Interesting findings on the internet

[tggzzz]

The fact that it costs like ten or eleven grand!

So, about the same a mattress from the major UK chain of department stores,
https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-ul ... p111198185

Holy O'Fuck!!! That's insane!!! I thought approaching $2k for a mattress was a big nut! (I obviously haven't been mattress shopping in recent living memory...

I too found it "entertaining". The in-store prices are, I believe, even higher. There are some things I won't buy over the net, walking boots and mattresses especially: they need to be sampled for an hour or so.

I bought my current mattress in 1988. Its exterior has deteriorated a bit, my interior has deteriorated more.

[Cubdriver]

So, about the same a mattress from the major UK chain of department stores,
https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-ul ... p111198185

Holy O'Fuck!!! That's insane!!! I thought approaching $2k for a mattress was a big nut! (I obviously haven't been mattress shopping in recent living memory...

I too found it "entertaining". The in-store prices are, I believe, even higher. There are some things I won't buy over the net, walking boots and mattresses especially: they need to be sampled for an hour or so.

I bought my current mattress in 1988. Its exterior has deteriorated a bit, my interior has deteriorated more.

Mine's a decade newer - got it around 1998. It was a near top-of-the-line one when I bought it, but it was not, as this one appears to be, made from the wool of virgin sheep who were fed nothing but baby spinach greens and day old bean sprouts, nor the hair of Mos that were similarly raised, supported with springs forged by Hobbits in the shadow of Mt. Doom and covered with hand woven Tibetan Yak hair.

Reading the callouts of that cross section makes me think of audiophools with their and cryo treated AC receptacles feeding the $3599.99 six foot long shielded AC mains cables powering their CD players that, in concert with their rhodium plated gutta-percha insulated braided silk wrapped directional oxygen-free high conductivity copper speaker wires resting on hand polished petrified wood cable supports 'noticeably widen the soundstage, make the highs higher and the lows lower, and bring the vocalist right into the room with them!' AKA, a bunch of marketing wank.

-Pat

[tggzzz]

Don't disagree, but I would spend a lot of money in order to ensure a good nights sleep. Obviously the key word there is "ensure".

More importantly, what would be comfortable for me probably wouldn't be comfortable for you - "suck it and see" is the only sensible strategy.

Some mattresses now come with mix-and-match sections. IIRC my daughter's has five sections on each side, each potentially different. I have no idea how you are meant to determine the "optimum setting" for each section before buying it.

[Cubdriver]

I'll certainly not argue that good sleep isn't essential, but the cross section listing for that mattress reminds me of audiophoolery wank.

From the top:
1) FR chemical free wool and viscose cover
2) British wool blend
3) Cashmere, silk and British wool blend
4) British wool, hemp and linen blend
5) Mohair, cotton, hemp and linen blend
6) 3x 4000 natural cloth high density pocket springs
7) 2x natural cloth high density pocket springs
8) Cortec^tm natural cloth pocket springs
followed by 7~1 in the opposite order on the other side

And for only £9999.00 (£416.62/mo for 24 months) ($525.77/mo, $12618.53 total at current rates)

-Pat

[Zenith]

I bought a Vispring mattress in 1992. It cost £1,500. Pocket springs and incredibly comfortable. It lasted 16 years before it wore out. Much better than a cheapie. I never regretted the purchase. I must get another one.

Vispring sell three ranges

https://www.vispring.com/en-uk/

The top end has a triple layer of pocket springs, Shetland wool, Vacuna, the works. The bestest is currently on sale for the knock down price of £10,699. I can't quite see why Shetland wool has any advantages over other wool in a mattress, much less Vacuna. They are very big on saving the planet and sustainability in their blurb.

https://www.leelonglands.co.uk/c/6-ft-s ... 66-6666(1)

I'd say it's very similar to hi-fi. There's definitely a difference between cheap and expensive but diminishing returns sets in rapidly. Some customers pride themselves on spending a fortune and it's as well to have some patter to justify that. Costly materials, craftsmen using the skills handed down from generation to generation, specially selected parts flown in from the other side of the world and cryogenically treated. Sustainability and saving the planet is always good. A superb product aimed at the most discerning customer.

