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UglySwing

UglySwing

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As a chiropractor, I'm often asked to recommend mattresses to people.

Ive researched the subject to some degree, and listened to patient experiences with different types of mattresses.

In my own personal experience, and from what I've heard from many patients over the years, Temperpedic mattresses, while really comfortable, are most commonly implicated with either causing lower back pain, or making someone's existing lower back condition worse.

I know some people love theirs. I also realize that for others, it might actually make their pain lessen, or go away, but Im speaking in general terms.

I used to recommend Sleep Numbers (if you could afford them...they are pricy). I only recommended them bc you can change the settings. A lot of people have no idea how their body will feel with their new mattress. It would stink to lay down a lot of money, and then be stuck with something that is hurting you.

However, further research shows that Sleep Number has horrible reviews, and even worse customer service...with many people complaining the beds break down, and Sleep Number doesn't honor the warranty.

I just bought a new mattress a few days ago.
I bought a premium luxury mattress.
While the mattress is fine (so far), while looking deeper into the subject, I found this mattress company that has awesome reviews, and they are a fraction of the cost of more popular brands.

I had previously never heard of them. No stores. You buy online. You have 75 days to decide if you want to keep your mattress, or you can send it back (you pay only the initial shipping fee, which is also very reasonable):

www.SaatvaMattress.com
Premium mattress, a fraction of the cost, high customer satisfaction, and reportedly great customer service.

I had no idea mattresses were now so expensive! It's a major purchase!
 
Thanks for the info, we have some high end Sealy I think and it's only 4 years old but my wife side has what looks like a person sized crater in it. And she's not big if anyone was wondering I'm almost double her size and my side doesn't have this. Drives me nuts cause in the beginning it was comfortable, now not so much. I'm gonna look into the one you reccomend.
 
Great post, thank you! We're due for a new mattress soon (13+ years...we spared no expense for our first mattress and it's lasted us a long time!) - but it's like buying a car nowadays. Ridiculous. I was intrigued by the sleep number, because as a stomach sleeper I prefer a harder mattress, and my wife would rather sleep on a pile of fluffed up cotton balls. But I've also heard bad things about them, as you say.

Thanks for the link, I'll check this out. Where in socal are you? Corona here.
 
We've been looking for a new mattress as I wake up with back pain every single day. Haven't pulled the trigger because it seems impossible to test them by just laying on them at the store. Frustrating for sure.
 
jitzy said:
Thanks for the info, we have some high end Sealy I think and it's only 4 years old but my wife side has what looks like a person sized crater in it. And she's not big if anyone was wondering I'm almost double her size and my side doesn't have this. Drives me nuts cause in the beginning it was comfortable, now not so much. I'm gonna look into the one you reccomend.
Click to expand...

When I purchased my new mattress earlier in the week, I did it really quickly (I was on my lunch break). It is actually for my 9 yr old daughter, so I wasn't that concerned about doing a,lot of research and comparison shopping (she's so small that her weight on the mattress should be insignificant).

However when I got home afterwards, I looked into it further.

I purchased a Stearns-Foster. It has horrible reviews (for the same reason you mention above).
The Sealy's have horrible reviews too.

As a matter of fact, every company I looked into had horrible reviews (I was looking in the $1000-$2000 range; I don't want to purchase a $3500-$6000 mattress).

Saatva was the only one that didn't have horrible reviews.

Most of the complaints revolve around the same thing: how quickly the mattresses begin to sag and/or customer service when you try and do something about it.

Because I was in a hurry, I paid almost twice as much for my (very poorly reviewed) Stearns Foster as the similar (but highly rated) Saatva mattress.
 
Horrible reviews are fairly common with most consumer goods. People post far less about what they like then what they dont.
Going strictly by that outside of unbiased long term tested reviews is a mistake.
By foam and never worry again.
 
Iron, I'm in Ventura.

The most common complaint I hear and read on the Sleep Numbers is that in time they begin to lose their ability to hold their air.
You can go to sleep on a mattress with a 70 setting, and wake up on a mattress that has a 60 setting.

That would effectively eliminate the advantage of having the ability to set your desired firmness.
 
We've had a Sleep Number mattress for 8 years with no issues. The wife and I prefer different feel and that was the best compromise. Every now and then we have to adjust the settings but maybe only 2 -3x a year. With the firm 90 setting on my side, my back has been pain free for years.
 
JB said:
Horrible reviews are fairly common with most consumer goods. People post far less about what they like then what they dont.
Going strictly by that outside of unbiased long term tested reviews is a mistake.
By foam and never worry again.
Click to expand...
While I agree with that to some extent, when so many people have the same complaint, it is at the very least a pattern that shows the potential for a problem.
 
