No box spring here! Living in small city apartments, box springs are highly impractical. Ever tried to get one through the doorways and up the curved stairs of an historical Boston brownstone? Yikes. We also love the lower height of a platform bed - so much more modern!

No, you don't need a box spring with a modern platform bed as long as the construction is good. The problem with using a box spring on a platform bed is that you're not feeling the stability of the platform; you're resting on the box spring. The benefit to a platform bed (if it is made well) is that you're sleeping on an even surface that can't get lumpy or lose a spring. When you don't have anything under the bed to support a mattress, then you need a box spring. But with platform beds or beds that have high quality slats (like Room and Board) then you definitely don't need a box spring.

No box spring here - platformed day bed.

I have a platform bed with slats, and no I don't use a box spring with it. The interesting is that though, when I went to shop for my new mattress several months ago, there was a sales person actually told me the warranty on the mattress would be different if you don't purchase the slat from them.. I was thinking to myself, if you really stand behind your product, you wouldn't need to tell customers that you can't extent same time length of warranty if we want to buy mattress by itself.. bottom line is, no you don't need a box spring if you have the slats.

I DO have a box spring but I have a wrought iron bed that does require one because there are no 'slats'. The bed rest on the "railes' on each side of the bed.
I did think about getting rid of my bed to buy a platform bed, but I like it too much and considering the mattress and box spring are warranted for 20+ years, it didn't seem practical to get rid of my bed just to buy a platform bed.
Possible down side to platform beds, I don't think you can store anything underneath them if you currently use the space under your bed for storage. But those with platform beds would be better equiped to answer that. Good Luck

....the mattress rest on the 'railes'....

Yes I have a traditional bed.

I still have a box spring....saving up for a really nice king size platform bed.

When I researched this a few years ago, what I found is that people mistakenly think that it's a cost-saver to get slats instead of a box spring simply because they're less bulky (smaller = cheaper, right?). But good, durable slats that have some springiness ended up costing about the same as a box spring. You need one or the other to support your mattress and allow for airflow, but I think it's otherwise a matter of preference.

The cheapest slats from IKEA are quite cheap, and several friends emphatically told me not to get them -- that they would break with the slightest provocation. Talk about a mood killer ;)

I have a Murphy bed and do not use a box spring. My mother insisted I would be crippled by back pain, but I've never noticed a difference.

No, I have a slatted bed base, I don't like the height of a bed with a box spring.

@PIER723, box springs and slats both increase a mattress's durability by absorbing shock. If the store knows a customer has bought good support for their mattress (be it springs or slats), then they can make better guarantees than if they don't know what will be supporting the mattress. If you go home and throw your mattress on the floor or put it on some really crappy slats, then the mattress simply isn't going to last as long. It absorbs more shock and gets compressed faster.

No, I have a slatted bed base. I was really happy when the whole platform bed/no boxspring thing became prevalent everywhere, because I hate high beds.

And my dog also hates high beds. :)

no box spring, no mattress - japanese-style futon on tatami mats.

We upgraded to Room & Board's encased coil with the plush topper. Best sleep ever.

My new bed required on and I paid a little extra to get the split-queen low profile (5 inches) box spring. Easy to move and the bed is not too high. With newer, thicker matresses, definitely consider the overall height of the box spring, mattress and frame.

no box spring. I have a platform bed as well. It has the slatted bed base...from ikea. and no it hasn't broken with the slightest...or enthusiastic provocation either.

I hate high beds as well. I never understood the whole box spring concept. Ive always had a bed slats type of bed though. I

My husband and I have had an ikea bed with the cheap slats for the past 2 years. Earlier this year we decided to upgrade our old worn out mattress to a tempurpedic. We couldn't afford to upgrade our bed as well (and I know the cheap slats don't offer great support), so we opted for a 2 inch box spring. Our bed still has the low height that we like, and until we can afford to upgrade our bed to something sturdier, this is definitely doing the trick and we are sleeping much better. I love platform beds and will never buy a regular mattress and box spring set again.

