We needed a mattress. We’ve been sleeping on a King Coil. It’s not a super expensive one but it was the one that felt most comfortable and fit our budget when we first came to Singers. Flash forward about six years to today and we’ve realised we really could do with another bed for the guest room. (We have a sofa bed in the guest room which is super comfortable but just not a real bed) So we decided to move our existing bed into the guest room and get ourselves a new one – and a better mattress. The bed wasn’t a problem. The mattress is a whole different ball game.
Everything and everyone says we need to lie on a bed before we buy the mattress, thats the only way to tell if it works for you or not. And they are right. It is only when you lay down that your body tells you – this feels good! All that talk about pocket springs, latex, pillow tops, memory foam, blah blah washes over you and is not really relevant. But lying down and trying on mattress after mattress can get tiring and very confusing. So I’ve made a list on how to make this whole task a bit easier.
- Decide your budget (and be prepared to exceed it by a bit if required because trust me – you will find beds that are ‘slightly’ beyond your budget but much more comfortable that will make you want to spend more)
- Firm or bouncy – you need to know your preferences. This is one of the first questions the sales person will ask you.
- Dont hesitate to lie down on as many beds are you need to. And get comfy. Sleep on your side if you usually do and take your time. Most mattresses feel awesome for the first 5 minutes but the comfort starts to fade after that. So take your time.
- Go with your partner. You share the bed at home so you need to try it out together before buying as well. Plus it helps that while he/she is talking to the sales person you can take your time lying down and taking in the feel of the mattress. And vice versa.
- Dont get carried away by jargon. All that talk about springs, horse hair, latex etc can get confusing. Ultimately the prices are more or less the same. The brands all over 10-15 years warranty and are all known to have strict return policies. No one offers to exchange the mattress just like that. So it eventually is the same thing.
We tried Slumberland (loved the Royal Excellence – $3300? and the Tempursmart II 3600 – $2900) Sealy (dont remember the names but realised Sealy is way too bouncy for us), King Coil (The SS Plush was good -approx $2500 I think), Simmons (The Sea Breeze was too hard, the Dreamscapes Summerville was divine! $4900) and Serta (New Sophistication – $4309 and Sophistication – $3500)
We narrowed down to the Slumberland Tempursmart 3600, the Simmons Dreamscapes and the Serta New Sophi. Loved all three. Slumberland offers a 15 yr warranty with a one for one exchange for the entire period (the only brand that offers that) It had horsehair, was very comfortable and the lowest priced of the three.
The Simmons was wonderful, but the price too was high. I had concerns about Simmons mattresses as I had read online that they tend to collapse and sag after a few years. The salesperson at Robinsons (Sheila) clarified that this was mainly for US models sold there and not in Singapore. Well, maybe she’s right. But the price was still a bit high for us. We needed to think.
The Serta was actually the only mattress that the husband tried and loved almost instantly. It was very very similar to the previous two. but I think what sweetened the deal for us was the amount of freebies we were being offered.
So after a quick coffee, we decided to go with Serta. Loved the way it made us feel. Hopefully it keeps us happy for years to come 🙂
And if you’re just starting your mattress hunt, take your time and if required – sleep on it for a bit 😉 G’luck!
The Counting Sheep from Serta (I miss my braces!) Image courtesy – serta.com
Beyond Bombay! 