Mattress shopping

[elessar78]

So we're looking for a mattress for my kid and I went into a showroom last night. On display they had several major brands (serta, sealy, posturepedic, etc) that were cutaway to reveal the innerworking of the mattresses. The geek inside me loved this obviously. What I found was that, not surprsingly, that they were all essentially the same—coiled springs with foam padding. Duh.

Anyway, the point of this whole thread is that all the thicker/more plush mattreses possessed were just more layers of foam (egg crate style or flat or a combo of the two) NO different than the egg crate foam pads or (memory foam) mattress toppers you can buy separately at numerous stores.

Anyway, my take away was that the structure of the mattress is all generally the same and you could save hundreds of dollars by buying a mattress topper of your choice. I'm sure the tempur-pedic stuff is radically different since it has no coils, just foam.

[bjl584]

I have an all foam mattress. Memory Foam I think is what it's called. I got it as Costco. It is quite different, and it took me a few days to get used to, but it is a really comfortable mattress and it supports my back very nicely. I have no complaints.

[elessar78]

I have an all foam mattress. Memory Foam I think is what it's called. I got it as Costco. It is quite different, and it took me a few days to get used to, but it is a really comfortable mattress and it supports my back very nicely. I have no complaints.

Yeah, when it comes time for us to buy one for us I think we will go down the memory foam road. I'm a side sleeper and am very temperature conscious when I sleep.

[cooliemae]

My wife and I splurged on a Select Comfort bed and can't say anything bad about it. At the time I thought we were spending too much on a bed, but having slept in it for about 5 years now, I am definitely glad we did.

We looked at tempurpedic beds, but found that the foam kept too much heat on our bodies for our liking.

[disneysteve]

my take away was that the structure of the mattress is all generally the same and you could save hundreds of dollars by buying a mattress topper of your choice.

I don't think that's entirely true. Just because different mattresses all have coils doesn't mean they're all the same. The quality, the support, the firmness, the noise (how squeaky), etc. will vary from bed to bed, generally better as you move up in price. You could get a really cheesy coil mattress made of cheaper thinner metal, fewer coils, poorly attached, or you could get thicker more durable coils, solidy connected, etc. It isn't all about the padding.

[elessar78]

I don't think that's entirely true. Just because different mattresses all have coils doesn't mean they're all the same. The quality, the support, the firmness, the noise (how squeaky), etc. will vary from bed to bed, generally better as you move up in price. You could get a really cheesy coil mattress made of cheaper thinner metal, fewer coils, poorly attached, or you could get thicker more durable coils, solidy connected, etc. It isn't all about the padding.

I did say that the cross sections they showed were from the major brands, so there's probably less discernible difference. Sure, if one were to get a cut rate mattress that the things you mentioned probably come into play.

[humandraydel]

I have an all foam mattress. Memory Foam I think is what it's called. I got it as Costco. It is quite different, and it took me a few days to get used to, but it is a really comfortable mattress and it supports my back very nicely. I have no complaints.

About 3 years ago I purchased an all latex mattress (queen) for about $1000 from Costco. It's up there with my best purchases ever. It's VERY comfortable and should last twice as long as a coiled spring mattress.

[elessar78]

About 3 years ago I purchased an all latex mattress (queen) for about $1000 from Costco. It's up there with my best purchases ever. It's VERY comfortable and should last twice as long as a coiled spring mattress.

Mattresses are pretty good values if they last a decade or more. I paid $800 for mine about a decade ago . . . can't beat 16 cents/per day for a good place to sleep!

[snafu]

I suggest reviewing Consumer Report for 'best buy' rating for single sized mattress. CR actually tests fabric, springs and padding types. I'm sure you expect the mattress to last many years. I suggest the type that can be flipped corner to corner and reversed to even out wear. For luxury, you can add a memory foam fabric covered topper which sits atop the mattress beneath the fitted sheet.

[bennkar]

I've had a tempurpedic memory foam mattress for over a decade now - I've never had a complaint - it holds up great and feels about the same as it did when I got it. Of course I got mine for $400 (my ex worked at a store that had a once a year employee discount sale on these mattresses )