We have an IKEA bedframe with a Sealy iComfort mattress (like a tempurpedic but with a latex layer on top), but no box spring. Then again, the mattress didn't require one. They tried to sell us a platform for what basically was a board for $200 but we went to home depot and made our own for $35.

No box springs. For me the decision was mainly visible - I hate bed skirts and all other things designed to cover box springs. Never missed the box springs. I have an Ikea Malm bed with their slats. If there are better slats out there, get them.

YES! It's an absolute necessity AND I have a platform bed. We are due for a new mattress and box spring and I'm almost certain we will have to shell out extra money for one. : /

This is hilarious -- I've lived with a platform bed until this year. We've finally bought ourselves a top-end divan set (hey, that's what they call 'em in England!) this summer. Your backs were never happier, and I've never had such good sleep!

Mattresses without box springs tend to be quite firm, unless you go with a flexible system, like those pioneered by Swiss bed manufacturers. However, that system is not usually a fit with designer platform beds.

I love the look of lower beds, and so we ordered a narrow box spring. It still provides deep support and springiness, but we are able to enjoy a lower bed.

Our children have a mattress sitting on a slatted bedframe (not a platform bed, but a traditional one), and even though it is supposed to be a soft tension, it feels very firm to me.

I'm old enough now to be guided not just by looks, but functionality and comfort as well. And as much as I love the look of platform beds, I would never, ever want to sleep on one ever again, not after sleeping on my VI-Spring divan set.

Your backs were never happier -- OUR backs were never happier!! (after sleeping my entire LIFETIME on platform beds).

I have a box spring and mattress, and I recently got an Ikea bedframe (Leirvik: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99849961/). With the box spring and mattress, it's really, really tall, which is irritating. I want to switch to slats but it seems like a frivolous expense since the box spring works fine.

It seems a little silly to buy a new box spring since so many beds work without them. Plus, they are bulky and annoying.

Yes, I have a wonderful Kingsdown box spring and mattress set. I can't stand platform beds, I feel like an elevated bed is more luxurious and I like to feel like a queen in my high bed. Plus its easier to get in and out of bed, and I'm high above any spiders or other creepy crawlies that might be on the floor in the middle of the night.
But even if you have a low or platform bed, a boxspring is great for your back/sleep quality and extends the life of your mattress longer than slats.

Yes I have a box spring, not only because my antique bed seems to require one, but because my back prefers it that way. Before I got the bed back from the painters (Don't freak out, it is cast iron and had to be repainted after a fire), I was sleeping on just the matress on a plain frame, and it made such a difference to have the box spring there.

I still have the 13 year old box spring that my father insisted I had to have, despite the slats on my 13 year old IKEA HEMNES bed. Once I have the money to replace both the bed and mattress, I'll be switching to a platform.

Heh. Here in the Netherlands, box springs are the "new" thing, and our beds - the oldest is almost 20 years old - either have slatted bases, or wire mesh bases. Our big bed has Auping ones: http://www.auping.com/thecollection/meshbases/k2meshbases.html and they are brilliant.

Funnily enough, I am considering a boxspring for the guest room (though with legs, no frame), but doorways and staircase are a good thing to keep in mind - thanks, @seawhitney!

I made the mistake of getting a box spring (which was not cheap) along with my memory foam mattress. The cats ripped the liner fabric underneath to climb up inside, so when we do head counts to make sure nobody is locked in a closet or whatever, we couldn't find them. I tore off the rest of the paperlike covering, and found out that the "box spring" is just a padded wooden frame, no springs at all. Total ripoff, except for making a platform to raise the mattress up. An inexpensive platform bed would have cost no more than the "box spring."

And the platform bed I used to have was just as comfortable and had lots of storage space beneath it. (There are kinds that don't as well, but this one was an elevated frame with slats.) My old one is now my guest bed.

