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mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:44 am
by SB
Where can I find a list of definitions of the various kinds of American mattresses? Pillowtop I know -- I've had one for about ten years. But Euro, split set, low rise, etc., etc.? I've just spent some time on SamsClub.com, but the pictures look so similar and the descriptions aren't explaining much.
Your experiences and recommendations would be helpful, too. I'm wanting to move from a twin to a queen size. Thanks!
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:23 am
by kassie
My husband sells mattresses for a living. A Euro is similiar to a pillowtop but it has different stitiching on the sides. A split set is a split in the middle of the bed so that you can use an adjustable base (so one side can sit up while the other reclines) a low rise has a shorter foundation (boxspring) instead of 9 inches it's 5 1/2 inches.
Dh said it you are looking at Sam's you are probably looking at Serta mattresses. He said to tell you that he is not a fan of Serta. Serta uses a continuous coil system. Basically the coils start in one corner, curl around and go straight on to the next coil with no break in the wire.....everything is connected. If you get a break or a bend in the coil (say from climbing in and out in the same place everyday, like most of us do) it can create a weakness in the whole area (since all the coils are connected) and then you will start to see a body impression created fairly quickly.
He said if that is TRULY all you can afford, it will probably be better than what you are sleeping on now. You may not have any problems, but that is the problem he sees with them when they come back in. If you can afford it, he recommends a Sealy or a Restonic (if they have it in your area) Temperpedic is also awesome, but if your looking at Sam's you probably can't afford it And he said you REALLY need to go try it out. Definitely lie down on it. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:42 am
by vicki
kassie wrote:
My husband sells mattresses for a living.
REALLY? How neat!!! We need a new mattress so much. Ours is only 16 years old, but it's a huge king that we don't need anymore (it was a family bed). It still feels okay, but we wake up hurting every morning.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:51 am
by SB
Thanks, Kassie! Very good information. There are a couple of local mattress shops that make some of their own mattresses, so I'll look there, too, before deciding.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:37 pm
by KateTheRiot
Tom and I just bought a new Temperpedic today. I bought a full size for a song when I worked for Linens N' Things when they were discontinuing the line, and I fell in love with it the first night. I've never slept so well. We traded with my dad for his king bed (beautiful sleigh bed with old Temperpedic on it), because Mary Alice wanted my 1800's antique bed with the newer Temperpedic on it.
This old king size is really due to be replaced, and Tom's bonus comes next month. So, our new king size Temperpedic comes in a week and a half.
Temperpedic warranties their mattresses for 20 years. If they sag (indent where you sleep), they'll replace for free. Be aware of the details, though. We did NOT buy a pillowtop, because the warranty says if the mattress indents more than 1.5"--that's the depth of the pillowtop! Besides, I don't like pillowtop. That part pretty much always sags on any mattress. The nice, firm foam of Temperpedic lasts and lasts.
BTW, the company has an iron grasp on pricing around the country. You can't get a Temperpedic at a discount house (that I know of!). Tom did the research and was satisfied that buying by tomorrow gets us the best possible price. It's the President's Day sale, Temperpedic prices are slated to rise this year (possibly before the July 4 sale), and this is probably the lowest we can get it for.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:03 pm
by kassie
What Kate says is true.....if a store that sells tempers gets caught discounting, temper will pull their liscense. Dh says if a customer can afford it, he ALWAYS recommends Temperpedic. They have awesome warranties and customer service and are simply the best mattress you can buy. They can't be discounted BUT stores can offer other deals like no sales-tax, free pillows, free sheets, free delivery.....so if you go with a temper insist on that. I promise they will give it to you to get the sale!
