I need a new mattress

[Andara]

I have one of those for a Cal-King. Basically it's a fixed frame with center support and higher side rails. It holds and supports the mattress box(es) much better than the cheaper adjustable ones. So if you jump in the bed, it's much less likely to shift at the frame. Downside is you're restricted to a mattress size that matches the frame, and they cost quite a bit more.

Ah. So it really is similar to the base I got. Though it has rails along the edges while the one I have just has the grips at the sides of the support rails. Though, if three grips on each side isn't keeping your bed (or support, rather) in place, you've got bigger problems than your bed shifting. Though, it's not going to stop the mattress from shifting out of alignment with the support unless the edges rise up higher than the support does, and if that's your issue, you need a proper platform bed frame, not a frame designed to work with a support like that.

$314, yikes. At that price, why not buy "real" furniture?

My base isn't much more 'real' than that thing, but it cost half the price and looks to be sturdier and more stable. I only really cared about it not having an under the bed access so I didn't have to worry about dealing with it.

But if you have your optimized half, you wouldn't want to stray over to the other side anyways.

So, what, do you go to another bed entirely when it's time for cuddling or sexy times?

Seems to me that if you have to have a topper of some sort just to deal with the issue of the beds not matching up, you've pretty much destroyed the utility of having separate mattresses in the first place. Not to mention getting separate toppers would seem to be the better approach to ensuring the comfort level is appropriate for each person.

As for why it might be obvoious: I've never been in a situation where the bed was great for one of us and lousy for the other... It would never even occur to me that it might be a thing, and as mentioned above, that seems to be a thing for a topper to correct, not an entirely new set of mattresses.

 

[mhac]

I have one of those for a Cal-King. Basically it's a fixed frame with center support and higher side rails. It holds and supports the mattress box(es) much better than the cheaper adjustable ones. So if you jump in the bed, it's much less likely to shift at the frame. Downside is you're restricted to a mattress size that matches the frame, and they cost quite a bit more.

$314, yikes. At that price, why not buy "real" furniture?

It is real furniture. Do you not consider it real because it's not made of wood? From a materials and design standpoint, it can support a much higher load than it's wooden counterpart, and is much less likely to crack or bow over time. It's well made, and will probably be the last frame we have to buy (as long as we stick with Cal-Kings).

If you mean buying something else instead of a mattress frame: you can certainly place the box support directly on the floor. However, that creates a migration path for bugs, traps moisture, and makes the bed draftier in cold seasons.



-mhac³

 

[SDplus]

Seems to me that if you have to have a topper of some sort just to deal with the issue of the beds not matching up, you've pretty much destroyed the utility of having separate mattresses in the first place. Not to mention getting separate toppers would seem to be the better approach to ensuring the comfort level is appropriate for each person.

Well, it's hard to describe. But for example. I have a double mattress bed myself at the moment (now counting from top to bottom). Three actually if you count the one you set the sheets on.
Both the bottom spring mattresses are 15 cm thick, and the top or protective mattress is about 5 cm thick. And here is the kicker, the mattress that makes the most difference in how the bed feels is the one in the bottom, closest to the bed bottom. The reason my bed is set the way it is is that mattress 1 and 2 is slightly different, and it also matters which way they are turned. So Simply by switch place between then and turning one or both over makes me able to "trim" the feel of the bed. This was very valuable the first 5-6 months. But the last five years or so I haven't needed to readjust anything.
I can however not explain why it works that way, but in any way. A 5 cm top mattress that is just for making the bed with sheets and linen will not alter the feel very much, and it will mostly take away the "pit"-problem. But you have to try it. Now memory foam is quite different. The point of it is that it auto-adjust, like a water bed a little. It just evens out pressure. But the drawback there is that it has very strange heat-properties that even a thick top mattress has a hard time to compensate for without ruining the point of memory foam. But such a mattress is easier to get away with as one big one. It has a wider usability gamut so-to-speak.
Anyway. I have not experienced dual mattresses side by side as anything ruining "the fun", if anything it enhances it...

Edit, Small one for clarification. And spelling.

 

[Richard Berg]

Do you not consider it real because it's not made of wood?

