materials is a plus.

Your opinions please. And thank you.

If you're ok with a very firm mattress, I have only one complaint with the NovaForm 14": My wife falls asleep too fast on it, it has impacted our... relations, if you will.

We bought it at Costco. Came in a box.

We bought a dreamfoam mattress on amazon and liked it. I can't say much else.

In reply to mtn: Our mattress runs the other way: way too soft. As we wandered through the mattress store laying down on each one, we were struck by how firm they all were. Realized once we had it home that the mattress store was only 55-60 degrees and memory foam is much softer at 70 degrees. Now I sleep in a hole as the mattress absorbs our heat and sinks right down. Lesson learned.

I love my fjordgard from the blue swedish store with the meatballs.

Based on this GRM Mattress discussion, we bought the recommended Costco Foam King and have been very happy. Looking back at the posting it seems we have owned it nearly a year now.

curtis73 wrote: A nod toward sustainable/recycled materials is a plus.

Buy a firm spring mattress. Replace in 50 years.

Far more sustainable than people who replace theirs often.

FWIW, memory foam is almost always going to end up in a landfill if its bonded to something. At least most of a traditional mattress will decompose over time (steel springs, cloth cover, etc.)

John Welsh wrote: Based on this GRM Mattress discussion, we bought the recommended Costco Foam King and have been very happy. Looking back at the posting it seems we have owned it nearly a year now.

dtto

Agreed on the sustainable part, Darwin. Mattresses are just one of those things that require a few barrels of oil to do properly it seems. Short of stuffing a big bag full of straw, it looks like crude oil or springs for the win.

Can you folks walk me through some of the terminology? I tend to sleep in odd combinations of positions. I'm either on my stomach (firmer) or on my side (softer). So I think I'm looking for one with a denser underlayer and a couple inches of squishy on top. How do I get that? What materials do I look for?

But I'm getting mixed information. It seems they come in memory foam, gel memory foam, and latex foam. Then there is open cell and closed cell. One website said that Latex foam breathes better so its not as sweaty, then another website said that the sweaty latex foam was the reason the old-school tempurpedic wasn't liked very well by today's standards.

I did try a gel-top mattress in the store and it felt really cool for about 5 minutes while it soaked up my heat, but then it just felt like it held all of my heat and became warm to the touch.

So, to expand... I like the idea of a latex top for hypoallergenic things, but will it be sweaty? What should I put on the top for squishy side sleeping but what should be under it for support when on my belly?

I did find THIS SITE which specs out a queen at around $350 with 3" of 5lb memory foam on top bonded to a 5" poly foam base. Then I was thinking maybe a squishy latex 2" topper? That would still be under $450 plus shipping. Hard to custom-spec a mattress online without testing it first.

I'm a hot sleeper, and have had no problems with the Novaform (The costco mattress john welsh is talking about). I have had issues with a cheap memory foam mattress in the past.

Looks like I have it narrowed down to a few. Sleep Innovations "Taylor" and one of the Novaforms. Still looking at Leesa and Casper though.

etifosi wrote: I love my fjordgard from the blue swedish store with the meatballs.

We ended up with something from there. Only thing I ever bought from them that I didmt need a E36 M3ty Allen key for. It sleeps good, albeit a bit warm for me.

Bring the lady to the blue swedish store, eat lots of meatballs then try out some mattresses

Honestly been dealing with the cheap mattresses we had for the past 7 years, moving to a new place dropped some serious coin on a king size sealy posturepedic premier hybrid copper cushion firm. 2 stage foam top. Zero issues or complaints. Worth it.

They had some contraption in the store you could lay on and it would analyze your pressure points and how you lay or whatever, and recommend a mattress. Maybe a gimmick but we like the bed a lot soooo...

In reply to etifosi:

Buying a mattress from said location makes for an excellent first date from what I hear.

Latex is definitely not sweaty, it sleeps the coolest of any out there, is natural (not a big draw for me), bed bug resistant (not a big draw for me), and lasts!! (that was a big draw for me.)

I don't remember the numbers anymore because it's been several years since I tested, but I used my pyrometer to measure the temp of the mattress underneath me and the Latex was something like 80 degrees cooler than memory foam. Memory foam has to capture the heat for it to work, which also means it almost crackles its so hard in the winter if you sleep with the windows open.

Latex also has a standard for firmness so you can build or change your mattress quickly and easily and you can buy the right firmness the next time without worrying you bought the wrong thing.

My mattresses zip open and I can rearrange the sheets inside or even replace them with sheets of different values.

I have an adjustable base king size which means I have 2 twin XL mattresses and I accidentally bought one that was too hard. After about 4 months I simply ordered a 2" sheet with a softer value (keep in mind these softness grades are an industry standard) to get the exact firmness I wanted.

They say you don't want anything between you and the latex, but I've found that thin pillow top promotes more airflow as you wiggle which keeps it even cooler.

