Mattress Base

How important is a good nights sleep? Is it worth several thousand dollars?

After many years of comfort and good service, our tubular water bed started to become uncomfortable, so we decided to buy a new mattress. It seems that the mattress developed permanent depressions in the two locations my wife and I slept in. This phenomenon, which is called “hammocking”, is not uncommon to beds in general but it is especially prevalent after long time use in tubular water beds.

I made a big mistake with this bed. Though it is comfortable, 2600 dollars is a major rip-off. The bed is fair-priced at about 800 or 1000 dollars.

First of all, I bought the Ultimate Series, with the foundation and shipping. The bill was 2600 dollars all said and done.

We did a LOT of research when it came to buying a new bed, both in person and online. After our Serta Perfect Sleeper died within 10 months, we vowed no more coil mattresses!

Enter Tempurpedic.

We did some shopping around and discovered that Brookstone sold our favorite model (the Celebrity) and would deliver (or return, if need be) the mattress at no charge. With Tempurpedic’s 90 day guarantee, that made it a no brainer for us.

The first 3 nights we made a big mistake: using our own mattress protector over the encased mattress. THIS MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN FEELING which we weren’t entirely educated about. Apparently, if a typical protector (with a plastic-type backing) is used, the TP material can’t “breathe” properly, resulting in you sinking in further and virtually unable to switch positions. I wish someone had told us that!

Problem is, even after removing our protector, we still experienced the sunken feeling (like wet sand, as so many other owners have mentioned) and it was still difficult to change position. This is partly due to the body heat impression you create. But I believe that’s why so many others who rave about the bed say they fall asleep in one position and wake up the same way. It really is DIFFICULT to move! Due to the sinking, we often slept pillow-less because using them would have caused us severe neck pain too.

Another problem: the Celebrity’s built-in mattress pad does not go all the way to the edge of the bed itself. I am 6′, my husband is 6′2″ and our feet still hung over the edge when we slept on our stomach or back. We thought that was a bit chintzy.

Still, as so many people said, “stick with it” we did. But my husband’s lower back pain only intensified with each night he was in the bed, and I began to get it: the exact opposite of what you see in their commercials.

Thankfully, we didn’t experience much “out-gassing”, the smell that emanates from this petroleum-based product. It went away about 24 hours after the bed was delivered.

We have had a TempurPedic Celebrity King bed for just about a week now and I can say that since my nice comfy bed left and this obnoxious beast invaded my bedroom I have not slept. My husband wanted to replace the old bed because he woke up stiff every morning. So, we went to a local retailer and checked out beds. We went back and forth between this bed and a soft side water bed. After much deliberation, we painfully decided on this one. I say painfully because it cost $4100 plus tax! I, like everyone else heard good things about this bed. I checked out the website and got the free sample and all that stuff. So, it was not like this was a blind purchase. I asked the sales girl if any had ever been returned. She said no so I figured I was gold, right? WRONG! The bed arrived and I was so excited. I could not wait to sleep on it that night. The first thing was that the wrong foundation was delivered. We ordered the low and we received the high. So, for me being 5′3″ I have to literally climb into this thing. It is very high. Also, be prepared for the nasty smell of the mattress. It stunk up the whole bedroom and a week later it still lingers. They say regular sheets fit on it too, but my King sheet set looks like a double set on this bed. Anyway, from the first night I lay on it I wanted to cry. One, from pain, and one from being robbed! It was, and still is horrible. For me the material does not give. It is like sleeping on cement. It took me forever to finally fall asleep. When I woke I was in such pain, (back) that I could not move. The body heat thing is not an issue for me but it is for my husband. I like to read in bed and you cannot do that on this bed. My husband and I like to watch TV once in a while also. Nope forget about that. Some days I need to take a little midday nap. Ain’t happening on this thing. I dread going to bed at night, which has never ever been an issue, because I know of the uncomfortable hours that lay ahead of me. I am a side sleeper and I guess it is not made for that. But I am not about to sleep on my back either. It truly is horrible, and a horrible ripoff! We are in our early thirties, and I work out everyday. I should not be feeling like this when I wake up. As I type this my back still hurts and I got up three hours ago! I am going to the store today to see about an exchange and a refund. Until this thing goes I will sleep on the futon in our den. STAY AWAY!

This mattress offers an incredible night sleep with its soft yet supportive material!

I knew I’d love this bed from the moment I saw it! One thing I questioned (besides the large price tag) was whether I would experience a lack of support once the material heated up from body heat. I feared it becoming some type of marshmallow mattress that swallows you up, creating more back pain than ever before! Although I am young, I experience low back pain fairly regularly, and I notice that it intensifies when I sleep on a mattress that is too hard or too saggy/soft. I need just the right amount of support. Tempur Pedic offers just that. I can sleep in any position and feel comfortably supported, yet without the annoying pressure of springs. I love that it absorbs motion, so that if either my partner or myself are having a restless night, the other is not awakened.

We purchased a tempur-pedic mattress about 6 years ago and have been very happy with the purchase. Although expensive, it has seemed to be worth the money (not a bargain, but a fair price).

We had a Queen sized bed, and didn’t like how when one of us moved, or shifted around, the other was disrupted or woken up. Given the small size of our house and bedrooms, a Queen sized bed was the largest we could go since we have found when traveling, a King sized bed offers tremendous isolation.

After over 18 years (how time flies!) of excellent service from our Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress and box spring, my wife and I decided that it was time for a new set.

After going to many mattress stores and trying many mattresses (we diligently tried to be good researchers for this long term investment), we selected a Simmons BackCare Eastland Elite Queen set. (As I understand from Simmons, the Eastland may be called by another name beginning with an “E” if purchased at another mattress store, but it will be essentially the same mattress set if it is in the BackCare line.)

I bought a queen with a pillowtop for 2k. I got the belleview model if that helps. This mattress is the most comfortable thing I have ever experienced. None of the other brands at the store came close and now that I have the bed at home, I have been sleeping wonderfully.

I would buy one even if the price makes you uncomfortable. The bed will more than thank you for it.

Some things to consider when buying this bed. First, it is thick. I have a queen on a standard iron bed frame and it is 3 feet high off the floor. Get a running start to get in bed. Second, I ripped a set of 20″ deep sheets trying to make them fit. You will probably need to buy king sized 20″ sheets and then do a good job tucking the little extra sheet you have. Third and finally, the mattress is heavy! You should follow the instructions and flip and rotate the mattress often. If at all possible, get a second person to help you. This thing just wants to knock over lamps, alarm clocks, or whatever else while flipping it.

I purchased the Select Comfort (CA King) approximately 4 years ago. The first year the bed was fantastic. Despite the middle foam divider separating the two air bladders, rolling across it (if the pressure was the same on both sides), I couldn’t notice it. Even sleeping on it was not noticeable.

After the first year problems began to develop. The mattress seemed to “shrink”, causing a tilt toward the center of the bed.

The DORMO DIAGNOSTICS is the high end version of this bed, selected after a sleep test on a pressure sensing cot device (now called BODYDIAGNOSTIC) at SLEEPYS, the large New York based distributor here. We specified that we did not want a mattress that had to be flipped or rotated. The salesman led us to this choice. Showing us that there were no handles because “it doesn’t have to be flipped or rotated”, he joked that “even some box springs have to be rotated”. We all chuckled about how stupid someone would have to be to buy that sleep system. The diagnostic computer zeroed in on an ideal softness and, a test rest and few thousand dollars later, we were done. Delivery was prompt and on time. Old bedding was removed. Delivery guys were very nice.