Which Mattress do you prefer after 65?

[frayne]

New year, so time to ask for opinions from this sage group on the subject of sleep platforms. I'm in the market for a new king size mattress to replace my 20+ year old mattress, which I put a 3" foam topper on after my back fusion surgery four years ago. After doing some research this past weekend and realizing there are basically three types of mattresses, conventional spring, memory foam or hybrid of the two. Visited the local Mattress Firm store thinking a hybrid is what I needed but came away thinking the foam memory type might actually be better. Still amazed at the price differential between the higher end mattresses ~$4000+ and the lower end conventional spring types for <$1000. Any suggestions, preferences or insight into what might be a good fit or what to avoid is appreciated in advance. Cost is not an issue as compared to the importance of a good night's sleep and I do realize how subjective this topic is but still worth asking. Again, thanks in advance.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I've been needing a new mattress for a long time and there were so many choices on Amazon it was confusing so I kept stalling. I happened to see a deal mentioned on Slickdeals for a Brooklyn Bedding Mattress that Walmart was selling so I checked out the brand.
They do not use fiberglass as a fire retardant in their mattresses which has been common practice until recently when Zinus got into trouble for it. This hybrid bed in a box was so cheap that I didn't think it could be any good but I figured for $300 I'd put it in the spare room if it was crap. So far it's turned out to be really comfortable, I'm sleeping like the dead, and when I wake up, I lay there for ages watching TV before I finally get up which is unusual for me.
I got the 14" EuroTop, it seems to be well made, and while it's very soft and plush, it still has a lot of support, at least for me. It shipped from the factory in Arizona and was manufactured about a week after I placed my order. Only downside to it was it stunk of a chemical smell for about 3 or 4 days when I first unwrapped it so I didn't use it till the smell went away. The prices for these beds on the company website are far higher than this one that seems to be a Walmart exclusive. Reviews for the brand are also all over the place.
So far I'm happy and if I get 3 or 4 years out of it, I'll consider it a good purchase.

If interested, here is a link to the company and the Walmart deal.

https://brooklynbedding.com/

https://www.walmart.com/search?q=Brooklyn+Bedding&facet=brand:Brooklyn+Bedding

My daughter also bought a new bed right around the same time from Mattress Firm costing around $1000 and they absolutely hated it although it felt fine laying on it in the store. I have not asked her recently how they feel about it now.
Also keep in mind when you buy a new mattress you might need to buy a new box springs or frame, apparently wooden box springs are no good after 5 years and might void the warranty. The metal box spring I ordered was damaged in one corner so I'm still using the old one but I need to buy a new metal bed frame instead. That whole deal is even more confusing than buying the mattress, there is so many different heights that are offered nowadays. so you need to calculate the total height of the bed frame and/or box spring plus the mattress to make sure you're not too high or low.
I truly never want to deal with this issue again.

 

[Badger]

My 12+ year king size mattress is latex with a memory foam top is working OK but I have it flipped to use the latex side. I used it with the memory foam side for a few years but it wasn't comfortable and it gave me back aches so I flipped it over. I wouldn't mind trying an authentic Purple topper on it. The Purple that is made with the square holes but I don't think they make toppers.
I hate buying mattresses. I got tired of spending the money on something that never has worked well once you got it home. At least the mattress I have is somewhat alright.

 

[Linney]

I've been needing a new mattress for a long time and there were so many choices on Amazon it was confusing so I kept stalling. I happened to see a deal mentioned on Slickdeals for a Brooklyn Bedding Mattress that Walmart was selling so I checked out the brand.
They do not use fiberglass as a fire retardant in their mattresses which has been common practice until recently when Zinus got into trouble for it. This hybrid bed in a box was so cheap that I didn't think it could be any good but I figured for $300 I'd put it in the spare room if it was crap. So far it's turned out to be really comfortable, I'm sleeping like the dead, and when I wake up, I lay there for ages watching TV before I finally get up which is unusual for me.
I got the 14" EuroTop, it seems to be well made, and while it's very soft and plush, it still has a lot of support, at least for me. It shipped from the factory in Arizona and was manufactured about a week after I placed my order. Only downside to it was it stunk of a chemical smell for about 3 or 4 days when I first unwrapped it so I didn't use it till the smell went away. The prices for these beds on the company website are far higher than this one that seems to be a Walmart exclusive. Reviews for the brand are also all over the place.
So far I'm happy and if I get 3 or 4 years out of it, I'll consider it a good purchase. If interested, here is a link to the company and the Walmart deal.

https://brooklynbedding.com/

https://www.walmart.com/search?q=Brooklyn+Bedding&facet=brand:Brooklyn+Bedding

My husband and I purchased Brooklyn Bedding's Signature Hybrid (a hybrid of coils + foam) about 6 years ago. We are still very happy with it today. We both like a firm bed so we chose the "firm" level instead of medium or soft. My husband initially had some issues with his shoulders not sinking in far enough. Brooklyn Bedding Customer Service advised him to "walk on the bed" in the shoulder area to break it in faster. He did that for a few days and it worked.