My bed is 30+ years old (hand-down from the parents) and requires a box spring. I would prefer a newer platform bed but am in the process of replacing all of my apartment furniture and can only afford one or two new things at a time...but I'll get there eventually. So I'll be happy to know what the outcome of this survey is so when I do finally get a new bed I'll know whether or not to invest in a box spring. :)

Interesting comments about back pain and box springs. I had all sorts of back pain until we ditched our box spring and just slept on the mattress on a platform bed. Best sleep ever.

We are still using a boxspring and a pillowtop mattress...but I will add that getting the pillow top mattress was the worse mistake we ever made...it was a rip off in so many ways!

Timely post for me, have been considering getting the Room and Board Architectural canopy bed, but don't want to ditch my excellent box springs either...it's a real one, from Royalpedic, and since I put the bed and the box springs in mite-proof bags when I bought them, they are both still in excellent condition after years of use. Completely cured the back pain I used to have before I bought it. If I put both on the R&B frame, the bed will seem too tall. I had Royalpedic simply attach rolling "legs" directly to the box springs frame so it sits low, which I like, and I have a cover for it so it looks modern. But I'm dying to feel enclosed by that structural steel "room within a room" of the R&B frame. What to do ? What to do ?

@Artfemme11 - does the Room and Board bed you're looking at have the metal slats? I have one of the Room and Board beds with metal slats and it is amazing.

I really don't like the look of low platform beds, and I find a higher bed to be more comfortable to get in/out of, sit on when I'm putting on socks, etc. I'll be sticking with my box spring. Wish there was more modern-looking furniture available for beds with box springs.

I agree with PooinBaby - I have a high bed (with box spring) and it's SO luxurious-feeling. I finally got a padded headboard and we saved mucho dinero not going with the side rails. (I don't think slats were even an option from Ethan Allen?) Our master would feel really under-furnished with a low bed though, it's fairly large/long. Back in my city days I had a more modern aesthetic. I think Mad Men got me wanting something more traditional.

These days the box springs are mostly just very rigid bases that do not really do so much for the mattresses. If using bed slats, one ends up with a slicker look as you have less height. But more importantly, you get more air flow through the mattress, which is good. Bed slats can be simple, flat supports for the mattress. These have no give so can end up very firm, depending on the mattress. If one wants more flexibility the flexible slats are great, especially the ones where you can set the tension in different places. So you can really 'customize' you sleep comfort together with your mattress.

We just bought a new mattress last year & have a platform bed...if we HAD bought the boxspring to go with it, I'm sure I would have needed a ladder to climb into bed because the mattress is so thick!!! You get what you pay for when it comes to mattresses & so we did splurge....our bed is heavenly!

I have a Japanese futon on a platform of wood slats with no sides, there are flat fabric ropes that hold the slats together over a simple frame. The futon is very firm, great for my back.

When we moved into our 1920's bungalow - 20 years ago - our old box spring wouldn't go up the stairs. We went to a mattress factory and discovered the split box - two box springs that fit onto a queen frame (and will go up narrow stairs with a low ceiling). We still have it, and it still gives us incredible support. Until/unless we get a new bed, the split box stays.

We moved the traditional bed that I inherited from my grandparents into the guest room. We opted for the Ikea BRIMNES. There is an amazing amount of space in the drawers on this platform! Thinking that the bed would be too low. I set the frame at the high setting. As it turned out. The pillow-top mattress we bought is so thick that the new platform bed is higher than the old box spring bed. We had to get some doggie stairs so the poor thing could get up on it.

I don't like a high-up bed, and both my husband and I prefer a firmer mattress. We have a bed frame with non-springy slats and an old-fashioned double-sided mattress (no pillow top). The system works great and our mattresses last a long time. We were warned the mattress would wear out early, but we seem to get 15ish years out of one, and the type we prefer is less expensive as well, so the loss is pretty small.