We added a 2" latex topper to 4 other beds in the house and that completely rejuvenated all the old mattresses. It was cheap too, although latex is more expensive than memory foam - and a lot heavier!!

failboat wrote: They had some contraption in the store you could lay on and it would analyze your pressure points and how you lay or whatever, and recommend a mattress. Maybe a gimmick but we like the bed a lot soooo...

In that particular situation, it is almost definitely a gimmick. The pressure points are accurate, for sure, but the recommendation... that's going to come down to personal preference.

Designing airline seats, I have a very good idea of how long foams last. And the answer is: not nearly as long as anything else in a mattress or seat: hard springs, suspension fabric, etc. Plus, its a HUGE fire hazard by comparison. Even FR foams burn like crazy compared to a coil spring. Remember, most foams are made of oil. Edit: I'm second guessing that part... a large volume of air inside a spring mattress may make it more susceptible to failing a flammability test.

If longevity is a concern, avoid foams. Maybe use a thin topper that can easily replaced without messing with the whole mattress.

I have a rock hard spring mattress. With a topper, because wife. I dislike it for many reasons, but sweat is the biggest issue.

https://bedroomsandmore.com Not to make you any dizzier but this place was mentioned in an Amazon review. Just checked it over briefly myself.

curtis73 wrote: One website said that Latex foam breathes better so its not as sweaty, then another website said that the sweaty latex foam was the reason the old-school tempurpedic wasn't liked very well by today's standards.

Tempurpedic has never been latex. It's "memory foam" an sleeps on the hotter side. That's the reason memory foam manufacturers have come out with with the 'cooling' blends and whatnot. Latex sleeps cooler than memory foam, in addition to the hypoallergen and anti-bad-stuff properties. Also, while synthetic latex is made from petrochemicals, "natural" latex is not. Sustainably harvested natural latex is one of the more eco-friendly options for a mattress, but is also one of the more expensive. We do love ours though...Which for something you spend 25%-33% of your life on, you should.

Curtis,

You should know that "mattress hopping" as you call it, is a good way to catch a communicable disease!

captdownshift wrote: In reply to etifosi: Buying a mattress from said location makes for an excellent first date from what I hear.

I'm still with her, so I'm tempted to invite Mr. Ikea to our wedding someday.

I'm also probably mistakenly assuming there is a Mr. Ikea.

The latex sounds like a good idea for me.

Strangely, I did all this research for days and still came back to the Sleep Innovations I had slept on in a rental property. It doesn't have latex, but A) I didn't notice it being hot and B) it has some kind of cooling channels in the second layer.

I was looking at the Leesa which has a synthetic latex top, but its also twice as much money.

I also looked at a good pocketed coil mattress (I like the non-motion part) on which I could put a 2" latex topper, but that is usually more expensive than all of the above.

So, latex for the sanitary and cooling properties is high on my list... but if the sub-$500 Sleep Innovations is cool enough (and I can put a mattress pad on it to keep the amoebas at bay) do I just go that way?

Too many questions.

I was swimming in all this discussion over the last few weeks too. Our old cheap but firm coil spring mattress is 15 years old and too worn out to use comfortably anymore.

I looked at all the mattress review aggregators, and it appeared to me that most people fell into two camps for best kind: 100% Latex for hot sleepers, and Memory Foam for people who don't care. I'm a hot sleeper so memory foam is out for me.

I looked at a local company who apparently does a lot of inexpensive custom foam for different applications, and they do custom mattresses too. Their 100% natural Latex was cheaper by far than any other brand I could find, so I ordered one. It's not here yet so no review.

The place is called The Foam Factory. I think they run foambymail and a couple other sites. You can order a custom blend of traditional foam with a memory foam or latex topper, or get a 100% memory foam or 100% latex. Whatever you want. Seems like a good deal from my exhaustive research - about $600 for a queen size Latex.

For example, they show you exactly how to make a copy of the Casper mattress on their blog for less than $350.

Latex alone might be too firm, so if it doesn't agree with me I plan to buy a mattress topper. I've heard a 3" wool topper is the best but that's super expensive.

Erich wrote: Our old cheap but firm coil spring mattress is 15 years old and too worn out to use comfortably anymore.

Out of curiosity, what wore out on it?

I had a rock hard twin mattress from the mid 80s to the late 2000s. When I got rid of it, there was nothing wrong with it other than it was a twin mattress.

In reply to curtis73:

I too was caught up in Analysis Paralysis trying to shop a mattress. It seems to be an industry even slimier than car dealer shopping.

I happened to be in Costco. I took the good word of GRM that the Nova Mattress sold in the Costco stores as a good value. The box was small and easy enough to take home.
I held some relief knowing that if I hated it, Costco would refund my money. The hardest part to this refund is that you have to get the now fully expanded mattress back to the store in one piece. I figured that if I had to return it that ratchet straps would be the answer. Ratchet it down some on one day then ratchet down some more on the next day. I figured that it wouldn't take too long to get the king bed back down to a manageable size to fit in minivan.

I bought it on faith and it has been a great value.