People and Places - One customers view of owning a waterbed
"I originally had somewhat of a bad opinion about waterbeds. I am six five and quite a few pounds past 200. My body size stress tests any bed. After 3 years of my sleeping on them most innerspring beds resemble a hammock. It didn't seem to matter how much money was spent, I killed beds!"
"Before you think badly of me, remember that 25% of Americans are obese and 25% are overweight. A lot of folks are suffering out there with worn out beds. We have bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger restaurant meals but we are suffering with the same old size and design of beds."
"My experiences over the years were that waterbeds were great fun for bouncing around if your 10 years old, but uncomfortable to sleep on. Every one I had been on had my behind on the wood under the mattress because of my size and how the mattress was filled. These were all traditional full
motion mattresses. (cheap?)"
"So why did I change my mind about waterbeds? I was a computer tech working in a store in a medium size mall when a guy in a bedding store near me set me straight. He told me I had tried sleeping in an old-time or cheap waterbed mattress."
"He explained that modern mattresses have layers of fiber in them. These fiber layers do not get weak like springs and that the right waterbed would fix my sleep problems. More layers result in a firmer bed, less fiber results in a softer feel. He sold innerspring beds, foam beds, airbeds and waterbeds. He said a waterbed was the only lasting solution for me."
"How long does the waterbed mattress last me? I got ten years out of it and it cost less money than an innerspring to replace the mattress. Nobody manufactures mattresses today with beads or Styrofoam in them and only a couple manufactures make mattresses with baffles or chambers and they usually have fiber and lumbar layers too. Many models that say they are baffled in fact have fiber layers. The terminology hangs on long after the design."
"If you don't like the wood frame style or extra weight, they have a softside type that looks and feels like an innerspring bed, but is very comfortable. Heat? You don't need the heater of you have a good waterbed mattress cover or the softside style mattress. I have had my bed for 12 years and never had a leak."
- Fred W.