As tggzzz said, you've got to try them in the store and I'd say, go with an idea of what you are looking for in a mattress. That said I'll go with cheaping out and spending less than £3,000 in mind. Considering inflation, that's less than £1,500 in 1992.

[Specmaster]

Wow, I'm afraid that the price of that mattress in John Lewis store just reflects what the top people in the UK are willing to pay out for things. Which in truth also reflects the wide disparity of peoples incomes and that there is a growth of those earning higher incomes, possibly as a result of the shareholdings in what used to be public owned businesses such as Royal Mail, Water, Gas, Electric, Rail, Bus and others etc. These have been paying some huge dividends over the years as a result of the huge increases in their profits and also of course of the so-called windfall profits.

Then have a look at the other end of the scale, the gig-economy, where you earn a pittance and if you're lucky may even get to work a 40-hour week.

One of my sons works in the retail sector where most are on either zero or low hour contracts, he is on a 6-hour contract but often does about 15 to 20 hours a week. My other 2 sons, both work 40 hours a week at the same company, in different sections of the business and have differing terms of employment and conditions earning gross between 20k and 30k gross, hardly a fortune.

John Lewis is a store that does tend to cater more for the higher income families, a more realistic price for king-size mattresses can be found here https://www.mattressman.co.uk/mattresse ... _Price_Asc where there are no fewer than 240 mattresses to select from ranging in price from £140.25 to £2,719.15, poles apart from the John Lewis price.

[tggzzz]

Nowadays wool is little more than waste material, e.g. " "We sent away six large sacks containing 215kg of wool and we were informed we would be getting £5.22." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-58162610

But previously...

In the 14th century King Edward III (1327–1377) said that his Lord Chancellor whilst in council should sit on a wool bale, now known as "The Woolsack", in order to symbolise the central nature and great importance of the wool trade to the economy of England in the Middle Ages. Indeed, it was largely to protect the vital English wool trade routes with continental Europe that the Battle of Crécy was fought with the French in 1346.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolsack

Once upon a time, when I last visited the Houses of Parliament, I was rapidly shooed off sitting on the Woolsack . In later years I quietly enjoyed using Downing St as a shortcut between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade. No longer, alas.

[Cerebus]

I can't quite see why Shetland wool has any advantages over other wool in a mattress, much less Vacuna

Easy, Shetland sheep are used to constantly being pissed upon. Thus their wool is resistant to this, which will be of use to you as you get older.

[Zenith]

Nowadays wool is little more than waste material, e.g. " "We sent away six large sacks containing 215kg of wool and we were informed we would be getting £5.22." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-58162610

I was at an agricultural/countryside show a few years back. One of the side shows was a sheep shearing exhibition. The bloke giving demonstrations of sheep shearing said farmers who keep sheep have to have them sheared, but they make a loss of 75p per sheep.

[tggzzz]

I can't quite see why Shetland wool has any advantages over other wool in a mattress, much less Vacuna

Easy, Shetland sheep are used to constantly being pissed upon. Thus their wool is resistant to this, which will be of use to you as you get older.

Welsh sheep have more to be worried about

[tggzzz]

Nowadays wool is little more than waste material, e.g. " "We sent away six large sacks containing 215kg of wool and we were informed we would be getting £5.22." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-58162610

I was at an agricultural/countryside show a few years back. One of the side shows was a sheep shearing exhibition. The bloke giving demonstrations of sheep shearing said farmers who keep sheep have to have them sheared, but they make a loss of 75p per sheep.

Sounds right. They are continually looking for new uses, e.g. home insulation.

Presumably the loss just gets factored into the price of meat.

[mansaxel]

Strange. Wool is probably my favourite clothing material. As I have passed half a century in age, I tend to feel cold a lot more. Synthetics only work so far. Then, of course, it's probably mostly the more esoteric wools like Merino that attract me.

[Zenith]

Woolen underpants, woolen socks? Woolen shirts I particularly dislike, having been forced to wear the army version, which were itchy and nasty. I also hate nylon shirts. Woolen hats, trousers and overcoats are great. There's nothing to beat a proper worsted suit or a tweed jacket, or cap. Actually linen suits are damned good too. I suppose much depends on the climate, and the culture.

Of course, wool is unbeatable for a carpet.

Kashmir sweaters are supposed to be the ultimate. I suppose they might be. I've never had enough to splash to try it out. Vacuna or Chincilla? We're talking the conspicuous display of wealth there.

