[Tell] Jizzy about Mattresses. More than a place to hide cash and tap ass?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > [Tell] Jizzy about Mattresses. More than a place to hide cash and tap ass?

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

Quality post.

I live in Europe, so perhaps "bed trends" are different here, but what most people buy are a box mattres / box-spring with a very thick "top mattress" (not sure what it's called in the USA) on top. This gives you the best of both worlds.

For the box mattress, basically the more springs the better. Here in metric Europe, we measure the amounts of springs in springs per square meter. A cheap box usually has about 100 / m2, a high quality one 300-500 / m2. The more (smaller) springs give you more comfort since the load is spread out more. Most people here put feet or prettier wooden supports below the box to raise it up above the floor - actual bed frames are pretty rare and old fashioned here; just unnecessary wasted space.

For the top mattress, it is generally agreed that latex is the best. It is expensive, but give you much more comfort, conforms to the body (but not like memory foam), and leads away body heat. I have a thick 8cm latex mattress that was approximately as expensive as the box spring, but worth it. Regular foam is nasty; I can feel it immediately how it doesn't lead away the body heat and I feel warm. Memory foam isn't my cup of tea, but it varies.

I bought my box+top at JYSK (is this a thing in the USA?), but IKEA also has great options.

I also recommend a box headboard that bolts onto the bed, which is aaaaaaaaaaaawesome. Watching TV in bed is ridiculously comfortable that way, instead of leaning against a concret or brick wall.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2017 23:21

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 01:08

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

NihilismNow posted:

A topper here is a thin matress that goes over the mattress that goes on your box spring. So typically it goes bottom (slats/box) --> 24 cm+ mattress --> Topper 3-8 cm (optional).
I'd disagree everyone gets a box spring though, plenty of people still get sprungs slats. In my country (Netherlands) steel spiral bases are also still popular.

My main mattress complaint is that no cheap brand makes 210/220 cm mattresses. Ikea stops at just 200cm which is just silly for a adult.

That's a bit of a strange construct I'd say. The box spring is a bed in itself, and about 24cm thick, so why put an extra 24cm mattress on top? You can just put the topper on top, and if you're low on cash, buy a cheap foam topper instead of a latex one. I also have a very thin (like 1cm) foam mattress on top of my topper, to protect it from stuff like blood or child pee.

I guess countries are just really different on this issue.

JYSK in NL has some mattresses in 210cm, tried looking at them?

https://jysk.nl/slaapkamer/matrassen#f_6=210

# ¿ Mar 21, 2017 20:37

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

Imaduck posted:

I've been wanting to upgrade to a king for a long time, and I'm thinking of biting the bullet. I'm a super light sleeper, so I need a bed that isolates motion well. However, I had a foam mattress topper for awhile and hated it because it was too hot. Granted, it was probably an old, cheap topper, but it still drove me crazy.

What are the good options here? From what I tell, gel-foam mattresses are kind of a gimmick, and don't really cool better than anything else. Latex mattresses are intriguing, but it's hard to find good information on them, and the ones on Amazon all have pretty low ratings. Pocket coil mattresses are pretty much the same story. Any suggestions?

Pocket coil mattress with a thick latex topper on top; best of both worlds. Also the most expensive, but you can get them in various qualities depending on how much cash you wish to invest.

I didn't know full latex mattresses existed, but I see them now on IKEA.com for example. I dunno, I haven't tried them, but frankly I can't imagine it's any better than the combination of spring and latex. There's a reason cars have springs and shock absorbers, not just one of those :iiaca:

# ¿ Mar 21, 2017 23:18

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

NihilismNow posted:

drat, Jysk would have been a good option. I wound up buying a mattress that costs 4-5x what they charge and i doubt it is 4x as good.
Most people don't use a topper, a topper is useful to bridge the gap between 2 individual mattresses or if the top layer of your old mattress is worn out or if you want MAXIMUM COMFORT (or maybe the sales guy at the mattress store figured he could squeeze you for a additional €500).
You use a mattress on top of a boxspring because a boxspring generally isn't meant to be slept on directly and typically uses bonnell springs instead of pocket springs like in a mattress.

Bonell springs are the cheap option, Pocket springs are the best and more advanced spring option. Costs more, of course. It must be a local thing that there's such a difference in customs.

I just don't see why you would put a massive mattress on top of a box spring, instead of a thin topper? Is a 24cm mattress cheaper than a 5cm topper? Why combine two mattresses with each their set of springs? If you want to heighten the bed, put taller legs on it.

Also, since you mentioned 2 mattresses - why I live, the maximum width of a bed is 140cm, so anyone requiring a double bed (typically 180cm here) will get 2x90cm beds, which will naturally require a form of "bridge", and this is where a 180cm wide one-piece topper comes in. You can also buy a foam "mattress keel" to lessen the gap between the two beds (but you'd still need the topper).

# ¿ Mar 22, 2017 19:19

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

Alright alright, here's what I call a box spring (or box mattress in my language):

The whole massive bottom part, including the wooden frame (hidden by fabric) and the two layers of springs is the box spring. The thinner part on top appears to be a latex topper ("top mattress").

You only need the box spring (with feet) and a topper for a good bed.

