I have to buy a mattress


 
I've done the homework. You absolutely do not need a box spring with any modern mattress. 100% certain.

The box spring (with actual springs in it) was designed back when mattresses were much much thinner and less comfortable. So the box spring did two things for the thin mattress: (i) it lifted the mattress up off the floor to a comfortable height and (ii) provided extra cushioning/comfort.

Reason (ii) is completely irrelevant today. Today's mattresses are super thick and comfy -- springs, foam, air bladders, toppers, etc. etc. etc. Which is why most box springs today no longer have springs. It is just a firm wood box that holds the mattress. And any firm surface will do the same job just as well -- the floor, a table, couple sheets of plywood, a box spring without springs, any platform bed frame, any slatted bed frame. They'll all work exactly the same.

For the height, it is much easier and better to just get a bedframe with slats or a platform that will boost the mattress to the height you want. Huge bonus is that all that room you get under the bed. My two newest beds (for a weekend house) are tinker toy slatted platforms 18 high. Which affords a full 16 full inches of storage under bed. That is a TON of very use-able space that you create out of thin air by ditching the box spring dead space. Also much easier to clean underneath. Compare that to a traditional metal frame with box spring -- maybe 6 inches of clearance under there.

And you'll really love it when you move. Instead of wrestling an unwieldy bulky queen or king size box spring, you'll instead just have to transport two sets of slats that roll up and can be carried under one arm. Having helped move my three kids out of multiple college and 20-something apartments, I can assure you that you're much better off without carting pointless box springs around.

The ONLY (I repeat ONLY) reasons to use a box spring any more is (i) you already have one along with the traditional metal frame and don't want to swap those out, or (ii) you want your bed boosted up so high that you'll need a ladder to climb up into it. Otherwise, ditch the box spring and use a bed frame with slats or a platform.
 
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Kinda late to the party.
Haggle haggle haggle!
If they won't bend, then walk.
We just bought a new king bed & got them to knock a couple hundred $$ off the marked price AND they gave us a mattress protector, no charge.
 
Brian_D said:
Kinda late to the party.
Haggle haggle haggle!
If they won't bend, then walk.
We just bought a new king bed & got them to knock a couple hundred $$ off the marked price AND they gave us a mattress protector, no charge.
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Came in tonight to say the same thing. When we bought our first mattress for our new home when we got married, we were told that mattress stores will deal. It didn't sound right to me, but I gave it my best "buying a new car" routine, and it sure worked. We kept acting like we were leaving and they kept coming down on the price. Good to see that it still applies.
 
Bought a daybed mattress over the weekend from a chain location. Prices on many options were "50% OFF". Uh-huh... Made our choice and sat down to pay. The computer "miraculously" gave a price that was a further 25% off, explained as "President's Day Sale" price. Uh-huh...

Reminded me of a big local furniture store here that runs an annual "50% off storewide" sale. If you look behind the front tag in the clear vinyl pouch attached to each piece, you can see the tag with the regular price. The scam is that the 50% discount is off MSRP, which they never charge. Normal price is 40% off MSRP, so the "50% off sale" saves you roughly 17% vs. any other day.
 
ChuckO said:
Best mattress since the waveless waterbed

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I finally made the purchase and bought a Casper Original Hybrid.

Almost bought from Casper on-line. They had a " bundle " deal of $2,080 on a King that included a foundation. Before I pulled the trigger I went to visit a local furniture store and got that mattress for $1,000 and a foundation for $300.
 
Hope that works out for you, and glad you were able to find a deal.
We’ve decided to get a new mattress as well, after suffering from morning lower back pain for too long. I feel like we just got our current mattress, but it‘s 7 years old. Time really does fly. I suspect using an adjustable base contributed to wear, as the lumbar area is where it flexes the most. There is almost no support left, and lots of sag towards the middle. I think we are going to look for a mattress with zoned support, like a Posturepedic from Sealy.
 
Rolled the dice and ordered a Sealy Posturepedic from Costco, should be delivered Monday. Hopefully that’ll help out our backs. Worst case, we hate it and Costco comes and picks it up. I‘m willing to take a chance if it means never walking into a mattress store again.
 
Ok, we’ve had our new mattress almost a week. Sorry if it’s long-winded, but here’s my initial review:
A welcome return to a good night’s sleep
We missed the days of traditional innerspring mattresses, as the memory foam fad took over and made it seem impossible for use to find one that was comfortable. Out last mattress had an innerspring, but was loaded down with layers of mushy memory foam that retained way too much heat, and we never adjusted to it, both of us suffering from sweats and lower back pain for way too long. This is a Sealy Posturpedic Plus, one of their higher end innerspring mattresses, at a great price. We went with the plush/pillow-top, as we don’t sleep in any one position, but rather shift around during the night. This bed is supportive yet forgiving and has none of that marshmallow feel that we disliked about memory foam. We also got the Kirkland Signature 680 thread count cotton sheets, which also breathe well, and the combination keeps us cool, dry and comfortable. We’ve had it for less than a week, so we can’t speak for longevity, but we are glad to be getting much better sleep. Many thanks to Sealy and Costco.
 
+1 on those Kirkland sheets. Bought a couple pair when we got our last mattress. Probably the best sheets I have ever owned, Mattresses are a personal thing but I am in a camp with you. We bought the Kirkland made by Stearns and Foster which sounds a lot like yours.
 
I‘ve also noticed sitting around all day is as much a factor, and pretty much guarantees back pain the following morning. I have to make sure I keep moving. I sound like a grandpa, but it’s true, and I’m not.
 
So far so good with the new Sealy mattress, we’re sleeping better with less back pain. The wife even said she really loves it.
 
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