How much would you spend on a mattress?

[stuff_it]

Well 'something like that' would still be low quality wherever it was bought from. As I said, they only vacuum pack and roll up low quality mattresses, because it damages the reflex foam.

You may not even notice the gradual break down of the reflex foam, because it would only very gradually curve your spine more and more over a long period of time. Obviously the rate would be determined by the weight of the person, and how often the mattress is rotated.



You missed my point completely. Just take a look at the brands sold by Argos: Silentnight, Rest Assured (also part of the Silentnight group), Airsprung, Dormeo, Sealy (also Silentnight group), Slumberland, Myers (both Myers and Slumberland were decent quality until they were taken over by the Hilding Anders group), Layeezee (the rock bottom part of the Silentnight group). So they are all at the low end on the quality range. However you can buy decent quality for less than you pay for poor quality at Argos, as long as you stick with smaller independent manufacturers, and retailers (as the big ones are ripping you off).

I'll be honest with you now - I've never actually bought a mattress in my life due to a combination of poverty and timing.

 

[Tim Deegan]

Something not to soft and not too hard. Good quality and airy.
Neither of us liked any of the memory foam that we tried.

Well it's all down to how much you want to spend?

 

[Tim Deegan]

What about almost everyone in Japan? The Futons there are far thinner, an inch tops. The 'pillows' are like small bags filled tightly with hard peas.

Well all those people in Japan who use them, don't have a very supportive mattress.

 

[porno thieving gypsy]

Spent £800 on mine and it was the best money i've ever spent.

 

[Tim Deegan]

Think so, but Slumberland were boasting of some weird slightly different spring arrangement if I remember correctly. Excuse the technical speak, but I'm guessing we erred on the sprung base/mattress combo?

Does Posture-Flex sound familiar?

 

[Tim Deegan]

What do you mean by lacking support?

They are basically made up from multiple layers of what goes on top of the springs in a normal mattress. So this doesn't allow much contouring to your body at all.

 

[Guineveretoo]

If/when I can afford it, I would/will buy a pocket sprung mattress. My father bought one for the bed I sleep in when I visit him, because I was visiting a lot when my mother was ill and at home, and my back was bad. I absolutely love it, but have found out that good quality pocket sprung mattresses are expensive

Instead, I bought a mattress topper thing from Ikea which has helped a lot - it turns out my mattress was too hard for my ageing back! I have been choosing hard beds all my adult life, including decades sleeping on a futon, but it seems that, now I am old and overweight, I need a different sort of mattress. I had to give up on the futon some years ago because of my knees (couldn't get up from the floor, and couldn't put my socks on! ), but my bed, without the topper thingy, is still pretty hard.

 

[tarannau]

Does Posture-Flex sound familiar?

Nope. But I've just Googled the term and indeed it now sounds familiar

 

[Tim Deegan]

If/when I can afford it, I would/will buy a pocket sprung mattress. My father bought one for the bed I sleep in when I visit him, because I was visiting a lot when my mother was ill and at home, and my back was bad. I absolutely love it, but have found out that good quality pocket sprung mattresses are expensive

Instead, I bought a mattress topper thing from Ikea which has helped a lot - it turns out my mattress was too hard for my ageing back! I have been choosing hard beds all my adult life, including decades sleeping on a futon, but it seems that, now I am old and overweight, I need a different sort of mattress. I had to give up on the futon some years ago because of my knees (couldn't get up from the floor, and couldn't put my socks on! ), but my bed, without the topper thingy, is still pretty hard.

What do you consider too expensive, and for what size mattress?

People used to say that you should go for a firm mattress for back support. Well this only ever applied to open coil sprung mattresses, because with these you are basically on a sprung platform. So if the springs are too soft, then it will bow down where most of your weight is, making your spine curve. So a firm mattress would keep your spine straighter.
However a recent report in the Lancet said that medium to firm is far better than firm, as this allows some contouring.

But the above still only applied to open coil springs, and not pocket springs. With pocket springs they all work independently, and contour to your body. So you can actually go for whatever firmness you prefer, and will still get excellent support.

 

[8ball]

I got a bloody hard mattress when I bought one recently.

I like them hard, me.

 

[Tim Deegan]

Nope. But I've just Googled the term and indeed it now sounds familiar

That would explain alot. The Posture-Flex system is a continuous coil system, similar to the over hyped Miracoil system. It is based on open coil springs, but unlike open coil springs it tends to be very unreliable. Many manufacturers used to use the continuous coil sytem (because it was cheap), but stopped because it was so unreliable and noisey. Although some still use it, but call it different names to hide the fact of what it really is.

 

[8ball]

Can you get stealth mattresses if you like vigorous sex but don't want to broadcast it to the whole fucking building?

 

[Guineveretoo]

What do you consider too expensive, and for what size mattress?

People used to say that you should go for a firm mattress for back support. Well this only ever applied to open coil sprung mattresses, because with these you are basically on a sprung platform. So if the springs are too soft, then it will bow down where most of your weight is, making your spine curve. So a firm mattress would keep your spine straighter.
However a recent report in the Lancet said that medium to firm is far better than firm, as this allows some contouring.

But the above still only applied to open coil springs, and not pocket springs. With pocket springs they all work independently, and contour to your body. So you can actually go for whatever firmness you prefer, and will still get excellent support.

I started pricing up for a new mattress about a year ago, but soon realised that we were talking hundreds for a decent one, and that I really couldn't afford to get it wrong, but didn't have the energy to get it right, so I gave up and used the money on replacing my garden fence which fell over in the high winds a few months ago.

Apparently, having a mattress which is too hard is actually bad for your back, particularly if you are overweight, because it puts pressure on your hips, and the small of your back, and is not good for people with prolapsed discs!