UglySwing said:
Iron, I'm in Ventura.

The most common complaint I hear and read on the Sleep Numbers is that in time they begin to lose their ability to hold their air.
You can go to sleep on a mattress with a 70 setting, and wake up on a mattress that has a 60 setting.

That would effectively eliminate the advantage of having the ability to set your desired firmness.
Click to expand...

I've heard this as well from those I know that have had them. Additionally, many times they could hear the air pump turn on and it would sometimes wake them up in the middle of the night? Odd
 
UglySwing said:
While I agree with that to some extent, when so many people have the same complaint, it is at the very least a pattern that shows the potential for a problem.
Click to expand...

Compare it to # of units sold and and its a tiny minute pattern at best.
As mentioned, so few put up the happy comments on big purchases. See the same thing about cars, neighborhoods, etc.
 
So I just looked at mine and it's a Simmons, actually found the warranty card still attached to it and it may still be under warranty. I'm gonna look into this further.
 
thanks for the thread. we are in the market for a new one and the sleep number was a consideration. I don't want to drop a ton of money on a mattress either. i am going to check this one out.
 
UglySwing said:
As a chiropractor, I'm often asked to recommend mattresses to people.

Ive researched the subject to some degree, and listened to patient experiences with different types of mattresses.

In my own personal experience, and from what I've heard from many patients over the years, Temperpedic mattresses, while really comfortable, are most commonly implicated with either causing lower back pain, or making someone's existing lower back condition worse.

I know some people love theirs. I also realize that for others, it might actually make their pain lessen, or go away, but Im speaking in general terms.

I used to recommend Sleep Numbers (if you could afford them...they are pricy). I only recommended them bc you can change the settings. A lot of people have no idea how their body will feel with their new mattress. It would stink to lay down a lot of money, and then be stuck with something that is hurting you.

However, further research shows that Sleep Number has horrible reviews, and even worse customer service...with many people complaining the beds break down, and Sleep Number doesn't honor the warranty.

I just bought a new mattress a few days ago.
I bought a premium luxury mattress.
While the mattress is fine (so far), while looking deeper into the subject, I found this mattress company that has awesome reviews, and they are a fraction of the cost of more popular brands.

I had previously never heard of them. No stores. You buy online. You have 75 days to decide if you want to keep your mattress, or you can send it back (you pay only the initial shipping fee, which is also very reasonable):

www.SaatvaMattress.com
Premium mattress, a fraction of the cost, high customer satisfaction, and reportedly great customer service.

I had no idea mattresses were now so expensive! It's a major purchase!
Click to expand...

I have a very firm mattress. A couple of years ago I had to have hip preservation surgery so I bought a memory foam topper pad beforehand, knowing that my hip would need some cushion. It is only about 2" thick so I get the firmness of having a firm mattress with out feeling like I am sleeping on a sheet of plywood.
 
We love our sleep number and wish we'd bought one sooner . We've had ours for 4 years with no complaints yet.

What have you heard that breakdown in the sleep number beds ?
 
We bought a new bed and mattress last year and it is a very difficult thing to buy as you can't get a good idea from just lying on a few in a shop

Whilst in the shop, we had a good sales person who asked various questions (with my back issues I hate soft mattresses that you seem to sink into) and directed us to potential options, even to the point of advising us to avoid certain more expensive mattresses

JB said:
Compare it to # of units sold and and its a tiny minute pattern at best.
As mentioned, so few put up the happy comments on big purchases. See the same thing about cars, neighborhoods, etc.
Click to expand...

JB has nailed this completely, people are very quick to criticise but not as quick to praise so the number of bad reviews about something will always outweigh the good. Unfortunately this makes it very difficult to research a potential purchase these days as it is so easy for people to voice their complaints on social media, etc

I try to look for the date on which a review was posted to give me an idea of how current the potential issue could be - so if I see a complaint that is a couple years old without the same one more recent, then I will assume that something has been done by the company to rectify it, but if possible I will also enquire about the particular problem before purchasing
 
Be careful about the Saatva's - there was a similar thread on a Wine bulletin board I frequent and it appears that their beds are no better than anyone else's at that price range - if one bothers to go through their specs. They are offering a unique sales model, but for $1,000 beds, there are tons of similar choices. Just keep in mind beds aren't 15+ year products anymore and any bed will be due for replacement in 5-7 years.

