Best Matresses???

Me and the misses just got our taxes back and are in the market for a great set of matresses. I have had back surgery, so support is an issue and I am also, for those who know me, a pleasantly plump man(325+lbs.) I work very hard every day and long hours, so a good nights sleep is very important. I have been looking at the Tempurpedic and Sleep Number Beds, but have heard nightmare stories about the "hammock effect" on the sleep number and the Tempurpedic Beds worry me about durability. We are looking to spend around $2000 on a good matress set. We currently have a Quenn size bed, but with two kids who end up with us every night an upgrade to a king might be needed. Anyone who has had a great matress set, please give me some details as well as anyone who has had or has the Tempurpedic or Sleep Number Beds.
Thanks to all,

Rick Boman

I cannot personally attest, but I have a friend who has a temperpedic and loves it. She was suffering from back and hip problems and it fixed her right up. She's only had it for about 18 months, so cannot comment on the durability yet. I'm not certain, but I believe they have a free in-home trial period where you can try out the bed for a couple of months and return it if you don't care for it. Good luck!

I may be in the minority, but I spent a weekend at a place with the temperpedic mattresses and had the most uncomfortable experience ever.

Alise, I understand you response to the Tempur-Pedic mattress. I was not at all impressed with the Tempur-Pedic mattress the first few times I slept on it. However as a person who has had four hip replacements and was contemplating back surgery until the Tempur-Pedic mattress was recommended by orthopedic surgeon, I can attest to its positive support of orthopedic stresses. I have now had my orthopedic mattress for five years and sleeping on it has been a great relief, but it did take me a while to get use to the mattress. I also now have Tempur-Pedic contour pillows. The first time I attempted to sleep on one of those, I threw it on the floor and slept the night with no pillow.

Beth, you are right, most places that sell Tempur-Pedic mattresses have a ninety-day trial period available to the buyer. I would highly recommend buying from a dealer who offers that option.

Gayle, I have heard they have a problem with mold, have you had any such issues?

Sorry, Rick, I'm drawing a blank on that one. I've never had a mold problem, but I should state that I keep a cool bedroom, in case that makes a difference. Additionally, be advised that one should not use a mattress protector with a Tempur-Pedic mattress as it comes with a removable/washable cover. I couldn't find the brochure that came with my bed, but I thought it was suppose to be resistant to dust mites, mold, mildew, and bacteria. To be truthful I've had grandchildren "wet" the bed and it has cleaned up better than any traditional box spring mattress that I have ever had. That said, remember that the Tempur-Pedic mattress is supposed to "mold" to your body shape.

Thanks Gayle, you have been very helpful.

Rick, I must admit that I have never tried a Sleep Number mattress, but I do have a good friend who swears by it. She uses a number in the twenties (very soft); her husband uses a number in the nineties (very firm). They are very happy with it. I was leery of it, because I couldn't truly sleep on one before buying and I think that for something as important as a mattress, upon which one spends close to one third of ones life, requires more than laying down on one for five or ten minutes. Ultimately, I chose the Tempur-Pedic, not only because of the recommendation of the orthopedic surgeon, but because I had slept on it several times at a Marriott and then my son and daughter-in-law had on in their guest room which I slept on repeated times. As I said, I did not especially like it the first few nights.

Rick,

My in-laws sprang for a Temperpedic (which was a huge expense for them) in part due to my father-in-law's size- he's a big guy like you and they have multiple sleep issues. Unfortunately, they found that they couldn't abide sleeping on the new mattress and it's now on the guest bed at their house. In fairness to the mattress, they are not the most open to change so they may bot have given it enough of a chance....

I adore my pillow-top King size. Slept on it at a very luxe hotel in Manhattan, and liked it so much that I tracked it down and bought it 12 years ago. Durability has been excellent. I'll check the brand and let you know.

Deb

I have a 12 year old Stearn's and Foster, in a model that is extra, extra firm. I love it. It's really pricy, but it's looks and feels the same as it did when we bought it, even with the three moves.

I'm with Eliza W on the Stearns and Foster. We love ours.

We checked into a hotel on vacation several years ago and the bed had a TempurPedic mattress. I didn't sleep well and woke up with a terrible backache. We checked out and went to another hotel for the rest of the week. I assume it's "an acquired taste" and one gets used to it with time.

I purchased a new mattress set from the good people at Bowles Mattress Co. about 7 years ago and it has held up great!!!
They have a large selection, are very reasonable, and they are very nice people who stand behind their products(I've known the family for years). I think they have just recently opened up several showrooms. You used to have to go to the Factory/Showroom in Jeffersonville.

Dear Rick, The Westin Hotel has the best mattress ( in my opinion),The Heavenly Mattress. They used to offer a deal on a hotel room , so you could actually sleep on one before you bought it. You can go to their website to check out prices, etc. I have slept on temper pedics a few times, and it may take a while to get used to, I felt stuck in the mattress. Good luck, hope you find something on which to have a great sleep!

I will second the suggestion of Bowles. If you go over to the factory you can have a mattress made for you.

I tries a Tempurpedic for a few minutes and hated it. It was really hot.

Thanks to all for the input, We purchases a pillowtop set at Denver Mattress Company. We can try it out for 30 days and if we don't like it we can send it back. It was really comfortable and the warranty is non-prorated and we don't have to return it to the factory , only to the store if we have warranty or 30-day guarantee issues.