 

[paolo]

Different strokes for different folks, as mentioned before I tried a Tempur and hated it.

Me too. Ended up with terrible back ache.

I seem to like ordinary £100 IKEA ones best. Firm and nothing fancy.

 

[tarannau]

That would explain alot. The Posture-Flex system is a continuous coil system, similar to the over hyped Miracoil system. It is based on open coil springs, but unlike open coil springs it tends to be very unreliable. Many manufacturers used to use the continuous coil sytem (because it was cheap), but stopped because it was so unreliable and noisey. Although some still use it, but call it different names to hide the fact of what it really is.

Miracoil sounds even more familiar for what it's worth. It's (increasingly) rubbish whatever, noisy and disappointingly uncomfortable. Time for a replacement in the near future, if I can square the slatted base/decent firmish mattress problem.

 

[Orang Utan]

I have mattress envy reading this. I am currently sleeping on a thin sofa bed that dips in the middle and is on the verge of collapse

 

[8ball]

I seem to like ordinary £100 IKEA ones best. Firm and nothing fancy.

I had one of those for 10 years until changing to a more expensive one recently. Especially great at first (after the soggy rented bed I had before that, when I laid on it I could feel my spine lengthening, which hurt but in a good way).

 

[stuff_it]

I have mattress envy reading this. I am currently sleeping on a thin sofa bed that dips in the middle and is on the verge of collapse

I'm sleeping on a student halls mattress of the 'inflicted by landlords' standard. At least I have a (thin) memory foam topper. I miss the Dreams readymatt shitter my mum gave me even if it does now smell of dog and weed.

 

[Greebo]

Miracoil sounds even more familiar for what it's worth. It's (increasingly) rubbish whatever, noisy and disappointingly uncomfortable. Time for a replacement in the near future, if I can square the slatted base/decent firmish mattress problem.

Hardboard over the slats but under the mattress is what VP and I did - and the mattress has yet to go mouldy.

 

[Tim Deegan]

Can you get stealth mattresses if you like vigorous sex but don't want to broadcast it to the whole fucking building?

Yes...anything that isn't open coil or continuous coil sprung

 

[Tim Deegan]

I started pricing up for a new mattress about a year ago, but soon realised that we were talking hundreds for a decent one, and that I really couldn't afford to get it wrong, but didn't have the energy to get it right, so I gave up and used the money on replacing my garden fence which fell over in the high winds a few months ago.

Well you might be surprised by what you can get for your money.

Apparently, having a mattress which is too hard is actually bad for your back, particularly if you are overweight, because it puts pressure on your hips, and the small of your back, and is not good for people with prolapsed discs!

That's right. Pocket sprung would be far better, and pocket sprung with memory or latex foam better still.

 

[Tim Deegan]

Me too. Ended up with terrible back ache.

I seem to like ordinary £100 IKEA ones best. Firm and nothing fancy.

As I said previously, I personally think that Tempur are a terrible design. But I would never buy an Ikea one, as they are terrible quality.

 

[Tim Deegan]

Miracoil sounds even more familiar for what it's worth. It's (increasingly) rubbish whatever, noisy and disappointingly uncomfortable. Time for a replacement in the near future, if I can square the slatted base/decent firmish mattress problem.

Miracoil is what Silentnight call the continuous coil spring system. With about 8 out of 10 people who tell me their previous mattress didn't last 18 months, it was a Miracoil (or Posturetech, which is what Sealy call it).

 

[Tim Deegan]

Hardboard over the slats but under the mattress is what VP and I did - and the mattress has yet to go mouldy.

As long as the mattress has good ventilation, then it shouldn't go mouldy. The tops of platform top divan bases are actually hardboard.

 

[stuff_it]

I'm surprised at this, as if there's a sure way to get a mattress to go mouldy in a truck it's to have no ventilation holes. You can of course sort this by drilling a few large holes evenly spaced on the hardboard.

 

[Tim Deegan]

I'm surprised at this, as if there's a sure way to get a mattress to go mouldy in a truck it's to have no ventilation holes. You can of course sort this by drilling a few large holes evenly spaced on the hardboard.

As I said previously, most well designed mattresses have vents in the side, which allow air to circulate through them. So each time you move the whole mattress acts like bellows.

 

[stuff_it]

As I said previously, most well designed mattresses have vents in the side, which allow air to circulate through them. So each time you move the whole mattress acts like bellows.

I've had well designed mattresses go a bit dodgy underneath as well or start to with no holes drilled. Just because I haven't paid for a decent mattress doesn't mean I've never owned one.

 

[Idaho]

Personally I've never tried one. But I have spoken to many people who are changing from a waterbed to a conventional mattress. And the general view seems to be 'good, but not brilliant'. Many people tend to buy them when they are, how should I put this: in a new relationship .

The biggest complaint I have heard about waterbeds is the fact that you are sleeping on a watertight/airtight mattress, so there is no ventilation, which can make them sweaty.

I would challenge the claim that they are sweaty. You can set the temperature exactly as you want it. I find other beds now feel too hot and getting comfy is a process of constant wriggling. With the water bed you get in at the perfect temperature, get into your preferred sleeping position and then wake up the next morning after a cracking nights sleep.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Well all those people in Japan who use them, don't have a very supportive mattress.

Yeah but you said it's not good for you long term, a whole nation as been sleeping that way for thousands of years. They have seen beds and mattresses (and forks) but seem content that things are ok the way they are.

 

[fredfelt]

For years I slept with my socks on and my feet hanging down from the bottom of the bed. Until a few years ago when I splashed out on a bed built to my specifications. It cost a small fortune but an extra long person really needs an extra long bed.

It's a huge bed, but as soon as the cat jumps on it it's still not big enough.