Before this bedframe we had an antique bed with wood side rails. We made our own slatted base out of 1x4s cut to size at Home Depot. Back then we used a futon, and this was a great way to have the look of a traditional bed and still enjoy our futon.

Honestly, can someone explain the point of a box spring to me? No one in my family has ever owned one, as all our beds were Amish-made wood frames with slats for the mattress to rest on. When I moved out and bought an antique iron bed frame, I simply measured its width and had wooden slats cut to fit it. We have an average-quality mattress with pillow top and have never once had an issue with sagging.

No, you don't need a box spring with a platform style bed, it would look kinda funny actually. And yes, you can store plenty of stuff under a platform bed - just depends on the frame you purchase.
I am not sure what the talk about "cheap" slats is all about - sure, the Ikea ones are pine and other stores might have metal or hardwoods, but so what? I've been sleeping on an IKEA platform bed for years without any problems. I've never heard of them breaking either.
I think the only way to make this decision is try out mattresses - both kinds - and see what you like best.

Help me.... I'm lost. What's a box spring? My bed has slats, always has unless it's been a divan. Is that a platform? Is this a British thing or am I just ignorant when it comes to beds?

RuthTooth, a box spring is kinda like a box shaped like a matress. It's the support for the mattress and lays on top of the slats (slats, box spring, mattress).

I HATE platform beds. I can't stand the feel of them. Gimme a box spring with my mattress each and every day!

Ruthtooth, a boxspring is not a British thing (although I imagine the Brits have them as well). It looks like a mattress, but it is basically an upholstered wooden frame. If you have a bed frame that is just a frame, your mattress will sag in the middle if you don't have a boxspring. But, if you have a platform bed or other bed with slats going across it, you don't need a boxspring. I don't understand how one can use a boxspring with a platform bed since the bed + boxspring would be too high- they would ruin the look of the platform bed. None of the beds in my house have boxsprings and now I feel uncomfortably high when I sleep in a bed that does have one. Too me, they look fussy and old-fashioned and then you need something to cover the box spring, like a bedskirt. But I think it's purely a matter of personal taste.

@ek76 My bed is really high because of the box spring, but I love launching myself into it at night.

Traditional bed over here. With a HUGE boxspring. Our bedroom is actually a renovated hayloft, the ceiling is super low, the bed is super high. Very deep mattress and boxspring.

We love it, though. even if it looks very bizarre.

While there are always exceptions, foundations (box springs) are generally a fraction of the cost of the mattress, so I would recommend going with one to preserve the life of the mattress and the manufacturer's warranty, unless you have a TRUE platform bed. You can always go with a low profile foundation, which decreases the total height by about 3.5 inches. A "platform style" bed is not necessarily a true platform, so you need to make sure you have the proper support. You spend a third of your life on your mattress, and your sleep quality affects the other two thirds, so it's an important decision.

Until recently I always slept on a traditional mattress and boxspring. A few months ago I bought the Webster Bed from Room and Board (which has slats). I bought a Simmons mattress to go on it (I forget which style it is but the mattress store assured me this mattress did not require a boxspring). My boyfriend and I love this bed setup so much we refer to it as "Comfy Bed". We've never slept so well!

I have an Ikea Malm bed, and no boxspring... and it's comfy as heck.

No box spring, and I don't think I've ever had one, actually. When I sleep in beds with them, I am constantly woken up every time my husband turns over - way too bouncy. In fact, I would dare say I actually hate them. When we have overnight visitors who are used to box springs in their own homes, they always rave about how comfortable our platform guest bed is (and it's not a new or fancy mattress.)

We have a platform bed with metal slats, but it bugged me that tucked under bedding would sometimes hang down between the slats for an unsightly appearance. So we bought 1/4" plywood, cut in two pieces to fit our queen size bed, then wrapped and stapled a painter's drop cloth to it to lay over the slats. It also keeps the slats from getting bumped out of place when making the bed and keeps the mattress from getting indentation marks. My best recommendation is to not skimp on a mattress. Get the best you can possibly afford. You can't put a price on a good night's sleep!