Since then we have both slept well and we get up without any bed-induced aches or pains. It is super comfortable for staying in bed after waking up (as RetiredAndLovingIt mentions above) but still easy to roll out of bed when you are ready to get up and going. I don't remember any problems with a chemical smell but it was purchased 6 years ago so I might not remember that potential issue.

Before Brooklyn Bedding we tried a Tuft & Needle mattress but couldn't get it to work right for both of us so that was returned. Before that we had a Tempurpedic bed but gave us problems with heat retention.

 

[Kork13]

I'm not nearly 65 yet, but some days when my back misbehaves, I could swear that I was .....

We got a Purple mattress a couple years ago, and I don't exaggerate when I say that it's been life-changing. It's temperature neutral, perfect balance of support/softness, and doesn't transfer movement between DW & I. It's allowed both of us to consistently get a far better quality of sleep than both of our previous mattresses (one pillow-top & one memory foam). Sleep has always been a challenge for me, so having a great mattress to help with my sleep has truly been incredibly valuable. I travel alot with my job, and miss sleeping on that mattress every time I'm away from home.

Each version has a different degree of firmness, so you have to either try them out in advance to figure out which one is best for you ..... or you can do as we did, and just ordered the one we *thought* would work (which didn't -- too firm) ... Then we did an exchange with Purple for a different version, which was perfect & what we stuck with. Of note, Purple allowed us the choice of either getting the original (too-firm) mattress picked up, or they let us donate it to a local charity & provide proof of donation. We were really impressed with that policy, and took advantage to donate it to a local shelter.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Don’t overlook natural latex foam. We’ve had one for about ten years and are quite happy with it.

 

[sparky08]

We bought a Beauty Rest Pressure Smart (Gel Foam) three years ago and it developed some indentations where we slept that wouldn't go away.

We stopped in at the Mattress Firm where we bought it to ask what could be done. To their credit, they gave us full credit ($1800) on a new mattress. We applied that money to a nice Stearns & Foster.

 

[Time2]

We have a waterbed frame with a California King Mattress that drops into the frame. It is older but still seems fine, i.e. no lumps or bumps, no springs sticking thru .
However, I don't see we have to many more years that we will want to pick up the corners to put the fitted sheet on. It gets more difficult as we age.
I like and want to have the headboard with the upper and lower shelf, built in lights on each side and a couple of drawers. Then the base has the six drawers, that we almost have to have.
The easy solution is to add a box spring into the waterbed frame and put a new mattress on top. This would make it easier to installed the fitted sheet. No need to lift the mattress as the edges would be accessible. However, I don't want the added 12" in height, because now it is at chair height I can sit on the bed, to put my socks and pants on. To this add, the chance of getting a mattress that both of us is comfortable sleeping on.

I didn't know I had these problems, until I started reading this thread.

 

[N02L84ER]

Time2, since you are not using an actual waterbed mattress, couldn't you just remove the 3 wooded "frames" around the King Mattress?

 

[Time2]

Time2, since you are not using an actual waterbed mattress, couldn't you just remove the 3 wooded "frames" around the King Mattress?

Not, quite that easy, the side frame hold the headboard in place, and also hold the 3 pieces of chip board together that support the mattress. But, your comment does spark the idea, that there are some modifications I could make, that would save all the accoutrements I mentioned above while make it much easier to make the bed.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Amazon sells varying heights of metal bed frames that should fit inside your existing frame and raise the height as needed. I'm currently in the process of pulling the trigger on an 18" one. With my 14" mattress it's high and not for you but I like the height.
I also checked the Cal King sizes and they sell them in heights of 10" 14" 16" 18".
I currently have a box spring sitting on the platform bed frame and then the new mattress on top so I want to eliminate the box spring since the mattress warranty says wooden box springs more than 5 years old are not supportive enough. So I'm tossing it and getting a higher metal frame with no box spring needed. Like you I want to keep my existing headboard and side rails.
Adding a link to show you what might solve your problem.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cal+king+bed+frame

 

[Badger]

I never did understand why box springs were necessary when platforms work well with any mattress. Some mattress manufacturers even recommend a platform for foam mattresses.
To insure no dips in the bottom of a foam mattress I might even use a couple of sheets of 1/4 inch plywood on those heavy duty platforms with the multiple slats.

 

[finnski1]

Don’t overlook natural latex foam. We’ve had one for about ten years and are quite happy with it.

Same here. Love ours.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I never did understand why box springs were necessary when platforms work well with any mattress. Some mattress manufacturers even recommend a platform for foam mattresses.
To insure no dips in the bottom of a foam mattress I might even use a couple of sheets of 1/4 inch plywood on those heavy duty platforms with the multiple slats.

This kind of frame needed a box spring or foundation and then when I bought a new bed frame it only had 3 support boards across it so I still used the box spring which admittedly is older than dirt. I'd never even heard of slats until recently and I always just replaced the mattress when needed and never thought about it.
I've learned so much about beds in the last couple of months, none of which I had any interest in and still don't.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1987848986190197650