# Mattress Shopping, Any Tips?



## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

We're moving soon and my wife & I have decided it's a good time to ditch our mattress. We constantly wake up with sore backs and stiffness. Our current mattress just doesn't cut it any more. It really never did.

So, the search is on... Memory Foam? Sleep Number? Duxiana? We want our next mattress to be the last one for a long while. Any tips appreciated.


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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

My wife and I bought a Simmons Beauty Rest when we got married and we haven't had a bad nights sleep.

Laterz


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

don't buy a box spring - just get some 1 x 2 or 1 x 4 boards at your local lumber yard - makes for much better and cheaper support for your mattress


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Don't be so quick to toss old lumpy.
I was in exactly the same situation - sore a stiff back most mornings.
Picked up the Obus memory foam mattress cover for $150 ( king size ) and it's been bliss since. ( Really the difference was amazing - took about 3-4 days for my back to "unwind" and it's been a non-issue since - quite remarkable and saved a ton of money. )

Based on this if you must ditch the old one I'd say memory foam 100%. Temperpedic seems to be the big gun in that market.


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## miguelsanchez (Feb 1, 2005)

It all boils down to personal preference when talking about mattress firmness. I love a really firm mattress, so we ended getting one with a "pillow top", and it's awesome.

My advice is shop around, take your time, and be sure to take lots of mattresses for a "test drive": in the store, lie on it, bounce on it, check the height is OK so that you don't need a step-stool to get into bed, etc. 

Also, if you buy from Sleep Country, they will take away your old mattress, clean it, and donate it to charity (assuming it's still usable).

Good luck,

Miguel


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## yatko (Oct 9, 2004)

I second the memory foam matress solution. Even a topper (at around $200 range).
I am using their Queen size mattress below

http://www.costco.ca/en-CA/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?prodid=10285305&whse=&topnav=&cat=

http://www.costco.ca/en-CA/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?prodid=10283781&whse=&topnav=&cat=


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## Bosco (Apr 29, 2004)

Check out a Marshall mattress. They're an old Canadian company that invented the pocket spring. We got 5 years ago and we love it. That's after checking out a LOT of mattresses. Very few dealers carry them however.

http://www.marshallmattress.com/


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Lots of good tips, thanks. The shopping/testing begins this weekend.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'd say first stop should be the memory foam toppers - you can use it on your old mattress right away and even if you decide to retire old lumpy it will be a great addition to the new one.

Good luck - I know exactly how you felt in the morning locked up back muscles and the memory foam has made it entirely a thing of the past.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

MacDoc said:


> I'd say first stop should be the memory foam toppers - you can use it on your old mattress right away and even if you decide to retire old lumpy it will be a great addition to the new one.
> 
> Good luck - I know exactly how you felt in the morning locked up back muscles and the memory foam has made it entirely a thing of the past.


That'll be the first thing we look at. No point spending a lot of money when a topper is all we need. Our current mattress is in good shape, it just doesn't offer proper support for the pressure points.
Thanks MacDoc.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yeah mine was likely worse - my only concern would be real sag - as that can't be countered but if it's flat the foam should do what you want.


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## develove (Apr 12, 2006)

We were shopping around for mattress set too the past couple of weeks, and now we have two options:

1) Sealy Posturepedic 805 coil counts
2) Simmons Beauty Rest 768 coil counts (pocket coils)

They both feel very good in terms of firmness and quality, same warranty and stuff. The Simmons one is a miss matched item and therefore costs $200 less.

Any suggestions on which one to take?


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

Definitely go for the memory foam.

As for in-store testing, be careful...you can't test them for all situations.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I've always been interested in the theory behind the memory foam. Obviously it supports your body, but is the assumption that one's body would naturally assume a posture that's best to sleep in?


