Considering a new bed purchase and having been a big fan of waterbeds in my much younger years I'm thinking of going this route (Softsides) but lack any real info on what to consider or look out for. Having gone by the local Waterbed stores in my area it seems nothing short of an experience with a used car salesman. Nice enough folks but it just has the feel of a hustle and kinda have gotten use to trusting my feelings over the years. So anyone have suggestions for what manufacturers are good or dubious? Pros and cons of different types of bladders? 85% 0r 95 % waveless- does it make a difference? Appreciate any suggestions. TIA.

I have been sleeping on water for something like 25 years.  Many of them on a full motion style bed.  For about a year and one half now I have been enjoying my softside.  I have the next to the top of the line bladder by whoever the manufacture is.  I am sorry I cannot give you a brand name.  If you like I can tell you in a few days when I do laundry.

My bladder has the lumbar support and fiber fill to reduce waves.  It is at least 95% waveless.  Pay attention to the mattress and specifically the topper.  I have a pillow top, queen and love it.  Research the materials that are used in the pillow top.  Some will breath and wick moisture away from you.  You want one of these.  They will keep you cool in the summer and with a heater, you will be as warm as you want in the winter.  Some of the toppers are made with cheaper fabrics and they will reflect your body heat and sweat keeping you hot in the summer.  It is very worth while to spend some money on a quality topper.

I went ahead and bought a set of oak drawer bases for mine because I did not want to give up the storage.  They also have beefier frames that are just like a regular bed frame.  The nice thing about the softside is the use of normal sheets.  No surprises for you there.

This is without a doubt the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.  It beats the select comfort in my opinion.  Peoples needs are different, but this is the bed for me.  I also have two of those memory foam pillows.  Not the funky shaped ones, they are regular shaped and man are they nice.

Let me know if you want more info and I will see what I can do.

Laylow40,

Thanks for the info on the top cover. Never would have thought of this as an influencing factor in and of itself but it makes a lot of sense now.  I'm more inclined to the deep fill type of beds from the little bit of sampling I've done but  I'm probably drawn to this as a result of my own personal limited experience and it just is more of a familiar feel.  Did you go this route or go for the 'mattress' type bed? Is there anything different you would have done considering your purchase? Would definitely be interested in knowing the brand you chose. Thanks for input and would appreciate anymore available from the ARFCOM community.

Really interested in finding out as much as possible about these cause they are a pretty big chunk of change and my middle-aged body does really appreciate a good nite's sleep.

Bump for daycrew help.

I will check the brand name for you in a day or so.  I have forgotten some of the terminology so if by deep fill you are talking about the bladders that hold allot of water as opposed to the ones that are so stuffed with lining they hold little, then yes I have a deep fill.  It is a mattress type bed.  You don't know it is a water bed until you lay down on it, and even then you might not know because it doesn't move much (no waves).

I can't remember exactly what I paid for mine.  I think it was around 1800 with the oak base which was a 300 buck add on.  Get one with a completely removable mattress top so you can have it dry cleaned if desired.

I don't regret my choice at all.  The only thing I might have done different is go one more up on the mattress cover.  I didn't get the top of the line, but I didn't get the bottom either.  I know these beds are expensive, but given their lifespan they are much cheaper than a normal box spring and mattress.

I guess what I was trying to ask was about the deep fill vs tube. My knowledge is definitely dated so all help is very much appreciated. The one I'm looking at does have the reversible cover you were talking about so lucked out there. Already have bedroom furniture so pretty much just shooting for the mattress and foundation. List for the one I'm looking at is 1300 so hoping to get it right. See what you mean about life of product. There appears to be a 20 yr warranty and the manufacturer appears reputable (30 yrs). Let me ask you one more thing- what's the deal with the heaters? Are they still necessary or does the padding negate the need for them. The on-line dealers are kind of ambiguous  about it and there appears to be different types of heaters (hardside vs softside. Again thanks for help.

Tubes, now I got ya.

Mine is deep fill.  One big mattress.  I do not care for the tube style ones.

I have a fairly nice heater that came with mine.  Currently it is unplugged.  In the winter I might use it a bit only if I let the house get pretty cool at night.  A deep fill bed will probably require one, but you may find you don't use it much.

Also, they have a two year water treatment on the market now (I don't know how long it has been, I just learned about it when I bought the new bed) so you don't have to mess with the conditioner often.

As for the heater itself, they are still just large mats.  The old ones were flexible and could be rolled into a tube.  The new style look the same but they are rigid and cannot be folded or rolled.  I don't really know the difference, but the ones that must stay flat are the new style.

I have some shooting schools all weekend, but I will get you the manufacture of mine ASAP.

Laynlow40,

Thanks again on info. Appreciate your input. No rush on manufacturer, pretty sure going this one route anyway now.
Envy you on the training. Behind on my self-imposed goal of class attendance this year myself and am looking forward to getting back out on the training range. Hoping to remedy it fairly quickly. Definitely a good experience for me each time so far.
Be safe.

I've owned both "deep fill" AND "tube-style" water beds over the years.  In fact, my wife brought a SOMA queen-sized tube-style water bed to our marriage.  The bed was comfortable enough, but we had nothing but problems with tube integrity.  All water beds leak (to a degree), but I found found the tubes to be especially prone to leaking (the seams on the end of the tubes).  We got rid of the SOMA bed many years ago and have never looked back.

Were it me, I'd look for the large bladder with the waveless baffles.

YMMV

I had a chance to look today.  My bladder is a Premier Galaxy IV Lumbar and the mattress is by Boyds Flotation.

Let us know what you decide.