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The Simmons Beautyrest line includes some budget models.
By Kara Reinhardt, Cheapism.com
Could an old mattress be responsible for a lackluster love life? A recent survey found that almost a quarter of respondents with a mattress more than 10 years old report less romance in their lives — and most blame the mattress. Turns out this research was conducted on behalf of Sleepy’s, the mattress retailer, so the suggestion that a new mattress might be in order comes as no surprise.
Still, with Valentine’s Day less than a week away, this kind of thing can get you thinking. A new mattress is undoubtedly a major purchase. The price of even a traditional innerspring mattress can top $5,000, and experts warn that the very cheapest off-brand mattresses aren’t worth it. However, the big three — Sealy, Serta, and Simmons — offer well-regarded queen-size mattress and box spring sets for less than $600. That amounts to mere pennies a night if the mattress lasts even five years. This is also one of those categories where sales seem constant and almost no one pays full price. Although a box spring isn’t always necessary, the warranty may stipulate that the mattress be used with the appropriate component.
It may seem strange to lie down for a nap in the middle of a store, but it’s important to test different mattresses for comfort. Even on the low end, the various fiber, foam, and coil combinations present a wide range of options. These all have different names depending on the manufacturer, the retailer, and even the geographic region, which makes comparison shopping a challenge.
In general, look for more layers of padding if you enjoy a soft mattress or sleep on your side and fewer if you sleep on your back and like your bed to be firm. Pay attention to the quality of the materials that make up those layers; the padding on some inexpensive mattresses is apt to deteriorate. Finally, don’t worry too much about the number of coils — 375 is plenty for a queen-size mattress, according to GoodBed. What matters more is the construction and positioning of the coils.
Below are Cheapism’s top picks for affordable mattresses.
- The Serta Perfect Sleeper series (starting at $560) is lauded for being firm yet comfortable, and the mattresses are covered under warranty for up to 10 years. The design was developed in partnership with the National Sleep Foundation. (Where to buy)
- The Simmons Beautyrest series (starting at $477) earns praise from users for offering a range of firmness levels. Mattresses come with a 10-year warranty and a whopping 800 pocketed coil springs, which are intended to isolate movement and keep people from disturbing their partners. (Where to buy)
- The Sealy Posturepedic series (starting at $391) is designed to support the back and relieve pressure on the shoulders and hips. The Sealy brand rated highest in a survey of customer satisfaction and offers a 10-year warranty. (Where to buy)
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Leave a Comment:
apparently the author hasn't seen the bedding episode of Penn & Teller's Bull__it. The best part was the guy who actually tests mattresses for a living. What does he sleep on? A $30 air mattress from Wal-Mart...
My Beauty Rest queen mattress is more than 20 years old and still feels fine. It was around $700. I am always puzzled by this notion that paying less than $1000 is a deal and that a mattress will only last a decade or so.
Go to Costco & buy their Novaform 2 & 1/2" gel memory foam supplement that goes on top of your existing mattress. It will make a big difference. It sells for about $129 (queen size) but you can catch it on sale for about $100. You can thank me later...
Find the mattress you like best at a store locally, then call one of the big internet mattress providers with the exact info and they'll tell you its equivalent. Plus, it's usually no commission, free delivery/set up/removal and no tax. Now that may not seem fair to the local stores, but it's a dog-eat-dog world out there and I saved at least $85 in sales tax alone, at least $100 on delivery and probably $400 minimum in commission - over $500! And if you still don't think that's fair, remember that the manufacturers PURPOSELY change fabrics, ticking, names, numbers etc. to confuse the consumer and make it hard to comparison shop. Good luck and have fun looking!
Wow, where to start? Coil count.. Yes coil count isn't nearly as important as coil construction, and 374 may be fine if it is a Bonnell coil of 12 3/4 gauge, AND you and your partner have a combined weight of less than 300lbs. Note however that it will be a very bouncy mattress, and you may be disturbed by your partner's movement. The reason coil count isn't a good shopping tool is that different constructions will require different numbers to achieve the same goal.
Instead of relying on a bunch of facts and figures that won;t mean diddly to the average shopper (not to mention retail sales associate) follow these simple steps:
Try each mattress as you will use it. That means if there are two of you try it together. If you are a side sleeper, try it on your side, back sleepers your back, and stomach sleepers your stomach. Check and make sure that the mattress is touching you equally everywhere, that you aren't carrying too much weight on your hips and shoulders.
Choose the softest mattress you find comfortable. As we age we require more and more pressure relief. The more cushioning you buy today the longer you will remain comfortable. Understand the difference between comfort and support. Support comes from the spring, comfort comes from what you put on top of it.
Finally before you take one home, spend 5 minuets in your normal sleeping position without moving. If you get the itch to move, it's probably too hard. If you can't lie still for five minuets, what's going to happen for 8 hours?
To Mark, I haven't seen the show, but each person will have different requirements, what may work for one, may not work for another. Personally I can't sleep on any air mattress, not a $30 one from Wally-World, or a $3000 one from Select Comfort / Sleep Number.
Bluesky, again each person will have different needs, however most people sleeping on a 20 year old mattress are suffering from maladaptive conditioning, meaning that they have become conditioned to getting a continually lessening quality of sleep. The wrongly attribute that, and stiffness upon awakening on the age of their bodies, when it is indeed the age of their beds. Most people realize it's time for a new mattress after spending a few nights away from home, then waking up fresh for the first time in years.
Jim, adding a layer of padding to your current mattress is a great thing IF what is ailing you is that your mattress is too hard. Remember though comfort comes from padding, support comes from what's underneath it. If you old mattress has lost it's support, adding more padding isn't going to help, and now you have $100 less to spend on a quality mattress.
Nonbeliever, your name sums it up for me. I don't believe your experience is as rosy as you believe it is. First off lets talk about "equivalents". What they base those on, are pure specs. The problem with that is you can take the same components, and assemble them in different configurations, and end up with different results. This is part of the reason their are so many choices out there. Next I'm not sure what region of the country you are in, but nobody around here gets $100 for delivery. The highest anyone charges is $79, and that's only on the cheapest sets. Spend $1000+ on a mattress, and you'll probably pay no delivery at all. Average commission on a mattress is between 4 and 10%, so unless you were looking at a $4000 - $10000 bed, you didn't save $400 on commission. What you probably got was a decent bed at a decent price, that you could have found in a local retailer for about the same money. Money that would have stayed in your community.
WOW. Long enough!
A airbed costs under $100. I can buy several airbeds for 1 mattress. I can ship an airbed in 1 UPS box.
Ikea latex mattress for $500. Better than any of the big brands. And I hate box springs. What a waste.
After 10 years with the same man/woman there is less romance no matter what mattress you are on. Probably not the mattress buddy.
I'd like to see a discussion of warranty coverage. I bought a Simmons at Macy's and was told that to keep the warranty in force I had to buy this impervious cover, which I did purchase. Now the mattress sags, but there is one tiny little spot on the mattress from an unknown origin, and Macy's won't provide any coverage. Now this is interesting, because Macy's did not manufacture the mattress. Why is it their call on the warranty? They have been absolutely no help, and there are thousands of people with the same issue in online forums. So, it is more than just a comfort issue. We need more information so others don't make the same mistake.
Speaking for myself, I love a water bed. Lots more bounce to the ounce, so to say. And it does support all of your body the same. Also IMO, it's fun and enjoyable to have a relationship on the waterbed.
But everyone to their own. All I can say is a waterbed is better than any other mattress that is made if you are having a sexual relationship. King size preferred!