Shopping for a new mattress. Recommendations/tips?

[Clarkmeister]

I do plan on researching this topic later on in the week, but I figured someone in OOT could have some really good tips. I'm looking for a King or Cal-King bed. Something very nice, maybe in the $1,200-$3,000 range. Any recommendations regarding manufacurer, or ordering over the internet vs. a local outlet? TIA.

[jackdaniels]

Go to a store and test a few out (bring a girl with as they don't provide that - I kid, I kid /images/graemlins/grin.gif). You do want to test them out though and get an idea of the firmness you prefer and if you like the pillow top or not.

When I went shopping for a mattress I found a location with 3 stores right next to each other and since they all offer that "lowest price guarantee" it was simply a matter of picking a matress they all carry and wandering between the three negotiating the price (and letting them know that their competitors across the street are offering the same mattress for less). Eventually 2 of them gave up and I bought from the third. If you don't have a few stores near each other in your local, this may be a difficult thing to accomplish, but you should still shop around. Mattress competition is pretty high.

[Freakin]

Buy from a store that gives a 3-month rest-assured policy. It's unlikely that you'll get the perfect mattress for you on the first try.

[nolanfan34]

We're in the same boat right now. I've heard good things about the Temperpedic, and it seemed pretty good when we sat on it in the store, so I'm hoping someone will have some feedback on that.

[Shajen]

word of caution on the Cal King, Clark.

Good comforters are a [censored] to find for those damned things.

Took a good couple of hours of digging around on the net for me to find any decent ones for ours.

I'd go King instead of Cal King if I had to do it over again.

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We're in the same boat right now. I've heard good things about the Temperpedic, and it seemed pretty good when we sat on it in the store, so I'm hoping someone will have some feedback on that.

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my parents thoroughly enjoy this in their old age.

[DMBFan23]

one word my friend: tempurepedic

[nolanfan34]

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one word my friend: tempurepedic

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Care to elaborate? They are a chunk of money more than a regular mattress, I'd love to hear some actual testimonials.

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I'd love to hear some actual testimonials.

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We just got a tempur 6 months ago and it is amazing! Never slept on anything but spring-mattresses before and I didn't think it could be all that different. It is! When you are lying there it feels like your in utero again. And if you get the pillows too (granted, they are $150 ea), it is awesome - complete comfort. Just the right amount of support - not too firm, not too soft. And yes, they are pricy - but they have a 20-yr guarantee. I don't think you would get half that much life out of a regular mattress. I can't recommend it enough!

[poincaraux]

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I'd love to hear some actual testimonials.

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We just got a tempur 6 months ago and it is amazing! Never slept on anything but spring-mattresses before and I didn't think it could be all that different. It is! When you are lying there it feels like your in utero again. And if you get the pillows too (granted, they are $150 ea), it is awesome - complete comfort. Just the right amount of support - not too firm, not too soft. And yes, they are pricy - but they have a 20-yr guarantee. I don't think you would get half that much life out of a regular mattress. I can't recommend it enough!

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Shop around for a good deal on pillows. Tempurpedic doesn't seem to allow retailers to change the price of the bed, but they're allowed to offer you "special" deals. We got two pillows and a mattress cover (same cream-colored one you'll see in all of the stores) for free. We found some out-of-state place that was willing to give us that offer, and the local place matched it.

I'm not sure, but I think normal mattresses last something like 5 years, so a 20 yr. warranty is pretty good.

ObTestimonial: we had a nice Sealy Posturepedic mattress, but my wife was finding it harder and harder to sleep on it. She wasn't getting much more than 3-5 hrs. of sleep per night. Since we got the Tempurpedic, we've both been super well rested. It's fantastic.

If you're going to get one, go to the store and try out the various models. Some are firmer, etc. We actually found that we liked the 8" (classic) mattress the best .. it's a little firmer than the others. Added bonus: it's the cheapest.

We also tried out a lot of non-Tempurpedic memory foam mattresse. We ended up liking the Tempurpedic the best. The others are worth trying out, though, just in case you like them .. they're often *way* cheaper.

We just bought a new Tempurpedic memory foam mattress. We've tried many other brands, but thought we'd do something different first. Check prices on ebay for best deal, then force your local retailer to match.

Im not going to write a bunch of gushing reviews about the Tempurpedic principally because we've just had it for a week. Its nice, its comfortable, whatever. I'll tell you in a month what I think.

The retail stores are all completely annoying and are very reluctant to negotiate. There is a retailer on eBay selling new Tempurpedics for significantly less than the retail store, but you pay $200 shipping. Bypass the salesman and go directly to the manager, for pricing. They should be willing to come down around 15%. Plus they'll throw in free pillows and such crap.

[wayabvpar]

We bought a Tempurpedic after our wedding. I love it. The one disadvantage is that is warmer than a normal mattress, so on the few hot nights we get in the summer it was a bit more uncomfortable. IMHO that tradeoff is well worth it.

