Buying a Mattress

We were in the same position a few years back! It was such a hard decision to make.
We looked into the "foam" mattresses & then we really thought about it.--We'd be sleeping (and doing other things that you do in bed) on a giant SPONGE. Gross! No thank you.
We opted for the Sleep Number bed & have (for the most part) been pretty happy with it. It does have a few drawbacks (ie: off-gas'd for a while & if you sleep in the middle of the bed (but have 2 air chaimbers) it feels funny) but I like that if one "part" of the bed broke, got damaged, etc... it could be replaced. It also has a 20 yr warranty. We've had it for about 7 yrs or so now & have yet to have any issues with it.
If I were looking now, I'd get an organic mattress, but hopefully we won't need a new one for a very long time!

Yes it is true that there is a lot to consider when buying a new mattress. The tempurpedic is good and they are supposed to last for twenty years. Other mattresses normally last for about 10-15 years. I know the pillowtops are normally comfortable. I would look at what the warranty is on the mattresses. If you do get a foam mattress,get the tempurpedic. I have the tempurpedic and it is very comfortable and have had it for almost five years and it has not lost its shape.

remember not to pay msrp either- you're right comparing it to car shopping. i bought a sealy that was listed for $1700 or so and ended up getting it at some clearance event for $800 with frame and delivery. just try a bunch out and ask what happens if you don't like it after 3 weeks- some take it back as long as you purchase from that store again.

I'm in the same boat for my children...but I'll answer the question you asked!! I personally do not like the foam mattresses - and I have a friend who hates hers. She said after your body forms into the foam, if you move or roll over, it's uncomfortable because it takes awhile for the foam to go back to it's original shape. She also said if you sweat a lot it will smell really bad and it's REALLY hard to make the bed (she has special sheets with hers).

What I DO like is the foam toppers or a pillowtop mattress. We bought the cheapest queen sized mattress at Ashley Furniture about three years ago (just because it was just as comfortable to us as the others) but when I sit on the edge of the bed, it tends to squish down more than I think the more expensive ones would have.

Going forward I will probably get a pillowtop or a medium priced mattress and add a foam topper to it.

Good luck!

I can't stand "memory" foam because it takes too long to adjust to a new position after I move out of the trench I've created in my current position. And the pressure points compact down to a very hard surface. And it smells awful for the first few months.

But a few years ago I purchased a natural latex all-foam mattress, and it is heavenly, both "receptive" and supportive. It still has all of its original shape and resilience – looks brand new, and is guaranteed for at least 20 years without flipping. It also absorbs the movements of each sleep partner so they don't disturb the other.

I got an amazing price on this at Mulligan Mattress in Portland OR, and Gary, the proprietor, gave terrific customer service. I believe he ships anywhere in the U.S.

We love our sleep number bed, and have had it for about five years. Last winter, on a whim, my husband chose a foam mattress for our son while shopping for a twin size. It had a strong chemical smell that took months to dissipate. I can still detect the odor, but I have a very strong sense of smell. We had never researched what beds are made out of, and if we could do it over would not buy the foam. It is very comfortable to sleep on, though.

Try a 3" memory foam topper on your current mattress, it will let you know if you can handle the tempurpedic or not. Mattresses are SO over priced, do not rush into anything and you might just want to wait for a sale. Costco sells the 3" toppers. The sleep number bed is a waste of money. A coil mattress with a good memory foam pillow top (and a decent warranty) would be the better way to go.

If you are willing to spend some money, tempurpedic is the best one out there. They way they construct and manufactured are different than the other memory foam mattress that might lose shape after a while. You can try it for free for 60 days I think.
Second one is sleep number, because you can choose the firmness of the mattress.
If you choose the one with coils, get the pillowtop version. It will last longer and you won't feel the coils as much after some time.
Brands and style can be confusing. Everybody give a different name and different type. Stick to a good brand, they are more likely give better warranty. Sometimes a warranty can tell how long the product will last. Some give 5 yrs warranty, some other gave 10 yrs.
There are some mattress that have casing on the side, it give the mattress more form and sturdiness. So when you sit/sleep on the side of the mattress, it won't get squished and flatten and cause you to roll over :).
As you said, in the end choosing mattress and car is back to personal preferences. I sold mattresses for more than 5 yrs now, so I know there are different types out there.
I love tempurpedic because I like firm mattress. Hubby prefer a fluffy one. Maybe sleep number is the best one for us. But as of now, I am still using a pillowtop mattress purchased more than 10 yrs ago.

We bought a tempurpedic and no longer have it. It slowly got lumpy, started sagging on the sides, became painful to sleep in and we'd get stuck to the point of needing the other's help to change positions. We submitted pictures of the sagging/lumps/etc, they replied that we need to take pics again using rulers and a broomstick. We did that and they replied that it was all normal and did not honor a return/replacement. We went to Original Mattress Factory (we've bought from them 2 other times and love them) and are still happy with it 3yrs later.

During a party with our neighbors last winter, they had almost the same experience with their tempurpedic and also ended up buying from OMF.

My older brother and his wife have had a sleep-number bed for over 10yrs and still love it.

Good luck!

I recently bought a new spring type mattress which worked out ok but not great. I decided to buy a pillow top mattress pad from overstock.com and what a difference. Same feeling as the pillow top mattresses in the store at a fraction of the price.

Personally, I don't care for the foam type mattresses. We've had a Sleep Number bed for 3 1/2 years and my husband and I still love it (hopefully it will last us another 15 years and then we'll buy another one). We can't feel eachother move around in bed like we could with our old Simmons Beautyrest and we can each adjust our side of the bed to whatever firmness we want.