I'm happy forking out for a mattress, because I've had low back problems and they last a good 15 years. The claims about the particular type of horse hair and wool they use are not to be taken too seriously.

[tggzzz]

Kashmir sweaters are supposed to be the ultimate. I suppose they might be.

For fashion and softness, possibly.

For wearing in bad weather it is hard to beat Icelandic sweaters. The 20cm/8" long fibres do help to deflect raindrops, and being thick they can act like string vests

Itchy, though

[Zenith]

Kashmir sweaters are supposed to be the ultimate. I suppose they might be.

For fashion and softness, possibly.

For wearing in bad weather it is hard to beat Icelandic sweaters. The 20cm/8" long fibres do help to deflect raindrops, and being thick they can act like string vests

Itchy, though

I have two magnificent Icelandic sweaters my mother made for me. The different coloured wool isn't dyed, it comes from different coloured sheep. Black sheep have their uses. They are not as itchy as those damned army shirts were.

They are made with a circular needle. I had to buy the proper wool and the needle. The wool wasn't that easy to find. I remember going into a wool shop in Bristol, showing the pattern and asking for the requisite number of balls of wool. It was something like invading a womens' safe space, although not quite like going into a ladies bog. There was some sniggering, but they were very helpful and I came away with the goods.

[mnementh]

Alpaca.

Some of the softest fibers in the world. Mum crocheted me a afghan of the stuff when I was a wee tot. If I was in the house, it was with me; a thing of 1000 uses. Folded up it made the comfiest butt-cushion for hours of TV on the floor, or a pillow for impromtu nappage; rolled up long and narrow it was the warmest scarf and I was Dr Who. I literally wore the thing out; kept it on my favorite chair until it disintegrated when I was like 13.

Somewhere I still have a shred of it in a keepsake box with some old pics of mum.

*mnemories*

[tautech]

I often wondered why dear pop wore woollen singlets all his life until I also hurt my lower back in late 20's and lived with sporadic discomfort ever since. At that time, some 40 years back he said you need wool singlets from now on and I did for many years and only initially noticed their itchiness......you do certainly get used to it.

Even further back we made weekly family evening visits to hot pools some 20km away where pop would soak his sore and weary bones in the soothing hot mineral springs which we did for only a short time until his discomfort became manageable.

Decades back the #1 NZ farmers coat was the 100% wool Swanndri hooded pullover that became darn heavy when soaked but still kept you warm however they didn't break the wind like later wind and rainproof coats. Oilskins were great but didn't last like the Swanny did.
https://www.swanndri.co.nz/swanndri-men ... t-olv.html

[tggzzz]

Kashmir sweaters are supposed to be the ultimate. I suppose they might be.

For fashion and softness, possibly.

For wearing in bad weather it is hard to beat Icelandic sweaters. The 20cm/8" long fibres do help to deflect raindrops, and being thick they can act like string vests

Itchy, though

I have two magnificent Icelandic sweaters my mother made for me. The different coloured wool isn't dyed, it comes from different coloured sheep. Black sheep have their uses. They are not as itchy as those damned army shirts were.

They are made with a circular needle. I had to buy the proper wool and the needle. The wool wasn't that easy to find. I remember going into a wool shop in Bristol, showing the pattern and asking for the requisite number of balls of wool. It was something like invading a womens' safe space, although not quite like going into a ladies bog. There was some sniggering, but they were very helpful and I came away with the goods.

I got mine in Iceland, half a lifetime ago (i.e. even before I got my mattress). Lovely thing.

I'm amazed you could get the right wool; I'm surprised they exported it and surprised anyone over her knew what to do with it.

Were the army shirts designed as a distraction from other privations along the lines of "oh, yes, I've got trench foot but this bloody shirt really itches".

[tggzzz]

Even further back we made weekly family evening visits to hot pools some 20km away where pop would soak his sore and weary bones in the soothing hot mineral springs which we did for only a short time until his discomfort became manageable.

Certainly lovely hiking in Iceland, finding a hot pool, relaxing for an hour[1], standing up in the breeze with arms out, and 15mins later starting to feel a normal temperature just as the last water fully evaporated. Do have to be a little careful where the water is 43C, though.

On demand hot baths are one of the crowning glories of civilisation.