Fair question. I suppose I don't consider household goods to be "furniture" unless they are visible w/o close inspection.

By analogy: curtains are in the category of "living room decor", which is closely related to "furniture". Curtain rods are likewise living room decor. Even if they're made of metal (though that's less common), still decor. However, if you staple the curtains directly to the wall, that doesn't make the staples decor. At that point they are purely functional (virtually invisible) pieces of metal.

 

[JasterMereel]

I will be checking out Costco this week.

If I don't find something at Costco, here are my top 3 picks so far from Amazon.

[*]Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Plus 10" based upon one of the highest rated mattresses on Amazon
[*]Tuft & Needle 10" based upon continuum's recommendation
[*]Sleep Innovations SureTemp 10" based upon Otto Pilot's recommendation

Well, I went ahead and ordered the Perfect Cloud mattress above. I appreciate the recommendations for the other two, but I decided on the PC one because it had stellar reviews on Amazon and was about $150 cheaper than the T&N one. $150 isn't that much, but for a guest bed that gets used maybe a dozen times a year, then that much money matters.

 

[Andara]

The reason my bed is set the way it is is that mattress 1 and 2 is slightly different, and it also matters which way they are turned. So Simply by switch place between then and turning one or both over makes me able to "trim" the feel of the bed. This was very valuable the first 5-6 months. But the last five years or so I haven't needed to readjust anything.

I have a foam mattress: the central core is a very firm foam, with a layer of memory foam on each side to relieve pressure points, and then a cover of either cotton or wool for summer/winter options. I don't see much value in having stacked mattresses when the one I have is designed to do that on its own (as you noted). And the reason your bed had to be trimmed at first and then didn't is that it loses about 16% of it's spring in the first year (5-6 months for yours, apparently) and then evens out to much more gradual loss. Also not an issue you have to deal with when you've got a foam mattress.

For whatever reason, I don't have a lot of problems with heat with my mattress. However, it's worth noting that I have a/c set to 80 in the bedroom and a ceiling fan running any time it's not actively cold.

Well, I went ahead and ordered the Perfect Cloud mattress above. I appreciate the recommendations for the other two, but I decided on the PC one because it had stellar reviews on Amazon and was about $150 cheaper than the T&N one. $150 isn't that much, but for a guest bed that gets used maybe a dozen times a year, then that much money matters.

Hope that works out for you.

Still think you paid $200 too much for a guest bed mattress, tho.

 

[mhac]

I will be checking out Costco this week.

If I don't find something at Costco, here are my top 3 picks so far from Amazon.

[*]Perfect Cloud Atlas Gel-Plus 10" based upon one of the highest rated mattresses on Amazon
[*]Tuft & Needle 10" based upon continuum's recommendation
[*]Sleep Innovations SureTemp 10" based upon Otto Pilot's recommendation

Well, I went ahead and ordered the Perfect Cloud mattress above. I appreciate the recommendations for the other two, but I decided on the PC one because it had stellar reviews on Amazon and was about $150 cheaper than the T&N one. $150 isn't that much, but for a guest bed that gets used maybe a dozen times a year, then that much money matters.

That mattress looks very similar in construction to the Sleep Options Cool Gel mattress I got a couple years ago, and it is fab-tabulous. It was a huge upgrade from this old guest bed spring mattress my parents gave when I moved out (seriously it was like 20 years old, I don't know why I slept on that thing for so long).


-mhac³

 

[Papageno]

Hmm, I'm intrigued by that Casper mattress as a replacement for my way-too-old foam core futon. At 54, I probably should stop sleeping as though I were in college, a combination of latex on top plus memory foam sounds just right. I think I'll go for a full myself, since I'm single and unlikely to find live-in female companionship any time soon short of a fairy godmother waving a magic wand and making me look like Tom Cruise or George Clooney.

 

[sw!ft]

I am so sorry but I am totally going to try and hijack this thread for a question I have about my mattress. I just don't think I need a whole thread to get it answered.

So I have a pillow top Beautyrest. Love it. Except for one thing. I sleep hot. And since I "sink" into a little bit, it creates this pocket of heat that I cannot escape. I went as far as buying a mattress cover that claimed to dissipate heat and per the reviews, it was successful on about half of the reviews - I was desperate so I went for it. Well, it didnt work in my situation.

