BS: Mattress Question???....

Subject: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Bobert
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 08:19 AM

Okay, this one ain't about roadkill mattresses but a serious question about mattresses in general...

Seein' as the P-Vinbe and I are currently "camping out" in our new digs and sleepin' on an air mattress we are goping to have to purchase a new mattress... Problem is that the P-Vine's son, Hall, says that mattress construction has changed drastically since I bought this mattress some 10 years ago... Well, I might add, Hall is a believer in the 90 miles-per-gallon carburator so I don't take everything he says as the Gospel...

So, what about it? Did the mattress industry go thru some kinda revolution whilst I was sleepin'? Is there some kinda new mattress technology out there that we need to know about?

Help!!!!

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: freda underhill
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 08:25 AM

this could be handy!!

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 08:26 AM

What matters in a spring mattress is not the number of coils-- that's just marketing crapola. What matters is the wire gauge of the wire used in the coils. And the amount and quality of the padding on top of the springs-- which varies by thickness and type of filling. What a lot of folks like nowadays is real firm springs topped with real thick, fluffy padding. Like house framing-- basic great structure covered with layers of stuff for comfort and, finally, looks.

I think the "new" stuff is about magic memory foam. Me, I'm a springs girl, always will be.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 10:08 AM

Bobert -

The most significant change in mattresses on the market now is that they won't fit easily into older bedframes. For several decades the "standard" mattress and box spring were each about 6 to 8 inches thick, giving you about 12 to 16 inches or so on top of the slats in your frame. The "sleeping surface" in typical frames would be about 20 to 26 inches above the floor, depending on how high your slats were.

When we bought our most recent replacement, about 2 years ago, we were unable to find either, base or mattress, less than 9 inches thick, and some "super" versions were up to 14" thick. The difference is due to very thick padding, on the top surface of the supporting "box spring" and on both sides of the mattress. This puts the "new" sleeping surface 18 to 28 inches "above the slats" if you put them into an older bedrame. This can give you a sleeping surface as much as 35 inches above the floor, or roughly like sleeping on the dining room table (or on your pool table if you're recreationally inclined).

If you like the "fitted" bottom sheets, you'll likely find that older ones won't wrap around the new mattresses far enough to stay in place. Newer ones intended for the thicker mattresses are available, but the packaging often doesn't indicate which are, and which aren't, suitable. Especially at the "discount" outlets, you'll still find the old style that aren't usable.

If either of you are a bit on the "short-legged" side, you may find it annoying having to jump up onto the bed at first, although you'll probably get used to it after a while. Some new frames virtually eliminate the space under the box to partially compensate for the thicker new styles.

The change in construction is largely because foam pads are cheaper than good coil assemblies. For the new styles, number of coils is less significant, and many manufacturers don't even tell you how many coils they use. You can get "all foam" styles with no coil springs. Each brand has its own "magic" foam composition, and each will tell you that theirs is "superior to all others;" but there really is no way of telling what you're getting. (Anything they tell you was written by marketing people, who's motto is "shut up, pay up, we'll sell you something different when you find out this is shit.") Often the one that's "best" when new is the one that will fall apart quickest; but there's no reasonably accessible info you can use to evaluate them in advance of "wearing one out."

Even the advice to stick to "known name brands" is suspect, since the discount brands have access to the same foam materials as the big names, and neither will tell you, in useful and meaningful terms, what they've used.

Go shopping. It'll be fun...

John

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Peace
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 10:13 AM

The most significant aspect of the mattress is who shares it with you. Personal opinion.

I have slept on floors, in cars, in the open, in snow caves, on the 'tailgate' of a firetruck at a call (was after five straight hours of dealing with a situation), in a chair, in a canoe, etc. All in all, I prefer the mattress. That doesn't help you, I know. Basically, I have always been grateful just to have a roof over my head, so I'll have to give this some thought.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 03:21 PM

Definition of a Mistress.

Something that fits neatly between Master and Mattress.

I'll get me coat..........