Had one for a traditional bed frame; ditched it when I got the West Elm Simple Bed Frame. It feels the same. Only one missing out is the cat, who tore a hole through the box spring cover and liked to nest inside the thing!

P.S. If you have an old box spring to dispose of you can dismantle it and take the wood and metal to a recyling center.

I had a bed with a platform (no box spring) for a bit in high school, and I hated how hard it was!

I have a box spring now, and am much happier with it.

I don't have a boxspring and boy do I miss my old mattress and boxspring set! I have a giant pillowtop mattress, supposedly oh so deluxe, which has not held up well at all. I want a normal, well constructed mattress which is flippable (to extend life), and nothing so high as these ridiculous, heavy "princess and the pea", stupidly high, pillowtop mattresses! Can you feel my frustration? Finally, my bed is now on the floor as it was much too heavy for the platform bed with slats (which broke). Horrid sleep experience either way though.

I am going to search for a good old fashioned mattress manufacturer. These non-flippable monstrosities were just a way for mattress companies to make more money because they wear out quicker since you can't rotate them.

If anyone can recommend a good, traditional mattress, I'd be most grateful.

Yes I do. I have a box spring and a mattress (with an pillow top, which adds another 2 inches) and the whole thing sits on a metal frame. I LOVE the bed being quite high because one thing I am not willing to do is to get up from a mattress on the floor. THat might be ok for when one is university age but that comfortable when you are in your 50's.
Plus, the bed is just the perfect height for me to do a special kind of exercise I need to do for my hips: I stand right at the foot at the bed, facing the headboard, and I lift my right leg, bend it in the knee and I place the leg on the bed so that the it touches the bed from the foot to the knee (and it needs to be parallel with the edge of the bed). It hurts, but it's necessary. The bed is the only piece of furniture for that in my house.

No box spring for me. I ditched it when I moved back to Boston, and three moves later I'm pretty happy I've never had to try to cram one up a staircase in a typical Boston apartment.

You do need a box spring or else a platform bed with a perforated bottom (for better air flow) instead of slats, if you're using a Sleep Number (Select Comfort) mattress. The slats, apparently, don't provide enough support for an air mattress like the Sleep Number.

Do you guys find that pillow tops are really that much of a rip off? They sure feel nice in the beginning!

No box spring--futon on a platform bed. Nice height (about the same as a chair) and uber-comfortable.

I have a mid century bed frame that originally came with slats and we added another set of slats from IKEA for more support. It is very comfortable and I don't see any difference. I don't miss having a box spring, especially when you have to bring it up to the second floor...

Yes, I have a box spring. While I like the look of a platform bed, I haven't ever enjoyed sleeping on them. I have a modern steel frame bed from Crate and Barrel and use a box spring and mattress with it. It's still modern, yet isn't so low as to be uncomfortable to get in and out of.

No box-spring. I have a queen-sized wrought-iron bed with wooden slats running across the base. I hate box-springs; they move around too much.

I *loathe* pillow-top mattresses. They're weird to lie on.

I just need a firm bed. I can sleep comfortably on a platform without a box spring if there are slats (gotta have slats, feels too firm if set directly on plywood or on the floor, now that I'm older), Or I can sleep comfortably on a firm mattress with box springs in a frame (again, no longer with them just on a floor, which I also could do when younger, as I need there to be some give below me.)