Also, I'm going to mention dh's pet peeve here. If you find a mattress store with a knowledgeable, helpful salesperson PLEASE consider buying there. Mattress salespeople (any kind of furniture salespeople, really) are almost always paid entirely by commission and spiffs (extra incentives paid by the mattress companies to sell their mattresses) I can't tell you how many times Dh has spent 3 hours with a customer finding the perfect mattress for them and their budget, only to have them walk and find out they went the next day to a "big box" store (with no knowledgeable sales people to help them btw) and bought EXACTLY what he recommended to save $20.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:15 pm
by Barbara
After having bought five twin size mattress over the past three years, my advice is to measure how high your bed is now so you have an idea of what size boxsprings to get. Three years ago, I got both my boys new mattress and boxsprings. What I didn't realize (or measure) was how much higher the mattress was. I bought the wrong size boxsprings and their beds were too high. They lived with that mistake until this past summer. This time I bought all three of my kids the shorter boxspring. Because ds#1 got a regular pillow top, his bed was perfect. DD and DS#2 got a Temperpedic (got a great sale by buying the floor model). Dd's mattress wasn't as tall as ds#2's so her's was way too low. Ds#2's wasn't too bad but wasn't perfect either. I was able to return the boxsprings and get the taller size making everyone's bed perfect. Of the three beds, I prefer the one that is not the Temperpedic . If I slept on them regularly I might like them but it would take some getting use to.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:22 pm
by KateTheRiot
There are different levels of Temperpedics. One we tried today was like a board--VERY "firm" (hard!). The others were varying degrees of firm but with a softness once you lie down and relax on it. I LOOOVE the way my body slightly sinks in where it needs to (hips and shoulders), but is still quite supported. I also love how the bed does NOT jiggle or move when you move or when someone else gets in with you. I don't feel Tom get up at all. It's wonderful!
Kassie, we chose to keep our old platform and just replace the mattress. Does your dh see any problem with that? I'm sure we could adjust the order tomorrow before the sale ends, if he thinks we should get the base as well.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:31 pm
by vicki
kassie wrote:
Also, I'm going to mention dh's pet peeve here. If you find a mattress store with a knowledgeable, helpful salesperson PLEASE consider buying there. Mattress salespeople (any kind of furniture salespeople, really) are almost always paid entirely by commission and spiffs (extra incentives paid by the mattress companies to sell their mattresses) I can't tell you how many times Dh has spent 3 hours with a customer finding the perfect mattress for them and their budget, only to have them walk and find out they went the next day to a "big box" store (with no knowledgeable sales people to help them btw) and bought EXACTLY what he recommended to save $20.
That happens all over. Dancers get fitted (45 minute fitting) for pointe shoes, find the right one, and then buy it from Discount Dance. Camera store people spend hours with someone about buying a high end camera, and they go and buy it online. Then, when they get a defective one or they can't figure out how to use it, they come back to the camera store.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:09 pm
by kassie
There are definitely different levels of tempers.....they even have one called the Gibralter (sp?) cause it's hard like a rock!
Kate, how is your foundation? Does it have any dips or soft spots? Dh said that temperpedic has awesome warranties, but they can also be picky about them. If the mattress starts to sag, they will blame it on the foundation (and if there are sags/dips/soft spots in the foundation, they would be correct). If there are any dips in the foundation the memory foam WILL sink down in that dip and they will be within their rights to void the warranty as that's not really a defect with the mattress, it's a defect with the foundation.
With platform beds there are no foundations, just a piece of sturdy piece of plywood. Dh says if you have even an inkling that your foundation might not be perfect just put a piece of plywood between the foundation and the mattress. That will be enough to satisfy temper if there is ever a warranty issue.
Btw, I'm sure Kate knows, but if you do buy a temper there is a 90 day "sleep guarantee". If you don't like it, you can return it. If you buy online, you do have to pay the shipping back and it has to be in the original packing, but they will refund your money. If you buy from a store, it kind of depends on the store policy (ask!) but they will either refund your money (a few), allow you to switch mattresses if you want to try another mattress or give you store credit and the only excuse you need is "I don't like it"
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:22 pm
by mightymom
Make sure you know what that guarantee/store policy is before buying a temperpedic. We bought one and couldn't sleep on it. We were able to return it, but had to take a store credit. That worked out ok for us as we needed to get beds for our children, but cash return would have been nicer.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:40 pm
by KateTheRiot
We checked on the warranty before buying. It applies to the mattress only, as well as to a set--whichever you buy. We specifically asked about that, since we plan to keep the base. As far as we know, it's fine. I can't imagine why there would be an issue with it, but we should probably check. (Sigh . . . not likely to happen since I work tomorrow and it's too late to pull the mattress off and look.) It only saved us $500 to buy just the mattress, so it's not that big a difference when it's a king size. Don't I wish!