When I was first taken (at ~8yo) to the Roman baths in Bath, I went on the standard tour, and then went around again just because it was fascinating. Despite claims to the contrary, you can't "take the waters" any more: you can drink a tumbler of the modern stuff whereas you couldn't drink an eggcup of the real waters.

[1] if a stream, gently jostling with other people to find the spot with the (ahem) spot-on temperature.

[Zenith]

For fashion and softness, possibly.

For wearing in bad weather it is hard to beat Icelandic sweaters. The 20cm/8" long fibres do help to deflect raindrops, and being thick they can act like string vests

Itchy, though

I have two magnificent Icelandic sweaters my mother made for me. The different coloured wool isn't dyed, it comes from different coloured sheep. Black sheep have their uses. They are not as itchy as those damned army shirts were.

They are made with a circular needle. I had to buy the proper wool and the needle. The wool wasn't that easy to find. I remember going into a wool shop in Bristol, showing the pattern and asking for the requisite number of balls of wool. It was something like invading a womens' safe space, although not quite like going into a ladies bog. There was some sniggering, but they were very helpful and I came away with the goods.

I got mine in Iceland, half a lifetime ago (i.e. even before I got my mattress). Lovely thing.

I'm amazed you could get the right wool; I'm surprised they exported it and surprised anyone over her knew what to do with it.

Were the army shirts designed as a distraction from other privations along the lines of "oh, yes, I've got trench foot but this bloody shirt really itches".

There was something of a vogue for them around 1980. A friend's wife had the pattern, which was a bit strange because they had to be made on a circular knitting needle.

These days the wool can be bought online. You can also buy the sweaters - they are pricey. I assume they are machine made.

https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn/lo ... ll-colours

https://icelandicstore.is/

[Zenith]

Alpaca.

Some of the softest fibers in the world. Mum crocheted me a afghan of the stuff when I was a wee tot. If I was in the house, it was with me; a thing of 1000 uses. Folded up it made the comfiest butt-cushion for hours of TV on the floor, or a pillow for impromtu nappage; rolled up long and narrow it was the warmest scarf and I was Dr Who. I literally wore the thing out; kept it on my favorite chair until it disintegrated when I was like 13.

Somewhere I still have a shred of it in a keepsake box with some old pics of mum.

*mnemories*

Alpaca? I would have thought mama Dwagon would have made you an asbestos one.

Charlemagne is supposed to have had an asbestos tablecloth. After a feast, when it was covered in wine stains and food stains, he'd throw it onto the fire, wait a few minutes pull it out and it would be clean. It took a long time to realise how dangerous asbestos was.

[Cerebus]

There's nothing to beat a proper worsted suit or a tweed jacket, or cap.

I hope you're also sporting the regulation whippet.

[Cerebus]

Charlemagne is supposed to have had an asbestos tablecloth. After a feast, when it was covered in wine stains and food stains, he'd throw it onto the fire, wait a few minutes pull it out and it would be clean. It took a long time to realise how dangerous asbestos was.

Literally the next thing to come up in my RSS feed

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68302052

Asbestos.png

[tggzzz]

Charlemagne is supposed to have had an asbestos tablecloth. After a feast, when it was covered in wine stains and food stains, he'd throw it onto the fire, wait a few minutes pull it out and it would be clean. It took a long time to realise how dangerous asbestos was.

Literally the next thing to come up in my RSS feed

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68302052

Asbestos.png

I have an asbestos/cement "garage"

The bigger worry w.r.t. compost is kudza a.k.a. Japanese Knotweed. When they first introduced garden waste recycling, they explicitly said you coul put Japanese knotweed in with the grass cuttings. Oops.

Or if not that, then some bugger has put weedkiller on plants and then recycled them. Allegedly some compost wouldn't grow plants beyond seedlings.

[Zenith]

There's nothing to beat a proper worsted suit or a tweed jacket, or cap.

I hope you're also sporting the regulation whippet.

Three male models dressed in casual country wear, which I'm sure will have the target audience queuing up to buy the clothing being displayed so elegantly.

I've never been able to dig the whippet scene, or the similar greyhound scene. I have a grudging respect for lurchers. If I were to have a dog it would have to be a Labrador. I'd prefer an English Springer, but the slightest mistake in training them and they are ruined.