I think it comes down to the look and feel getting in and out, basically the height, that is different between the two. When I bought my wood frame, I had the option of having it made for platform, or lower with room for a box spring. I went with the box spring option, as I had a one at the time. When it was time to replace my mattress, I wished I had gotten the frame with the platform option. As I hadn't, I got a new mattress and box spring, but spending less than most recommend. But since I like firm, I didn't have to spend so much to get a comfortable firm mattress. I didn't get a terribly thick one, but as mattresses and box springs are thicker now, it raised my bed surface a bit higher than I ideally like. But then the height I like varies a bit based on the size and shape of the room, and that changes when I move. Ideally, I like a cotton futon on a slatted base rather low to the floor, but this doesn't work well in a small room with tall dressers.

I think the bigger difference is between whether you have a spring mattress or not. I suspect I find a traditional spring mattress more comfortable on a box spring, or on a non-spring foundation, as there is more give for the mattress than there is when on closely placed slats. For a foam mattress, which I also find comfortable if it is firm, slats are the way to go for most comfort...I don't think it is so comfy on box springs, so no reason to get them. Same for a futon. Latex I don't know, as I don't have experience with them. Some people use a traditional box spring or foundation resting on just the bedrail edges, which actually causes the whole thing to sink in the middle of the bed and the mattress to wear out, as you need 4 to 6 slats, depending on the size of your bed, to support the foundation or box spring.

I think many people who think they like soft beds really don't. I have had many guests who loved the comfort of my various guest room beds, be they a mid-range ikea foam set directly on the cheap ikea pine slats in a frame, or the same mattress set on an ancient rock hard futon over slats, or an the foam over board/mattress, with no springs or bars, of a sofa bed mechanism made by american leather called the comfort sleeper...all very firm...when they insisted they never liked firm beds before. There is a difference between firm that is thick enough and properly supported with some give, and firm that is too thin and/or set on a floor or plywood base with no give in it.

I purposely didn't get a pillowtop, because I figure if it is not comfortable, or wears out, it is easy to change the topper if it isn't connected to the mattress. After a few years, I got an Ikea foam topper to make my new mattress more comfy, as comfort declined as the top wore or compressed. I got the ikea topper, knowing that if I didn't like the one I bought after awhile, I could replace it with another topper of some sort, as it didn't cost much. The topper made it comfy again, and I'll probably replace the foam topper again before I need to replace the mattress, or at least that's what I'm hoping.

I really don't like high beds, and since I'm moving to a place where my bedroom is less than half the size of the one I had before- I know it's going to look odd but I'm afraid of going without a box spring. At the same time, I was inches away from back surgery, and will have chronic upper back pain for the rest of my life after an accident- so I'm fearful of going without a box spring.
I actually have no idea what to go for now- as so many people are into memory foam, and that to me just sounds like a sweaty night of sleep.

And a storage bed was what I wanted- but after looking at the options [even on here] I just really can't stand them. I'd rather have a high bed with an oversized comforter and a non cheesy bed skirt, and some regular ol' plastic storage underneath.

Lolax, I like my pillow top just fine! The only downside is that it's HEAVY. I think it weights more than I do, and I'm not exactly tiny. It's sitting on cheap slats from Ikea on a Malm, which feels... precarious, sometimes - I've dealt with the slats moving around by jamming taped-up pencils into place, but I wouldn't mind a more solidly-build bed.

Never used a box spring, aside from when I was on exchange in the States. (I saw them a lot there, actually - along with combined shower-baths, something that's just old-fashioned now in Australia.)

I bought a brand new bed from one of those major national chains last May and within ONE month, the box spring was creaking and groaning with every tiny move. Not the cheap-o frame! Just the box spring! And it's not even the springs. It sounds like plastic/cardboard folding. It's so strange. I'm moving this summer and can't take my great pillowtop mattress with me, but whatever, nobody will take the boxspring without the mattress these days anyway. I'm just about ready to put the box spring on the curb, but I don't have a slatted-base bed to support just the mattress.
Needless to say, I won't make the same mistake twice. Too bad they don't have major furniture retailers where I'm moving.

No box springs here, just two Sleep Number mattresses.

