ULTIMATE MATTRESS GUIDE v1.0
Sep 10 '06
The Bottom Line Buy a no-pillow-top Simmons mattress (with over 540 springs for full-size) with matching box spring online after testing it at an independent mattress store.
----------Introduction:
I am a mid-twenties private equity associate who has, for the first time in his life, had to get serious about making a mattress purchase, which I found very difficult due to the nature of the product and the product’s market. I initially felt very uncomfortable about determining which product is best and have compiled information from several sources with which to help myself (and hopefully many others) make a mattress purchase decision. My compiled research is as follows. The bulk of my points are made off of commentary by people who were actually in the mattress retail industry and presumably know more than people who just buy a mattress and come on the internet and start rambling. I accorded more weight to women’s reviews of products since I think us guys tend to spin the stories about the quality of our purchases since, as it is a well-known fact, we don’t actually make mistakes. I believe this to be the *ultimate* resource on the internet for consumers looking to purchase a mattress. Enjoy.
-----------Mattress Construction Considerations:
STEEL CONTENT:
*Coil Count is important (540 count on a full-size is considered 'best', higher than this means smaller coils are being used that don't necessarily translate to better quality)
*There are different coil systems (Bonnell, Continuous, Independent) – Independent coil systems are best said to be the best and Bonnell the worst, but some people think any will do
*Working turns (2 working turns = a single 360 degree loop on a spring) are important and must be considered in conjunction with coil count. If all the springs have an extra two loops then you have 4 x [number of coils] in additional ‘working turns’, an important metric for well the mattress will stand up to the weight of its users over time
*Wire gauge is important (smaller is better, e.g. 13 is better than 15)
*The Big 4 S mattress companies primarily buy all springs from Leggett & Platt, but Leggett produces a varying range of quality springs, so this doesn’t matter much
*Pick up corner of mattress and check weight - more weight typically indicates a high coil count and thicker wire gauge
*Rule of thumb: greater weight = more/thicker springs = higher quality mattress (yes, thicker cotton padding could increase weight w/o increasing quality, so this is only a rule of thumb)
MATTRESS FIRMNESS:
+The idea with mattress firmness is to get one that keeps your spine straight if you sleep on your side
+When testing a mattress, see if you can get your hand under the arch of your back - if you can, this mattress is too firm - don't buy it
++Too soft - your spine makes a 'U' in your mid-back
++Too hard - your spine makes kind-of a '^' by your upper back
++Do not buy the firmest mattress out there. It is only made by mattress companies to provide a product to the irrational consumer
PADDING:
*Ticking (the topmost layer) – Damask does not matter; silk does not matter; the smaller the quilting pattern on the surface, the more firm the top will feel
*Top padding – 1” polyester batting is good – if you have more than 1” polyester padding, it will eventually start sagging. If you go with foam, it should be latex foam for softness and resilience
DONT GET A PILLOWTOP
*They will wear-out long before the mattress does and are sewn on.
*You won't be able to flip them (unless there is a pillow top on both sides, which is rare)
*You can buy a mattress pad for $200. When wears out you replace it. This is cheaper than having to replace the whole mattress because the pillow top is worn-out.
*If you are hell-bent on getting a pillow top at least get one with a latex top; these are better quality than the cotton ones
BUY MATCHING BOX SPRING
*Buy a new box spring that comes with the mattress in a set - it has been specifically designed to work with the mattress
*(This is allegedly why manufacturer warranties are typically only good if the proper box spring is used)
PRICING:
*An insider believes you should be able to get an excellent mattress for $500-750; I am guessing she is referencing a queen-size mattress
*If you are at Macy's or [insert luxury dept. store name] and you are about to buy a $3000 mattress, this is probably a big mistake
*I am buying a king-size mattress so I figure ~$1000 is a safe price limit for me
DONT GAMBLE ON TEMPUR-PEDIC OR OTHER OFF-BRAND FOAM MATTRESSES
*They are made of foam and I understand foam to wear out too fast (like 2-3 years fast).
*They receive extremely mixed reviews: some people rave about them; others say they cause terrible back pain
*Many users raised concerns that temperature causes issues - when hot : bed gets too hot, when cold: bed gets too stiff
*Sex: You get more traction, but no bounce. So less sliding, more work and less rhythm in most cases. This leads to very mixed reviews on the subject.
*They're expensive and there are really mixed feelings about them in general; I suspect ~1/3 of the people who say they like them just want to save face and trumpet how great they are
*Of note, Tempur-pedic sales are rapidly rising, so you'll probably hear a lot of people who have good things to say about them
*I own a Tempur-Pedic pillow; it kind-of sucks
----------Additional Considerations:
*Mattress should have a 10-year warranty although this won’t cover normal wear (Simmons mattresses typically have 10-year warranties) Don’t remove the mattress tag or warranty could be void! 1˝ inches is typically considered the maximum allowable amount of mattress sagging
*If it doesn't have a 10+ year warranty, obviously this particular 4 Big S manufacturer considers taking risk on this product to be a bad gamble
*Lie on a mattresses you are seriously thinking about purchasing for 15 minutes a piece, it takes this long to start feeling discomfort that will otherwise later upset you
*Do not waste your time listening to mattress salespeople. They are on commission and will try to spin things around and add noise that will sway you towards their higher margin products. Alternatively, they should be listening to you and answering your questions concisely at they come about.
