Hi Napper,
Thanks for your comments.
Depending upon the guidelines you’re referencing (normal or higher BMI, as an example), it certainly can be frustrating when shopping for a mattress, and that of course is part of the reason for the creation of this site, to help point out that there are manufacturers (quite often smaller and more regional or specialized) and retailers who do provide items using higher quality and more durable materials. And the site members here represent a small percentage of those.
Unfortunately, the narrative that is commonly expressed by some manufacturers and retailers that you can’t have both good quality and comfort has kept quite a few stores and salespeople in business who sell lower quality items. Most people looking for a mattress want both durability and comfort, and when spending their hard-earned money don’t want to settle for something that is “kind of okay”. Too often retailers set up a false choice between a mattress that is suitable and a mattress that is durable as if they are mutually exclusive, and that’s a choice that doesn’t have to be made. You can have both, but sometimes it will take a bit of looking.
Regarding the guidelines I provide, I am the first to recognize that there is no such thing as “gospel” when it comes it mattresses which is why I welcome people to post here on the forum. This is how we all learn and keep our learning curves going. This is also the very reason I started this site and is exactly why I provide the reasons behind what I post. The goal of the site is to provide the knowledge that either connects consumers with “mattress people” who already know what they would otherwise need to learn and sell high quality/value mattresses or to provide them with accurate information and bypass the more biased and misleading information that tends to come from people who only promote or recognize the value of what they sell to the detriment of all other choices (no matter where they may come from). In other words, the goal is to inform and “empower” people to make up their own mind based on facts and meaningful comparisons instead of the overwhelming amount of misleading and inaccurate information that comes from all sides in this industry.
And while it may be more difficult to find items using better quality materials, factors such as volume of product sold, availability or popularity generally don’t rate much of a consideration as compared to the actual make-up of the materials/mattresses along with the research/feedback I receive from my acquaintances within the industry, some of which are considered to be the most highly respected and knowledgeable. But I do not begrudge anyone if they decide to vary from the recommendations I provide, as everyone has their own personal value equation, and in the end I attempt to provide information as to “how” to choose, not necessarily “what”.
Thanks!
Phoenix