NihilismNow posted:

I think we are talking about the same thing but using different terminology. What i am talking about is the following setup:

Maybe you consider the 2nd layer (that i called a mattress) to be part of the box spring?

That looks like a H�stens bed, the most absurdly expensive beds in the world. A bed from them costs between $10,000 and $30,000, just crazy. Or maybe it's a Chinese copy since there are Chinese characters on your image. Anyway, the luxurious H�stens beds are split in two - a base (with a wooden frame, springs, wool, etc.), and a spring mattress (also with springs, horsehair, wool, etc.), that I guess compliment eachother and together, make up a gigantic load of springs, horse hair, foam, wool, and so on. Normal people here just buy the setup I pictured above.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2017 21:58

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

N. Senada posted:

I slept on a japanese futon that rolled up and you could store in a closet when not in use. It cost like 100 bux and was pleasant enough that I'll probably buy one again. Until I know I'm staying in the same place for more than 1 year, I'll probably not buy a big mattress and whatever else again. Just sleep on the motherfucking floor like your ancestors.

That must be why Japanese porn is so weird; their thin floor mattresses make it impossible to have normal sex comfortably.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2017 14:25

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

DoggPickle posted:

I am still totally in love with my extremely hard, cheap, foam mattress and then very expensive squishy topper. But I sleep on my side to go to sleep and then on my stomach to sleep, which I have learned is pretty weird for a girl?

I was actually curious about pillows? I have never bought a pillow that was more than 10bux or something that just got handed down for generations, (with a new pillowcase).

Is a better pillow worth anything at all if you sleep on your side for a bit and then inevitably end up face down, with your neck cranked 90 degrees anyways? I don't like those huge unsquishable pillows because obviously that would hurt my neck, but it's almost as bad to have really tiny thin flat ones. Is there a more comfortable medium squish pillow?

One that doesn't ever get hot would be great though, because I always get hot when I sleep.

I have never understood how anyone sleeps on their back at all... I might as well be trying to sleep standing up; it's not restful to me, to the point that it boggles my mind how anyone enjoys it. (like I GET IT, everyone is different, but it's so incredibly un-sleepy to me, its still hard to GET-GET)

The fact that a corpse at a wake is laid on their back should be an indication that you're crazy with your stomach sleeping and adversion to back-sleeping.

I can't think of a more naturally restful state than lying down on my back.

Anyway, if you've never paid more than 10 bucks for a pillow, you've probably only experienced foam pillows, which are just terrible. I can feel the heat retention immediately if I put my face down into a cheap foam pillow at a bad hotel. If you're lucky with your 10 bucks, you might have had one filled with rough duck feathers, which clump up inside the pillow casing, and you can almost feel the contours of the feathers poking into your head.

You need a pillow that primarily consists of down. It insulates better, transfers body heat and moisture better, is more fine-grained, and is more "stable" so to speak, meaning it doesn't compress back and forth like a sponge. A decent mid-level pillow in my country (Denmark) is typically around 70% duck down, 30% duck feather.

There are two other things to consider: Height and firmness (or "fill weight"). The height is usually either low (thin pillow) or high (thick pillow), and I've noticed lately that some high pillows have sewings on the edges that sort of make the pillow look like a box:

(from IKEA)

I find this pretty nice compared to the typical "round" shape where the sewings just meet.

Second there is the firmness, or "fill weight" (not sure what it's called in the USA), this is pretty much how many grams of down there is in the pillow relative to the pillow's size. More down/feather will make the pillow more firm, less will make it soft. I prefer firm.

Some high-end pillows also have a few "compartments" inside that separate the down/feathers, so they don't all clump up in one big chamber. This will make it a bit more comfortable and stable as you toss and turn, and prevent the down from clumping together.

I live in another country, but I usually spend around $50-60 on a medium quality pillow with mainly duck down (like 70% down / 30% feathers). The last one I bought was from IKEA (the one pictured), and it's pretty good to me. I'm no super clean freak, but even when changing pillow casings fairly often, my pillows get disgustingly yellow over the years, and with time, the down/feather inside will also absorb the oil/grease/sweat/hairwax from your body, ultimately ruining the downs' ability to do its job.

Edit: I forgot to mention the synthetic materials that the "pancake pillow" and the like use. I've tried one, it's not too bad, but I don't really see the point or benefit, it's not like buying a down pillow will bust your wallet. I think that pancake pillow uses synthetic material to keep the material cost down.

Pilsner fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Apr 18, 2017

# ¿ Apr 18, 2017 21:35

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

shame on an IGA posted:

Get four of the biggest firmest down pillows you can find at the previously mentioned ~$60 price sweet spot and never look back. It's completely life changing.

$200-250 may sound like a lot for pillows if you're used to crap that has to be replaced all the time. It's more worth it than you can even imagine.

Why four?

signalnoise posted:

Oh I'll weigh in alright. I am a fatass side sleeper. I gotta clear out my existing bed but hopefully I have it all set up tonight.

edit: Feels good so far, just waiting for the sheets and mattress protector to dry

That wall sure is purple.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2017 21:46

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 01:08

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

His father slept with his rear end on that uncomfortable hunk of mattress for two years.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2017 00:10

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