*If you decide to purchase a mattress from a brick & mortar store, haggle the price (i.e. ask for free delivery, demand they reimburse tax payment because you could buy off internet, make sure you have free removal of your old mattress, ask for sales applicable to other products, set your own prices and tell them what works). There are plenty of mattress stores out there, you don’t have to buy at the first one you see.
----------Which Brand & Which Store Type:
*Buy from one of the 4 Big "S" brands (1.Sealy, 2.Simmons, 3.Serta, 4.Spring Air):
*Unless it is a particularly good deal, do not buy from Sealy – a female insider says they are the biggest but definitely not the best of the 4 Big 'S' brands
*My belief is that Simmons is the best and most trustworthy bet amongst the 4 Big S's (see my industry notes)
*You do not want to buy from a less reputable producer (no respected name = no reason not to screw you on a mattress that will wear-out in 6 months)
*Don't buy mattresses from department stores:
+Producers will alter some mattresses such that they hit certain price points desired by the department store
+Names at department stores have been altered to eliminate the consumers ability to price shop
*I would ideally test mattresses at stores and then ultimately make my purchase online (assumably at a lower price [particularly if you don't have to pay sales tax])
*However, it seems that buying a mattress online puts you at too much risk unless you can be absolutely POSITIVE that it is the same mattress you tried at the brick & mortar store
*http://www.us-mattress.com/ is supposed to be a solid on-line mattress seller as they have a 30 day return program if you dislike the mattress you get.
----------Industry Notes:
*Mattress companies are godless bastards - they are working with department stores to confuse consumers
+They intentionally sell the same mattresses under different names and brands to confuse consumers
++This breaks down the consumers ability to price shop and, thus, maintains profit margins within the industry
++If you care to try and combat this system, often mattress companies (such as with Stearns & Foster) maintain names with the same first letter for the same product
+No-flip mattresses have been designed to reduce mattress lives by 1/3 while increasing perceived quality of the 1 functional side
++As consumers I don't think there’s much we can do about this
*Who are the godless bastards that own mattress companies?
+KKR (Kravis, Kohlberg & Roberts), one of the most cutthroat private equity funds, owns Sealy -- it was previously owned by Bain Capital (a low-profile but nearly as cutthroat PE fund)
++I promise you, KKR will stop at *nothing* to produce more profit (in a certain sense, I respect this, but it doesn't mean I'm buying from them)
++To provide some history, KKR bought out Nabisco for $25 billion (a price they knew was too high, but refused to back down when originally outbid) in the 80s, one of the biggest d-ck moves ever; being bastard is ingrained in their culture
++Do a 'Google image' search for 'Henry Kravis' and ask yourself if you think this guy would try to r-pe you on the price of your mattress
+Serta is owned by 8 (independent) licensees who operate 27 different factories across the U.S. and 31 factories elsewhere is the world
++These guys basically decided they needed to group together under a single brand name to be competitive, but with 8 different producers, who knows what you are getting?
++This business model makes it sound like Serta is trying herd cats to get anything improved in there organization.
+Simmons is owned by Thomas H. Lee, another PE fund. Before this it was owned by Fenway Partners (PE) and Investcorp (PE) before that.
++Tommy Lee is definitely hardcore, but also known for being more friendly - I would expect them to show marginally more heart to consumers than KKR
+Spring Air is owned by numerous licensees that wanted to sell under a common name.
++Again, I believe the licensees model is 'band-aid fix' method for organizational efficiency. You can't monitor quality and as efficiently introduce new products with this kind of a business model.
*Bottom line: The licensee business model insinuates that mattress quality is at risk and could vary with the same brand; Sealy is owned by ba$tards; Buy a no bullsh-t model from Simmons.
----------Industry Sales & Market Size
*The picture below give you an idea of what the overall mattress market looks like (the 4 Big S represent ~60% of the market) - sorry it's outdated, i didn't see '05 or '06 data anywhere.
*It shows that consumers are moving away from the 4 Big S's luxury brand names (probably because consumers are getting smarter and are learning about the ridiculous profit margins on these beds).
Sales ($mm)
2004 2003 Change
Sealy 954 817 16.8%
Stearns & Foster (Sealy) 218 236 -7.6%
Bassett Bedding (Sealy) 22 22 0.0%
Total Sealy 1194 1075 11.1%
Simmons 866 790 9.6%
Serta 767 726 5.6%
Masterpiece (Serta) 16 16 0.0%
Total Serta 783 742 5.5%
Spring Air 351 320 9.7%
Chattam & Wells (Spring Air) 27 34 -20.6%
Total Spring Air 378 354 6.8%
Tempur Pedic 320 186 72.0%
Select Comfort (airbeds) 263 197 33.5%
King Koil 138 120 15.0%
Therapedic 120 116 3.4%
Kingsdown 106 100 6.0%
Englander 99 98 1.0%
Top 10 Total 4267 3778 12.9%
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