So, does any wise Arsian have any suggestions on how I can beat the heat - without having to buy a new mattress?

 

[Semi On]

Get a fan or turn the AC temp down?

 

[sw!ft]

I have top fan on, vornado next to bed and AC on. The heat is coming from under me, so, no matter how cold I make it - this pocket of heat still exists. I even kick my lower half out from under the covers.The only thing that works so far is to fold my afghan in half and lay it under me. but usually that only works for a few hours.

 

[Andara]

There are a variety of options.

First off, make sure you've got cotton sheets for breathability and moisture wicking. Synthetics will trap heat and won't help with moisture build up.

You can enhance your fan's cooling ability by placing a bowl of ice in front of it. There's also the option of freezing a 2-liter bottle full of ice, wrapping it in a towel, and sleeping with it to leech heat out of your body as it melts.

If you bathe before bed, keep the water cool to drop your core temperature a bit, then do the last few seconds at warm to open up the blood vessels near the surface of your skin for increased heat dissipation.

This Page has a list of top-rated cooling options for people with sleeping heat issues as well as a variety of other suggestions.

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

I'm puzzled by the interest in having an awesome guest bed - but then again, I don't even have a guest bed. Blow up an air mattress. :devious:

 

[JasterMereel]

If I like the guest mattress better than my mattress, I'll easily make the switch. But I really, really like my mattress right now.

 

[Bright Wire]

To tag onto this inquiry:

What say the Hivemind about pillows? Guestbed or not, good pillow suggestions?

 

[dotorg]

Andara[/url]":3upcmqqi]

I paired it with the Knickerbocker EmBrace Frame, since I'm a lardass and don't like wiggly beds, and this combination has served me incredibly well.

In what way does that contraption prevent "wiggly beds?"

It's solid steel with a rubberized coating on the outside and has three, full-length steel beams that fit into pockets on the side rails instead of being wimpy little wobbly things affixed by a rivet or possibly a screw. The frame also has seven massive feet that are completely inflexible, unlike beds that might have little wheels or small round pedestals.

 

[Andara]

Andara[/url]":3o3g4z2p]In what way does that contraption prevent "wiggly beds?"

It's solid steel with a rubberized coating on the outside and has three, full-length steel beams that fit into pockets on the side rails instead of being wimpy little wobbly things affixed by a rivet or possibly a screw. The frame also has seven massive feet that are completely inflexible, unlike beds that might have little wheels or small round pedestals.

Yeah, got the idea from later comments.

That said, it just prevents movement at the foundation level; the mattress itself has zero wiggle-prevention going on unless you go without a foundation, and that's not really good for the mattress regardless of which kind you get, but much worse if it's got springs. I find feet of any type to be a negative on a frame that low because then you have to lie on the floor to clean under the bed. >_< Thus why mine is solid steel wall all the way around. More sturdy than feet can possibly be and no cleaning under the bed. Plus, since the walls are inset from the bed, less chance of stubbing toes against it, too.

 

[dotorg]

That's a legitimate concern. I tend to remove the mattress and box spring from the bed every month or so, vacuum under the bed, then rotate one of the two before putting them back in place.

 

[JamHandy]

We went upscale 3 1/2 years ago and purchased a Shifman mattress that cost us just over 3k at the time. Family owned company that uses only natural materials and heavy duty springs. It is a traditional design that you have to flip every month for the first year, every three months thereafter, alternating between flipping and spinning. I have to say it is the most comfortable mattress we have every slept on.

 

[Andara]

I'm way too lazy and too cheap to pay $3k for a mattress I have to manhandle regularly.

 

[Mark086]

JamHandy[/url]":1pk938ih]We went upscale 3 1/2 years ago and purchased a Shifman mattress that cost us just over 3k at the time. Family owned company that uses only natural materials and heavy duty springs. It is a traditional design that you have to flip every month for the first year, every three months thereafter, alternating between flipping and spinning. I have to say it is the most comfortable mattress we have every slept on.

Sucker.