For the past 8 years I'd been sleeping on a Kingsdown Pillowtop mattress and my back has been getting progressively worse over the years. Much too soft for my taste. With a bad lower back and weak stomach muscles I need a firm mattress.

It was finally time to buy a new mattress and boxspring. I was fully intending to buy a Sealy Posturpedic. Off I went to several stores to compare.

No more pillowtop mattresses for me; I was heading to the FIRM side of the equation. I found a couple Sealy's and they were fine, but still not quite right. One salesperson had me try lots of mattresses just to get the feel of different ones. Simmons, Serta, Sealy, Sterns & Foster...the choices were a bit overwhelming.

"Show me your firmest mattress," I asked. She led me to a Simmons Beautyrest Extra-Extra-Firm mattress. I pressed down on it with my hand...WOW. Now this is FIRM! I laid down on it... oh yeah. This is definitely the right feel for my back. I rolled around and hung out on that mattress for a good 10 min. or so. I'm a stomach sleeper, which means I need a good firm mattress to protect my back even more.

This mattress was definitely what I had in mind and perhaps even MORE firm than I initially thought I would want. The feel of the cover is very soft terrycloth. The mattress and boxspring is white. There was no noise as I climbed onto the mattress. No noise as I rolled around. No body indentations on this baby. I sleep with a 60 lb. golden retriever and she jumps up and down several times a night. I wouldn't be feeling her movements very much with the individually wrapped coil system.

Let's be frank: this is NOT a bed for wimps! If you are looking for an *extremely firm* supportive mattress then you should look at the Simmons Beautyrest Extra-Extra Firm. Each store calls the mattress something different by name, but there's only one extra-extra-firm Beautyrest.

I figured I would add a little soft pad to the top, underneath my mattress pad, if I needed it softer, but never again will I live with and pay for an over-priced pillowtop mattress that isn't able to support my back over a 10-year warranty.

Do yourself a favor and get rid of your pillowtop mattress. You're just paying a premium price for the soft top layer and you can always ADD your own topper for a fraction of what you'll pay a mattress company. The benefit is that if your topper loses support over time, you can get a new topper and you still have an extrememly firm, supportive mattress. And remember that body indentations in pillowtop mattresses are generally NOT covered by the mattress warranty as that is considered normal wear.

I was sold! Out with the 8 year old back-bruising Kingsdown Pillowtop and in with my new Simmons Beautyrest. I did end up adding a thin foam layer on top, right under my mattress pad (the pad was $9.99 at my local discount store) and ooohhh my bed feels 'just right!'

Recommended: Yes

Mattress Size: Queen
Mattress Firmness: Extremely firm
Amount Paid (US$): 900