My husband and I have always been sure we like very firm mattresses, but the one we have now (some sort of 'Orthopaedic' one from Sealy - no idea what the filling is) is definitely past its best - it's 16 years old - and we're feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to find a new one. When we last bought a mattress we were both in our early 30s and didn't suffer from any aches and pains of any kind! The only beds either of us had ever noticed as being uncomfortable were soft, saggy ones, so we went for a very firm one, and have actually been pretty happy with it (though I did get hip aches lying on it when I was pregnant).
Anyway, we're now mid 40s and unfortunately I have various health issues going on - disc degeneration in my lower back and cervical spine, and an autoimmune condition that causes general muscle aches and pains. I'm having problems with my shoulders now. My husband also gets back pain sometimes. So we think maybe going for the firmest available mattress is no longer the best course.
We've been into various bed shops and spent quite a while lying on different beds, but are still confused about what we want. We basically want a balance of comfort and support that won't exacerbate aches and pains, and a mattress with good longevity. We both agree we don't want one that goes squidgy at the edges as we both sometimes end up sleeping near the edges of the bed; or one where you end up rolling together in the middle, as once happened in a Premier Inn bed (I was told they're hypnos mattresses). So does that mean we should still be looking for something firm?
We both hate the feel of memory foam and my husband's not keen on latex either, though I would be more open minded there as I like my latex pillow; so we're probably looking at a pocket sprung mattress, up to about £1000 in price. We will be keeping our existing divan base which seems to be in good condition.
We've liked the feel of some of the Vispring models we've lain on but can't afford anything above the entry level ones. Confusingly with these (we've tried the Herald Superb, the Exeter Superb and a cheaper one from Furniture Village called Vispring Aspire) we liked the feel of both firm and medium ones. We also liked a Myers naturals one I tried a few months ago (in Bensons I think) but can't remember the exact model. It had about 2000 pocket springs, was medium / firm, said it included cashmere and that the fillings were 100% natural but didn't specify all the mattress ingredients in the way that you do. This one was cheaper than any of the Visprings at about £600 I think. Do you know if this range is good quality?
I've also read lots of good things about your mattresses and service on Mumsnet threads and reviews. Do you have anything that would fit the bill for us? I worry a bit that your mattresses look so deep that they might make our bed way too high and I'm not actually sure that we could get a king size one up our stairs, as the ceiling is lowish at one point. Do your customers often have issues getting the mattresses into the house?
Lots of questions and issues there, sorry! We'd really appreciate any information / ideas you can give us. Thanks in advance. Oh, and I forgot to add our weights: I'm 10 stone at the moment but am usually nearer 9 1/2. My husband is about 12 stone.