Mattress minefield... anyone able to give direction?

jaarus

Hi all,
I came here via Google listing some interesting forum threads here about beds but to be honest after reading them I am now so confused I dont know what to do.

I understand that people cannot advertise but that doesnt mean surely that they cannot advise on what 'in their opinion' are good brands/models - as that is not advertising or organisational endorsement but merely one forum users personal opinion?


Anyhoo - I am lost.

Our mattress is overdue a change and my back is in agreement (no history of back pain) as every morning I wake up with lower back pain as thought its been under tension all night long.



I am looking for the following:
* King Size mattress
* For use on a normal slatted bedframe (although we do have plyboard sheeting down under the mattress to help it last longer - some parental advice I received!)
* Under £750 preferably
* Firm or the firmer side of Medium/Firm

Not sure about construction...
Our current one was about £500 years ago and I think it was open coil.
Pocket springs I think would be the prefered type of sprung and still on the fence regarding memory foam - I like the idea of it (love toys and gadgets!) and its still new and a bit 'freaky' but people dont seem to keen on it generally, even if manufacturers seems to be keen to push it or am I misreading that as well?!


Every post I have read thus far seems to slate brands which I had previously thought of as very good names (Sealy, Silentnight etc) but now I am not so sure.
Can anyone give me some pointers?

Airsprung it turns out are based 5 mins up the road so I will nip over this weekend to have a look either way!
Are 'they' any good by the way?



I would never have thought that buying a mattress would be so flipping complicated - or expensive!!

PLEASE HELP!

TiTheRev

Firstly, welcome

Complicated, maybe, but expensive it needn't be.

By your post, it looks like you'd need an approx 1200 pocket sprung mattress. Memory foam depends on whether you (or the missus) is a warm sleeper. I couldn't hardly lie on one without warming up when I tested some, so for me I stayed clear as I'm warm enough at bed time! They add some support, but if the springs and construction of the mattress is good quality, then you needn't pay the extra for the foam.

As a guide i'd suggest you could/should be paying no more than £200-350 for a 'good' mattress, so the £700 should go a long way with change!

Rdel

Welcome to the madness jaarus! If you've looked over the other mattress threads you probably have as much info as you're gonna get however when you do finally decide on what bed to got for I recommend you get a brushed cotton fitted sheet (£9 from Tesco).

Very comfy!

jaarus

Hahaha - sheets are my wifes domain. Not being sexist just i do what I am told - hahaha!


And £350 sounds very reasonable - we went into 'Dreams' last weekend and the cheapest in that branch was £500 and they went up to £3000! Perhaps they are just an expensive store?

Rdel

Not to quote anyone in particular but I bought mine from a smaller independant company and bought my bed and mattress for Just under £600 whereas the mattress alone was £1000 in Dreams so defo shop about.

Once you find the one you want read the specs at the bottom ie open coil, 1000/1500/2000 pocket sprung all that stuff and try to find the same spec either online or in a smaller independant place for cheaper.

TiTheRev

jaarus wrote: »

Hahaha - sheets are my wifes domain. Not being sexist just i do what I am told - hahaha!


And £350 sounds very reasonable - we went into 'Dreams' last weekend and the cheapest in that branch was £500 and they went up to £3000! Perhaps they are just an expensive store?

Bargepole!

They are hugely overpriced, and the manufacturers only make models for them, so that when they offer "if you can find it cheaper anywhere else, we'll match it" you won't be able to find any anywhere else!!

Try Google searching Kozeesleep/Restus/Staples. You should be able to find something around the spec you want within budget. I'd also recommend a try before you buy. See if you can find a local independant bed specialist rather than Dreams/Bensons etc.

Pinkypants

Good brands, Healthbeds, Kaymed, Restus

Not so good, Silentnight, Rest Assured, Sealy.

You should be able to get a decent pocket srung mattress for well under the £750 mark. As said before try the smaller independent stores, avoid the groups like Bensons, Dreams etc..... They are somewhat over priced.

Orrin

There's lots of negativity about 'big brands' on here but there's probably a few reasons for that. It may be that they just aren't any good, or at the very least are over-priced for what they are. I've had a Silentnight bed in the past and didn't have any complaints but the big names sell a lot of product so are bound to have more dissatisfied customers.

My experience of the big chains has been very mixed. My local Bensons for example I've found to be really helpful and relaxed with no pressure selling, but other shops I've visited I've been fed all sorts of sales patter to get me to part with my cash. I'd recommend a local independent over a big chain, but try them out for yourself.

If you can compare mattresses on specification (spring count, exact composition and depth of fillings etc) that may help you find a bargain from a lesser known manufacturer. If a salesman is unable or unwilling to tell you exactly what's in a mattress then that's probably a good sign not to buy from them.

TiTheRev

My negativitiy about the 'larger' brands is born from personal experience of spending £400 on a Silentnight mattress that didn't even last a year before I started to get back pain. I complained to Silentnight and after the delay getting back to me I tried the supplier (Argos) to which I was informed it wasn't their warranty. Silentnight eventually got back to me after 3/4 phone calls & emails, and suggested that I could get the bed replaced under their 'sliding-scale' warranty which meant that they paid 50% of the price of a new bed after the 1st year (40% after 2years, 30% after 3years etc) but that the model I had bought is no longer available and the current equivelent was £650, so I would be paying more than I had paid originally for a 'warranty' mattress.

After help here, I bought a Staples 1200 pocket sprung mattress from a local independant (for less than the 'warranty' Silentnight offer), and it has lasted 3 years without any noticable reduction in quality as we have turned it every couple of weeks.

Orrin

Staples are part of the Hilding Anders group who own Slumberland, Myers, Sleepwell etc. and they have had plenty of stick on here too. A lot of 5 or 10 year warranties operate on a sliding scale when you check the small print and it's usually only the first year that you get all your money back. I agree it's not much use as it's no better protection than you are entitled to under SOGA anyway.

I'm not here to defend Silentnight or dispute your experience, just presenting an alternative to the received wisdom that they terrible. My personal experience was that the bed was fine but over-priced for the specification and for that reason alone I wouldn't recommend them.

sunrisesoverthemountains

TiTheRev wrote: »

My negativitiy about the 'larger' brands is born from personal experience of spending £400 on a Silentnight mattress that didn't even last a year before I started to get back pain. I complained to Silentnight and after the delay getting back to me I tried the supplier (Argos) to which I was informed it wasn't their warranty. Silentnight eventually got back to me after 3/4 phone calls & emails, and suggested that I could get the bed replaced under their 'sliding-scale' warranty which meant that they paid 50% of the price of a new bed after the 1st year (40% after 2years, 30% after 3years etc) but that the model I had bought is no longer available and the current equivelent was £650, so I would be paying more than I had paid originally for a 'warranty' mattress.

After help here, I bought a Staples 1200 pocket sprung mattress from a local independant (for less than the 'warranty' Silentnight offer), and it has lasted 3 years without any noticable reduction in quality as we have turned it every couple of weeks.

Hi,
I just wanted to ask is your Staples matress a non-turn. I could only find non turn mattresses with them. Its a shame, I was going to buy a Staples Deauville.

I have seen it in two independent stores. when I tried the first one it was wonderful but then I tried one in another shop for slightly different price, it seemed to feel alot different. Not sure why???

I am also looking at a lovely comfortable bed the Dura bed pashmina, Kingsize. I was told this bed has cashmere layers and 1000 pocket springs, and is medium tension.

If anyone could comment on any of these beds that would be a great help to me.

Thanks in advance.:)