advice on mattress selection (Dormio, Sleeptek, FoamSweetFoam)

[phoenix]

Hi goldilocks12,

When I looked up the shop’s website, I see it appears to be a franchise of a chain of organic, natural, or “green” type beds , and I found a website for the parent company, which has a store locator that lists the local shop I visited. On the website they show the mattress I tried in the shop by Sleeptek, which they call by another name and not the Euro 4, but the saleslady told me it was made of 4" firm, then 4" medium, then 2" soft Dunlop and made by Sleeptek. The mattress on the website is 1000 less than the price I was quoted in the local shop. Why?

There is more about the many factors that can be involved in how any manufacturer or retailer prices their mattresses in post #14 here but of course there is no real answer to this because the internal financials that show how a manufacturer calculates their prices are proprietary and this isn’t information that a manufacturer would share with the public so from a consumer perspective it’s really a matter of knowing how to make meaningful comparisons between mattresses based on the materials inside them and all the other criteria that are most important to you (one of which is price of course).

There is also more about the different ways that one mattress can match or approximate another one in post #9 here. If two mattresses contain the same type and blend of latex in the same layer thicknesses and the same firmness level with the same cover then they would be the same mattress even if the names are different.

Do you recommend I buy the one from that website, or pay 1000 more if I buy it from the shop? This is an expensive mattress and I need to get the best deal I can on it, especially as I need to by a good protector for it, too. The shop said I could exchange layers for 60 days from purchase date, but no returns. I don’t know if the parent company offers that or not.

While I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations … there is more about the 3 most important parts of “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you).

If the return/exchange policies are different then you would need to decide on whether any additional cost for a better return/exchange policy was worth it to you but if the return exchange policies are the same and there are no other differences between the two that would be important to you then of course I don’t see any reason to pay an additional $1000.

Also, I am considering Dormio even though I live too far from their showrooms (I live in southern Connecticut). I think the Mirage or the Layton come closest to the one I liked in the shop (the Sleeptek they sell by their own name), but I can’t see them so I’m not sure, and I don’t know the price as they’re not on their website. I also am interested in Foam Sweet Foam, but don’t know if I would need a 12" mattress or if a 9" would be soft enough. (I think the 12" is too tall for my bed.) I’m a side sleeper, 5’4" and 118 libs, with some shoulder pain and lower back pain from an innerspring mattress that doesn’t give enough for me. My husband is 240 lbs and 6’3", and a side sleeper. I like Foam Sweet Foam’s comfort guarantee, but don’t want a 12" mattress if I don’t need it because it’s just too tall for my headboard and bed frame, which I love. The Sleeptek is 10" and felt perfect after testing it in the local shop, and 10" is the perfect size for my bed frame and headboard.

There is more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of comfort and PPP in post #2 here that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for once you actually sleep on your mattress in “real life”.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

All of the mattresses you are considering use high quality and durable materials and there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them.

Once you are down to your finalists and you are confident that they would all be a good match for you in terms of PPP (or you have good options after a purchase if you aren’t) and that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in any of them in terms of durability (which there aren’t) then you would be down to finalists that are comparing “good to good”. If there are no clear winners between them at this point (which is usually a good indication that you have done some very good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely make a good quality/value choice and (post #2 here) can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations with each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. Sometimes a final choice may even come down to very minor differences or can sometimes just be a matter of “gut feel” or “educated best judgement”.

Phoenix