We did get two free queen size (didn't want king) pillows--some kind of Temper, but I forget which one. It's not the neck one, more of a regular shape, sort of. And they're paying to haul off the old one as well as free delivery.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:59 pm
by kassie
If you think the foundation is fine, then it probably is and I wouldn't worry too much about it. Dh said he only knows of twice when Temper voided the warranties, but both were because of old, saggy foundations that people didn't want to replace before they got their new mattresses.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:45 pm
by Jean
When we visited my elderly aunt in Florida a number of years ago, she had us sleep on her Tempurpedic. Larry LOVED it. "I" thought it was hard as a rock. It turns out he was sleeping on "her" side and I was on the unused side.
Eventually, we were able to purchase ourselves a Tempurpedic. It did take awhile to break in and soften up a bit. "I" love it now, too...but only because we put a 1-inch softer foam topper on it so that I have a layer softness on top of the lovely, supportive firm portion. Yes, I know you can buy them that way...but my way was a lot cheaper.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:54 pm
by RobinS
vicki wrote:
That happens all over. Dancers get fitted (45 minute fitting) for pointe shoes, find the right one, and then buy it from Discount Dance. Camera store people spend hours with someone about buying a high end camera, and they go and buy it online. Then, when they get a defective one or they can't figure out how to use it, they come back to the camera store.
Annnddd...homeschoolers go to a conference where a vendor spends 30+ minutes helping them choose just the right curriculum, then they go and buy it online.
And people wonder why I got out of the business?
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:50 pm
by KateTheRiot
I don't like the pillow tops or mattress pads--whatever they're called. That's what smashes down and feels like I'm sleeping in a bowl. I'll put a mattress cover on this one but nothing with any padding or stuffing. I like that nice, firm surface.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:34 am
by SharonM
Like Kate, we love our Temperpedic. We had a select comfort for years, but I think with our change in sleep patterns, it out served it's purpose. We bought the Temperpedic last fall and use the base of the select comfort with it. Temperpedic offers a professional discount to licensed healthcare people which helped.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:37 am
by Susan
I am hoping sometime this year we can invest into a Temperpedic as well. I won't sleep on our current bed as it has left my body achy and at times waking up with a headache. Which one did y'all have?
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:46 pm
by Jean
SharonM wrote:
Temperpedic offers a professional discount to licensed healthcare people which helped.
Wish we'd known this when we bought ours.
We have the next-up-from-the-cheapest one.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:01 am
by MsDonna
This doesn't answer the question by the o.p. but dh and I just recently purchased a Temperpedic mattress. I love it, it was worth every penny!! I have NEVER been able to sleep well. I was amazed to know that I can actually go to sleep and when I awake it is the next morning. I am not exaggerating when I tell you this is a new experience for me. I have never slept through the night, not as an adult or as far back to my childhood as I can remember. I feel so much better now that I am actually getting adequate rest.
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:09 pm
by Susan
MsDonna wrote:
This doesn't answer the question by the o.p. but dh and I just recently purchased a Temperpedic mattress. I love it, it was worth every penny!! I have NEVER been able to sleep well. I was amazed to know that I can actually go to sleep and when I awake it is the next morning. I am not exaggerating when I tell you this is a new experience for me. I have never slept through the night, not as an adult or as far back to my childhood as I can remember. I feel so much better now that I am actually getting adequate rest.
I am happy for you! I actually have been getting better rest by sleeping on the floor, but of course, look forward to the day when I can get a Temperpedic mattress.
Re: Temperpedic
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:06 pm
by TamieJP
Are these mattresses WARMER than 'normal' mattresses?
I got Mark a neck rest from the same material. He did not like how warm it made him feel.
Re: Temperpedic
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:05 pm
by Susan
TamieJP wrote:
Are these mattresses WARMER than 'normal' mattresses?
I got Mark a neck rest from the same material. He did not like how warm it made him feel.
Oh, that would be something I would have to consider if it indeed is warmer ....
Re: mattress style terminology?
Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:11 pm
by MsDonna
Tamie, there are a warmer than other mattresses, that may be their only flaw. I'm cold natured so it doesn't bother me at all.
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