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## rondini (Dec 6, 2001)

*mismatched is a bogus type of sale*

I worked in the commercial side of mattresses for a while. Mismatched fabrics on mattress and box springs is a gimmick. After the sheets go on, who gives a crap what the fabric is on the units. It's important to get a box spring of equal quality to the mattress. Many people will replace the mattress but not the box spring, bad idea. In the industry it's properly called a foundation. That's what it is, in fact. Foundation needs to be good just like in a house. We have gone with a high spring count Serta for several mattresses in the house. You can also get Obus Forme sets, but not sure if you are paying for the name as much as the performance. Simmons pocket coil. Gimmicky. Continuous coil is nice but hard to find. Pillow tops can get way overdone. Make sure that your fitted sheets will fit the dang thing. They can get quite thick. Keep the spring count high well into the 700's is good


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

The mismatched sale always makes me laugh--why would management tolerate so many mismatches if it decreased the value of the mattresses?


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## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

*Boing boing*



develove said:


> We were shopping around for mattress set too the past couple of weeks, and now we have two options:
> 
> 1) Sealy Posturepedic 805 coil counts
> 2) Simmons Beauty Rest 768 coil counts (pocket coils)
> ...


Spring type and count... Springs should be individually pocketed and anything above 1000 is good. I think mine has about 1300.


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## Bosco (Apr 29, 2004)

All this talk about Simmons and Sealy has made me curious. Has anybody ever even heard of Marshall mattresses? 

http://www.marshallmattress.com/

Apparently they're one of Canada's best kept secrets. I guess they haven't heard that it pays to advertise but I see that they're now carried by The Bay.


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## gastonbuffet (Sep 23, 2004)

guytoronto said:


> Definitely go for the memory foam.
> 
> As for in-store testing, be careful...you can't test them for all situations.



WRONG!!!!

At the Sleep Country in Yonge and Richmond, if you make an appointment (only from 11 pm to 2 am) and deposit $200 towards the purchase, they will let you test drive. Always decline the "preferred"service, none of the girls are worth it!! (don't know about the men)


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## james_squared (May 3, 2002)

My advice, although perhaps not too useful, is to buy a good mattress by spending as much as you can afford.

Also, there are some pretty good mark-ups on mattresses so if you are shopping at a commission store, then you do have a lot of negotiating room to get a lower price.

James


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## maximusbibicus (Feb 25, 2002)

Check Costco out. I bought a Sealy pillowtop at a great price there. No delivery though. You gotta get it home yourself.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

What I have is a cheapie foam mattress which is pretty firm with a memory foam topper, sleeping definitely feels good on it.  Well cushioned yet firm, my body is supported through out with no awkward sags or anything. I forgot how much I paid for it it's been a good while ago but I still get a really good night's sleep on it to this day.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I agree with the memory foam topper - I think you can go less on the mattress and still get a superb sleep by using the topper.
I use an ObusForme and it let me get a perfect nights sleep on my totally destroyed king.
I just snagged a year old used king for the new place for $350 - I'll just move the topper over.


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## gastonbuffet (Sep 23, 2004)

and whatever you do, never have sexual relations on your mattress, it will last much longer!!!!!


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## used to be jwoodget (Aug 22, 2002)

And if you make your own bed, then lie in it! 

Next....


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## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

If you buy a new mattress, remember, the mark ups are phenomenal. Do not under any circumstance accept the listed price as the amount you should pay. Decide which mattress you want (make sure no sales staff are involved at this point - wave them away so you have a peaceful decision making period). Once you've figured out a model, get a salesperson's attention (they will fairly jog over, it's like a used car lot in the mattress trade) and work them hard.

Let it be known that you are very interested and then ask directly if the listed price is their final price. They'll go away and come back with a new price. It will seem like a large drop but don't say yes. Ask for some more think time then call back the sales person and reinforce that it's still a bit pricey. Once you get a final figure - or what they say is the final figure - ask for another $100 off (you may get $50). 

Once the deal is done be prepared to pay immediately and stipulate you want free delivery and removal of your old mattress. The key to it all is don't be afraid to ask for a discount and keep on pressing. As a final gambit, be willing to walk out the door if you don't get the discount you think is fair and move on to another showroom. They will run after you if your last demand was "fair". You should at a minimum get the price they offer as their "sale" price - these "sales" are every second week and hide grossly inflated MSRP prices to start with so that the "sale price" is really a hidden MSRP. Do a lot of leg work so you know your price range. And don't get confused by coil count. Go for what's comfy.


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