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 04:40 PM

Well, first you get a canvas bag and then you stuff it full of straw. Voilà, one "donkey's breakfast" ready for you and the bedbugs to dive into.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 05:02 PM

It doesn't matter what mattress you sleep on, top it with 2 or 3 inches of Temperfoam... You'll NEVER go back to sleeping on ANY other mattress topper....

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: LilyFestre
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 05:19 PM

My mom got a new mattress not long ago...one with one of the pillow toppers. I don't know what brand or any of that, but I do know that the pillow topper type of mattress sets a bit higher and makes it much easier for her to get out of bed in the morning. She doesn't have to lift herself out of bed (bad back, bad knees, bad hip) but rather can roll over and slide her feet down to the floor and she is on her way to standing without so much pain. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 05:47 PM

Check Consumer's Reports. They did an article on mattresses in the June, 2005 issue. You should be able to get it at the local public library.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: PoppaGator
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 06:27 PM

I don't know about their mattresses, but the pillows made by Temperpedic are really really good, and I'm sure that their mattress pads ("toppers") are also, well, tops.

I've heard ~ from a friend whose family has been in the furniture biz for generations ~ that there are only a few actual manufacturers of mattresses, which means that store brands and any other "generic" choices are actually products of one of the well-known "major brand" companies, and that the quality is exactly the same regardless of what label gets sewn on.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: jimmyt
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 09:57 PM

Jayne and I bought a Tempurpedic about three years ago and although it was a bit expensive, it is still one of the best investments I have ever made. Every single night when I lie down on this mattress, I say the same thing, " oh man, this is the most comfortable bed in the world.. I would encourage you to at least try one if you are looking for a new mattress.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Deckman
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 10:18 PM

... kinda reminds me of that old and beloved country song ... I'LL MEET YOU IN THE SPRING ... IF I CAN GET THROUGH THE MATTRESS!" CHEERS, Bob, also looking for his coat and golashes!

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jun 05 - 11:34 PM

Bamboo shavings mixed with lavender bloosoms - inside a tick on a mahogony floor ... allows the maximum of sleep potention.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Kaleea
Date: 22 Jun 05 - 06:27 AM

they don't seem to have water in them anymore.   No more rushing around in the middle of the night yelling, "Honey, where's the $^%*(@+><*^$%^&*(*(*`~()*!!! waterbed patch stuff?!!" cause your mattress is leaking.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: LilyFestre
Date: 22 Jun 05 - 06:46 AM

Guest,
   
    I bet that smells really nice.......can't imagine waking up to a bamboo splinter though..YOUCH. My husband builds bamboo fly rods and frequently has splinters....that stuff can be SHARP!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Bobert
Date: 22 Jun 05 - 07:08 AM

Well, the deed is done. After an hour of being led around and given one sales pitch affer another, being tested on the sleep machine which prints out a piccure of what the machine thinks you sleep like and more sales pitches, we bought a danged mattress...

No pillow top. No bells or whistles. Just a nice firm middle line matress and even got it fir $200 less than the supposed "On Sale" price when I told the salesmen we were going to go acrross the street to compare...

And as fir them Swedesh foam mattresses? Didn't care fir it one bit...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Jun 05 - 10:12 AM

sleep tight

sandra (who recently replaced a sagging 15year old mattress & has been sleeping well since)

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Jun 05 - 05:58 PM

I, too, swear by the Tempur-Pedic mattress, with a Japanese buckwheat-filled pillow. The back is much happier this way.

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: freda underhill
Date: 22 Jun 05 - 06:07 PM

after sleeping on a woven straw mat on packed earth floors in India, my cheap and weak mattress feels wonderful. but at the time, it was great - your body just adjusts.

water bed is the way to go - heaven..

Subject: RE: BS: Mattress Question???....
From: s6k
Date: 23 Jun 05 - 01:23 PM

this is amazing, quite simply the greatest thread i have seen this month on the mudcat

"The most significant aspect of the mattress is who shares it with you. Personal opinion."

i must agree with you here!!