Check spring counts and types of springs for the best estimate of quality.

http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/bed-mattress-review-home.html
http://www.themattressunderground.com/

I've had good experiences the last two beds buying from this website:

http://www.us-mattress.com/

Their comfort scale is spot on as well. My latest bed is a S&F Luxury Estate in Firm (3/10) Cal King 1650 coils and it's been great in the short time I've had it and it's done wonders for my back. It was shipped right from S&F's nearest fabrication plant in the SF Bay Area and was here in a few days. My last bed was a Serta midpriced City Charmer pillowtop soft (8/10) that has been relegated to guest room duty, meh.

If you have/desire baller status get one of these: http://mcroskey.com/
 
UglySwing said:
As a chiropractor, I'm often asked to recommend mattresses to people.

Ive researched the subject to some degree, and listened to patient experiences with different types of mattresses.

In my own personal experience, and from what I've heard from many patients over the years, Temperpedic mattresses, while really comfortable, are most commonly implicated with either causing lower back pain, or making someone's existing lower back condition worse.

I know some people love theirs. I also realize that for others, it might actually make their pain lessen, or go away, but Im speaking in general terms.

I used to recommend Sleep Numbers (if you could afford them...they are pricy). I only recommended them bc you can change the settings. A lot of people have no idea how their body will feel with their new mattress. It would stink to lay down a lot of money, and then be stuck with something that is hurting you.

However, further research shows that Sleep Number has horrible reviews, and even worse customer service...with many people complaining the beds break down, and Sleep Number doesn't honor the warranty.

I just bought a new mattress a few days ago.
I bought a premium luxury mattress.
While the mattress is fine (so far), while looking deeper into the subject, I found this mattress company that has awesome reviews, and they are a fraction of the cost of more popular brands.

I had previously never heard of them. No stores. You buy online. You have 75 days to decide if you want to keep your mattress, or you can send it back (you pay only the initial shipping fee, which is also very reasonable):

www.SaatvaMattress.com
Premium mattress, a fraction of the cost, high customer satisfaction, and reportedly great customer service.

I had no idea mattresses were now so expensive! It's a major purchase!
Click to expand...

Really glad I saw this thread as I've given thought to getting another mattress. I have been having an on going issue with my back this year and some rib dislocations as well. I really just need to get into my chiro regularly again too but I am definitely going to look into this mattress recommendation and ask my own chiropractor as well.
 
We bought one of these last year and love it. It had the #2 rated mattress in Consumer Reports last year so with the 120 night sleep guarantee and free 2 way shipping we took a leap of faith. The person I spoke with there, Caitlyn I think, was most helpful and I bought based on her recommendation. I love that either of us can get out of bed and it does not disturb the other. We had a pillow-top Serta before and I had to flip it every 3 months, 8 foot ceilings and a king sized mattress are a pain to flip. The Aria is the one we decided on.

https://www.novosbed.com/?gclid=Cjw...sSyRq5xl-EXH5yVgffBrOyJ6WFzcYNB5R-hoCHVXw_wcB
 
We have a Sleep Number. No quality or durability issues after 8 years, but I just don't find it comfortable.
 
Erky said:
We have a Sleep Number. No quality or durability issues after 8 years, but I just don't find it comfortable.
Click to expand...

I am the opposite. We've had it s9ince the end of October 2012, and is the best bed I have ever had. It is not actually a sleep number but the same deal. The numbers go from 1-50 by ones. Jacqui has hers at 50 I have mine at 20. Some nights I will bump it up to 40, and some nights as low as 10. But 20 is the normal.

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?5186-Bed-shopping-anyone/page2
 
We bought a bedinabox.com memory foam with cooling gel a few years ago based on reading sites like sleeplikethedead.com and have been extremely happy. Great prices and service. Got some sheet sets and pillows later and those are great too.
 
My girl and I bought a new bed a couple of years ago. She was having back problems at the time but neither one of us was willing to spent $1000+ on a mattress so we went another route. We visited a few different stores and tried out some beds. We made a ton of notes on on the beds we liked (firmness, construction, thickness, etc) and then hopped on the interwebs to find something similar at a much lower price with good reviews. We ended up with a 14" cool gel memory foam queen size for $550 from overstock.com and we couldn't be happier. The bed is fantastic and at a beautiful price. Took quite a while to work it all out band research the brands, but it was time well spent in the end.
 
JB said:
Horrible reviews are fairly common with most consumer goods. People post far less about what they like then what they dont.
Going strictly by that outside of unbiased long term tested reviews is a mistake.
By foam and never worry again.
Click to expand...
what are your thoughts on foam and spring mattresses? Should I go 100% foam? If so what do I look for? Brand, thickness?
 
I really want to try one of the Casper mattresses. 100 day in home trial sounds good. Wife wants a Sleep Number but I'm not prepared to drop that kind of cash.
 
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