I love having a boxspring, it makes my bed super high and its easier for me to get out of bed. I can just kinda roll out of bed and into my feet...soo nice

I have a firm-ish mattress on a dwr min platform bed, so no. I haven't had a boxspring since I was about 11, I think. Er, I guess I don't intend to admit how long ago that way, though. XD

@lolax
Pillowtops seem like a ripoff to me because you can buy latex-or-whatever toppers that you just put on top of the mattress (like the egg-crate foam everyone gets when they got to college, only much classier >.>). I imagine they cost a fraction of what the mattresses cost, help preserve the life of the mattress (which you would still be able to flip) while still providing better/more customized sleep, and you can replace them as needed.

@LAURCAT
In Los Angeles, I got my traditional bed at Royal Pedic. They make the bed sets at their own factory in many styles, but I opted for 100% cotton made in the old fashioned you-can-flip-it way. You can get it 100% organic if you like. I agree with those who dislike piillow tops and think they are a rip off. Royal Pedic has a mattress "topper", in other words a removable pillow top, for my bed, but it costs $800 or so and the beds are already expensive. I replicated it for a fraction of the cost by getting a 1 and 1/2" thick memory foam topper from Target....they are very inexpensive for ANY sized bed (mine is CAL King) during their back-to-school sale when they have specials on them for dorm dwellers. Any thicker memory foam gets too hot and can make you feel like you're sleeping on a water bed, imo. Then I went to Bed Bath & Beyond during THEIR sale and got a feather bed, which is also about 1 and 1/2" thick. That mediates the typical "too hot" effect you can get with memory foam. Then I covered both with a good quilted mattress cover. Basically I replicated the $800 topper for less than $200 and my mattress isn't 2 feet thick and needing those yucky impossible-to-fold extra big sheets. Works great for my back injury (why I modified my extra-firm mattress) and I can still flip the mattress. For those still wanting a real box spring with actual springs in it, they make those too. High end, but worth it, will last for years. Downside ? You need help to move or flip the heavy mattress.

Our family has gone through this dilemna/discussion over and over again when we bought beds for our house, then for a friend's summer home, and then for rental properties that we manage.

Pros for no boxspring:
Sleeker profile, less bulk for moving, only one "piece" that gets wear and tear, no need for bed skirt, I personally like the look better

Cons:
After testing out all the different styles long term (more than just a test in the store), I do think that a boxspring adds a cushier mattress experience. The springs absorb and give a bit of bounce that no quality platform bed can offer. Maybe there is a mattress that costs over $15k that provides this but I've tested everything from the Ikea beds to the W and Heavenly beds and these are my thoughts.

It comes down to what kind of bed you prefer. If you take two of the same mattresses and test them with and without a boxspring, I think the one without the boxspring will be stiffer. But most people won't have an opportunity to do this so maybe ignorance is bliss :)

I must be backwards... I still love the look of the high beds. I have always had a box spring and when I have had to deal with platform beds my back fights me in protest. I like the storage of under the bed and have a giant comforter to hide the boxspring. However moving them up and downstairs in tight apartment spaces is not easy.

I bit the bullet and bought an expensive mattress at a health centre that was to go with whole fancy up and down bed system-only bought mattress and assured it would work fine on a bed with slats. so, i bought a bed at ikea with drawers under and slats. I have multiple sclerosis and osteo-arthritis in back and am in extreme pain always. Within a couple months bed was sagging down. Felt like i was going to touch slats soon and this mattress can not be turned over. I am beside myself....i cannot afford new mattress again-company is being beyond useless in helping me. Have you heard of bunkie boards from crate and barrel? Thin boards with cover to go between slats and mattress? WHERE are all of you getting these 2 and 3 inch box springs please?? I am in Canada. Any suggestions on what to do with what i have OR WHAT TO DO if i have to start over, keeping my frame but getting something not over 1000 for extreme pain. (if i can get money back) I would so appreciate some help here. I am; 'hitting the slats in B.C.'