I’m new to this forum but so glad I came across your page, as I’m in the market of buying a new bed. Uuugh … is all I can say. But, I also want to say thank you … to YOU … for all the information that you have provided on your website to help us!! I’ll definitely be using the info on the top layers of foam. I recently laid on an Airloom which was super comfortable for me. I’m a side sleeper and didn’t feel any pain to my hip region, which is where I typically feel the pressure when sleeping on my side. I liked the way the bed felt when lying on my back and side. I’m not a large person … 5’4" and 118 lbs. After reading all the information about the top layers, etc … I was wondering if the tufts, or the quilting, not sure what they’re called , would be an issue with sagging? I really liked the way it felt contouring to my body, as opposed to a flat surface. I found somewhere in all the reading of your articles that Airloom was NOT a good choice because they are not transparent about what is in their beds. I also like the way a LoveJoy mattress felt, but the guy couldn’t tell me anything about what was inside the bed. That bed did not have the quilted surface like the Airloom and it felt great lying on it. Have you heard anything about those beds?? What type of bed would you recommend for someone like me who prefers more of a soft/fluffy top, rather than a flat top?Thank you for any advice that you can provide. 
Hi maregram,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum!
When looking for a mattress, your first step should be to read the mattress shopping tutorial here but two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has 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”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …
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Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.
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Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Regarding Aireloom, t’s unlikely that you will be able to find out the type and quality of all the layers and components in an Aireloom mattress at any retailer that carries them ( see this article ) which means that it generally isn’t worth the time to even consider them ( see this article ) and I would avoid them (along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the specifics of what’s inside them). You can perform a forum search on Aireloom if you’d like to read more about what’s been posted about them here.
Quilting is different from tufting. Quilting will be the stitching with thread that holds the ticking to the top 2-3 layers of material in a mattress, creating a quilt panel and assisting to keep things in place and also provide some level of pre-compression. Tufting is generally the process of pre-compressing the entire finished mattress and running a cord through the mattress from top to bottom and affixing this cord with some sort of button or fastener on each end to maintain some of that level of pre-compression within the mattress which can assist with structural integrity, change comfort and help extend the life of foams and reduce body impressions by minimizing artificial loft. It is considered desirable in most premium mattresses.
LoveJoy Sleep doesn’t list any meaningful specifications about their products on their web site, so if you aren’t able to acquire that information, my advice would be the same as what I recommended for the Aireloom. If you are able to acquire the specific information about whatever model in their lineup you were considering, feel free to post it back here and I’ll do my best to comment upon that.
Phoenix