[IHateKeithSmart]

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one word my friend: tempurepedic

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Care to elaborate? They are a chunk of money more than a regular mattress, I'd love to hear some actual testimonials.

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nf34:

I've had a tempurpedic (queen) for 4 years now. It ran $1500 at the time. Best bed I've ever slept on, a lot of support. Some of the new hotel-type beds (westin, sleep #, etc.) are decent as well.

I got it because I had a herniated disk about 5 years ago and needed a better bed (had the $99 college/crackwhore special before). It takes about 3-4 nights to get used to (they do have a trial period).

Another thing I like about it is the temperature. I like to sleep in a cold room with blankets. This mattress adapts the room temp more than others, so if your room is cold, the mattress will be as well.

It's easy to take care of too. Don't need to flip it. Has a removable cover that zips off for washing.

Cons: Moving it. I've moved it twice, and it's a 2 man job (preferably three). It's jellyish and doesn't hold its form when moving (like a normal mattress).

You're in Seattle right? You can try one out at the relax the back store in bellevue, near the hyatt and barnes and noble.

[fnord_too]

"The Original Mattress Factory" if they have them near you is great. Highest quality mattresses that are inexpensive with cheap delivery. No regrets whatever with buying my king size there.

[nolanfan34]

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You're in Seattle right? You can try one out at the relax the back store in bellevue, near the hyatt and barnes and noble.

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Yeah, I know where that is. Thanks for the info.

Sorry for the hijack Clark, hopefully other people will keep responding about more than just the Temperpedic...

[Rick Nebiolo]

A few questions:

Does anyone know how The DUX Bed (http://www.duxbed.com/) compares to the Tempurpedic?

Does anyone find the tempurpedic hot or clammy? In the past I read a complaint or two and also found one just now using Google (just type in tempurpedic, it comes up on the first page along with other decent links).

Are the tempurpedic foam mattress tops close in comfort? It seems a lot cheaper way to try it out. I did find this link (http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/where2buy/memoryfoam.html) among others.

Are there any hotels in LA with these expensive mattresses? It seems like a good way to try them out.

~ Rick

[wayabvpar]

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You're in Seattle right? You can try one out at the relax the back store in bellevue, near the hyatt and barnes and noble.

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Yeah, I know where that is. Thanks for the info.

Sorry for the hijack Clark, hopefully other people will keep responding about more than just the Temperpedic...

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Don't buy from Relax the Back whatever you do. I am not sure you could find a place with higher prices if you tried. Test drive all you want, then RUN and buy it online /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Bulldog]

Good mattress responses. My two cents:

Save enough $$$ to spring for high thread count sheets, like these:

linky (http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=1450521)

[poincaraux]

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Does anyone find the tempurpedic hot or clammy? In the past I read a complaint or two and also found one just now using Google (just type in tempurpedic, it comes up on the first page along with other decent links).

[/ QUOTE ]I've heard this as well. It's not so hot where I live, so I haven't experienced it. A friend of mine bought a wool (?!) mattress cover from Tempurpedic to solve this very problem. He says it works like a charm. I'm a little skeptical.

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Are the tempurpedic foam mattress tops close in comfort? It seems a lot cheaper way to try it out. I did find this link (http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/where2buy/memoryfoam.html) among others.

[/ QUOTE ]I tried a couple out. They weren't nearly as comfortable for me. YMMV.

[canis582]

http://www.craftmatic.com/html/US/images/img5.jpg

[IHateKeithSmart]

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Does anyone find the tempurpedic hot or clammy? In the past I read a complaint or two and also found one just now using Google (just type in tempurpedic, it comes up on the first page along with other decent links).

[/ QUOTE ]I've heard this as well. It's not so hot where I live, so I haven't experienced it.

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I had mine for a year in Charleston, SC (HOT), a year in Raleigh (hot), and 2 years in Oregon (not hot).

I tend to get warm easily, but I've never had any heat problems with it.

[Clarkmeister]

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I've had a tempurpedic (queen) for 4 years now.

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How's it holding up? It always seemed that those would be way more likely than a normal bed to have the outlines of your body in them.

[Clarkmeister]

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We bought a Tempurpedic after our wedding. I love it. The one disadvantage is that is warmer than a normal mattress, so on the few hot nights we get in the summer it was a bit more uncomfortable. IMHO that tradeoff is well worth it.

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That's a small problem living in Vegas.

[Justin A]

Add one more to the, "I love my tempurpedic" list.

[Clarkmeister]

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Add one more to the, "I love my tempurpedic" list.

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Then please spill the beans about whether or not there are big body sized dents in your bed....

[Clarkmeister]

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I've had a tempurpedic (queen) for 4 years now.

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How's it holding up? It always seemed that those would be way more likely than a normal bed to have the outlines of your body in them.

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?

[MrMon]

My wife, who is the world's fussiest sleeper, recently went mattress shopping and tried the Tempurpedic. She just thought it was too weird for her. Went with a Stearns & Foster and she loves it. Got it at the Serta Store, I believe.